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Should cows work as bank managers?

Complaining about pensions

Thank you Surf Kitchen

M.J.B. cartoonist voted 1-0 as best in business

Stray dogs are nothing new

Should cows work as bank managers?

Editor;

Exactly what is meant by animal rights? I think the reason some people laugh at the term is that when we talk about rights in regards to humans we are usually talking about the right to vote, go to good schools, to be gainfully employed, etc. So the term animal rights creates images in our heads of a cow working as a bank manager, a pig going to college and a dog getting registered to vote. Although I assume most people know that is not what is meant by animal rights, nonetheless those images are in the back of their heads.

Perhaps if we could turn back the hands of time we should have called animal rights “animal needs” or “animal interests”. In his book “Animal Liberation” - often called “The Bible of the animal rights movement” - Peter Singer explains that rights are all about needs and interests. For example, Singer writes: “It would be nonsense to say that it was not in the interests of a stone to be kicked along the road by a schoolboy. A stone does not have interests because it can not suffer. Nothing that we can do to it can possibly make any difference to its welfare.”

Singer also notes that no feminist would demand abortion rights for men. Since men have no need for an abortion there are no interests or rights that are involved here.

But since most animals can suffer (I say “most animals” because it’s debatable if lowly developed animals such as oysters feel pain) they clearly have a need and interests not to suffer and thus they have rights.

Take the much maligned pig for example. A pig may be more intelligent than a dog and definitely more affectionate than a cat. Like dogs and cats a pig has the need for companionship, room to move around and a need not to suffer bodily harm.

A number of years ago Ingrid Newkirk, who is now the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), angered people when she compared the yearly slaughter of billions of chickens to the murder of millions of Jews by Hitler. But it’s hard to imagine any animal who is treated worse than the factory farmed chicken. To give just one example, many of the chickens that are used by McDonald’s and KFC are boiled alive in scalding water. Since there is no reason to doubt that a chicken dipped in scalding water feels the same pain that a human would feel in the same situation, the chicken has the same needs, interests and rights not to be dipped into scalding water. And that’s why animal rights are just as important as human rights. It’s as simple as saying pain is pain. If another living being-human or nonhuman-can suffer as much as I can then he has the same right not to suffer.

Of course there are differences between humans and animals. Humans are generally more intelligent (although an adult ape may be more intelligent than a severely retarded human) and animals look and communicate differently from us. But if we can all agree that it would be wrong to harm humans who are less intelligent or who look or communicate differently from us, why can’t we agree that it’s immoral to harm animals for those reasons? As the philosopher Jeremy Beatham said: “The question is not Can they reason? Nor can they talk? But can they suffer?”

Still there are times when we have to choose between our needs and those of animals. Suppose, for example, I have a rifle and I come across a hungry tiger that has a need to eat me. I wouldn’t hesitate to give higher priority to my need not to be eaten and would thus shoot the tiger. I also give low priority to the rights of a mosquito to bite me in the face and possibly give me dengue fever.

But no moral philosophy is absolute. For example, although we say: “thou shall not kill”, we have the right to kill humans in self-defence. Or while we say: “thou shall not steal”, certainly there would be a moral difference between Bill Gates stealing a loaf of bread or an impoverished woman stealing it in order to feed her hungry child.

But the fact that I strongly believe in situational ethics and also realize that good people will always disagree on exactly where to draw the line when it comes to animal rights, doesn’t mean we can’t in general accept the principle that we should strive to do no harm to animals and to respect the fact that they have the same needs, interests and rights as humans to not suffer.

Thank-you,
Eric Bahrt

Complaining about pensions

Editor;

To the Brits complaining about their pensions:

Funny that Brits expect more pensions that they ever paid during their working life. Your currency has been declining, declining, declining due to your over, over, over spending!

Simple as that.

A little bit easy in my view. You are certainly not Greece because contrary to them Great Britain can still print more money.

You are truly an empire in decline. What are you going to produce after your North Sea oil fields will dry up? More barrels of whiskies and beers to compensate? But certainly not more barrels of British wines, for sure! Unless you become addicted to vinegars!

You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Chuck

Thank you Surf Kitchen

Editor;

The Pollution Solution Group is asking your great paper, the Pattaya Mail, to acknowledge the Surf Kitchen (restaurant) on Jomtien Beach Rd. at Soi 6, for their caring and wonderful donation of 10 garbage bins to be used on Jomtien Beach.

These baskets also have signs in Thai, English and Russian, saying “Enjoy the beach and please help to keep it clean! Thank You.” Also with pictures for all to understand they have been making a difference on how clean our beaches are, and how they are now much safer for young children at play.

The Surf Kitchen also donated 2 large bags of dog food, 20 kilos, not for the dogs that run in packs and bite people, as we have been reading in your paper, but for dogs that have been abandoned due to people losing their jobs and can no longer feed or take care of them. Many are on the beach, and we find these dogs don’t bite the hand that feeds and waters them. We are also using a mix of sulfur and vegetable oil (1/3 sulfur, 2/3 vegetable oil), to rub on the dogs that have mange (losing hair) and that are not contagious to humans.

There is also an endless effort on how to catch, spay or neuter the homeless, some wild, scared and hungry dogs. We have been up and down the beach and sois, and of course we bring food and water, not golf clubs, sticks, rocks or sling-shots. We have been doing this for the past 10 years; never once bitten, barked or growled at.

If you live here, it doesn’t hurt to make friends with the strays in your area, like a bit of leftovers and maybe some water, or dog food. Make a friend, after all they are man’s best friend. The least we can do is reach out. Show that you care with one random act of kindness at a time.

The Surf Kitchen Restaurant stood up to the plate; who will be next? We take our hats off for caring people like the “Surf’s Kitchen”.
Gerry Rasmus

M.J.B. cartoonist voted 1-0 as best in business

Editor;

The long established (1 day) Cartoon Club of Asia with its international headquarters based in Pattaya has recently made their annual awards for the year ending 31 December 2009. As chairman, secretary, treasurer and only member you will understand that it took a considerable amount of discussion to reach our conclusions. It is for me - shortly to become president of this organization - to bestow on M.J.B. the award of Cartoonist of the year 2009. At this stage, I am unable to notify you of the date or venue for presenting this award and obviously it will also depend on your availability. However, you may now use the slogan “Voted the Best Cartoonist by the Cartoon Club of Asia” on all future communications and publications.

Congratulations
Jay Dee
President of Cartoon Club of Asia 2010

Stray dogs are nothing new

Editor,

I was also bitten near the Hanuman 7-11 shop by 2 mutts, and it cost me 11,000 baht afterwards at Pattaya International Hospital. The nurse told me lot of people are bitten by stray dogs near that 7-11 shop, and in the side streets and near the police station. They are all over, some running after the motorbikes. Even after I was bitten another dog tried to bite me in the Jomtien Complex. It’s never ending.

What do the (officials) at the town hall do? Everybody knows: nothing.

Thanking you,
Another Farang

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