We are a nation of animal lovers: Fully 97 percent of us tell pollsters that we believe animals should be protected from abuse. But, are we willing to do anything about it?
Not if our diets are any indication. Most Americans continue to chomp down on chicken nuggets, ribs and burgers -- inadvertently supporting abuse that they believe they oppose. It's a sad fact that farm animals are exempted from the Animal Welfare Act, and are exploited in myriad ways that would warrant criminal charges if they had the same protections as dogs and cats. This has real implications for the daily welfare of farm animals, as well as for our diets and our health.
Allow me to present two particularly harmful examples: First, billions of farm animals are routinely drugged with antibiotics to make them grow faster, and to keep them alive in deplorable conditions that would otherwise kill many of them. Second, hundreds of millions are confined to cages or stalls so small they cannot even turn around. If this happened to dogs or cats, instead of chickens and pigs, we would all be outraged. And, these intense confinement conditions directly contribute to animal illnesses and environmental pollution that negatively affect all of us.
If you care about cruelty to animals, and the problems associated with factory farming, you should know more about Farm Sanctuary, an organization that runs two sanctuaries for abused farm animals; it works on legislation, litigation and education to help all farm animals.
Take the case of Riley: This tiny seven-pound piglet was up for auction at a New York stockyard, meaning he was on his way to the average American dinner plate. He was so sick he couldn't stand. Incapacitated animals like Riley are called "downers," and they are frequent sights at auctions. Farm Sanctuary's Emergency Rescue Team stepped in, rushing him to a veterinary hospital. The stockyard's severe neglect left Riley blind in one eye, and with his head permanently tilted.
Riley was fortunate to be saved by Farm Sanctuary, and he will never know cruelty or endure neglect again. But billions of farm animals are suffering everyday. That's why I'm supporting Farm Sanctuary's Walk for Farm Animals. The Walks raise vital funds for Farm Sanctuary's life-saving work; they bring together thousands of people to promote kindness toward animals and help ensure farm animals, like Riley, have a chance at a better life.
If you are interested, please take a stand against animal abuse by joining a Walk for Farm Animals near you. With your help, we will stop the systematic abuse of farm animals that causes unacknowledged suffering. Register today at walkforfarmanimals.org.
never let it go
in the end
it is all we
have to show
treat all others
as you wish
to be treated,
or you are no
more
than
an expletive,
deleted
KLK
"If only we can overcome cruelty, to human and animal, with love and compassion we shall stand at the threshold of a new era in human moral and spiritual evolution - and realize, at last, our most unique quality: humanity." ~ Jane Goodall, British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace
http://thedownstreamvegan.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/iowa-pig-farmers-and-you/
Then there is the human suffering. Child labor is common on farms, even in the USA. So is slave labor. If you doubt me, read this: http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/572-the-indignity-of-industrial-tomatoes
There is human blood on your plate if your diet includes tropical fruits.
Chiquitas Children
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2096/
In the wake of the latest military coup in Honduras, the original ‘Banana Republic,’ Leonie Nimmo investigates the shocking history of Chiquita Brands International.
http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/CommentAnalysis/CorporateWatch/chiquita.aspx
Murder in Columbia
http://intercontinentalcry.org/demand-a-full-investigation-of-dole-food-company/
From the Philipines
http://bulatlat.com/main/tag/dole-philippines/
http://www.politicalaffairs.net/philippines-banana-sub-contractors-for-dole-foods-hire-child-labor/
The Sour Taste of Pineapple: How an Expanding Export Industry Undermines Workers and Their Communities
http://www.laborrights.org/sites/default/files/publications-and-resources/ILRF_pineapplereport.pdf
Thanks for bringing up the subject.
Yep. You are correct. One of HSUS'' major mistakes. I think the only thing we can do to make it better is to make humane horse slaughter legal in the U.S., because slaughter is sure not going to go away with the economy the way it is. More horses than ever are getting dumped.
----------------------------
So you want TV shows that express views that are different than yours banned, curtailing the Constitutionally-protected free speech of its producers? Wow. Just wow. How authoritarian of you. If one reads some of the posts on this thread, they are very revealing about the mentality of some vegans. On this very thread we have one who wants their ideology taught in schools and the media, and another here that wants programs offering an alternative view censored. Is this mentality really any different than that of religious fundamentalists? Simply mind-boggling.
"The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "Food, Inc." and "Earthlings" should be required reading/viewing in schools as age appropriate.
But you'll save money by not needing a gym membeship!!
I know this goes against the anti-regulatory fever that has swept the US, but individual opt-outs from an inhumane system, while good, cannot suffice. Animal abuse is the consequence of a competitive race to the bottom. Only the law can raise that bottom to a humanely acceptable level.
vegan/vegetarian lifestyles, and the gentle philosophies they teach, should be a part of all school cirriculum, religious educations and services, and the media.
if people come to recognize the innate equality of all species, and cease exploiting them, this would extend to their treatment of one another
and it sounds as if you want your way or the highway, which is the obvious sign of a closed mind
-------------------------
Actually, I'm just operating under the facts that evolution has formed me to be an omnivore, that the food chain is real, that life consumes other life so that life may continue, and that animals are an essential part of sustainable agriculture.
Do you REALLY believe the Pork, the other white meat and "Got Milk"?