Your 5 Minute Activist Links for Martch 31, 2008

** Pysicans Committee for Responsible Medicine **
PCRM needs your help to retain two important amendments in the Farm Bill. The first amendment, the Pet Safety and Protection Act, offered by Rep. Mike Doyle and Sen. Daniel Akaka, will prevent unethical animal dealers from stealing cats and dogs to sell them to researchers. The second amendment, offered by Rep. Steve Israel, bars the use of live animals in sales demonstrations of medical devices, as well as raises fines for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
Despite having passed both the House and Senate, the Pet Safety and Protection Act may still be in jeopardy! The Act would prohibit experimentation facilities from buying dogs and cats from Class B animal dealers. Class B animal dealers, also known as “random source dealers,” often acquire animals through theft and deception and are known to sell lost and stolen cats and dogs to laboratories. As the Senate and House work out other differences between the two versions of the Farm Bill, animal experimenters are pressuring Congress to drop the pet safety provisions altogether.
The Israel Amendment bars the use of live animals in sales demonstrations for the marketing of medical devices for sales purposes. The amendment was offered in response to an incident in which a man artificially created a brain aneurysm in a dog to further his sales pitch for a medical device. This horrific procedure was repeated several times on the dog, who was later killed. The Israel amendment also raises the maximum fine for a violation of the AWA from $2,500 to $10,000.
Send an e-mail to your senators and representative and ask them to support the Akaka/Doyle Amendment and the Israel Amendment in the Farm Bill.

** Public Campaign Action Fund **
There's only one way to end the dependence of congressional and presidential candidates on big money, special interest campaign donors, and that's with comprehensive public financing.
Old and senile Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has refused as a presidential candidate to support legislation that meets this litmus test of serious campaign finance reform: Clean Elections-style public financing for all federal races. Read about the old and senile Monkey King Wanna-be Here.
We need you to help us hold him accountable. Add your name to our letter urging Old and senile Sen. McCain to get behind real change in Washington.

** Oxfam America **
Right now, governments around the world are using children as frontline soldiers, porters, and spies. The UN estimates that hundreds of thousands of children are actively involved in armed conflicts. A bipartisan bill to curb misguided US military aid to these countries could see movement in the Senate this month, and your action today is critical.
Tell Congress to stop US military support to countries using child soldiers.

** The Wilderness Society **
For those of us who love wilderness, there is no state outside of Alaska more prodigiously blessed with it than Idaho. There are more than nine million acres of wild, untouched forestland in Idaho. But most of it could be opened to energy development, mining, logging, and road construction if the Bush Administration gets its way.
The Administration and the state of Idaho are seeking to change the way more than seven million acres of roadless forests are managed. The change could impact a full 2/3 of Idaho's unprotected wilderness and result in an eight-fold increase in logging on roadless forests.
We can't allow this to happen. Please click here to take immediate action.