animal mistreatment is now a crime in Yucatan

Mexico consists of 31 free and sovereign States, and the Federal District (Distrito Federal, or DF (dayeffay)). Merida happens to be the Capital of the State of Yucatan, and as such the State legislation takes place here.  

Here being at the H. Congreso del Estado de Yucatán, 

and this is where Tom and I spent a good part of our morning.   We arrived about 10:15 and signed in.  To attend el congreso you need to provide a picture id and they give you a numbered visitor badge which, when finished you turn in and retrieve your id.

We then hung around visiting with old friends, and making new friends.  This morning the diputados were voting on an initiative to Reforma al Código Penal para sancionar con cárcel y multas los Actos de Crueldad en contra de Animales - which essentially says they want to change the code, or making into law that abuse of a domestic animal is now punishable by law, both fines and jail time! 

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When this agenda item came up we were all on the edges of our seats.  The original paper that had been submitted had been revised, and revised again.  Terminology changed, definitions of 'domestic animals' debated and argued over,  and around and around they went.  Today was the vote. 

I am friends with several of the people that have worked tirelessly on this. It was so great to be able to be there and share this with them.

Several of the diputados stood and gave impassioned, logical, reasonable, and well thought out words on why this should pass - 

And their words did move many of us to tears.  Then the vote, and it was unanimous.  OH My Gosh!   We were all so thrilled, and again, moved to even more tears...as we hugged each other around it was quiet, we couldn't speak.

I am so proud of this group of incredibly dedicated and tireless champions for what they have done.  And I am proud to have been there with them this morning to see this new law passed.

Some of those that worked so tirelessly (In no particular order) are AMEDEA, LEP Marcia Lara,  META, Laura Diaz, Saul Bastarrechea, Dip. Mauricio Vila, Rafael Rodriguez, Silvia Cortés EvoluciónAnimal, Gabyta Romero, Augusto Zapata, Mvz Pako Salinas, Bayardo Ojeda Marrufo, Pvem Yucatan,  

I'm sorry, I know I've missed so many!

the fotos of congreso are mine, 

the fotos of people I snatched from friends on fb,

 and the volante is by evolucion.

You are what you eat, and who wants to be a lettuce?

So another thing that happened while we were recently travelling - we were some place, I don't remember exactly where, and of course we were getting ready to eat or drink something, probably both, and foie gras was on the menu, and Tom LOVES foie and was talking about getting it.

And I was giving him shit because,  if you are unaware of what they do to ducks/geese to get their livers  in to the desired form for mass consumption... The technique used is gavage and is the procedure by which the birds are deliberately fattened through force-feeding  To say it is beyond inhumane is well being quite generous.  I was going to insert a photo, but they upset me so much I decided against it.  My point here is not to try to convert anyone, just to offer up my personal experience.

Anyway, I was going on about how inhumane it is and Tom said something to the effect that I was being hypocritical - because I eat animal.

And he is/was right, I consume animal, and have become desensitized to it because it is served up in odd bits and pieces, and on flats of styrofoam, and the humanity of the treatment of the animals is far far removed.
Add to that how it sickens me, and I do means physically sickens me when I see and hear of cases of mistreatment and abuse of animals.  In fact it's one of the reasons I can no longer work at the dog shelter here.  I do other things to help, but I can't bear to see the animals and the condition they are in, especially when they first arrive.

You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON, 

So anyway, it got me thinking - and I decided that unless I know that the animal from whose bits and pieces have been humanely treated and butchered I am no longer eating them.  My exceptions to this are eggs, and I do know how horribly egg laying chickens are treated, and may well eliminate them too, in the future, oh, and I still eat fish.  That being said, all this is contingent upon my own health.  Being both lactose intolerant and hypo-glycemic poses a few problems, but nothing insurmountable.

I am into week 3 and so far so good!  Let's hope, for the sake of the animals, that I can stick to my resolve!

the post title was taken from this quote - Vegetarianism -- You are what you eat, and who wants to be a lettuce?

PETER BURNS, quoted in The Book of Poisonous Quotes