What's In a Name?
By Peter D. Wilson
An Animal Rights Poem from All-Creatures.org

All of God's creatures have rights, a fact that most people don't seem to recognize. This includes both human and non-human animals, but not all of them can speak for themselves.

What's In a Name?
By Peter D. Wilson

In the name of progress
Jews were ejected from their homes and exterminated
Africans were stolen from their homeland and enslaved
Native Americans were pushed off their land and massacred

In the name of conservation
Feral animals are ejected from their homes and exterminated
Endangered species are stolen from their homeland and enslaved
Predators are pushed off the land and massacred

In the name of freedom
Dissenters were beaten into submission
Japanese Americans were imprisoned in concentration camps
Soldiers were trained to kill on command

In the name of entertainment
Orangs and elephants are beaten into submission
Dolphins and seals are imprisoned in sea aquariums
Dogs and roosters are taught to lust for blood

In the name of religion
Witches were burned at the stake
Infidels were tortured on the rack
Virgins were sacrificed on the altar

In the name of science
The bodies of pigs are inflicted with severe burns
The eyes of rabbits are filled with caustic chemicals
The eyelids of newborn monkeys are sewn shut

In the name of arrogance
Humans have put their desires over the needs of others
Crimes of cruelty have been perpetrated ad nauseum
Suffering has been inflicted against human and animal, alike

Return to: Animal Rights Poetry