We, the citizens of Cambridge, hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all primates are created equal and are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.
We at APES have begun to collect the necessary signatures
to place a binding
referendum question on the November 2005 ballot. The proposed referendum
would outlaw primate experiments in the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We in the Primate Rights Movement believe that by focusing
on ending primate
experiments in the US we will open the door to the eventual liberation of
all animals.
Laying the Groundwork
In the year 2000 APES tested public opinion with a
non-binding advisory question to a segment of Cambridge voters.
We deliberately did no campaigning. Our goal was to find
out were the voters stood.
Of the 12,987 citizens who voted, 5,483 voted in favor of
research, 3,985 voted to end primate experiments. The vivisectors won by
1,498 but 3,519 voters left the question blank.
We believe that if we had campaigned and leafleted we
could have won over the majority of the undecided.
In Switzerland, on December 2, 1985, a National Referendum
was held to outlaw almost all animal experiments. Thirty percent of the
people voted in favor.
If that bill had been limited to primates, could it have
passed?
We at APES think that the people will vote in favor of
primates and we are determined to put this to the test in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
The Initiative Petition
Massachusetts is one of twenty-five of the fifty states
which allow the Initiative Petition process to change state laws. Most
cities and towns also have the process.
The Initiative Petition is not popular with politicians
and corporate lobbyists who normally make decisions for the people because
it gives people a chance to decide issues for themselves.
When a question is placed on the ballot voters are forced
to consider the pros and the cons. Families, neighbors and co-workers, who
typically have no interest in politics will debate, often passionately.
The initiative petition brings out the best in people
because they instinctively want to make the right choice.
What a wonderful, powerful tool for the Animal Rights
movement!
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an
irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in peoples minds." Samuel
Adams, American Patriot
Convincing the Voters
Once the required signatures have been gathered, our task
is to convince the rest of the voters to vote for our candidate, namely
the primates. Once a person is in favor of stopping the torture of
primates they usually stay convinced.
On the other hand, to keep their supporters, the
vivisectors must maintain a constant stream of propaganda. They must
promise break-through cures, that are just around the corner that will be
achieved for us by torturing primates.
Because we can prove their claims to be false, we can win
votes for the primates.
Cambridge is the Place
The American Revolution started in Cambridge in 1775. Let
us begin the revolution for Primate Rights in Cambridge in 2005.
We Need You
APES needs volunteers. In fact we can't complete our
mission without your help. Join us this summer for a week or two and help
make history happen. We want to hear from you and answer any questions you
may have. We will help you as much as we can.
Please Email us now at
[email protected]
There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has
come. We at APES believe the idea is Primate Liberation and the time is
now.
Further Action
The Cambridge Campaign paves the way for the creation of
Primate Free Zones in the neighboring cities of Boston and Somerville and
in cities and towns across the nation. We will introduce a bill into the
Massachusetts State Legislature where they will hold public hearings.
Next we can put a question on State ballots. States
actually have the authority to not only outlaw experiments on primates but
to legally recognize their inherent rights. Something a city cannot do. In
1783, Massachusetts became the first state to abolish human slavery. We
can do it again. This time we will abolish non-human primate slavery.
How do we attain Primate Rights?
There is really only one real and permanent way in these
United States and that is through an amendment to the US Constitution: The
PRA, The Primate Rights Amendment.
We need to organize a group of activists in each of the
435 U.S. Congressional Districts. Their mission will be to make sure their
congressperson either enthusiastically signs up for the PRA or signs up
for a lengthy cruise around the world as an Ex-Rep of the people. They
need to be replaced with somebody truly committed to the PRA even if that
candidate has to come from activist ranks.
In the history of the animal rights movement we have never
tried to get any rights for anyone. The closest we have come is exempting
the Great Apes from research in England and New Zealand.
If we ever get a question on the ballot in Massachusetts
and it passes, primates in Massachusetts will be the first and only
animals with their legal rights recognized.
Cambridge a Catalyst
The 2005 Battle for Primate Rights that will be fought,
win or loose, could be the catalyst for the PRA and other town, city and
state legislative action nationwide.
We will create thousands of new activists and raise
consciousness about not only primates but all animal issues. Primates will
break the barriers for all animals.
"All this will not be finished in the first hundred days,
nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of
this administration, nor perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let
us begin." A quote by President John Fitzgerald Kennedy applicable to the
work that lies before us.
CONTACT: William Burke, APES
56 Sixth Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
617-491-7519 or E-mail [email protected]
Website under construction
www.FreeApes.com Ready in May
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