Some people say you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. I know that's not true because I make my omelets with tofu. But I might say that you can't break systems of oppression without stepping on a few toes, and you can't always eliminate cruelty in a way that the people who rely on cruelty will like.

One of the first things I did as a new Pagan was roam the hills and woods near my home looking for flower faeries. I felt, at the time, like I had seen a few, as well as the faery of the tree in my back yard. When I did my self initiation as a solitary eclectic Wiccan (I don't call myself Wiccan anymore) I used fronds from a local willow tree to form a circlet to wear. Weeping willow is still sacred to me to this day. I'm typing this with a willow frond in henna on my arm, and "willow" remains part of my magickal name.

I've been writing for Pagan Activist for almost two years, and in that time I've barely mentioned Paganism, other than to say that my awe at the cycles of life and death has informed the way I look at Gaia, Demeter, Persephone, and Artemis.

That's because I've always been suspicious of religious ethics. An obvious reason is that it's impossible to prove which, if any, gods are the right ones, so how can we be sure which religious ethics to follow? But Socrates explained the deeper reason better than I can.

By now, the story of Cecil the lion is old news. For about a week I couldn't go anywhere without seeing or hearing about his story. In case you're not familiar, Cecil was a lion living in Zimbabwe who was killed by a trio of hunters led by an American dentist. He apparently spent $50,000 to pay for the privilege. The killing was illegal, as Cecil was a protected lion living on protected land and was lured away from that land with food. After being shot, Cecil lived for another two days before he succumbed to his injury.

I’m writing to share a huge success story. A larger success than I ever imagined. Last year, 400 million fewer animals were killed in the U.S. than in 2007. That’s more lives saved in America than there are American citizens.

I almost said that I'm expanding my focus with this article, since I usually write about animal rights. But really I'm narrowing my focus to one particular animal: the human animal.

A friend's dad has been going through some serious health issues that have impacted his quality of life. Though it's hard to point to a cause in any particular case, his symptoms are all strongly associated with animal foods. She's been frustrated and scared because even though all the evidence is there, he won't make even minimal changes to the way he eats. Not even to save his own life.

You may have heard recently that Ringling Brothers is phasing out elephant performers.

I don’t usually write about “single issues” because I like to go after the fundamentals - compassion, moral exclusion, and so on. But the news that Ringling Bros. will free 13 Asiatic elephants is exactly why we take action: to save innocents from misery.

After the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, a lot of talking heads said that the people deserved what they got because they knew the storm was coming but didn't evacuate. What a lot of them didn't realize is that many of the people didn't have the means to leave, or anywhere to go if they did.

Raise your hand if you feel like an oppressor.

...Did you raise your hand?

When you take a moral stance, on some level you're accusing others of taking an immoral stance. When you fight for justice, it must mean some people are unjust. There's not really a way around that unless you draw really vague boundaries.