just a thought. i'm in a pensive and ponderous mood today.
if you shoot at a deer, it runs away. if you shoot at an 8th grader, he will probably want to run also... unless there is some sort of shock freeze thing that happens. I dont know.
a deer does not want to feel the pain of a bullet neither does an 8th grader... unless he/she is a masochist?
if the deer could choose not to participate in a hunting expedition, he would probably opt out. same with the 8th grader... unless the masochist thing is happenin. or say... extreme suicidal tendencies.
the family of the deer being shot at would probably not approve of such a 'sport' same with the 8th grader's family...
examples of some real sports are: rollerderby, football, basketball, tennis. These sports have in common the fact that participants volunteer to play on their own accord... unless you are a kid and your parents make you... Also, and this is a really good point, so pay attention: all participants (players) are aware that they are in the game. In hunting, the deer does not attend try-outs. The deer does not leap for joy when it reads the list and discovers that he made it on the team. The deer has no idea there is a game going on at all. He just wants to do deer things. If you want, re-read this blog, and insert the word "quail" or "wild boar" or "game animal" in the place of the word "deer".
So, yeah... i have a problem with hunting. Taking delight in ending the life of an animal, just for the sake of entertainment says alot about a person's character. Ironic that I live in 'sportsman's paradise'. wait... is that irony? dammit alanis. you screwed up that word for me forever.
All things are connected: what that means to me... simplified. cow is beaten and fed antibiotics and hormones. american eats sick and diseased cow. american gets fat and sick. american gives money to doctor. doctor is taught in medical school how to treat disease, not how to prevent. doctor is told by pharma to give american drugs. drugs treat symptoms and create other symptoms. american gets sick again with something else. american gives doctor more money. doctor gives american another drug. pharmacutical companies and doctors make lots of money from sick american. pharmacutiacal companies and doctors lobby the government to subsidize cattlemen to make meat more affordable so american can eat more cow and get more sick. american becomes lifelong customer to doctor and pharma. health insurance salesman gets raise. pharma conducts lab tests to prove that eating cows is beneficial. cattleman believes it. cattleman raises more cows in spite of inadequate living space. cows get sicker. makes toxic poop and pollutes lake. american eats sicker cow. american drinks polluted water. american goes back to doctor for another drug. cattleman gets sick from exposure to sick cow. cattleman goes to doctor for drug. pharma laughs on the way to banker. health insurance salesman drops cattleman and american when they need money. health insurance salesman laughs and tries to buy pharma a beer, but pharma says, "nah, i insist, let me get this one."
another simplified scenario to come in the near future! stay tuned
being selective about WHO you give your money to
Current mood: pessimistic
i'm in Borders waiting for vehicle repairs. I drive a trooper- an 1987 isuzu 4 wheel drive suv. I love the look of it- I grew up in the 80's, so I have an affinity to stuff from the '80s. It is not fuel efficient, tho- and as an environmentalist, I am disgusted that I drive such a vehicle. I just dont have the cash, nor credit, to get something better. It also disgusts me that our cities are designed to be dependant on cars... great website and movie about that: http://www.endofsuburbia.com/ Peak Oil- I think we've hit it. I dont care what any analysts say- if you think prices for fuel are ever going to go back down, you are delusional. The more I think about the adverse act of paying for gas, the more it sickens me that my money is going straight into the wallets of conservative republican fart sniffers that care so little for the planet, they could not care less. They are on the verge of school girl giddiness that their premeditated plan of making us slaves of the engine block was successful. We all use cars and suvs- yes, even you anarchist cyclists types. I've toted you around town to your potlucks and auxillary activities, after enduring longwinded excuses on why the trip can't be made atop a pedal driven/ human powered /two wheeled device. Well- I guess i REALLY want to write about (not that anyone really reads this stuff) is that my most significant characteristic is that I'm exceptionally picky with where I spend my money. (maybe if I had more money, I'd be less selective... ??) Anyway- being selective about my spending is actually why I'm vegan, too. I just dont want to give my money to people that hurt animals. Likewise, I wouldnt knowingly give my money to someone that rapes women or is a member of the KKK either. I never ever ever ever dreamed that i'd be vegan- if someone would have told me 10 years ago that I'd be vegan someday, I would have known that he was an idiot.
I originally went 'peskatarian' many years ago after just being fed up with the crap served at 'Sonic' and 'BurgerKing'. They were just a block down from where I worked and I frequently went there on my lunch break. One day, as i was exiting the drive thru, i realized that 1: I was spending money on food that I was truly not satisfied with and 2: the shit in the bag did not resemble the shiney misleading picture on the menu. I was buying crap and being made the fool, AAANND I had enough. From that moment on, I brought my own lunches. If I didnt have time to prepare one, I'd go to the drugstore down the block and purchase peanuts, chips, granola bars, or anything; I just refused to give my money to fast food chains. I successfully stuck with that boycott for years. When having to deal with preparing my own cutlet filled entres, I came to another realization: Handling meats is objectionable to me. For whatever reason, I learned to 'deal' with handling and cooking seafood- I guess my thoughts were that I 'had to eat 'sumpthin'. Hence- peskatarianism. After many happy years as a pesky, I read an article about cooking lobsters and how there really is no humane way to do it. (from lobsterlib.com: "Anyone who has ever boiled a lobster alive can attest to the fact that when dropped into scalding water, lobsters whip their bodies wildly and scrape the sides of the pot in a desperate attempt to escape. In the journal Science, researcher Gordon Gunter described this method of killing lobsters as "unnecessary torture.") So, I gave up seafood. Welcome- vegetarianism!
fast forward a couple of months: While surfing the net, I came across a psa from Bea Arthur (remember golden girls?) It was about KFC (here's the link: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=bea_kfc) I cried out loud at what I saw. Enter- Animal Rights Activst. That afternoon, I signed up for Peta's activist network and soon afterward, I was notified of the request of my presense at my very first ever activist protest.
I met other activists- we yelled- we had posters- we had a dude in a chicken suit. The thrill was unforgetable. Did we make an impact? Were we effective in getting the message out? Honestly, I don't remember- but the way I see it, if only one person decides to make compassionate food choices, that's good enough. Who knows what influencing that one person will lead to? Anyway, I struck up a conversation with a peta intern who was smoking a vegan cigarette. Wait- huh? Some brands of cigarettes are not vegan? How? Why? I knew so little about veganism- I thought it was all about- only about food and slaughter...Veganism is also about what you choose to wear, your cleaning products, and so much more. Basically, veganism is trying to live your life without directly or indirecty contributing to the unnecessary suffering of sentient beings outside of your species. Yadda yadda- I told the girl- No way in hell I would give up cheese. I told her I looooved cheese and could not live without it. I told her everything that non-vegans currently tell me about their affinity with coagulated milk mold.
ah- my trooper is ready... I'll be back- dont go anywhere... this wont be much longer!
ok. new brakes, oil change, new wipers. I hope that check doesnt bounce!
anyway- back to cheese. The intern told me that she had the same reservations about cheese, but amazingly after a few weeks of not consuming dairy, the body does not crave it anymore. It's like breaking an addiction. (Cheese is addictive... look it up on your own.) She also told me to just try. You might not make it- but at least give it a try. We all want to be compassionate- none of us want to be hypocrits. I think that's why many dont even try to go veg or vegan- we dont want to fail- we dont want to be hypocrits. So I tried! And I failed. A month after my failed attempt, Katrina hit and I forgot all about trying.
In November after the storm, I went to a peta conference called "Helping animals 101" The reason I wanted to go vegan originally was because I thought I knew why it was ethically the right thing to do. I thought I knew... I am not going to blog about why the dairy industry and egg industry is cruel- it just is and you can research that on your own when you are ready. It is worse that you can ever imagine- and every minute that ticks by of every day of every month, these animals are clinging to life with infections, open sores, disease, extreme discomfort, and finally slaughter frees them from their abusers. I learned this stuff and much more from that conference, and from books, articles, videos, other conferences, and other activists that I have personally met in the last 2 years. If I could recommend only one book on the topic, i would suggest "MEAT MARKET" by eric marcus.
So, Bonjour! Je suis Vegan maintenant. I was skeptical that I could maintain a vegan lifestyle, so I tattooed the word on my arm to constantly remind myself WHY I want to live this way. It worked. It was not easy- quite frustrating actually, but it gets easier.
Another thing that happened when I started being vegan was that I truly understood the term, "all things are connected". I had heard it before and was like, "yeah yeah, i know" but now, I really understand it and I became humbled. Here I am, a mighty human, and I feel a kindred to all the 'lower' animals. I actually dont think of other species as lower... sure, humans are capapble of f*ckin amazing things: we build skyscrapers and iphones- earth has the wheel because of us. Consider the things we cant do tho: we cant see ants in the gravel from treetops as we rest from soaring thru the clouds. we cant battle against sharks with our noses the way dolphins do. We can run as fast as the cheetah or osterich. We cant sense sunami's before they hit. we dont have highly developled olafactory senses like the bloodhound. You get my point... the human race is alright- but we aren't all that. In fact, we are the primary offender against mother nature today- she'd be better off without us. All this talk about 'save the planet' this and 'save the wetlands' that. Why save it? Think about it: we need to save these things so that we have a home. Earth doesnt need saving- she'll be fine. She is becoming unihabitable for us. In other words, what is at risk is our habitat. Our McMansions. If we dont 'save the wetlands', mother nature will spread her waters into our suburbs, and then where will we park our hummers??? Therefore: save the wetlands!!! Let's say we don't save the wetlands... lets say we pack our shit and head north... what would happen? The earth wont implode- i'll tell you that. For the record, this is not an anti-wetland sentiment... I'm totally for saving our wetlands. I'm just making a point that humans are always scrammbling to be labeled as Earth's care takers- Without humans, the earth would be doomed- who will take care of the elephants? who will feed the ducks bread?? Taking on the resposibility of keeping earth running is... well, silly. We should absolutely strive for sustainable living, but that's different. The former is more intrusive, whereas the latter is considerate. Why am I vegan? I'm vegan because I don't want to pay someone to abuse an innocent and intelligent animal. Veganism is sustainable and healthier- but those reasons are debateable. What is not debatable is the fact that food animals do not want to die and while they are alive, they suffer- suffer unnecessarily. If you think otherwise, you are desensitized to the desires of 'lower' animals and/or just don't know about intensive factory farming.
So- back to the selective spending... In a nutshell, this is me:
I don't support business that are cruel to animals. I don't eat anything that comes out of or was sliced off of an animal. For the most part (99% of the time): I don't buy honey I don't utilize products (cleaning products, beauty products, etc) that were tested on animals I don't support pharmacuticals I try to: Not buy shit from china Only buy organic (food, products, clothes) Avoid parabens, flouride, phthalates, hydrogonated oils, GMO'd food Live simply, so that others may live (ghandi) Things I'm workin on: Getting fuel efficent transportation researching vegan art supplies (does it exist?) supporting local farmers recycling
the end oh- and by the way- bread is not naturally what ducks eat... they naturally eat protein filled bugs. So if you think you are being cutesy and helpful by fillng duck bellies with bleached, carb filled, nutritionally devoid bunny bread and saltines, sadly, you are wrong. Also, realise that 20 people before you get to the park and 20 people after you leave the park think they are being cutesy and helpful too. Leave the waterfowl alone.
Gina C. Drosos, President Global Personal Beauty, P&G Beauty Charles V. Bergh, Group President, P&G
Dear Proctor & Gamble
Have some ethics... 1- stop testing on animals P&G is one of the WORST companies on earth. I haven't bought any of your crap in years. 2- quit POISONING people. You know what ingredients are in your products- you are aware that your chemical filled products can cause cancer- How do you sleep at night???
go to hell so sincerely, monica ferroe 504-913-0855
Often, people want to know why I'm "pushing my beliefs" on others. This saddens me because there is no room for believing or disbelieving... these are the FACTS. This is not like religion, where people can believe what they want... If your next door neighbor were to beat his dog everyday and justify it because he owns the dog, does that make it acceptable? Animals in factory farms are abused and this is also not acceptable.
Animals have no voice. If you've ever been in a situation where you were being assaulted and NO ONE helped you, no one stood up for you, no one cared enough to intervene, you would understand what it is like to have NO VOICE. It's not that I would ONLY help animals... I would help anyone- human or non-human- if possible. Compassion starts with the immediate family and then extends out to others in your species. The next step is to extend your circle of compassion out to members of other species.
cuz it doesnt have any pesticides on it. Pesticides are chemicals that are designed to KILL. eat enough of it and it will KILL you. duh... Organics are better for the soil- better for earth. Organic farmers do so to sell a better product and for pennies more- support their hard work and superiour product.
Isn't being vegetarian good enough? I think it is not- it is a good first step towards a cruelty free lifestyle, but ultimately, one must graduate to veganism to eliminate unecessary suffering from your life.
Vegetarians often mistakenly believe that they are not sending an animal to slaughter by consuming dairy and eggs. They also mistakenly think that their diet does not contribute to suffering. Sadly dairy cows and egg laying hens suffer tremendously. Factory farmed animals never die of old age- their destiny is always SLAUGHTER. Some animal activists beleive that egg laying hens suffer the most of all factory farmed animals. ("Meat Market" - Eric Marcus) Cows dont just 'give' milk- they have to be pregnant to lactate, just like all mammals. Dairy cows are repeatedly and forcefully inseminated by man, with an instrument that resembles a turkey baster. As a woman this offends me and I consider this rape. I would not allow someone to rape my innocent pet cat, so I also would not approve nor stand silent at the rape of any female- regardless of species. When the cow comes to term and her calf is born, hours later, sometimes minutes, the calf is TAKEN AWAY FROM IT'S MOTHER. These animals are not as stupid as we think- the mother looks around for her baby... bleats incessantly for her baby. She tries so hard to fight to get her baby back. The frightened baby- weak and hungry- crys for his mother. He is destined for the veal farm, because male dairy calves are of no use to the dairy or meat industry- they dont give milk, they are the wrong breed for meat and wont get big enough, their sperm is no good because only select prime specimins are selected for semen. When the dairy cow reaches about 5 years old, she is sent to slaughter bc her production is slightly slower that her younger counterparts. A healthy cow generally would live about 20 years. Sidenote: Humans have fucked with the selective breeding of docile cows so much that dairy cows HAVE TO BE MILKED. they produce too much milk. good job, humans. 95% of America's eggs come from battery hens. The warehouses these THOUSANDS of girls live in are devoid of sunlight and fresh air. The lighting is controlled in order to controll the production of eggs. The feet of chickens are designed by GOD to walk on grass and earth- I know this because i witnessed with my own eyes how chickens on a private farm avoid concrete. They are crammed into wire cages that hurt and deform their feet. The wings of chickens are designed by GOD to fly them up to tree branches and roost. Most do not know that chickens are just like any bird and love trees. When battery hens get sick- no one notices because there are thousands of these birds and the lighting is not so good. She will just remain sick until death frees her from misery and suffering. I want to keep this brief, so I wont continue about battery hens, but there is so much more. If you want to read more, I recommend bravebirds.org and compassionover killing.org.
Our nation's number one killer- heart disease. Heart disease is caused by having high blood pressure and cholesterol- both of which are caused by the consumption of meat and dairy. Our nation's number two killer- cancer. The American Cancer Society encourages people to eat more vegetables and fruits. This is great, but I dont know why they just dont encourage vegetarianism- I can only assume that they want to keep their jobs, so they dont want to eliminate cancer from the US completely. As countries around the world adopt similar diets to the American diet, cancer rates rise. In third world countries, where they do not eat as americans do, cancers, osteoporosis, and heart disease do not exist. (read "Diet for a New America, John Robbins) The lower you eat on the food chain, the lesser your exposure to high concentrations of harmful toxins. If non-smokers get health insurance discounts, and cancer is &035;2 killer... I believe that vegans should get discounts as well becuase heart disease is the &035;1 killer and vegans are 'heart-attack proof'.
There is no cholesterol in vegetables. While I will not deny that some veg*ans can be larger than others, there are more meat-eaters that are overweight or obese. Some vegetarians are overweight because they compensate for lack of meat in their diet by consuming large amounts of dairy, which also contributes to weight-gain.
pessimistic
disgusted
