swiss to polls sunday; 'free lawyers' for fish, animals.

[mudrunner]

this is an important legal development. the rabid greens here in oz, and elsewhere will be watching this closely. we should be also, as success would see a move by some green lawyer for simmilar. see where ive quoted below.....“It took 10 minutes of struggle to reel the pike in before killing it,” Mr Goetschel explained. “The fisherman was reported by a long-standing animal rights organisation.”[/



Swiss to decide on free lawyers for animals..including guinea pigs, fish and cats•March 10, 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8550028.stm

Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers across the country to represent animals in court.

Supporters of the initiative say such lawyers would help deter cases of animal cruelty and neglect, by making sure that those who did abuse or neglect animals would be properly punished.

Opponents however claim that Switzerland, which already has strict animal protection laws, does not need any more legislation.

The canton of Zurich has in fact had its own animal lawyer for a number of years; the current incumbent, Antoine Goetschel, is the only state-funded lawyer in Switzerland who goes to court to speak on behalf of animals.

His clients include dogs and cats, guinea pigs, cows, horses and sheep, even, recently, a large pike, fished from Lake Zurich.

“It took 10 minutes of struggle to reel the pike in before killing it,” Mr Goetschel explained. “The fisherman was reported by a long-standing animal rights organisation.”

In fact, Mr Goetschel lost that particular case, but that has not deterred him. He believes appointing lawyers to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves is the essence of justice.

“People accused of animal cruelty very often hire lawyers to defend themselves,” he pointed out.

“Why shouldn’t someone speak for the animal as well?”

[mowerman]

Voters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to introduce a nationwide system of state-funded lawyers to represent animals in court.
Animal rights groups had proposed the move, saying that without lawyers to argue the animals' case, many instances of cruelty were going unpunished.
But the measure was rejected by around 70% of voters in a referendum.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8554012.stm

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[mowerman]

Senate Confirms Obama's Pick for Regulatory 'Czar'
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...gulatory-czar/

The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm President Obama's nominee for "regulatory czar," overcoming months of delay due to Republican concerns that he would push a radical animal rights agenda.

Senators voted 57-40 to approve Harvard professor Cass Sunstein as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Budget and Management.

As regulatory czar, Sunstein will review and provide guidance for draft federal regulations at different federal agencies. It is a wide-ranging and largely unrestrained position in the executive branch.

That's a large part of the reason Sunstein's positions on animal rights have become worrisome to his critics. Despite his assurances to the contrary, Sunstein has spoken stridently in favor of allowing people the right to bring suit on behalf of animals in animal cruelty cases and to restrict what he calls the more horrific practices associated with industrial breeding and processing of animals for food.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia had placed a "hold" on his nomination to prevent a vote from coming to the floor. Chambliss lifted his hold in July because he said Sunstein had convinced him that he wouldn't impose new restrictions on agriculture or hunting.

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[Lucky_Phill]

Can you believe 30% of people voted FOR that proposal.. What is going on in this world. ???????????

STOP...... I want to get off..




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