I am a freelance writer living in Tennessee who has a deep passion for animal welfare, environmental, and other progressive causes.
Science and medicine have once again rescued scores of living beings from a deadly fate. A promising vaccine spells the end of inhumane badger culling in Britain. Applaud the eradication of a government-mandated form of animal cruelty that has claimed over a million badgers.
A man accused of killing or starving dozens of cattle received his day in court and did not escape legal justice. He was found criminally responsible for multiple counts of animal cruelty. Applaud the prosecutors who never gave up on justice for these fallen victims of inexcusable negligence and abuse.
The state where one of the worst mass shootings in American history took place will now put long-blocked gun violence prevention measures into practice. This shows that Virginia will no longer value special interest paychecks over human lives. Applaud this landmark legislation.
Earth will not be exploited by another water, air, and land-polluting oil sands mine. In the process, one of Canada’s most dangerous environmental enemies faces a major, possibly fatal blow. Celebrate the end of a destructive era.
The state at the center of the last major American outbreak has shielded its youngest citizens from the “anti-vaxxer” threat with required vaccinations in public schools. This will mandate vaccinations that combat measles and other dangerous health conditions. Applaud the prioritization of children’s health over unproven, unscientific claims.
Ontario, once the site of urgent animal welfare lapses, has now become a benchmark in the fight against animal cruelty. New laws will bolster the apprehension and punishment of cruel offenders. Applaud this important win for animal welfare.
A ban on most flavored e-cigarettes will likely diminish the use of these harmful devices among youth and other vulnerable populations. This ban constitutes the first strong federal offense against an industry accused of enabling addiction and serious health problems. Applaud this needed protection for consumer health.
Fewer kids will spend the holidays separated from their families after a prison-like detention center’s closure. While this is just one of many immigrant detention centers across the country, it is a victory for immigrant rights and a step in the right direction. Applaud the decision that spared thousands of children the trauma and indignity of living like criminals.
A severely polluted UK city is leading the way in the fight against poisonous air pollution with a ban on diesel-powered motor vehicles. Applaud this important stand against pollutants that threaten the environment and public health.
Victims of animal cruelty will soon receive real justice following the passing of national safeguards for animal victims. In the process, the worst acts of animal cruelty will receive federal condemnation. Applaud an important cause that united all political leaders and will bring justice to these innocent victims.
A multi-acre park with over 160 trees has taken the place of multiple Dallas parking lots, paving the way for more green spaces and clean living. Countless communities will be better for this amazing achievement. Applaud the drive to clean and green urban landscapes.
Animal rights took two monumental steps forward in California. Now, the living beings most victimized by circuses and by the blood-money fur trade have new hope. Applaud these encouraging wins for abused and exploited animals.
A scared calf was allegedly cruelly butchered in public view. This poor animal’s accused killers must now face not only the court of public opinion but the court of law. Support just punishment for seemingly unremorseful accused animal abusers.
If monarch butterflies vanished, the world would not only lose a beautiful symbol of nature, it would forsake a vital tool in countless plants’ survival. Applaud an unlikely alliance that could help save monarchs and prevent a bleak outcome.
The modern era’s war on drugs does not unfold in the streets but in corporate boardrooms. Opiod drug manufacturers have profited at the expense of half a million American lives. Applaud the legal day of reckoning visited upon one prominent opioid kingpin.
The EPA chose lethal poison over the health and lives of animals the agency should be protecting. Now, unified public outrage has put these poisonous traps back where they belong: in the trash bin of bad ideas. Applaud the end of deadly deregulation that would have killed thousands of wildlife.
Our political leaders owe us the truth. Tax information shines an important spotlight on a candidate’s true motives and character. Commend California for requiring candidates for office release their tax returns.
Vehicle pollution just got dealt an important blow courtesy of California and four auto manufacturers. This partnership counters an imminent destructive rollback on clean air standards. Support these unlikely allies in their bid for environmental responsibility.
The Trump administration wanted to give employers a say in their female employees’ reproductive lives. Sustained advocacy—and legal authority—stopped them in their tracks. Applaud the blockage of an attempt to deny hundreds of thousands of women contraceptives.
The census that says every American counts will not be infected by divisive politics. The opportunists who wanted to use a citizenship question as a weapon of oppression have failed. Applaud this Supreme Court-delivered win for equality and fairness.
One of the nation’s most polluted cities is launching its own Green New Deal. A renewed commitment to slashing carbon emissions and utilizing more energy-efficient measures could pave the way to a cleaner, healthier city. Applaud this bright spot of proactive progression in environmental wellness.
Tens of thousands of ex-felons in dire need of a new beginning can now embark on a better path with a voter registration card in hand. This is a promising turn in the fight for the right to vote. Applaud the restoration of voting rights to former felons in search of a second chance.
Thirty-seven seal pups were saved from unfathomable brutality and inhumane exploitation at the hands of eight accused animal traffickers. They happily returned to their homelands following rehabilitation. Celebrate this success and thank those who fought so valiantly to free these pups.
New York has taken an important step in tackling its air pollution problem. An encouraging by-product could be the improved health of millions of citizens. Celebrate this needed win for the environment and for public health.
Americans are being priced to death by the drug companies that often become their lifeline. Applaud efforts to end pharmaceutical price gouging and its inhumane extortion of human life.
