Dennis Kucinich's speech at Animal Rights Conference
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Dennis Kucinich's speech at Animal Rights 2003-West Conference in LA
October 2010

We recognize that we are in a world which truly needs compassion, that we need to extend compassion to one another and to everything living. And that our cause can truly be to lift up this world from a condition of suffering and cruelty to all the creatures of this planet, and through elevating the cause of every creature, we elevate our own humanity.

We lift up the cause of humanity by reaching out and connecting with all things living. It is our sense of interconnection with all living things that brings us to respect the rights of animals, that we understand that animals are not to be lower than, that animals should not have less of a claim to existence, less of a claim to the possibility of survival, less of a claim to dignity.

And your commitment translates into specific action, in raising the questions that must be raised about the use of animals in research, in raising the questions that must be raised about the use of animals in testing, in looking at the conditions in which animals are placed on farms, in challenging a corporate ethic which sees animals as things to be exploited and not beings which in and of themselves have some basic rights.

Your presence here serves as a reminder to this country that our presence on this planet has a higher calling. That we can through our activism, make light in this world, that we can through our activism, lift up the cause of the humblest beings, that we can through our activism, open up not only our own hearts, but the hearts of people everywhere so that our society can become more compassionate, so that our society can be more loving, so that our society can create policies which are caring for animals.

Everyone of us knows a story of animal cruelty, everyone of us knows how in one way or another official policies have sanctioned cruelty to animals. I will work with you, to put compassion into action in our policies with respect to animals in this country and I will work with you to have America set a higher standard, not only for this country, but for the world, to make sure that all of God's creatures, that all animals are given a chance to have dignity in our society and are given a chance to experience the appreciation they should have as living beings."

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