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teacherone
03-08-2010, 03:04 PM
By FRANK JORDANS (AP) – 1 day ago
GENEVA — Swiss voters on Sunday soundly rejected a plan to appoint special lawyers for animals that are abused by humans, dealing a blow to advocates who say Switzerland's elaborate animal rights laws aren't being enforced.
Official results showed that 70.5 percent of voters cast their ballot against the proposal to extend nationwide a system that has been in place in Zurich since 1992. Some 29.5 percent of voters backed the proposal, with officials putting the turnout at just over 45 percent.


"The Swiss people have clearly said our animal protection laws are so good we don't need animal lawyers," Jakob Buechler, a lawmaker for the centrist Christian People's Party, told Swiss television SF1.
Switzerland tightened its animal protection laws two years ago and now has among the strictest rules anywhere when it comes to caring for pets and farm animals.

Pigs, budgies, goldfish and other social animals cannot be kept alone. Horses and cows must have regular exercise outside their stalls, and dog owners have to take a training course to learn how to properly look after their pets.
Tiana Angelina Moser, a lawmaker for the Green Liberal Party, said animal rights advocates would now be looking for other ways to make sure laws against animal abuse are properly applied and those who hurt animals receive appropriate punishment.


According to the country's only animal lawyer, Antoine F. Goetschel, public prosecutors are often unsure about animal rights and shy away from pursuing cases even if there is clear evidence of abuse.
Goetschel said he represents about 150-200 animals annually in Zurich, while in other cantons (states), only a handful of cases go to court each year.
Most of his clients are dogs, cows and cats, Goetschel told The Associated Press in a recent interview. But in one high-profile case last month, Goetschel represented a dead pike after an animal protection group accused the angler who caught it of cruelty for taking 10 minutes to haul the fish in.
The angler was found not guilty.


Opponents of the latest proposal, including farmers' groups and the government, had argued that existing laws are sufficient and appointing lawyers for animals would incur unnecessary costs for taxpayers.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



not the onion :D
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hVH6I6jWPHpiqPaF-v1T-P80HrCAD9E9T4M80

parocks
03-08-2010, 03:39 PM
not the onion :D
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hVH6I6jWPHpiqPaF-v1T-P80HrCAD9E9T4M80

See Cass Sunstein - one of Obama's Czars - I believe regulatory czar - and his The Rights of Animals: A Very Short Primer

Hence some people urge that certain animals, at least, are “persons,” not property, and that they should have many of the legal rights that human beings have. Of course this does not mean that those animals can vote or run for office. Their status would be akin to that of children—a status commensurate with their capacities.

We could even grant animals a right to bring suit without insisting that animals are in some general sense “persons,” or that they are not property.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/11065802/The-Rights-of-Animals-A-Very-Short-Primer

Sunstein thinks animals should have lawyers. It's not clear whether he thinks animals should vote. Perhaps credentialed experts have the ability to determine who animals would vote for. Taxpayers can pay for animal psychics. The animal psychics will determine that the animals want to vote for candidates who promise more taxpayer funding for animal psychics.

Cowlesy
03-08-2010, 03:46 PM
I don't advocate giving the dog in the link below a lawyer

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Queens-Woman-Charged-With-Beating-Bulldog-Pup-With-a-Shovel-86760667.html

However I do advocate giving him a new home.

EDIT: If you are an animal lover, I STRONGLY DISCOURAGE you from watching the raw video in the link above -- you will be bothered.

BlackTerrel
03-08-2010, 05:58 PM
If the leash don't fit you must acquit.