Can the Geese Have a Good Political Day?

Cago at Harlem Meer this morning.  Little does she know that the one political candidate to courageously speak up for her and her brethren has been the one least touted by "animal advocate" groups and organizations.

Before heading to the primary polls this morning, there was still one political race I was undecided on.

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The one for Manhattan Borough President.

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Yes, I had watched one televised debate among the democratic candidates, but other than differing on whether to build a waste transfer station on the Upper East Side, there seemed little to distinguish one from the other.

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And so I walked up to campaign representatives handing out fliers on the street this morning and asked some questions.

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The campaign workers represented Gale Brewer and Julie Menin.

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"Can you tell me where Ms. Menin (or Ms. Brewer) stands on animal protective issues?"

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All the campaign workers were stunned with the question as if they had never heard it before. 

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And so I clarified:

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"I am talking about things like pets in housing legislation and also the issue of Canada goose roundups and slaughters in NYC."

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One of the two young women working for Menin made a call on her cell phone to the central office, but was unable to get any information.

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"If you give me your email address, I will further inquire and get back to you," she told me.

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I provided my email and told her I much appreciated any information.  

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When speaking with an older representative for Brewer, it was similar experience.  The polite woman could not answer any specific questions on animal protective issues, but told me Brewer was a "very hard worker for progressive causes."

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I interpreted the "progressive causes" as code for extremely liberal. 

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"Well, you know this district is politically moderate -- as I am," I replied. "Thanks, but I will have to figure this out."

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Returning home, I did find a response email from the Menin representative:

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"Good Afternoon,

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I tried to find out what I could about Julie Menin's stance on animal
rights.  In speaking with one of her campaign managers, I was told that
she is indeed a supporter of animal rights.

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On the topic of pets/housing in particular, I was not able to secure
specifics.  I will say however, that Julie is committed to preserving
the character of each of Manhattan's unique neighborhoods, and has
proposed an innovative plan to reform land use policy, to guarantee
that when new development projects proceed, they create more classroom
seats, more affordable housing and more open green space.  By planning
for Manhattan's population growth and implementing a borough-wide
master plan, we can comprehensively address the needs for more open
space and improve our transportation infrastructure, while operating in
an environmentally sustainable manner.

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I also thought I'd mention something I think is particularly important
to many New Yorkers.  Julie led the charge for the city and state to
mandate life-saving epi-pens on all New York ambulances to protect
children and adults who suffer from life threatening food allergies.

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Thank you for your consideration of Julie Menin for Manhattan Borough
President.  If you would like to learn more, please visit

www.juliemenin.com." 

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I replied back:

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 "Hi Ms. XXXXX,

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Thanks for getting back to me.

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Unfortunately, a vague, the candidate "is a supporter of animal rights" doesn't say a whole lot as it lacks specifics.

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I asked specific questions pertaining to pets in housing and goose slaughters throughout city parks.  (I did not ask about the non-animal issues you write of.)

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Since you do not cite a specific animal protection issue that Menin has supported, I have to sadly conclude, there aren't any.

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As such, I have decided to support and vote for Jessica Lappin as she has represented my district (which is politically moderate) and so far, we have not had goose slaughters in Central Park or Upper East Side (though they have occurred in other parts of Manhattan).

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Menin and her supporters should know these issues are important.  Indeed, they have helped to defeat Christine Quinn as she has been sadly remiss on most animal protective legislation.

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We are tired of lip service and lack of serious attention to animal abuse issues in NYC. The times are changing.

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Thanks anyway for getting back to me.    But, in the future, I suggest that when asked specific question on issues, stick to the specifics and don't try to "sell" the questioner on irrelevant matters.

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Thanks,

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Patty Adjamine"

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Admittedly, my response isn't particularly gracious or tactful, but it is honest.

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I am tired of politicians and their representatives ducking questions and pointing to other matters -- totally unrelated --  of which they were not asked.   

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Following the email exchange, I did go out and vote.

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And although Gale Brewer was endorsed by one animal advocacy group, I considered that she has represented the West Side in the past and the West Side (especially Riverside Park) has been the site of numerous goose massacres.

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I thus voted for Jessica Lappin for the reasons cited in the Menin email.  

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Since the Upper East Side of Manhattan is one of the few areas in NYC to still be free from USDA WS goose massacres, I have thus supported all the candidates from this district whether they deserve actual credit for that or not.

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Finally, speaking of political endorsements, one becomes skeptical of these for reasons cited largely in yesterday's blog post.

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There seems to be much "jumping on bandwagons" without a whole lot of actual evidence to a candidate's sincerity or actual track record on animal issues and there is a whole lot of attacking despite a seeming lacking of actual lobbying efforts.

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My personal experience for years is that when I bring up animal issues to politicians or their representatives, they always seem to react with shock and awe -- like I am speaking a foreign language.

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That tells me that some calling themselves the political arm of Animal Rights haven't even made the case for Animal Welfare, much less "Animal Rights."

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What has completely stunned throughout this whole election cycle is the general silence of the animal protection movement on one of the few candidates to actually stand up for animal protection -- specifically, Letitia "Tish" James who attended and spoke at not one rally for Canada geese, but two.

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Letitia James is now in a very tough battle for the position of Public Advocate of NYC.

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Certainly, there has been no better political advocate for the geese of NYC who have been so ruthlessly and relentlessly maligned, persecuted and slaughtered in New York City.

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Though Ms. James may be more political liberal on most issues than I, her willingness to stand up and be counted for the geese when it was not politically advantageous for her wins and deserves full and enthusiastic support.

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Indeed, the one lever I had no trouble pulling down this morning and was in fact, proud to do so, was for Letitia "Tish" James.

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Even if all my other candidate choices lose, I am hopeful this is the one that makes it.

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If so, it will (finally) be a good day for the geese.   -- PCA

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