John Jay argues that America’s survival depends on national unity — a principle as vital now as it was in 1787.

War is often presented as a series of strategic decisions, battles, and treaties. Left out of the narrative are the beings—human and nonhuman—whose lives and habitats are destroyed in minutes and forgotten within years.

Democrats in Congress have introduced a resolution to remove the “punishment” exception from the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, calling their proposal the “Abolition Amendment.”

Today, we honor the courage of those who fought for freedom and recommit to the ongoing work of creating it.

Lancaster County is known for its rolling fields, its cultural traditions, and its long history of agriculture. But tucked within this landscape is a different kind of farm—one that reimagines what human–animal relationships can look like when exploitation is removed from the equation.

On December 5, we confront a truth the federal government refuses to speak: the world’s rainforests are dying, and with them, the future of every species—including our own.

This article includes an open letter to @governor.ca.gov

The Humane Party and the broader abolitionist movement argue that saving cheetahs — or any species — requires more than isolated interventions. It requires dismantling the worldview that treats nonhuman life as scenery, property, or resources to be managed.

This story keeps resurfacing because something in the public conscience refuses to let it rest. It lingers because people recognize, even if they cannot articulate it, that this is not just about what one politician did but what our politics has become.

Hamilton opens the Federalist Papers with a defining question: Can a nation choose its future through reason — or will it be shaped by accident and fear?

These boundaries, known collectively as the rules of war, are more than legal codes. They are a global vow: Humanity must not lose itself, even in war.

A Warm Solstice Treat for Yule and Winter Nights

A win! A federal appeals court ruled that Alina Habba had been serving unlawfully as the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey.

This Month in Compassion is The Humane Herald’s ongoing effort to track the places where compassion should be — and the places where it is being withdrawn.

Seventy years ago today, Rosa Parks said “No.” It was not an act of defiance—it was an act of truth. Her courage sparked a movement. Her community carried it forward. We remember her not for a seat on a bus, but for refusing to accept injustice as normal.

Before America could adopt the Constitution, it had to answer a more fundamental question: can a nation choose its future through reason, or will it be shaped by accident, conflict, and force?

The Tenth Amendment defines the division of authority in the United States, reserving all undelegated powers to the states or the people. Its meaning has shifted over time, shaped by debates over governance, rights, and the scope of constitutional authority.

Consumer blackouts have been used throughout history as a form of economic protest. But this year’s call to abstain from Black Friday purchases carries a sharper edge.

The Humane Herald is powered entirely by volunteers. If you feel called to write, report, research, interview, create visuals, or contribute in any capacity, we welcome new voices. Whether you can offer one article a month or one article a year, your perspective matters.

Here’s to Thanks-Living — A holiday where no one is harmed for our traditions, and where gratitude becomes an act of liberation.

While the nation’s political news cycles chase scandal, spectacle, and personality conflicts, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration quietly expanded its approvals for cultivated meat — chicken, seafood, and hybrid cell-based products developed without slaughter.

Animals should not have to depend on unpredictable actors for their freedom. They need a political structure capable of doing the right thing on purpose—not by accident.

The Epstein case remains one of the clearest examples in modern history of what happens when immense wealth intersects with weak institutions. The public deserves to understand not only the crimes themselves, but the ecosystem that enabled them.

A recent @unchainedtv.bsky.social emergency town hall issued an urgent warning: the nation’s iconic wild horses and burros are facing accelerating harm under federal policy.

“The United States did not adopt a Bill of Rights to enshrine religious doctrine. It adopted one to prevent it from dominating public life.”

The Ninth Amendment ensures that the rights listed in the Constitution do not limit or diminish other rights retained by the people. It is one of the clearest statements that liberty in the United States extends beyond what is written on parchment.

If enacted into law, this change would give schools the flexibility to provide students with plant-based milks — a shift long endorsed by pediatric dietitians, public health researchers, and advocates for nutritional equity.

The Eighth Amendment protects against excessive fines, excessive bail, and “cruel and unusual punishments.” In a nation still debating what compassion means, the amendment remains one of the Constitution’s most important moral boundaries.

November 20 marks Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a solemn annual observance honoring the transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals whose lives were cut short by anti-trans violence.

“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury… nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…”

An allegory of awakening, told by one who once watched the world from both sides.

Every movement begins with ideals—collaboration, transparency, accessibility. These are the pillars of democracy in miniature, proof that good intentions can shape good systems.

“…It’s the kind of case that cuts to the core of the animal-rights movement: where compassion meets criminalization. And thanks to @unchainedtv.bsky.social , thousands of viewers around the world have been able to follow every development as it unfolds.”

October 2025 saw sweeping movement in global animal-rights policy and advocacy, from a statewide ban on cat declawing in California to controversial legislation in India, a national recognition day in Korea, and renewed debates over activism and accessibility.

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…”

The Third Amendment is often called “forgotten.” But perhaps the greater danger is forgetting why it was written. Our rights are rarely stripped away all at once. More often, they are eroded gradually—normalized in moments of crisis, justified as temporary, and accepted until they are permanent.

As late-night hosts are muzzled, as journalists are excluded from briefings, and as political commentary grows ever thinner, the question becomes unavoidable: is the First Amendment still a guarantee of dissent, or merely a promise subject to corporate and political convenience?

The VMAs gave us spectacle. But what America needs is substance. ERA2 would finally put equality where it belongs — in the Constitution.

This is the first installment of Uncaged Verses—poetry that breaks the silence. Anonymous by design, these words speak for all who cannot.

How systemic violence connects the slaughterhouse, the battlefield, and the streets at home.

As always, the call of compassion is to not only recognize these issues but to respond with care, solidarity, and meaningful change.