Letter To Obama From Bill Maher
November 22, 2010
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500-0049
Dear Mr. President:
I'm writing on behalf of my friends at PETA regarding a ritual that keeps countless Americans glued to their TV sets. In front of rolling television cameras, two cute birds blink their eyes in the glare of flashing lights. After their 15 minutes of fame are over,they will be banished to obscurity, trading in the limelight for a cramped dive, forgotten by the masses.
No, I don't mean the hapless girls chased and discarded by "The Situation" on Jersey Shore. I'm referring to the two confused turkeys who are pardoned by the president each year before Thanksgiving Day. The promise of "retirement" for those turkeys has proved to be as empty as a Cher "farewell" tour. In recent years, turkeys have simply been shuffled from the pardoning ceremony to displays at pseudo-sanctuaries or theme parks,and many have died less than a year later, before the following year's turkeys have even made it to the Rose Garden. McDonald's so-called "Happy Meals" have a longer shelf life.
I propose a New Rule: From now on, let's bring credibility to the ceremony and genuine compassion to "pardoned" turkeys by sending them to a real sanctuary. After all, turkeys have it hard enough. The overwhelming majority of them are bred and drugged to grow faster than the income gap. They suffer broken legs, heart attacks, and other health problems that can multiply as they exceed the short life spans that the breeders intend.PETA has already lined up a reputable sanctuary that can offer this year's pardoned turkeys a clean and comfortable retirement that includes veterinary care and socialization.
I realize that in this election year it hasn't been easy for a Democrat to stand up for freedom, but it can be easy for everyone—including Democrats, Republicans,Libertarians, and yes, even Tea Baggers—to stand up for compassion. I thank you for your consideration, Mr. President, and hope to hear that you agree with me.
Respectfully,
Bill Maher
Peta: Bill Maher 'Talks Turkey' With President Obama
Let's hope this gets to him. And he gives a damn...What did he do last year?
Nice! Is Bill Maher vegan?
Not sure, I was wondering the same thing. I'm going to try to look it up.
Unfortunately, I highly doubt the President would care especially considering it's partially from PETA, he'll probably write it off like most people. I do appreciate Maher attempting and taking the time out to write this though.
Edit: I've found that he's a vegetarian and board member of PETA. Lol, now I'm finding a bunch of mixed answers. Oh well, either way it's still pretty cool of him.
http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-national/president-barack-obama-responds-to-bill-maher-peta-over-turkey-gate
I saw an interview with Bill Maher years ago. I think he's pescatarian- sort of along the line of where Bill Clinton is at with his dietary choices. (Feel free to correct me if this is wrong!) Even though I'm vegan, I still consider him to be 'one of us' as he's not afraid to advocate for compassion, and he has the star power to be heard.
I'm grateful that the pardoned turkeys didn't go to Disneyworld and instead went to Mt. Vernon. It still feels, though, that the whole turkey pardoning thing is purely for American entertainment value. It sounds as though it's all very disruptive, chaotic, and confusing for the birds due to the ceremony, parades, and commotion.
I would be forever grateful if next year the birds could be quietly 'pardoned', and gently transported to Farm Sanctuary where they could happily live out the rest of their lives. (Sadly, I know all too well that banishing factory farms by next year is too much to hope for!)
The thing is, it's a totally meaningless photo op. The fact that one live bird gets "pardoned" on camera doesn't mean that they don't sit down to a turkey dinner anyway. It's not like, "Pardon the turkey, bring on the tofu instead." They should just stop doing it.
I think the two turkey pardon is kind of dumb as well. They're pardoned but then have to go to a bunch of stupid events and then are dumped somewhere. I'm not even sure how many people pay attention to the turkey pardoning and it all seems pretty pointless.
Again though, I love hearing celebrities use their status to speak out and stand up.
The act of pardoning any creature seems so arrogant.
Who the fuck are we... further more, who the fuck is the president!?
I just mean to say, humans have a real big superiority complex and boy do we love idolatry.
bill maher = the man