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Brian's Comments encouraging through knowledge a natural balance |
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These comments are taken form Brian May.com and are prtotected by copyright. and can be seen on http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html COPYRIGHT NOTE: GOD FORGIVE YOU, FOX HUNTERS
Of course Boxing Day is a sad, black day for all animal lovers. It's the day when some men go out and whoop and holler and delight in the torture of innocent creatures ... the sadistic riders of the Hunts will chase along behind packs of killer dogs, who will run some of our lovely foxes into the ground and viciously tear them apart - perhaps the most painful death imaginable. They call it 'sport', and think it is their God-Given right. Just like the slave traders used to, of old. Can anybody really tell me they think this is OK? It hurts so much. There is so much ignorance and abuse, so much needless cruelty, in our world. If I am spared in the next few years, I would like to dedicate myself to trying to educate, bring compassion and understanding, and help us move towards a better world for us and the creatures with whom we share this planet. God help the foxes today. God forgive you, all you who must get your kicks from causing pain. It need not be this way. I pray that things may change for the better. Love (See Copyright Note)
**Wed 23 Dec 09** "All creatures great and small ... the Lord God made them all." Think about this, folks, if you go to Midnight Christmas Mass, and then feel the urge to go out and join one of the hideous hunts on Boxing Day. Don't we ALL - All God's Creatures - have a right to a decent life and a decent death ? Maybe a nice ramble in the woods would be better ?
With love Bri (See Copyright Note)
**Sat 19 Dec 09** Great news for all who care about animals ! In this time of seasonal rejoicing, all animal-lovers and decent people can now also rejoice in a new ruling from the European Court of Human Rights. You know, to me, this affair seems absolutely laughable ... and if it weren't true, I think most people would dismiss this story as ridiculous fiction, but it's actually brought about an important milestone in the crusade towards proper rights for the other animals with whom we share this planet. Some guys from the so-called "Countryside Alliance", led by a chap called Brian Friend, actually wasted the time of the European Court of Human Rights, by claiming that the act of parliament designed to stop them killing foxes was a breach of their human rights !!! The great news today is that their extraordinary argument’ has been roundly TOTALLY REJECTED by the court. This was not a half-hearted or casual decision either, but is a historic landmark in the journey towards reason. The court was very precise and definite in its unanimous rejection of all the complaints the CA people brought. Their report makes interesting reading. Have a look. http://www.harperaspreywildliferescue.co.uk/ECHR.html [ Editor's Note: . Here is s Press Release: http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=html&documentId=859926&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table= The report considers each separate complaint in detail, and explains why it is inadmissable. For instance, the claim that the act prevented these would-be hunters from assembling as a group is rejected with the words ... "the first applicant's Article 11 complaint must be rejected as being manifestly ill-founded pursuant to Article 35 §§ 3 and 4 of the Convention". As you read on, you can see that every single one of the applicants' complaints is dealt with in the same unequivocal way, ending with this summary: "For these reasons, the Court unanimously - Decides to join the applications - Declares the applications inadmissible." The Countryside Alliance people have such money and power behind them that they have managed to keep news of this decision fairly quiet in the media. If you Google this issue, you will not easily find the court's original ruling - you will find the page flooded with sites controlled by the CA, all dismissing the ruling by Europe as insignificant (but if it was insignificant, why did they try this route in the first place? !!!) You begin to glimpse the way this organisation works, posing as the guardian of gentle traditional country values, yet, under cover of darkness, subtly manipulating public opinion, and our political system, to support their violence towards the very creatures they share the countryside with. The way they report the Court decision in their own websites is very amusing ... they simply brush it aside and assert their confidence that the law will be overturned when the opportunity arises. Well, as someone who believes that cruelty to ALL animals is a disgrace to the Human Race, and must be eradicated if we are to be worthy of the term "human" ... I'm here to tell you that this is a VERY IMPORTANT step forward for decency. This is a huge and important SLAP IN THE FACE for the Countryside Alliance. And it is only the beginning, folks. Decency CAN prevail. It must. Here's to 2010 becoming the year in which we put the hunting of mammals firmly INTO HISTORY, alongside Slavery, Bear-Baiting, Hare Coursing, Dog Fighting, Snaring, and all other such barbaric behaviours. Cheers ! Bri For further information and comment, check out the site of the League Against Cruel Sports: For the true facts and figures on foxes in Britain, and details of rescue operations for fox cubs orphaned by hunts and other abuses ... see: For recent opinion polls, etc: And for general information on how you can help the cause of decency in our treatment of animals in 2010 ... check out Advocates for Animals : (See Copyright Note)
**Thu 05 Nov 09**
It's official. Wales is, after all, to instigate a wholesale slaughter its badgers. This is utterly shameful ... and worse ... bad science, and bad, misguided, misled people. A triumph for the ignorant and the inhuman. I am sick to my stomach. Just for the sake of information ... the announcement that Bovine TB can transfer to humans is a bare-faced lie. There has been no recorded instance of this happening. The fact that BOVINE TB has been allowed to infect innocent wild creatures is disgraceful enough (notice that it is not called "Badger TB"?) - but instigating the murder of these native creatures when all the reliable scientific evidence has shown that it will not work (even if it were ethical, which it is not) is nothing less than despicable. Shame on you, members of the Welsh Assembly .. you were bullied into it by ignorant and greedy farmers, who wanted a scapegoat for the disaster they themselves have caused. Eternal shame on you. Brian (See Copyright Note)
**Thu 10 Sep 09** [Brian wrote in support to Chris Gale, Animal Rights campaigner.... SEE PRESS RELEASE HERE] I wholeheartedly support your campaign to ban the use of snares in Britain. We all know what is right, here ... these appalling instruments of painful death are the counterpart of land-mines. Nothing justifies this. It is time for the cruelty to end. NOW. Brian May (See Copyright Note)
**Fri 04 Sep 09** If these reports are correct ... I am bitterly disappointed. I really thought we had an ally in Barack Obama. How tragic. I can only guess someone in his organisation has a vested interest ... But Obama is the PRESIDENT. He makes the decisions Please, Mr Obama .... reconsider your verdict of the death sentence on the magnificent endangered wolves of your country. Love (See Copyright Note)
**Sat 29 Aug 09**
I'm incredibly heartened by the wonderful letters I've had .... from people appalled at the idea of the Tory party repealing the law banning hunting foxes with dogs. So many of you have said you will never vote for the Conservatives while they are holding to this policy. Many of the letters can be seen HERE. I feel we can make enough noise to make the Conservatives aware that this may lose them the election, unless they take heed. Let us be strong and measured ... logical yet passionate ... insistent. Let us not give up on the right of these beautiful creatures to live without persecution. It's time. Cheers, and - on behalf of Sebastian and me, and all our team - THANKS !! Dr. Bri © brianmay.com
CO-ORDINATING A HUMAN FORCE IN BRITAIN One of my correspondents (who prefers to stay anonymous, and quite within rights to do so!) mentioned the fact that opposition to the Tory intention to repeal the ban on hunting with dogs is not co-ordinated, and suggested that a new organisation should perhaps be brought into being, to make our point of view heard .... . So I wrote the following ... I agree entirely ... how to mobilise the (almost) silent majority of this country... who feel confused and betrayed? I'd be willing to look at any kind of organised plan of action. At the moment there are strong pockets of resistance to the march of cruelty and ignorance ... but it all seems to be quite fragmented. So! We need a new political party? Based on humane and considerate living. But this is an undertaking requiring huge resources, and masses of man/woman/hours .... and ... I have a terrible feeling that, to succeed in the present climate, a politician might have to be faced with having to make as many compromises as the rest of the them ... and ending up as corrupt. But ... well, it's a challenge worth taking up ... for someone. Cheers Bri © brianmay.com
**Mon 24 Aug 09** I was sad and depressed to see this article in The Independent (not their fault in this case ... they're just reporting facts, and, in this instance, I'm grateful to be informed). It seems to show that those who delight in cruelty in our country are already rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of the Tories reinstating Fox-Hunting (among other blood sports). It bewilders me that we are still a nation which could even contemplate sanctioning the torture of these beautiful creatures. The very thought of ENJOYING being a part of a pack of humans yelping after a single innocent, defenceless creature ... and then watching it being torn apart by dogs that have been deliberately brutalised ... makes me sick to my stomach. What hope is there? www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/how-the-tories-will-bring-back-hunting-1776160.html It seems the Tories will try to make it legal to do this again ... many of them have been flouting the law anyway... hurling us back into the Dark Ages; but they will try to make this backward step look palatable by proposing some kind of "License" for the Hunts. So let us not be deceived - what they are talking about is making it acceptable to kill OUR animals in a way which causes huge suffering, for pleasure. I am personally as tired as the next man of the weakness and ineptitude of the current government, but, while the Conservatives are proposing to bring back the most loathsome sports of all ... I could never vote for them. Nor will many of the decent people I know, who are disgusted by the Hunting fraternity. It amuses me that these "Countryside Alliance" people think that they own the countryside, and have a free rein to treat anyone and anything 'in the country' exactly how they choose. The truth is that we all, every living being in this country, share these islands, the land and the rivers and skies. And we share them with many other creatures, all of whom have a right to a good life, just the same as we do. I'd like to see an end to the greed, selfishness and arrogance of those who think they own our countryside (I live there too). There is plenty in our country that we should nurture, protect and cherish, in the face of modern urbanisation and the spread of concrete. I myself champion the flora and fauna which I see threatened. But, sadly, the Countryside Alliance does not have this as a priority. It ought to be a force for GOOD in the world, instead of this ugly, grasping little community of throwbacks that we see, hanging on with all their might to their rights of 'enjoyment', rather than to their obligation to behave responsibly to their fellow men and fellow creatures. I have to say, unequivocally, I despise these people - as, incidentally, does my great friend, Sir Patrick Moore. Along with the late great Cozy Powell, who was heard to exclaim, when confronting a pack of red-coated riders and dogs, with his blunderbuss in hand, "Get orf my land!!" So! Good People of sensitivity and conscience, and education - people who know what is right - let us try to move Britain forward, away from slavery, cruelty, and ignorance. Let us fight for a new Britain that we can be proud of. We must not elect a government which will force us back into barbarity. Who on Earth CAN we vote for? It ain't easy ... but there ARE alternatives. Let's try to find a hero. Cheers © brianmay.com
**Mon 17 Aug 09** I think Sebastian will have to have a fan club ... he has stirred up so much interest and admiration out there, I'm happy to say ... thanks for all the support ... some of you have really jumped at the chance to help in these endeavours to save wild animals. We can't thank you enough. He's off and running now, seemingly having taken very well to the 'soft release' program which Anne put into action for him. He didn't have to be let out ... he and his pals dug their way out of our holding pen, and made a nice cosy cavern for themselves at the entrance (exit!) they had made. We thought that was it ... and that they had 'escaped' - but they've all been back for food ... obviously quite comfortable in their temporary home ... and, as hoped, they have come back less and less as time has gone on ... so they must have learned to take care of themselves ... the best possible outcome.
These warm pics are from before the small band of pilgrims departed ... good memories ... For more info on the rescue program that Anne so magnificently runs ... see her website .... Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue (HAWR). cheers © brianmay.com
**Fri 31 Jul 09** [In reply to letter from Christine Rains on this subject - see LETTERS.] Hi ... yes, I feel for you. I would have the same feelings if I were in your place. However, there are of course shades of grey in this, as in most things .... You know, I often think of how you feel when you see a great work of carving done by a Chinese craftsman .. something he carved two hundred years ago out of ivory. You know that the item was born out of the unnecessary pain and indignity of an innocent animal. And yet it is also the product of great skill and artistic endeavour. You also know that if you destroy it, it will in no way take away the wrong that was done. Suppose that in the same day you were able to achieve a guarantee that this sad practice would never happen again .... how would you behave towards the antique carving you see before you? Probably you would see it as a reminder to the world of the progress it had made... Certainly the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is full of such artifacts, and I doubt if even the most extreme animal rights chevalier would advocate trashing them. What is my point? Well, if a cure for cancer exists, and part of its development was through animal testing, I would feel an abhorrence for it. But, supposing I knew that the same cure could just as well have been arrived at without the pain to animals (which, it seems now, is always the case), and supposing we had brought about such enlightenment that such mistreatment would never happen again, there would be little to achieve by refusing the treatment, unless it was continually manufactured through direct pain to animals (which, I suppose would put it on par with eating Foie Gras, which is something I would never dream of doing - disgusting thought). Whether this makes you feel better, I'm not sure ... but the fact that you care is the important thing, I think ... if the world were filled with people like yourself it would be a much better place. This is a long road. Right before our eyes, even with a clear-cut issue of banning the hideous snares which are right now condemning animals to a slow and terrible death, our politicians are too timid, or too corrupt, to defy the Hunting lobby which wants this shameful practice to continue, so they can go out killing, just as their ancestors did. It's hard not to despair, looking at the ignorance and evil we face. But face it we will. Just as the the abolitionists faced slavery all those years ago. We shall win in the end. All the very best © brianmay.com
**Fri 24 Jul 09** There's an online poll about vivisection run by the Daily Mail ... I have voted, because I want to seize every opportunity, however small, to bring about the eventual END of the torture of animals in the name of research, or any other reason, for that matter. I differ from the chap who has written the article, Danny Penman, in that, even if I was dying of an uncurable disease that could be somehow miraculously cured by torturing thousands of cats, dogs, mice, and monkeys ... I would NOT choose for this to happen. I also know that the rest of my family would feel the same way. But also, we are all close to the scientific community, and we know that even to ask this question is unrealistic. Experimenting on live mammals is NOT leading to miracle cures ... and in many well-documented cases it has been shown that conclusions which have been arrived at by animal testing have been completely wrong with respect to humans, and have led to agonies and death in the people the experiments were intended to benefit. More and more it is possible to do better science by NOT using laboratory animals. I do however think D. Penman has written a good, well balanced piece on the issue, which will draw many people into the fight to end this horrific situation. I am personally sick of the way we try to justify all our evil practices by the fact that they MIGHT help humans live longer, or look prettier for longer, or make more money. The practice of causing pain to animals for our own benefits is WRONG, and I hope I can make a difference to the way we behave before I die. I will be spending more and more of my time fighting this issue in the future, and if it means I make less music, and don't live so long, then so be it. THIS DISGUSTING CRUELTY HAS TO STOP. So, if you feel the same, here is the place to vote ... www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1201556/DR-DANNY-PENMAN-I-support-vivisection-really-kill-4million-animals.html I'm not kidding myself that this will solve any issues, but at least it may add a little to the growing tide of opinion which is trying to change our behaviour towards our fellow animals. For, make no mistake, animals is what we are. I always wonder what on Earth gives us the idea we are more important than any other species ... Cheers © brianmay.com
**Sat 18 Jul 09** Here's a cry from the man standing on the Soapbox. It's time he spoke out again about animals. There is a poll going on at the moment ... a kind of 'referendum' by the BBC Countryfile people. And it concerns the fate of Foxes and Badgers at the hands of the British humans. I'm going to ask you to VOTE, if you have a moment, and if you care about animals, and want a change in the way humans behave towards them. It's a hard one, because this programme possibly appeals most to the kind of country folk who still think huntin', fishin' and shooting anything that moves is cool, so I'm not sure what this poll will prove. But ... I guess this is an opportunity to make our feelings known. Click this link to LETTERS ... to see what our friends say about the issues. And - if you're already sure of your opinions - CLICK HERE .... to connect to the poll itself. I'm assuming most of my readers are caring, aware people, and that we will be able to let the BBC know that there really IS a strong movement from those who care about animals, to put the barbaric past behind us ... and start treating all creatures with respect. Please do vote. I am about to do so. It is of course no secret how I will be voting. BADGERS These beautiful native animals have been in our land longer than we humans have. You would think that this alone would justify their right to live, as much as our own. But, because they have been linked with the spread of TB in cows, there has been a strong lobby from the farming community to 'cull' badgers. 'Culling' is a euphemism. What they are proposing is the extermination of these native creatures. What is the truth? Well, please click HERE ... . for a very comprehensive report by someone who just earned a First Class Honours degree in Biology at Imperial College! The only responsible science which has been done on the issue of Bovine TB and badgers concluded that KILLING badgers will NOT help solve the problem of cows contracting the disease. It's interesting to note that the disease in cows is NOT transferable to humans. The only reason farmers want their cows free from the TB virus is that they stand to lose money, when they eventually send their animals to the slaughter. By the way, just in case you thought that the farming lobby's touching cry for help for their cows was sincere, it's also interesting to note this: at the first sign of infection, do they try to cure their cows? Nope, they immediately kill them all. Why? Because it makes them more money - they can claim government compensation. Please VOTE to support the present governments decision NOT to kill our badgers. FOXES This is, of course, only one small area in which we humans act abhorrently. But it is to me a symbol. How can we ever hold our heads up as a civilised nation, which cares about its fellow creatures, when we still have people yelping around the countryside, killing these beautiful and intelligent animals to satisfy some kind of blood lust? The law banning fox-hunting was passed, even though Tony Blair was apparently too cowardly to turn up and vote for it ... but those yahoos who think they are above the law still flout the will of the majority, by finding ways to carry on torturing foxes. Please VOTE to make it known that we do NOT want our country to turn back into barbarity and cruelty - that we are ready to move forward into a world which respects all creatures. A century ago, ignorant and selfish people were saying the world could not work without slavery. In 2009, ignorant and selfish people are saying the world cannot live without torturing animals. Please VOTE to tell them they are wrong. Cheers
Bri & Sebastian say ... "Let's be decent, caring creatures .... make your voice heard !" © brianmay.com
**Wed 15 Jul 09** I thought you might like to see a few progress pics of our young 'family'. These were taken today by Anne Brummer, our rescue lady extraordinaire. All three cubs are doing well - two boys and a girl ... their names are underneath their pics. They get a lot of room service ... better than some hotels I've been in !! ha ha. I'm thrilled to report we've already had some offers of support from you great people out there ... thanks so much. Maybe the human race isn't ALL bad ... ! cheers !
**Wed 15 Jul 09** Click image for larger I do a lot of talking about the plight of animals ... the creatures who, alongside us, share this planet. It's my opinion that we have a totally ridiculous idea of how important we are, and that we, as a race, behave despicably to our fellow beasts. To me, we humans are the pitiless, senseless vandals of this world, and it seems to be down to a few thinking, caring people to try to limit the damage done by the mindless majority. This week, I met someone who does a wonderful job, with a tiny amount of support, a wonderful job of saving and caring for countless animals whose lives we humans have wrecked. This lady is Anne Brummer, and her brilliant organisation is called Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue. I've pledged my support, and, by erecting a sanctuary on private land for animals in need of rehabilitation, I'm hoping to help extend her great work. All my people, who work for me and with me, at Duck, are backing the project. Our first tenants are three adorable fox cubs, all orphaned too young by the works of Man. The little chap above is Sebastian, and he's been reared from a baby, by bottle at first, having lost his mother soon after his birth. He needs to learn how to defend himself and find food, and 'be a fox'. The techniques of care and 'soft release' practised by Anne and her colleagues will give him a good chance to grow up strong and have a good life. If anyone want to help these wonderful people in their labour of love, we will supply contact details on request. Meanwhile ... Sebastian is busy learning what is around him, before he leaps into a new world.
Cheers © brianmay.com
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