by Walter Bond
9-22-2010
On the Second of September, 2010, my grandmother, Gwen Bond, passed away in Mason City, IA. I regret not being by her side when she went, but I regret even more that I could not be there to console my father, James L. Bond (yes, my father’s name is actually James Bond). He was always very close with his mother and I know it is a hard time for him, as having not only lost his mom but also having his son imprisoned at the same time together create quite a tribulation for him.
Gwen, or Grahm as we all called her, was the last of my grandparents to pass. She will be missed by many in north Iowa, as she was the life of the party-literally singing and dancing the night away well into her 80′s. She was also a friend to any cat who crossed her path. My grandmother had two homes, one in Mason City and one in Clear Lake, IA, which was a cottage. At the cottage she diligently cared for 8 indoor cats, fed the strays in the neighborhood, and provided food for the ferals in the woods around her property.
Her home in Mason City was damaged by flooding a few years back. This forced her to move in with my father at his adjoining property. She never allowed the house to be destroyed though. Since she could not live there, she donated it to the cats. She would have my father walk her over several times a week to visit them. My grandmother taught me that the very best way to fall asleep is with a cat on your chest, one on your legs, and perhaps another one by your side. Wherever you are, Grahm, I will miss you and I know the cats do too.
I want to say thank you to everyone who has written me and continues to write. Words cannot describe how much your correspondence and support mean to me. A big thank you to all my comrades across the pond in the UK who have written and sent me vegan support zines-which I have received. Although I may be by myself, I am not alone!
My “Why I’m Vegan” essay is beginning to grab the attention of many in the mainstream press, including Fox News, which recently approached me for an interview. I now have a support site (SupportWalter.org) to which I submit an occasional rant.
I’m scheduled for court on November 11th, 2010 for a change of plea hearing. This court date should be set, but if it changes I will get the word out ASAP. Whether I spend time in prison or not, any legal defense money raised for me will either be used for a paid attorney or to fight my appeals. I’m requesting that 10% of any money raised for my legal defense go to support imprisoned Earth and Animal Liberation Warriors in Mexico.
As always, the fight goes on. Animals used for food, entertainment, vivisection, and clothing are abused and exploited in the worst imaginable ways. Their suffering is no mere abstraction or matter of philosophy. It is not rhetorical or subjective. It is actual and evil!
For the countless billions who have died, have a sense of urgency. For the scores of billions who will die this year, whom we can’t save, have a sense of urgency! There is no excuse for apathy, vegan or otherwise. Potlucks and picnics do not stop the shackle, the chain fall, the battery cage or the LD-50. People who profit off the blood trade won’t stop because the righteousness of our cause overcomes their hard-heartedness.
Let me make it clear that until every cage is empty, we will fight and educate. Animal Liberation, whatever it may take!
-Walter Bond
