Stop the Bushmeat Trade, Racial Profiling, More

It’s Friday, and this week we’ve witnessed plenty of new issues come up, like the racial profiling in Arizona. (Like I told Arizona Governor Jan Brewer when I wrote to her about the issue, I’m not a stereotypical American like her; when I traveled to Europe everyone thought I was Scottish or Irish due to my complexion and hair color—so will I be stopped for my birth certificate, too? Because I have to tell you, I don’t normally take it with me when I travel, let alone on a daily basis. I was always told to keep it somewhere safe, not in my damn car.) Did you hear that Arizona is also banning “ethnic classes” as well? That’s a pretty wide phrase—I suppose American history is out. They’re also not letting people who speak with accents teach, apparently, which is just peachy considering that teacher retention is pretty damn low. Way to go, Arizona! We’re certainly not driving through your state to spend a cent anytime soon.

Anyhow, here are some of this week’s issues to take action on, along with a few ongoing ones.

Stop the Illegal Bushmeat Trade

It breaks my heart that chimpanzees and other primates, many close to extinction, are continually caught and killed as trophies, food, and worse. These animals are practically our brothers; I would think having a chimp hand as a freaking ashtray would look like a child’s hand on your table. If you want to call for Congressional support against the bushmeat trade, please click here.

Start Collecting Social Security, Ronald McDonald

Corporate Accountability International has this really funny campaign where you send an eCard to Ronald McDonald, asking him to finally retire already. Cartoon cigarette ads have been banned because of their influence on children; CAI says that the same should be done with McDonald’s since the company’s product is also hugely unhealthy and causes so much damage to children. In fact, happy meals themselves are already being banned in some areas! If you think ol’ Ronald should just throw in the towel, click here. (Even if you don’t, it’s a pretty funny campaign to see.)

Arizona’s Awesome Legislation

That’s dripping with sarcasm, by the way. US citizens are already having their rights violated by this law, and several law enforcement officers have already declared that they will refuse to enforce it. You can write to Governor Jan Brewer above directly or join one of dozens of campaigns against the law at the ACLU’s website.