Noah's Ark In Long Beach: Speak Out On Behalf Of Animals In Need

The Noah's Ark Animal Rescue in Long Beach, California, was recently raided by the government for allegedly not properly caring for the animals there. My letter to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, speakout@presstelegram.com, and other papers carrying the wire service article, is below. The SF Chronicle version of the AP article, August 26, 2006, can be found HERE.

For those willing to speak up for those whose voices so many choose to ignore, be sure to send a letter to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, speakout@presstelegram.com

Then, do a Google News search, http://news.google.com/news, on Alexia Tiraki-Kyrklund for additional newspapers covering the story.

TLC

__________________________________

Dear Editor:

The unfortunate events at Noah's Ark Animal Rescue speak volumes about the extent to which life is respected in California.

On first impression, it appears that Noah's Ark took on too many animals given their limited financial and human resources. The news reports, however, fail to connect the dots as to why Noah's Ark held onto those animals in less than optimal conditions.

The first "why" is staring the reader in the eye: Rather than roll up their sleeves and call upon others in the "law enforcement" community to pitch in and help out, the Long Beach and County authoritarians had a one-word response: Kill.

"Kill" has become a common response of governments in California to sentient beings that are considered inconvenient.

California is awash in the blood of those slaughtered by the California Department Of Fish & Game, whose mission, alas only on paper, is to "manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources".

Stanley "Tookie" Williams had made great strides toward turning his life around, reaching out to the youth of California to show them that there is a better way than to join gangs. But to spare Williams' life might have made HerrGoobernator appear to be "soft on crime", and so in order to get a few more votes, the highest elected official in California had Mr. Williams killed.

But even in supposedly-liberal northern California, an officer of the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department responded to an animal hoarder's threat to shoot her dogs, not with an admonition to do no such thing, and not with an offer of help, but rather with: "I advised her we would need to verify the dog(s) had been destroyed prior to her disposing of the bodies". http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14242

More than thirty years ago, a thorough FBI study documented that serial killers often start with animals. Today, many California governmental "law enforcement" personnel reflect that profile.

Those who work at and contribute to the noble efforts at Noah's Ark recognized that where there is life, there is hope. And that when government agencies in California become involved, there is, all too often, death.

Sincerely,

Terry L. Clark