This year when people shop for their winter gear, I hope they will keep in mind the unthinkable suffering imposed on animals so that they can have fur lining their boots, coats, gloves and slippers.

In this day and age, with all the synthetic fibers available, it is barbaric to continue the practice of skinning animals for their fur.

Their deaths are not pretty. Animals caught in traps can suffer for days before trappers return to break their necks or bludgeon them to death.

Animals raised on fur farms are killed by cruel methods such as gassing, neckbreaking, electrocution and bludgeoning in order to preserve their pelts. Much of our fur trim comes from China, where dogs and cats are raised in horrible conditions for their fur.

The number of animals killed for fur trim has overtaken the number of animals killed for fulllength fur coats. It's time for all Americans to realize that compassion should trump vanity, especially during the holiday season.

With the overwhelming support of Prop. 2, Californian's showed how much compassion we have for animals.

Let's keep showing the country and the world how much we care by not buying into the fur trade. Jeannine Linder Simi Valley