The Vegan Collection - Blog » PETA

Higher Insurance Premiums for Meat Eaters

Kevin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:35:12 +0000

PETA has been getting a lot of attention lately for calling on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont to raise health insurance premiums for people who eat meat and lower the premiums for vegetarians. PETA’s Executive Director Tracy Reiman sent a letter last Monday to Bill Milnes Jr., president of Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Vermont urging them to raise premiums on meat eaters to offset the diseases that have been conclusively linked to the consumption of meat. Kevin Goddard, Blue Cross’s vice president of external affairs states that “Under Vermont law, we would not be allowed to vary rates based on the dietary and nutritional habits of various members.” I don’t think it’s such a stretch to think that if you can have lower rates for smokers, you can have lower rates for vegetarians. CNN had a link to WPTZ.com with a short news story about it which you can view here.

PETA’s “Angel for Animals” Doghouse Sponsorship

Kevin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:11:08 +0000

Living in Southern California you tend to forget about how it gets cold, really cold, in the rest of the US during the winter. People who still have the notion that dogs are “outside pets” leave these poor animals defenseless during the freezing cold. In extreme instances where PETA sees these neglected dogs but does not have the authority to remove them, they will come in with a custom dog house filled with straw to keep them dry and warm during the harsh winter, give them food and flea medicine and a rotatable dog tether if necessary. You can click here to learn more about their fantastic “Angel for Animals” program and what you can do to help.

Prop 2 vs. Prop 8

Kevin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:16:18 +0000

I’ve seen a couple examples of misguided anger in the last couple of days towards the passing of Prop 2. It’s certainly horrible that Prop 8 looks like it was defeated, but I know quite a few people who worked tirelessly on both campaigns. Discrimination, whether it’s homophobia or specisim, is awful in any form. I think that Michelle Cho from PETA did a great job summing it up in her letter to Samantha Ronson:

The passing of Prop 2 is a monumental victory that will afford millions of animals the
opportunity to stand up, turn around, and spread their wings, and it should be celebrated
by everyone who cares about animals. To all of us at PETA, and all the other animal
rights people who also protested the passage of Prop 8 by standing on street corners,
working the phones, and talking to friends and family about the bigotry of Prop 8—this
isn’t a “one or the other” situation. Abusing animals is always wrong, and discriminating
against gays is always wrong. We’ll continue to fight against the ban on gay marriage,
and we hope that we can have your support in our efforts to eliminate cruelty to animals.

Here’s hoping that Prop 8 still may find it’s way to a defeat this election year.

Positive Television: Ingrid Newkirk Interview

Kevin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:09:37 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Ingrid Newkirk stopped by Skylight Books in Los Angeles to promote her new book One Can Make A Difference. After she was done with the signing, Vegan Collection Blog contributor and Positive Television CEO Prabhat Gautam grabbed her for a short interview about celebrities, charities, and circuses. Check out what she had to say: