Episode 142: “It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important…”

Welcome to the 142^nd episode of Our Hen House, featuring Kathy Hessler of Lewis & Clark Law School’s Center for Animal Law Studies. 
In today’s episode, we will talk about the ironic ending of the popular book, Wild – a discussion which we think you will find thought-provoking regardless of whether or not you’ve read the book — so long as you care about animals. We’ll let you in on the happenings from last weekend’s inspiring Portland VegFest, where we gave a talk on going vegan, and we’ll kvetch a little about an encounter we had there that resulted in someone hastily leaving the room in a huff. We’ll tell you why. We’ll talk about the importance of transition foods, one activist’s funny way to display massaged kale at a feed-in, and the value of finding opportunities in those times when we are deeply annoyed. Mariann will give us the skinny on the goings-on from her Animal Law Fundamentals class, and her Animals in Agriculture class, and we’ll get you up to speed about what is going on in our lives, too.
Joining us today is animal law guru Kathy Hessler, an esteemed professor, and the mastermind behind the only animal law clinic in the world. Kathy will explain what an animal law clinic is, how this one is benefiting animals, and she will give us unique insight into how legal advocacy on behalf of animals intertwines with legal advocacy on behalf of people, particularly people who are, in one way or another, disadvantaged. Kathy will also talk about how, as she says, violence is violence, and she will share with us her personal story of how social justice advocacy has taken on many incarnations in her life as an activist and a lawyer.
For our review, we will talk about the children’s book, The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach, which creatively advocates for kids to eat their veggies and ditch gross, unhealthy, and non-compassionate foods. This conversation will lead to a discussion of how to best transition your kids – particularly your toddlers – to a healthy vegan lifestyle.
All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.
This week’s news items include:

• “Foie gras is (rightly) banned, so let’s move on” from The L.A. Times
• “Animal Legal Defense Fund Sues New York State Agricultural Department … For Allowing Sale of Diseased Food” from ALDF
• “Two wolves from Washington state gray wolf pack killed for preying on cattle” from NBC News
• “Making Vegan a New Normal” from The New York Times
• “The looming zoonotic danger” from CNN

“It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing… You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” -Mahatma Gandhi
The Our Hen House podcast is sponsored by The Seed: A Vegan Experience, bringing you events, conferences, and happenings that raise awareness about the many delicious, cruelty-free alternatives to animal products. Learn more at theseedexperience.com.

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