The Cyberactivist

We ate our Tofurky again yesterday - much better than last year since we read the instructions. LOL! All of the animals here got a special feast and blessing with thanks for them being here and enriching our lives with their individual selves. Mostly, we don't like to celebrate Thanksgiving, but do it for the family. Laura's family is big on celebrations of holidays and go all out for all of them. As we all did yesterday. Therefore, Laura and I, along with a smart and caring young boy, went around and gave each and every animal a special treat while we talked about how special they were.

Today, we are happily particpating in the Buy Nothing Day! Many others refer to it as Black Friday and hold anti-fur demos everywhere. Check out http://www.furfreefriday.com/ for the nearest one to you.

Now, the articles (not all the comments and e-cards. though I thank each and every one of you who contacted us, but they were way too personal to put here) that were sent to me on what others were thinking about yesterday. First, the main one we were pondering:

"Re-Membering Thanksgiving" by Eastern Shore Sanctuary cofounder pattrice jones (and very good friend - a really outstanding and intelligent woman) was published last year and remains relevant today. This challenging essay looks at the links between factory farming, colonization, homophobia, and war in the context of a
meditation on the holiday of Thanksgiving.

http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/jones11222004/

She also gave several options and reasons for Buy Nothing Day:

Buy Nothing for the Animals November 25

Inaugurated twelve years ago, Buy Nothing Day asks U.S. consumers to protest amoral consumerism by staying out of the stores on the busiest shopping day of the year. Now maintained by the folks at AdBusters Magazine (who have recently run some very fine articles exposing factory farming and meat consumption), Buy Nothing Day is an
easy way for animal advocates to show solidarity with other movements without in any way compromising work on behalf of the animals.

Top 5 reasons for animal advocates to honor Buy Nothing Day:

5. Because selfish greed is at the heart of both consumerism and animal exploitation.
4. Because production of superfluous consumer goods depletes resources and harms habitats, thereby hurting animals.
3. Because you can give the money you save to an animal sanctuary.
2. Because if we want people to listen when we say "don't buy that," we have to be willing to listen when other people say "don't buy that."
1. Because sometimes nothing can mean everything.

5 Things to do instead of shopping on November 25:

1. Volunteer at your local animal shelter or sanctuary
2. Plan how you will reduce your consumption over the next year.
3. Download Buy Nothing Day materials and distribute them at your local mall.
4. Download pro-vegan materials and distribute them at your local supermarket.
5. Read a book, take a walk, play music, visit your neighbors or just sit and think.


The Buy Nothing Day website is:
http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/

Many animal liberation organizations offer handouts that can be
downloaded and distributed by anyone. A handout that is particularly
apt for Buy Nothing Day may be downloaded from:
http://www.globalhunger.net/goveg.pdf

Next, we have a selection of articles from someone else, along with what he was thankful for:

I am thankful for the emergence of leaders like Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales, both of whom champion the rights of the poor and defy American neocolonialism: (I have to admit that we frequently support Chavez through purposely buying our gas to do so at Citgo and mever - I mean NEVER - do we spend one penny at Exxon-Mobil!)

http://www.rense.com/general68/sno.htm

I am thankful for the blow the University of Kansas has struck for intellectual honesty:

http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/2005/11/conservative-christian-majority-on.html

I am thankful for the courage of John Murtha and the growing momentum against the despicable Bush regime:

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20051117-090928-6137r

I am thankful for the integrity and courage of Kevin and Monica Benderman (me, too - I wrote to them) as he serves 15 months in a military detention center for his refusal to redeploy to Iraq based on the obscenely immoral acts he was ordered to commit during his first tour:

http://uruknet.info/?p=m18059

I am mostly thankful to The Black Commentator for opening my eyes to the dark and disturbing truths about our cultural ancestors, whose "success and prosperity" we have been brain-washed into celebrating on this day:

http://www.blackcommentator.com/66/66_cover_thanksgiving.html

However you spent your day, I hope that it was respectful and peaceful.

P.S. - If anyone else wishes to share something they did or pondered yesterday, send it in and I will put it up here.