What a truly amazing time to be alive.
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt declared this week that the #1 tech trend right now is “a revolution coming in using plants to replace meat.” Perhaps it’s not surprising then that Fox News headlined this week, “Is Vegan the Next Fast Food Trend?”
Need more sign of our movement’s march of progress?
More than 200 chimps who’ve endured experimentation in US labs for years are now being retired to an HSUS-funded sanctuary. At the same time, this week saw the final performance of Ringling Bros.’ elephants, marking the historic end of an era…and error.
Of course, social reforms rarely unfold without resistance, as seen by the response this week of the meat and egg industries to repeated exposés of their corrupt checkoff funding programs. Rather than cleaning up their acts, they’re simply now trying to exempt themselves from Freedom of Information Act requests altogether. It’s certainly a case of interesting bedfellows, with the late Justice Scalia, tea party US Senator Mike Lee, Hampton Creek, and HSUS all on the same side of the issue.
Paul Shapiro
Vice President, Farm Animal Protection
The Humane Society of the United States
Follow at twitter.com/pshapiro
P.S. Video of the Week: Like a bull in a dog’s bed.