Help Stop Cruelty to Animals
Maybe it's because I'm worn out by the political bickering and the worrisome news about the market being in a tailspin, but I just clicked on a link to a breaking story about pigs being tormented, raped, and beaten in an Iowa slaughterhouse. I normally protect myself from seeing such things, thinking that I don't need to watch graphic videos of animal abuse since I'm already vegetarian and the videos are too upsetting.
This video brought me to tears, but I'm glad I watched it. It reminded me that I should keep prodding myself to stay awake and aware of abuse and injustice. The truth hurts, but it can also heal -- if we take it personally and take steps to make a difference.
Workers at the Iowa plant -- which supplies pigs to Hormel and other companies -- hit pigs with metal rods, kicked them, and ripped across their backs with clothespins. They sprayed paint up pigs' nostrils and in their eyes and slammed piglets onto the concrete floor. The undercover investigator saw a supervisor ram a cane into a pig's vagina and shove a metal rod up pigs' anuses. Workers bragged about hurting animals and urged the investigator to abuse pigs. One worker told the investigator, "You gotta beat on the bitch. Make her cry." The investigator was instructed to pretend that a pig scared off a willing, voluptuous 17- or 18-year-old girl, and to beat the pig for it.
No one wants to see and hear such vile things, but we can't ignore them either. This kind of cruelty is a reflection on our country, our sense of pride for being decent people. If you think the video is too disturbing to watch, you'll know why we must not support such abuse. Who are we as a country if we aren't acting -- and eating -- based on our most basic principles of decency? Who are we if we passively choose to eat bacon or pork chops rather than push ourselves just a little to try new, more humane, foods instead?
Businesses will not do the right thing on their own -- they just won't. Profit will trump animal welfare in most every case. It is up to caring people to push for change, and to be the change we want to see in the world.
We can all bring about positive changes by not buying products that harm animals, by eating a more plant based diet. We can reject cruelty simply by eating veggie dogs rather than hot dogs, or substituting tempeh, or Fakin' Bacon, for bacon. If you live in California, you can vote in favor of Proposition 2, the statewide initiative that would make it illegal for farmers to cram pregnant pigs in small gestation crates and calves into veal crates, and to force six or seven hens to live in tiny cages where they can't do anything that is natural to them.
No matter where you are in the world, you can do something to make a difference for animals.
As Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
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I didn't have the guts to watch the video myself but just reading your article evokes a strong emotional reaction. I hope you do a follow up as to the prosecution of these people. I bet they get off with a fine and not much else. Unfortunately Governor Palin participates in animal cruelty herself. I am referring to the picture governor Palin aired on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show. The picture is of Palin with a dead or almost dead moose, gutted from end to end with blood all over the snow. The moose's head is lifted off the snow. Is the animal still alive? This in itself would be shocking enough except that her SMALL CHILD is in the picture. All bundled up like Kenny from Southpark. Her child is watching at a young age and being exposed to the brutal death of this moose. To her I'm sure it's just what they do in Alaska for fun. Kill Moose on Sundays. It's how her family has quality time together. She is teaching her child to emotionally tune out to the death of animal. Is this PRO-life? Will her child end up an animal abuser? If this is what she is teaching her child what will she teach mine? She certainly will do nothing to protect animals from abuse or promote legislation that protects endangered wildlife. Google Palin and polar bears. If you care about animals vote Obama/Biden.
Unfortunately but not surprisingly, most of the so-called "pro-lifers" I've encountered or seen in the media are adamantly opposed to women's reproductive freedom but are entirely pro-death in terms of the rights of the accused (death penalty) and their diets, clothing, cosmetics, drugs (pro-vivisection), entertainment (circuses, zoos, rodeos, bullfights, cockfights) and leisure activities (hunting, fishing, trapping). Palin's attitude is perfectly consistent with Republican hypocrisy (though not all Republicans necessarily think alike) and no isolated incident. She is essentially the embodiment of Ted Nugent in drag in terms of hunting. Obama & Biden are no angels for animal rights and neither is anywhere near vegetarian, but I plan to vote for them in spite of this inevitability. They at least seem to have the decency to avoid most forms of violence wherever practicable, though I obviously detest our species penchant for shameless anthropocentrism by which we're taught from infancy that humans are the center of all creation. This bigoted paradigm lies at the heart of all problems between humanity and all other life forms on Earth. If we would collectively work toward evolution into a civilized species, most of our environmental and medical crises would diminish into a manageable level. We'd have more peace of mind when we develop a sense of basic respect toward our fellow inhabitants.
The best book about pig mistreatment, oddly enough, is Peter Kaminsky's "Pig Perfect."
It's around 80% flavor and 20% conscience, but there are some sobering facts about how badly hog farm-factories pollute our water as well as the sweaty squeezebox conditions the poor pigs live in.
thank you so much Kathy, and please keep at it. Our systemic, outrageous abuse of billions of individual beings for our selfish pleasure and profit is, IMHO, the greatest moral and ethical failure in the history of the world. As you know, in scale and horrific cruelty our exploitation of these innocent, helpless beings dwarfs any evil we have done before, and that's saying a lot. Until and unless we redress this indefensible wrong, we are deservedly on a path to our own barbaric demise.
Great article, agree with every word.
Every reader and viewer exposed to the truth can become a foot soldier in the fight against this nightmare by pledging not to eat a factory farmed animal. We can also urge our representatives to stand up to the powerful agribusiness lobby.
May kindness overcome selfishness and greed.
It is my hope that soon, people will consider the horrible repercussions of torturing animals and eating their dead flesh. All that is happening today: rape of women, obesity, heart disease, overpopulated prisons, wars/violence, water and fuel shortages...are a result of how these animals and Mother Earth are being treated. I saw a tee shirt once that said: Why do we call some "pets" and others "dinner" ?
This latest story in a long line of stories about the abuse of factory farmed animals made me want to be abusive towards those who abused the animals, and then I had to calm myself down and realize: I want mercy for the animals, so I must show mercy too. But who is showing mercy for the animals other than people like Kathy Freston, writing here.
Kathy there must be something we can do, a march, a protest, a rally, all of us who despise the mistreatment of animals - we must show our numbers or else we will continue to not be heard, to be marginalized, and the abuse will continue unabated.
"Show our numbers?" "Our" numbers are about 1.5% in North America. 1.5% who do not eat the products of factory farmed animals. 1.5% of all people in the US are vegan. (And for those oxymoronic "humane meat" folks - it ain't so humane, and I guaran-damn-ty you you eat factory farmed products too, when you go out, go to someone's house, it's really cheap, or whatever). MOST PEOPLE contribute to this. There aren't "numbers." And the few who are standing up are getting slapped down with the "Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act." The least you can do is go vegan. But that's just too extreme to imagine that animals should not have to be hurt and killed for no other reason than y'all like the way they taste.
http://www.factoryfarming.com
http://www.whyvegan.com
http://www.meetyourmeat.com
google the free vid "Earthlings"
And we call ourselves HUMAN!
I will absolutely be voting YES ON PROP 2. It is so important and I thank you for talking about it. The least we can try to do is treat the Animals more humanely. This is not too much to ask at all. The Egg Industry's own economist said it would amount to less than a penny per egg! LESS THAN A PENNY PER EGG!! That is not too much to ask so hens can have a more comfortable existence while they are living just to serve and provide for us. Not too much to ask at all.
VOTE YES ON PROP 2.
www.yesonprop2.com
I couldn't watch the video, my stomach turned and my face transmogrified into a mask of horror at the description of such behaviour. Do we really think we get away with it? Do we think we can pump the energy of such unspeakable acts of terror into the world and not have it come back on us? We cannot commit these acts, the world is round and everything we do comes back on us. We bear horrendous diseases, get mugged and beaten, are invaded by militaristic states, are lied to, cheated, raped and left for dead. We are none of us innocent, we are responsible.
The trouble is, critics paint anyone who cares about these abuses as bleeding-heart lettuce eaters who are super-sensitive and hysterical. Rarely is it ever a non-vegetarian who raises a voice in these matters.
How animals raised for meat are handled does matter, and I believe that the factory-farming culture which contributes to the cruelties also contributes to the dilapidated state of American health and well-being. The obesity epidemic is indicative of people who do not think about what they eat, and as long as everyone is not thinking nobody will be raising concerns.
The key for non-vegetarian folk is to avoid mass-produced foods and rely on what is locally raised and humanely slaughtered (contradictory as that couplet may be). Humans will always be meat eaters first and foremost, but if more people knew how these factory animals get treated they would reject outright the companies responsible.
I won't even get started on how the slaughterhouse culture creates workers who are sick and twisted, whose violence and rage toward the animals spills out into the people population, because that could take volumes.
Stop Sarah Palin from killing animals for sport from an airplane.
Kathy thank you for continuing to get the word out. YES on Prop 2 is such an important step for Animals. Let's hope it passes. We all have to try and spread the word and push people to see and understand the truth.
Kathy, THANK YOU for bringing attention to this. I read this article too. I made my wife read it. It was saddening and really made me ponder where is the leadership in this country to call out these cowards and make them pay.
We have heard more about Sarah Palin's "Pork" (no pun intended) in the last week than I can stand, and yet the media won't replay this for fear of a rating drop.
America is the most violent "civilized" nation in the world, with overcrowded jails and recidivism in the 90% after 2 years. I bet we could look right here at these people who don't mind killing and abusing innocent animals to find the real criminals. Anyone who is desensitized enough to hunt game animals can easily kill a human too.
Look at Cheney, Bush, and now Sarah Palin. See a pattern? (Besides the fact they refuse to answer to subpoenas).
Thank you for your article. I've been a vegetarian for 20 years and as a 35 year old military spouse living overseas I don't see much interest or compassion toward animals in my community. Sometimes it feels so hopeless to live with my beliefs and so isolating. I'm glad to hear your compassionate voice and to know that even though I'm alone here, there are people like you out there. Your book has also been an inspiration. Thank you.
I have long been a passionate supporter of animal rights. And the author is right, shareholder return will always trump mercy and compassion. Like Frank Schaeffer, I too am a defector from the religious right. My conscience could no longer abide the hubris and arrogance by those who claim to speak for the God I serve.
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