It's Interesting... In The Discussion of "Rights"... that People have No Problem Understanding and Recognizing "Their Rights". But... when it comes to Rights of "Others"... They are Typically Not So Generous and Understanding. When it Comes to "Animal Rights"... They may lose The Connection Altogether.
 

We Take Our "Rights" for Granted! Indeed, We Probably have Never Really Given much Thought to The Idea and Concept of Rights in The First Place. We Live in a Society that Teaches Us about "Inalienable" Rights... and Orthodox Religion that Teaches Us about "God Given" Rights. Then We Are Further Conditioned (and Indoctrinated) to Think that The Universe Was Created for Only Us... and That We Are The Only Creatures Blessed and Worthy of God's Grace and Recognition. What Arrogant, Conceit and Ignorance!

As an Idealist... I Do Believe in Inalienable Rights... and That We Are Special in The Universe. Only... I Believe The Same is True for All Life Forms. I also Know that We Do Not Live in a Perfect World... and That Ideals cannot always Be Actualized. But... I Think that it is to Our Interest and Integrity that We Try to Live by Those Ideals as Best We Can.
 

Ironically, Animal Rights and Human Rights are Essentially Inseparable. To Deny One is To Deny The Other. That is a Hard Concept for Some to Embrace. It is Even More Difficult to See how The Violence We Inflict on One Another is Connected to The Violence We Inflict on Animals.

What Goes Around Comes Around! We Get What We Give. And Until We Realize that We Are One in This Universe... Connected in Mind, Body and Spirit to All Other Living Beings... Then We Will Suffer that Which We Carelessly Make Other Earthlings Suffer. 

"GOD" Did Not Give Us These "Rights". Mankind... in Its Arrogant Attempt to Dominate Everything and Everybody... has Only Supposed Them. They... like So Many Other Illusions and Delusions... Have Only Served to Stroke Our Ego and Subjugate Others in Our Perverted and Feeble Attempt to Elevate Ourselves to Grandeur.

We Are What We Are. We Cannot "Make" Ourselves into Something Else. What We Fail to Understand... Is that We Are Already "More" than We Can Ever Comprehend. The "Kingdom of GOD" is Indeed Within YOU!

We Are Not Human Beings on a Spiritual Journey. We are Spiritual Beings on a Human Journey. We Simply Have to Start "Being" What We Are! And... We Have to Start Recognizing and Respecting that Spiritual Essence in All Other Beings... and Earthlings.

Until We Can "Live In Peace"... Towards All Living Beings... There Will Be No Peace "With In" and "With Out" Our Selves. The More We Disregard The Rights of "Others"... The More Our Rights Will Be Disregarded. The More Love and Compassion We Can Give... The More We Will Receive.

Animals Have Rights... and We Have to Recognize and Respect Those Rights. Otherwise... eventually "Our Rights" Will Not Be Recognized and Respected... by Nature or Humanity. 

For a Better Informed & Involved Public...

Lonnie J. Burris
Activist & Concerned Citizen