People who abuse animals abuse people, too. When they abuse people, they sometimes get arrested. But when they abuse animals, they mostly get away with it. That's because people -- including creeps like Michael Vick -- have basic, legal rights, whereas animals don't.

What we need is an Animal Bill of Rights. We're talking about things like the right to food, shelter, medical care -- and also, the right to legal representation. Bao and I believe that the time has come to grant animals basic, legal rights. And guess what? At least 125,000 other Americans agree with us.

There's already a group of lawyers working on this. The Animal Legal Defence Fund has sued the USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, has put a stop to annual deer, bear and mountain lion hunts in California, and is lobbying for state laws that define cruelty to animals as a felony offense with criminal penalties. Being sued is a real wake-up call.

They've also drafted an Animal Bill of Rights which will be presented as a petition to the United States Congress. I've signed it. You can sign it, too. Go to http://www.aldf.org/

"It's a matter of taking the side of the weak against the strong, something the best people have always done" -- Harriet Beecher Stowe

Take sides. Sign the petition. Every signature counts.