In case any of you missed it, actor and gun-enthusiast Charlton Heston died over the weekend. So anyone who’s been patiently waiting in line to try and pry the guns from his cold, dead hands can go ahead and do so now. While part of me is sad to see one of my childhood heroes go (Ben Hur pretty much changed my life), I’m sure there are plenty of orphaned deer who don’t share those sentiments. Anyway, RIP Charlton H. I’m guessing they probably don’t allow people to hunt defenseless animals with high-powered assault rifles in heaven, but hopefully he’ll be able to find a more peaceful hobby in the afterlife.

Chieftan.com / CC

April 4 marks the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. As we reflect on the violent killing of a man who stood for peace and equality, it’s a good time to ask ourselves what we are doing — because there’s so much we can do - to help humanity reach those goals.

We may not be able to stop all the violence in the world, but each of us has the power to end the violence and suffering we’re responsible for every time we sit down to eat, simply by choosing humane vegetarian foods instead of meat, dairy, and eggs. The animals who are killed for our food never have the freedom to do anything natural or enjoyable. They spend their frightened often pain-wracked lives crammed into tiny and filthy cages or pens before being violently killed (many have their throats slit and are scalded or dismembered while still conscious) in slaughterhouses.

After all these years, it is high time we opened our hearts and spoke up to oppose violence in all its forms. We can all make a start by showing others how easy it is to wipe violence off our plates.

-Ingrid E. Newkirk, President, PETA

Wonkette just reported on a leaked NRA manifesto (in comic-strip form, no less) entitled "Freedom in Peril," which outlines the greatest threats to gun-toting NRA members who apparently can’t even allow their children outside unarmed for fear that they'll be accosted by tree-hugging hippies and made to live in a commune.

The whole thing is priceless, but my favorite part by far is the section devoted to animal rights activists, including (apparently) a kamikaze owl, a young lady with stubbly legs and (heaven forbid) a bare midriff, and a fearsome land lobster! It looks like there's also a cute little chicken among these "frightening forces," from which the manifesto tells us "only the NRA has the will and the experience to do battle with."

This seriously made my day. Check it out.