wired / CC

President-elect Barack Obama has promised Americans a "21st century government"—one that we at PETA feel needs to address animal welfare. The growing concern for how we as a nation treat our animals is evidenced by last month's majority support for California's Proposition 2, which will require animals on factory farms to be provided more space in their cages.

Now, PETA's brilliant minds are asking the Presidential Transition Team to consider the creation of two national councils—a National Food Policy Council and a National Toxicity Council—to work toward improving the government's pitiful record on food and toxicology policy.

Point One
PETA's recommends that the government put human health before the agriculture industry. Both the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program are currently in the hands of the USDA—an agency that appears to be more concerned with improving factory-farming profits though animal exploitation than it is with improving human health. Both of these programs offer an overwhelming amount of meat and dairy products, but little to no vegetables or fruits.

For the sake of human health, it is vital that the NSLP be transferred into the Department of Education, and the WIC program become a part of Health & Human Services—recommendations that we are sure our suggested National Food Policy Council would agree on.

Point Two
PETA wants the government to form a National Toxicity Council to improve the way our nation deals with risks from toxic chemicals. As we know from the number of drugs that are approved after they are tested on animals only to be determined later to be harmful to humans, it is clear that tests conducted on animals do not provide sufficient results.

The National Research Council Report states, "the vision takes full advantage of current and expected scientific advances to enhance our understanding of how environmental agents can affect human health. It has the potential to greatly reduce the cost and time of testing and to lead to much broader coverage of the universe of environmental agents. Moreover, the vision will lead to a marked reduction in animal use and focus on doses that are more relevant to those experienced by human populations." Our suggested National Toxicity Council would focus on attaining the National Research Council's vision within a reasonable amount of time.

We hope that President-elect Obama will take these issues to heart and implement our suggested interagency food and toxicity groups. By doing so, he will be able to achieve his goal to "leave our children with a better world," and his actions will reduce waste, protect human health and the environment, reduce animal suffering, and save money. Couldn't ask for much better, really … and you can help! Click here to find out how.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

"I (Heart) My Mutt" stickers available at PETACatalog.org

"We have two criteria that have to be reconciled," President-elect Obama said of a "major issue" at his first press conference earlier today. And no, he wasn't talking about the economy or the U.S.' endeavors overseas—he was talking about the much-discussed dog that will soon join the Obama family!

Here's the deal: Malia Obama has allergies and while the President-elect Obama has stated that their "preference is to get a shelter dog," the Obamas aren't sure if they'll find that "hypo-allergenic" dog in a shelter; as President-elect Obama said today, "[a] lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me."

It's great to hear the President-elect speak so highly of mutts! But we understand that the Obamas' concern for Malia might lead them to seek out a specific breed known for possible "hypo-allergenic" qualities.

Fortunately, there's no reason why the Obamas—or anyone, for that matter—can't get the best of both worlds. There are many purebred dogs out there in animal shelters across the country—many of whom even have their own rescue groups! There are also many online resources such as PetFinder that allow the user to search for homeless animals by specific criteria, like location, breed, and even age.

Purebred dogs fall victim to the dog and cat overpopulation crisis just as mutts do, so there's no reason to make the situation worse by buying a puppy from a breeder. Purebred dogs can be found in animal shelters almost everywhere—you just have to know how to look!

PS Mutts are awesome!

Posted by Amanda Schinke

sciencedebate2008 / CC

Yes, there were wonderful milestones achieved for animals in California and Massachusetts in this election, but is our new President-elect, Barack Obama, fighting for change in the animal world as well? Here's PETA's official statement:

President-elect Barack Obama has said, "I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other. And it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals." Because PETA is devoted to fighting animal abuse and recognizes the link between cruelty to animals and violence directed against humans, the organization is very encouraged by this statement.

PETA is also pleased that Obama and his wife, Michelle, have announced that they will adopt a rescued dog for their daughters instead of patronizing a pet store or breeder. PETA opposes large-scale breeding facilities, known as "puppy mills," as well as private breeders who bring puppies and kittens into the world while nearly 4 millions cats and dogs must be euthanized at the nation's extremely crowded animal shelters every year. PETA supports animal shelters and encourages all prospective companion animal guardians to visit their local shelter.

PETA was also encouraged to see that unlike other Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in the past, Obama did not pander to the National Rifle Association and other pro-hunting organizations by heading into the woods and shooting defenseless animals.

PETA looks forward to working with President-elect Obama and the new administration to help create change for the millions of animals who suffer unnecessarily in this country. What's next? If his stance on other animal issues is any indication, perhaps the next president will put a tofu chicken in every pot.

Posted by Christine Doré

You might remember the wildly popular "Road to the Greenhouse" video from earlier this year. Well, it's back and better than ever as Broccoli Obama and Dijon McCain battle it out with a surprise third-party candidate extraordinaire … [spoiler alert] … Chris P. Carrot!

Now, Carrot ran for election back in 2004 but got a lot of flack from haters when his "Eat Me" outburst made headlines, but now he's back—more mature, patriotic, and delicious than ever.

So go ahead this year and Rock the Vote … or, er, Vote or Die … er, um … Go Veg? No, that's not right. Just do yourself a favor and watch our super-funny video!

That's right, our new video is hilarious. We packed it with more jokes than you can fit in Carrot Top's trunks. We're so funny you probably missed half the jokes. To prove your wit, post a comment with how many puns and double entendres you counted in the video. Everyone who gets the right number will win a special prize.*

Other Viewing Options

Posted by Christine Doré

P.S. As a 501(c)(3) organization, PETA does not endorse or oppose any candidate for public office or any political party. That also means we won't allow any comments of that nature, so please save us the trouble and don't mention any candidates or political parties in your comments. Deleting them is tiresome. Ditto if you don't like our video. Keep it to yourself, because we know it's awesome.

*The special prize is to be determined. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post those too.

openentrance / CC

Yes, you heard right! On Entertainment Tonight this evening, Michelle Obama was quoted as saying that the family is planning to adopt a rescue dog. We at PETA couldn't be more thrilled! You may remember the letter that we sent to the Obama family back in July, immediately after we heard that the family planned to get a dog.

In her letter, Ingrid said, "No one needs to tell you that this country is proud to be a melting pot and that there is something deeply wrong and elitist about wanting only a purebred dog. Millions of Great American Mutts—the dog that should be our national dog—are set to die in our nation's extremely overcrowded pounds and shelters for lack of good homes. Compassionate people nationwide are choosing to adopt a homeless pound puppy—a grateful refugee from a society that has not always treated the true 'underdog' kindly—rather than cater to special interests who do not have dogs' interests at heart."

So you can see why we're quite proud of this whole thing and thank everyone who weighed in. We hope that the Obama family really listened to our message, and we hope that Barack, Michelle, and their daughters find a loving mutt who needs a good home.

Hey, America … we are SO over the Paris Hilton "purse puppy" era … let's give homes to dogs who really need them!

Posted by Christine Doré

As a 501(c)(3) organization, PETA does not endorse or oppose any candidate for public office or any political party.

britannica / CC

America is a mishmash of races and proud of it. Whoever denies that fact obviously slept through American history class. To put it simply, we are a nation of mutts!

So PETA President Ingrid Newkirk has sent a letter to Sen. Barack Obama and his family stressing this very point—and urging them to adopt a "pound pup," or Great American Mutt, rather than buy a dog from a breeder or a pet store.

In her letter, Ingrid says, "Senator, no one needs to tell you that this country is proud to be a melting pot and that there is something deeply wrong and elitist about wanting only a purebred dog. Millions of Great American Mutts—the dog that should be our national dog—are set to die in our nation's extremely overcrowded pounds and shelters for lack of good homes. When you are ready, please adopt a homeless pound puppy—a grateful refugee from a society that has not always treated the true "underdog" kindly—rather than cater to special interests who do not have dogs' interests at heart."

Let me break it down for you: Mutts want to live in a good home, eat good food, and live with responsible, loving, patient caretakers just as much as any purebred dog does. It doesn't take a genius to see that if we as Americans were treated the same way that we treat mutts—essentially, ourselves in the dog world—then we'd all be locked up, wasting away in cages, and hoping for someone to take us for "walkies." If we can't be true to mutts, then we can't be true to ourselves.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Note: PETA supports animal rights and opposes animal neglect and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.