Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 97
February 2, 2011
CREW calls on President, members of Congress to skip National Prayer Breakfast; protest tomorrow
***Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on President Obama and all members of Congress not to attend this year's National Prayer Breakfast. The event is scheduled for tomorrow. The breakfast, while designed to appear as a government-sanctioned event, in reality serves as a meeting and recruiting event for the shadowy Fellowship Foundation.
"The National Prayer Breakfast uses the attendance of elected leaders to give the Fellowship greater credibility and facilitate its networking and fundraising," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. "President Obama and members of Congress should not legitimatize this shadowy group with ties to scandal-ridden politicians and hateful and discriminatory positions against gays." Sloan continued, "It is all the more important that American political leaders avoid this event in light of the murder of prominent Ugandan gay activist David Kato."
The Fellowship, also known as "The Foundation" and "The Family," is run by Doug Coe, a spiritual advisor to some government officials, who uses the organization to push his brand of Christianity. The Fellowship owns and operates the infamous C Street House, a congressional residence and meeting place on Capitol Hill that has been a frequent haunt of some ethically-challenged elected officials identified by CREW, including Sen. John Ensign (R-NV).
The organization operates under an intense veil of secrecy, stays largely out of the public eye and hides its donors' identities. The Fellowship has used its government clout to facilitate backdoor meetings between U.S. and foreign officials, improperly claimed tax exempt status for the C Street House, and has persuaded members of Congress, including Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) to conduct Fellowship-sanctioned evangelizing while traveling at taxpayer expense.
Members of the Fellowship pushed for anti-gay legislation in Uganda that made homosexuality a capital offense. Just last month, prominent activist David Kato was murdered in Uganda. Much of the wave of anti-gay sentiment can be linked to the promotion of anti-gay policies by American evangelicals.
Also, GetEqual and other groups plan to hold a protest tomorrow.
LGBT and Human Rights Groups Hold "Breakfast Without Bigotry" Protest Outside of National Prayer Breakfast
In front of the Washington Hilton Hotel (1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW) from 6:00am - 8:00am (ET), civil rights activists, faith leaders, human rights organizers, and LGBT advocates will gather during the National Prayer Breakfast to ask that both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress and our President stand against the hatred and bigotry that the National Prayer Breakfast organizers have promoted worldwide. Groups joining GetEQUAL in this event include the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Unitarian Universalist Association, Soulforce, and others. (An updated list will be available at www.getequal.org on the day of the event.)
In the wake of the murder of Ugandan gay activist, David Kato, and the pending deportation of Brenda Namigadde from the UK back to Uganda, organizations across the country are uniting to make sure that "The Family" is exposed for their influence on world affairs, including the annihilation of LGBT people worldwide. "History has proven time and again that the kind of hatred, bigotry, and prejudice promoted by 'The Family' cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. 'The Family' already has blood on its hands, and must be stopped before it can kill again in even greater numbers. Uganda today serves as a lethal preview of what 'The Family' hopes to accomplish worldwide," said Michael Dixon, a lead organizer for GetEQUAL DC.
"The very fact that 'The Family' is able to push its harmful anti-LGBT agenda under the guise of morality at events where our national leaders are attending is cause for grave concern. Today, we stand up and speak out for those who suffer under forced silence for fear of their lives. Today, we shine a light on the hateful tactics used by 'The Family' to maintain power and inequality all over the world, including the pending Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda," said Janelle Mungo, an organizer with GetEQUAL DC.
Family Research Council now lying about the box office success of lgbt movies
crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
The motion picture awards season is upon us and naturally those who take such an interest in such things are highly interested in who will win the lion's share of honors.
Not so for Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. To him, it's all about standing against the so-called conspiracy to "recruit" into Americans into debauchery.
And he is now claiming that the box office is on his side in this matter:
The president of the Family Research Council says Hollywood's biggest flop may be its own ticket sales.
In a recent FRC podcast, Tony Perkins points out that people are not going to as many movies these days -- and who can blame them, he asks.
"As far as Hollywood is concerned, it's not art if it doesn't offend," he opines. "The biggest winners in last week's Golden Globe Awards were shows like Black Swan, Glee, and The Kids Are All Right -- and their whole purpose is pushing a liberal political agenda."
Perkins says while that may be how producers define success, box-office figures indicate clearly that audiences see things differently. "The Kids Are All Right, which is the story of two lesbians raising a family, came in 113th in ticket sales," he notes. "Toy Story 3, last year's box-office winner, made 21 times more money than Kids did."
The first inclination of course is to tell Perkins to chill out because these are only movies - except for Glee, which is a television show - but far be it from me to point out yet again how deceptive Perkins is being.
Perkins is accurate about Toy Story 3. It was last year's box office champ and did make a lot of money. According to Box Office Mojo, the exact domestic total was $415,004,880 from a budget of $200 million. Its worldwide gross is $1,063,161,943
On its opening weekend in June - during the summer box office season, it was shown in over 4,000 theaters. Furthermore, Toy Story 3 was a continuation of a highly successful movie series - i.e. Toy Story and Toy Story 2.
And I haven't even begun talking about its promotion.
By contrast The Kid Are Alright was a movie which has made worldwide total $29,365,490 on a budget of $4 million. It was given limited release on July 9, opening at seven theatres. During its time at the box office, the most theatres it was ever played at was 994.
In terms of hype and promotion, comparing it to Toy Story 3 is like comparing apples and oranges.
But since Perkins and the Family Research Council have lied about so many other things, why should anyone be surprised about how unashamedly they lie about this issue?
Man claims Glaxo drug Requip made him 'gay sex addict'
Didier Jambart, a married father-of-two who says he has attempted suicide three times, claims he became addicted to Internet gambling, losing the family's savings and stealing to feed his habit.He also became a compulsive gay sex addict and began exposing himself on the Internet and cross-dressing. His risky sexual encounters led to him being raped, his lawyers said.
The behaviour stopped when he stopped taking the drugs in 2005 but by then he had been demoted in his defence ministry job and was suffering from psychological trauma resulting from his addictions, his lawyers said.
CNN Crew, Anderson Cooper Attacked by Mubarak Forces in Egypt
Guest column by Irene Monroe: "Womanist" and saying who we are
More below the fold."Womanist" and saying who we are
By Rev. Irene Monroe
Black History Month is that time of year when the achievements and courage of people of African descent are acknowledged and celebrated. However, for decades now, Black History Month has not once acknowledged or celebrated the contributions of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities.
Our omission from the annals of black history would lead you to believe that the only shakers and movers in the history of people of African descent in the U.S. were and still are heterosexuals. And because of this heterosexist bias, the sheroes and heroes of LGBTQ people of African decent like Pat Parker, Audre Lorde, Essex Hemphill, Joseph Beam, and Bayard Rustin, to name a few, are most known and lauded within a subculture of black life.
Along with the pantheon of noted black heterosexual leaders who will lauded this month, I want to personally celebrate one of my queer and crossover sheroes, renown writer and poet Alice Walker for giving black women everywhere on the globe a new name we all can embrace - "womanist."
While "sistah girl" is my favorite term to depict black women, no word, however, captures the totality of women of the African Diaspora in popular culture today than Pulitzer Prize author Alice Walker's term "womanist." Alice Walker coined the term in her 1983 collection of prose writings "IN SEARCH OF OUR MOTHERS' GARDENS."
The term "womanist" derives from African-American women's folk expression "You are acting womanish". The phrase illustrates little African-American girls' precociousness as they attempt to comprehend and overcome the challenges adult African -American women face in their strategies for survival in an oppressive society.
Walker defines a "womanist" as a black feminist who continues the legacy of "outrageous, audacious, courageous, and willful, responsible, in charge, serious'" African-American women as agents of social change for the wholeness and liberation of their entire people, and by extension, the rest of humanity. A womanist can be a lesbian, a heterosexual, a bisexual or a transgender woman. She celebrates and affirms African-American women's culture and physical beauty. A womanist "loves herself. Regardless".
"Womanist" was coined as a term that is both culture specific and encompasses a variety of ways in which women of the African Diaspora support each other and relate to the world. Walker specifically devised the term in response to literary historian Jean Humez's (who resides here in Somerville, MA) introductory statement in "GIFTS OF POWER: The Writing of Rebecca Jackson, Black Visionary, Shaker Eldress." Humez suggested that Rebecca Jackson and Rebecca Perot, who were part of an African-American Shaker settlement in Philadelphia in the 1870's and lived with each other for more than thirty years, would be labeled lesbians in today's climate of acknowledging female relationships. Humez supported her speculations of the Jackson-Perot relationship by pointing to the homoerotic dreams the women had of each other. Walker disputed Humez's right, as a white woman from a different cultural context, to define the intimacy between two African-American women." Womanist" was coined as a term that was both culture specific and encompassed a variety of ways in which African-American women support each other and relate to the world.Although the words "religion" and "Christian" do not appear in Walker's definition, there are both religious and secular usages for the term "womanist." Because Walker emphasizes African-American women's love for the Spirit, African-American Christian women have used 'womanist" to articulate their witness to and participation in God's power and presence in the world. "Womanist" in the religious sense is often used by African-American women who are Christian ministers and seminarians, as well as by feminist scholars in the field of religion. Womanist Christian thought and practices began to flourish in the mid-1980's as a way to challenge racist, sexist, and white feminists religious practices and discourses that excluded African-American women's participation and which ignored their experiences in church and society. For womanist Christian ministers and seminarians, Walker's definition serves as a springboard for their preaching style, liturgy, and pastoral ministry.
For womanist Christian academicians, the definition shapes and frames their analytical and theoretical approaches. By using African-American women's experiences of struggle and survival as their starting point of inquiry, these clergywomen and scholars examine the simultaneous forces of race, class and gender oppressions in African-American women's lives. A "womanist" approach also celebrates African-American women's religious history, and validates their theological beliefs. Although Walker's definition includes lesbians as womanist, lesbian voices in the womanist Christian discourse as well as their contributions to African-American women's religious histories have been suppressed. Proponents for the exclusion of lesbians in the discourse argue that a lesbian sexual orientation is antithetical to the tenets and survival of the Black Church and black family. As a result, many Christian lesbians in the womanist Christian discourse have responded either by engaging in the debate without disclosing their sexual identities or by opting not to engage in it at all.
The secular use of "womanist" is by African-American women who have either left the Black Church because of its gender bias and homophobia, or who do not come from the Black Church religious experience. These women use the term to identify a culturally specific form of women-centered politics and theory. They claim that the term "feminist" is inappropriate because of its history of identification with a predominantly white movement that has often excluded and alienated African-American women. In addition, because the term, "feminist" has been used to identify women as lesbians regardless of their sexual orientation, "womanist " provides a way to affirm one's identity without being associated with lesbianism. Because of this, however, some women have challenged the term "womanist" because of its homophobic implications. Hmm?!
February 1, 2011
Maryland's LGBT communty comes together to lobby for the gender and marriage bills
Equality Maryland asked voters to first speak with each legislator about the gender bill and then the marriage bill, said field organizer Owen Smith today in an interview. "Legislators thought we were going to go in and talk about marriage. And were were like, first we want to know what you're doing about the gender bill. We want these protections for our friends. This is our community too." After speaking in support of the gender bill, voters asked that our marriages be recognized. Such tight LGBT community solidarity "is imperative right now. We all need to be together as one big community and not be fractioning ourselves apart. That's exactly what the opposition wants. They want us to in-fight so they can come in and conquer." According to Owen, the approach was quite successful.
I heard beautiful stories from people who had originally come to lobby for marriage because they want their relationships recognized. When they realized that we were doing both bills some beautiful stories emerged.Asked what's happening next, Owen said that the marriage bill will have its first hearing in the Senate on Feb 8th and the gender bill will have its first hearing in the House the following week or week after. The next lobby day is scheduled for Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day.I was lobbying with two married lesbians from one of our key districts in Baltimore and they told stories about friends in their lives who are transgender who they want to see be able to have jobs without having to deal with harassment.
One of them is a rental property owner and manager who told about how trans people will come in an lie to her about who they are because there is so much fear [of being rejected for a lease]. She feels that is so sad and says "this is a safe space, you can be whoever you are" and then they'll come out to her as being trans. People have such fear. From the perspective of a landlord she was able to illustrate that fear that transgender people have going in just to fill out a rental application.
One of these constituent's made the staffer cry when she was telling the story of a friend who was discriminated against at work. It was so beautiful, so moving.
We also had a good number of transgender people who were there advocating for themselves from their own personal place, which was also amazing.
"We have a lot to do in a short time, but we're so close to getting these much-needed protections for transgender Marylanders. It's really encouraging that a lot of members from the LGBT community are also standing up and fighting too. It's a wonderful thing as a transgender Marylander to see. It's not just me fighting, it's not so isolating. People get it. People get that people are dying."
Owen has a personal stake in getting the gender bill passed that lies well beyond his duties as a field organizer for Equality Maryland. Read an excerpt of his story after the flip.
Is the bill everything we want? No, but it is a start - many of us don't have the time to wait around for the perfect bill. We recognize that we still have work to do for full Gender Identity protections, but we have an opportunity right now to gain major protections to secure many basic needs for transgender Marylanders and create a fundamental infrastructure to keep transgender rights moving forward.As a transgender Marylander, I have been physically assaulted for not being "man enough" to lift over 200 lbs of dead weight. I was publicly humiliated consistently in front of my co-workers and customers having inappropriate slurs shouted at me about being a "he-she" and other things I do not even want to type. I learned first hand the need for employment protections in the work place. No one should live through the embarrassment and physical violence I faced in the work place.
As a result of my employment issues, I was forced to look for new housing where rental after rental would see my application but when it came time to meet with the managers, it became clear that they were uncomfortable with my gender presentation.
I remember a place that even made fun of me and asked me inappropriate questions like "what do you have in your pants?" and "what are you?" They then raised the rent 200 dollars over the rent quoted to my friend, who was an applicant for the same apartment.
Because of this type of discrimination due to my gender identity, I was homeless, without a place to live for nine months. Everyone, regardless of their gender identity or presentation, deserves and needs a roof over their head. This bill will provide a roof and employment opportunities for a population that is usually left homeless. I recognize that I am incredibly lucky. Now I have a job and a home where I am treated with dignity and respect, something that is not true for the majority of transgender Marylanders.
I urge you to support this bill because it will save lives in Maryland. The issues I faced are not uncommon for our transgender community and continue to mean life or death for many Marylanders. We need to band together as a community to get these basic protections for our all transgender Marylanders. Stand with me and the transgender community and end this discrimination NOW.
Fundie lesson of the day: Bob Nelson on 'counterfeit marriage'
You see, Bob Nelson has a twenty dollar bill, and he says we need to find out if it's real by asking the creators of the bill [apparently he doesn't one of those fancy pens], and likewise, we need to ask the author of marriage [surely, his conception of an invisible sky-being!] what marriage really is, and then he reveals that he's never opened a history book that isn't approved by his pastor by stating that "never in history" has marriage ever been anything more than one man-one woman.
The comforting thing about what I do is that this is the absolute best our opposition has.
New NC Dem Party Chair David Parker on Charlotte as pick for 2012 DNC host city, plus Q of the day
As a candidate for my state's Democratic Party Chairman, David Parker came onto the Blend to do a liveblog and expressed his strong support for the LGBT community, including the formation of an LGBT Caucus.Last Saturday he was elected to head up the NCDP, and Parker has since reached out to me (and other NC LGBTs) to help get the community visible, involved and working with the party under his progressive leadership.
He's having a good first week on the job - today he's obviously enthusiastic about the news that Charlotte will host the 2012 Convention:
This is going to be fun...Also, in related news, the DNC announced (via email press release) that National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine will join Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx at a presser in the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. And will hold another when they head over tomorrow to do a walk through of Time Warner Cable Arena, which will be the site for the 2012 Democratic National Convention events.
If this decision says anything, it's proof that Barack Obama will be fighting as hard for North Carolina in 2012 as he did in 2008.
But this isn't just good news for Democrats, because the economic impact of this event is huge. Tens of thousands of jobs will be created in the Charlotte Metro area with tourism dollars spent across the entire state.
For the Democratic Party, this is nothing short of the single greatest party building opportunity in the history of North Carolina, and I want you to know how you can get involved right now. It's simple: call your county party. Click here for a list or go to our website www.ncdp.org and click under "Local Parties".
The road to Charlotte runs through your precinct.
I want you to be involved and the Democratic Party needs your time and commitment right now, in 2011.
This is going to be fun.
I welcome the DNC and the President back to North Carolina. And I thank you for your support and dedication to the Democratic Party.
A Q of the day: should your blogmistress, if selected to cover the convention in 2012 pick that role over applying as a delegate to report from that POV?
Iowa House votes for marriage amendment, now it's on to the Senate.
The Iowa House today, by a vote of 62-37, passed an amendment (House Joint Resolution 6) that would deny any form of legal recognition for gay couples. The amendment seeks to prohibit not only the freedom to marry for gay couples, but also civil unions or domestic partnerships.I think Blender Zack Ford summed up my thoughts about this news.The bill now moves on to the Iowa Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has vowed to fight attempts to pass the amendment. If passed through both legislative bodies in two consecutive General Assemblies, the issue could be on the ballot as soon as 2013.
"The proposed amendment devalues families and divides Iowans," said One Iowa Executive Director Carolyn Jenison. "The Constitution is meant to protect the freedoms and liberties of all Iowans. It is inappropriate to use the political process to single out and deny a group of Iowans of their constitutional protections."
"This goes beyond politics," said Iowa City resident Katie Imborek. "This is about our family and the ability for Paula and me to care for one another and our two children. At a time when so many Iowans are struggling just to make ends meet, I don't understand why legislators would choose to take up this issue."
"From a business perspective, we do have a history of civility, tolerance and respect for the individual. I believe these same values mark the path to economic recovery," said Suku Radia, CEO and President of Bankers Trust.
Hey Iowans, if you can just amend a constitution because you don't agree with it, you didn't respect it to begin with. http://bit.ly/ecP4qrLambda Legal's response:
"Today's vote is a shameful attack on same-sex couples and their children. History won't look kindly on the politicians who voted today to attack committed Iowa couples and their kids across the state who merely want their government to continue to treat them equally."The backers of this measure know that non-gay Iowans' lives have not changed in the slightest since same-sex couples gained equal access to marriage almost two years ago. After hours of testimony and debate in the House, the message that rings loud and clear is the love, responsibility, and commitment voiced by same-sex couples and their families who are the only ones whose lives are directly affected by their ability to marry.
"Iowa gay and lesbian couples and their children aren't going away. They have survived cheap political attacks in the past. While days like today are tough, Iowa families take comfort in the fact that in the past, Iowans have rejected calls to put discrimination into Iowa's constitution, which has lived up to its promise of equality for everyone for generations. Iowans have a proud tradition of standing up for civil rights, often long before it is popular, and we believe that Iowa voters have no interest in changing their constitution to slam the door on Iowa same-sex couples and their families.
...>According to the Des Moines Register, more than 90% of Iowans [92%] report their lives have not been affected by the ruling at all.
An amendment is far from reaching the ballot in Iowa. It would need to be passed by both the House and the Senate in two separate legislative sessions. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and others in the Senate have vowed to fight attempts to pass the amendment in the Senate.
Headlines, headlines: Blend open thread
Some that have caught my eye:
* Daughter of President George W. Bush Adds Voice to HRC's New Yorkers for Marriage Equality Campaign. It's Barbara Bush.
* 'Marriage Equality' Banner Vandalized at Gay-Friendly Hollywood Church.
Of all L.A. neighborhoods, you'd think at least free-wheelin' Hollywood (well, and its sister city to the West) would be a safe place to pray to whomever we choose while loving whomever we choose -- a simple concept with big conservative enemies.* Storm Warning: Problems with DADT Implementation Ahead (LBGTPOV):That's what the progressive Hollywood United Methodist Church, located on the corner of Franklin Avenue and North Highland Avenue, has always been about; theirs is a refreshingly open-minded take on tradition.
...The vandal did a clean cut-job around the word "EQUALITY" -- changing the message of the six-foot-by-eight-foot banner from "THIS CHURCH SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY" to "THIS CHURCH SUPPORTS MARRIAGE." It's an obvious stab at the currently up-for-debate right of Californians to have same-sex, but otherwise traditional, marriage.
At the Pentagon news conference on Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, it became painfully clear that we are a long way from open and honest service. Troops can still be discharged under the Don't Ask. Don't Tell (DADT) law and the President is not considering any stop loss order. There is no timeline for implementation of repeal, there is no legal protection against discrimination in place, nor contemplated, and there are no equal benefits for all married service members.* GetEQUAL, along with other LGBT and Human Rights Groups Hold "Breakfast Without Bigotry" - Protest Outside of National Prayer Breakfast .Even after implementation, GLB troops will not have available to them the remedies provided to other protected groups under the Military Equal Opportunity program. Is repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell ever going to happen? Yes. Is DADT dead? No. DADT is fading but there is a long road ahead to achieve open service.
And that road is fraught with many potential detours. Now is not the time to celebrate but to become more vigilant and work to get the job done.
Join us as we protect our lives and speak up for those who can't for fear of imprisonment and murder.More below the fold.In the wake of the murder of Ugandan gay activist, David Kato, and the pending deportation of Brenda Namigadde from the UK back to Uganda, we believe it is imperative that "The Family" be exposed not only for their role as organizer of the National Prayer Breakfast, but for their relationship with many of our legislators and their influence on world affairs, including the annihilation of LGBT people worldwide.
While its organizers would have you believe the National Prayer Breakfast is an ecumenical gathering absent a policy agenda, it is in fact the tentpole event of the year for the clandestine operation "The Family". This fringe group uses the visibility and support from the National Prayer Breakfast (attended by many politicians and business leaders) and other events to further its world-wide campaign against gay folk. Associates of "The Family" continue to promote a proposed law that would imprison for life and murder LGBT people-just for being who they are-
while also criminalizing knowing an LGBT person without reporting them."The Family" has invested much in mentoring current and future world leaders, including David Bahati, a Ugandan legislator and author of the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill (a.k.a. the Ugandan "Kill the Gays" bill).
On the morning of February 3, we'll gather on the sidewalk outside the Prayer Breakfast to educate the attendees on "The Family's" role in this annual event, to stand up to their bigotry, and to stop the Family's interference in Ugandan affairs, which itself has been called a trial run for what they want to happen in the U.S.
* Log Cabin Republicans on DADT Repeal: Trust, But Verify .
Log Cabin Republicans are pleased that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Obama administration's latest attempt to indefinitely delay arguments in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States. Despite legislation enacted last month which removed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' from U.S. code, the military has emphasized that the policy remains in force and the Obama Department of Justice continues to defend the ban in court.* 'Ex-Gay' Organizations Have Spread Worldwide ."Seventeen years ago, another Democratic president promised open service for gay and lesbian Americans in uniform. Instead, we got 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' This time, Log Cabin Republicans are remembering the lesson of trust, but verify when dealing with the promises of this president," said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper. "Log Cabin Republicans supported the Comprehensive Working Group study and have offered to assist the Department of Defense in the development of training to expedite the implementation process. However, the fact remains that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is still in force, with discharge panels continuing to meet. The constitutional rights of servicemembers are still being violated, and therefore it is necessary Log Cabin Republicans v. United States goes on."
Last week, the world was horrified by the brutal murder of one of the Uganda's best-known LGBT activists, David Kato The murder occurred about two years after an Anti Gay Conference was held in an African nation where being gay is considered a disease, and the only options are being "cured" or incarcerated or murdered. Kato's death brings home the ugly truths of the international tentacles of the ex-gay movement and its uglier aftermath.* 100 healthy sled dogs In Canada killed after business slows . This is beyond sick. Don't read further if you are squeamish. This is what some think of man's best friend - disposed, treated like garbage....The Family Life Network, a local Ugandan Non Governmental Organization that also included the participation of American evangelicals, organized that Anti Gay Conference. After the conference, an Anti Homosexuality Bill was introduced.
The 100 dogs were shot dead over two days after an expected post-Olympics boon in dogsledding business at an adventure company didn't pan out. Most died instantly, but others suffered - like the one that ran away with its "face blown off and an eye hanging out."The gruesome event was described in documents awarding compensation to a worker, who claimed post-traumatic stress disorder for having to shoot the dogs after bookings dropped sharply for a tour operator following the 2010 Winter Olympics.
"He had to chase her down and finish her off," Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said of the wounded down that was run down and slain.
"There aren't words to really describe some of the ways these dogs died," she said. "We don't put cows down like that. Slaughterhouses have very strict rules for how supposed culling takes place. This violated every one of them."
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