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From the makers of HBO's 2006 documentary Dealing Dogs, this film takes a harrowing look at animal cruelty in an Ohio factory hog farm, as chronicled through undercover footage taken by "Pete," the same animal-rights investigator who appeared in the first film. Premieres Monday, March 16 at 10pm.
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Jaydes
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
May 25, 2009 4:05 PM
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Tell that to the Egyptian Government:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMIlw7rCSc&feature=player_embedded
"COMPASSION PROTESTS AT EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT?S CRUEL PIG SLAUGHTER
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/factory_farming/egyptian_government_cruel_pig_slaughter.aspx
Appalling scenes of horrendous mass pig killing taking place in Egypt right now have sparked international protest. From media footage, we have seen hundreds of live pigs being thrown on top of each other in a huge dumper truck. Some must surely suffocate right away or break their limbs. They are then driven to a mass grave, thrown into it and covered in what appears to be quicklime, where they must endure a slow and agonising death.
Egyptian media reports that ?When the lorry is filled with 400 pigs on average, it sets off for the burial ground in Abou Zabal. Once there, something like soft sand is sprinkled on the pigs inside the lorry. This material is made up of factory wastes. The pigs start to scream because of the searing pain until they die some 30 or 40 minutes later.?
Pigs are very intelligent, friendly, lovable animals--THEY ARE VERY MUCH LIKE DOGS. They wag their tails when they're happy, they love to cuddle and be tickled. Would you let your dog be treated this way? If not, why do you allow pigs to be treated this way? Because they are a different species? Racism=sexism=speciesism!
For the so-called Christians in this community:
"From a Christian perspective, all Creation belongs to God. Mistreating any part of Creation shows disrespect for God. The growing ecological crisis, increasing human poverty, and widespread animal abuse all relate to humans putting desires of the flesh before our obligations to serve God."
-Christian Vegetarian Association
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Edited by luv4allanimals at 05/25/2009 1:13 PM PDT
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
May 15, 2009 10:00 AM
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OMG! ONE READ UP ON SWINE FLU IT RARELY COMES FROM PIGS: THE NEW STRAIN IS OR WAS CALLED SWINE FLU BECAUSE IT HAD SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS TO SWINE FLU WE CONTINUE TO EAT ANIMAL PRODUCTS BECAUSE IT IS MORE NUTRICIOUS TO ITS PLANT COUNTER PART NOT EVERYONE CAN EAT PEANUTS LÖL IT TASTE GREAT!!!!! AND IS A NATURAL THING HUGGING TREES IS NOT LÖL MMMMMMMMMMM PORK...BEEF....CHICKEN.....DEER.....
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
May 11, 2009 5:59 PM
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http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/swine-flu-a-missed-opportunity/
Swine Flu: Animal Treatment or Animal Use?
Posted by Gary L. Francione in Blog
Dear Colleagues:
The animal welfare movement led by The Humane Society of the United States is claiming that the swine flu outbreak is the result of factory farming and that the solution is to provide more ?humane? treatment for farm animals by supporting HSUS efforts like California?s Proposition 2.
This approach is problematic for several reasons.
First, it has been claimed that the current outbreak began in the Mexican state of Veracruz as the result of a Smithfield Farms plant that processes 800,000 hogs annually and has no sewage treatment facility. The hog wastes are apparently being dumped in local lagoons. Even if the confinement conditions in the plant itself were made more ?humane,? that would not solve the sewage problem.
Second, whether the source of the current outbreak involves exposure to pig wastes and although there can be little doubt that the intensive confinement and resulting animal stress of modern factory farming is a factor that contributes generally to the development of things like swine flu, the reality is that pandemics have existed throughout recorded history?well before the advent of factory farming. We have had pandemics ever since we have been domesticating animals for our use and living in close proximity with them. We have had pandemics even when the conditions of animal exploitation were far more ?humane? than they are now.
Even if the confinement of modern factory farming were the primary culprit here, the sorts of solutions that HSUS is proposing?measures like Proposition 2?will certainly not solve the problem. Putting aside that Proposition 2 does not even come into effect until 2015, its requirements, which have many loopholes, will do little, if anything, to provide greater protection for animal interests or to reduce animal stress in any significant way.
The swine flu outbreak provides a great opportunity to focus attention on a more relevant question: why, in 2009, are we continuing to eat any animal products? We have no moral justification for doing so. There is no necessity. Indeed, animal agriculture is not only killing nonhumans?it is killing us and destroying our planet.
The issue is not ?humane? treatment; the issue is the immorality and irrationality of animal use.
Gary L. Francione
© 2009 Gary L. Francione
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
May 11, 2009 5:53 PM
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No, It?s Not Natural
Posted by Gary L. Francione in Blog
?But isn?t eating animals natural??
This question is probably the one that I have gotten most frequently in the almost thirty years that I have been promoting veganism. Students in our courses; people in public lectures; listeners who call in on a radio show that I am on; the passenger sitting next to me on an airplane who inquires about why I have a vegan meal when everyone else is eating chicken or fish?they all seem to think that what I am advocating as a moral position is not ?natural.?
As I have argued elsewhere on this blog, many heinous practices and traditions, including slavery and sexism, have been justified by appeals to arguments that assume that certain people are naturally superior and others are naturally inferior.
The current swine flu outbreak provides another opportunity to see the failure of the argument that animal exploitation is somehow natural.
Many people maintain that it is natural for people to eat meat. That is, they claim that we have evolved to eat animal products and that eating meat, fish, milk, eggs, etc. is what nature intends us to do. To not eat these things is to act in opposition to what we are intended to do and, therefore, the moral principle that we should not eat them simply cannot be right. We have evolved to be beings who possess eyes; to say that we have a moral obligation to permanently cover our eyes and never to use our eyesight would rightly be regarded as an idiotic position to take.
We have evolved to be omnivores. We can eat animal products. But that means merely that we have evolved to be beings who can choose what to eat and who have the choice to live exclusively on plant foods. The fact that we can eat animal products is no more support for the conclusion that eating these products is morally justified as our ability to engage in violence is support for the conclusion that war (or any other sort of violence) is morally justified. The fact that we can do something is not relevant to whether we should do it.
It is clear that it is not necessary for us to eat any animal products. And the evidence mounts daily that animal products ingested in the quantities that characterize the diets of those in wealthier nations is detrimental to health.
Moreover, none of us (or no one reading this essay) is a hunter-gatherer any longer. We necessarily get our animal products from domesticated animals. The current outbreak of swine flu illustrates the point that to regard the domestication of animals as natural requires us to maintain that it is in the nature of things for us to do something that, as an empirical matter, is harmful to our survival:
t is our proximity to the animals that have sustained us for millennia that makes us so vulnerable to the diseases that can kill us in large numbers. Ever since man stopped being a hunter-gatherer and began to live cheek by jowl with his livestock, he has run the risk of pandemics. Many human diseases originated with domesticated animals: measles and tuberculosis from cattle; smallpox from cattle or other livestock with related pox viruses; flu from pigs and ducks; and whooping cough from dogs. These pathogens developed and spread easily because the animals lived in herds or packs. When they were domesticated by the first farmers, the viruses were waiting to be passed on. These so-called zoonotic diseases are then transmitted more readily among humans because people themselves live in close proximity to one another.
The above quote comes from an article in a British newspaper. But what the writer says is not controversial. It is an undisputed fact that domestication has ushered in a wide range of serious diseases as a result of increased human-nonhuman contact. Apart from any other consequences that ensue from eating animal products, such as heart disease, cancer, etc., and not considering that the environmental consequences of animal agriculture are nothing short of disastrous, the level of human-nonhuman contact that is domestication is itself a very great danger to human survival.
So how can something that necessarily portends such heinous dangers be natural?
The short answer: it cannot be, unless what we regard as natural is that which will kill us. If someone said ingesting poison were natural, we would regard the person as insane. So why we do we continue to think of ourselves as rational when we regard as a natural and integral part of our civilization an institution?domestication?that is so lethal?
But, you say, we would never have been able to sustain ourselves without domestication; we needed animal foods from domesticated animals for our population to grow and to have cities and civilization as we know (and love) it. So although domestication has its dangers, it has its benefits and we have to balance. Even if you are a fan of what passes for modern civilization, this response misses the point that we could have sustained ourselves with plant foods. Domestication is only necessary in this context if it is the only choice and clearly it is not.
The bottom line: if you think that we can justify the pain, suffering, and death that we inflict on 53 billion animals annually (not counting fish) by claiming that domestication is somehow natural, or that the solution is to tinker at the edges and make factory farming more ?humane,? then think again.
To the extent that anything is natural, it is veganism. And veganism is the only choice that respects the moral personhood of nonhuman animals.
Gary L. Francione
© 2009 Gary L. Francione
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
May 11, 2009 3:37 PM
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MSNBC.com
Animals just want to have fun, survey finds
From tickling to playing catch, animals do some things simply for enjoyment
By Jennifer Viegas
Discovery Channel
updated 2:11 p.m. ET, Mon., May 11, 2009
From tickling to playing catch, animals engage in certain behaviors just for fun, even enjoying sensations that are unknown to humans, concludes an extensive new survey on pleasure in the animal kingdom.
The findings, published in the latest Applied Animal Behavior Science, hold moral significance, argues author Jonathan Balcombe. He believes scientists, conservationists and other animal rights activists should not overlook animal joy.
"The capacity for pleasure means that an animal's life has intrinsic value, that is, value to the individual independent of his or her value to anyone else, including humans," Balcombe, a senior research scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, explained to Discovery News.
He determined animals experience happiness for happiness' sake related to play, food, touch and sex. Observations of herring gulls in Virginia, for example, found these birds play "drop-catch," tossing clams and other small, hard objects as though they were baseballs, just for pure enjoyment.
In terms of food, green iguanas go to great lengths to find fresh, leafy lettuce, even when supplied with ample amounts of more nutritious reptile chow. Studies on other animals indicate some foods, independent of their nutrition levels, cause animals to release pleasure-producing opioids in their bodies. Language-trained apes and parrots have even told their owners they loved or hated certain edibles.
Pleasure itself can be the end-all reward, as "regardless of the evolutionary benefits of a behavior," he said, "animals often do things because they are rewarding."
"I doubt that a monkey thinks, 'If I eat this fig it will sustain me,' but rather, 'Ooh, yummy, a delicious fig!'" added Balcombe, whose book "Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasures" is scheduled for release next year.
Regarding touch, a human might go to a spa for a mud bath and massage, but nature creates its own "spas" for hippopotamuses at freshwater springs in Kenya. There, wallowing hippos gather, moving in and out of "cleaning stations" where multiple fish species congregate to nibble hippo parasites, loose skin, fungal growths and more.
The hippos "deliberately splay their toes, spread their legs and hold their mouths open," often becoming "so relaxed during these spa treatments that they would sometimes fall asleep," Balcombe recounted.
Sex isn't just for procreation, the paper further suggests.
"Oral sex that appears purely for pleasure has been documented in goats, hyenas, various primates, manatees, bats and sheep," said Balcombe, who added that homosexuality is practiced within at least 300 species. Masturbation, even among certain birds, has also been noted.
Animals also may experience pleasures that go beyond human senses. Electric fish seem to enjoy giving each other stimulating charges, for example, while dolphins use "low-pitched buzzing clicks" near their genital areas, which "appears to be a way of giving pleasure to another."
Martin Stephens, vice president of Animal Research Issues at The Humane Society of the United States, told Discovery News that discussions of animal pleasure are often left out of science, with the emphasis instead going to negative experiences, like pain and stress. The two extremes of the feeling spectrum shouldn't be mutually exclusive, however.
"Balcombe is right that depriving an animal of positive experience through captivity and killing is typically not factored into the cost/benefit assessments underlying the review of animal experiments," Stephens said, adding that many scientists undervalue positive experiences felt by animals as being "mere rewards" linked to evolutionary benefits.
While virtually all animals are pleasure seekers, Balcombe believes a few species miss out on fun.
He said, "The experience of pleasure requires some level of conscious awareness, so we may safely exclude sponges and jellyfish from the list."
More on Animal behavior | Animal research
© 2009 Discovery Channel
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30685018/
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© 2009 MSNBC.com
love life, live vegan
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 27, 2009 8:38 AM
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more and more U.S. Hog operations are opening up 'factory farms' to circumvent the agricultural changes happening in this country, south of border.
if this doesn't scare you into changing your consumer/eating habits then nothing will, stop buying
PERDUE, TYSON and SMITHFIELD in big box food chains.
PBS recently aired a documentary about Perdue operations polluting major waterways in this country and they frankly don't give a sh*t, it's all about the bottom line at the expensive of the ecosystem and future generations.
these industries are killing the planet and making us sicker and sicker, when will people WAKE UP!
Swine Flu:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/swine-flu-outbreak----nat_b_191408.html
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 20, 2009 3:25 PM
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www.letsactnow.org
The fourth Global Environment Outlook report (GEO-4) released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in October 2007, prepared by about 390 experts, points out that population growth combined with unsustainable consumption has resulted in an increasingly stressed planet. The report makes an urgent call for action and says: ?Fundamental changes in social and economic structures, including lifestyle changes, are crucial if rapid progress is to be achieved.? Humanity?s survival will be largely determined by the decisions individuals and society make now. GEO-4 says: ?Our common future depends on our actions today, not tomorrow or some time in the future.?
If you would like to find out how lifestyles, especially food choices, affect the health of the planet, please visit our ?In Balance With Nature? page. If you are ready to take action today to help save the planet, please visit our ?How To Start? page.
Window of Opportunity for Effective Action is Rapidly Closing
On June 23, 2008, twenty years after his first testimony in front of Congress alerting the public to the catastrophic consequences of human-induced climate change, Dr. James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, testified again to Congress about global warming. The messages then and now share striking similarities, with one big difference ? ?now we have used up all slack in the schedule for actions needed to defuse the global warming time bomb,? said Dr. Hansen, ?time is running out.? The statement he issued that day was titled ?Global Warming Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near?.
If you think the scenario presented by Dr. Hansen is a bit too gloomy, you are probably not aware of what other experts have also been saying about the Arctic, which is considered to be the barometer of global warming:
The effects of global warming are ?accelerating at a pace that goes beyond the scenarios and models we've been using.? -- Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, October 2007
?The Arctic is often cited as the canary in the coal mine for climate warming? and now as a sign of climate warming, the canary has died.? ? Dr. Jay Zwally, NASA climate scientist, December 2007
?The frightening models [of Arctic sea-ice loss] we didn't even dare to talk about before are now proving to be true? According to these models, there will be no sea ice left in the summer in the Arctic Ocean somewhere between 2010 and 2015?And it's probably going to happen even faster than that.? ?
Dr. Louis Fortier, scientific director of the Canadian research network ArcticNet, November 2007
?Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007? So given that fact, you can argue that maybe our projection of 2013 is already too conservative? ? Dr. Wieslaw Maslowski, Naval Postgraduate School, California, December 2007
?The Arctic is creaming.? ? Dr. Mark Serreze, senior scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, December 2007
Witnessing the worsening of the Arctic melt in summer 2008, scientists warn that a global warming ?tipping point? is taking place.
?We could very well be in that quick slide downward in terms of passing a tipping point. It?s tipping now. We?re seeing it happen now,? ? Dr. Mark Serreze, senior scientist, NSIDC, August 2008
The melt in sea ice has kicked in a long predicted effect called ?Arctic amplification? - global warming initiates sea ice melt, which exposes the darker ocean, which in turn absorbs more sunlight, which melts even more ice. On top of that, researchers investigated "alarming" reports in late August 2008 of the release of methane from long frozen Arctic waters, possibly from the warming of the sea. Giant burps of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a warming effect 23 times as great as that of carbon dioxide, is a long feared effect of warming in the Arctic. Methane will accelerate warming even more.
Commenting on the shrinking Arctic sea ice and new reports of the release of methane, Dr. Bob Corell, who headed a multinational scientific assessment of Arctic conditions a few years ago, summed it up in one succinct sentence: ?We?re moving beyond a point of no return.?
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Edited by eriyah at 04/20/2009 12:25 PM PDT
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 17, 2009 3:23 PM
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Well to everyone who would like to THANK Pete and other animal rights investigators like him, I have set up a myspace website for that purpose at www.myspace.com/aka_pete
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 14, 2009 11:12 AM
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http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm07autumn/health_pork.html
Autumn 2007? Volume XVI, Number 4
Health vs. Pork: Congress Debates the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill, a massive piece of federal legislation making its way through Congress, governs what children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients. The bill provides billions of dollars in subsidies, much of which goes to huge agribusinesses producing feed crops, such as corn and soy, which are then fed to animals. By funding these crops, the government supports the production of meat and dairy products?the same products that contribute to our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Fruit and vegetable farmers, on the other hand, receive less than 1 percent of government subsidies.
The government also purchases surplus foods like cheese, milk, pork, and beef for distribution to food assistance programs?including school lunches. The government is not required to purchase nutritious foods.
When the House of Representatives debated the bill in July, PCRM, along with many other health and public interest groups, supported the Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment, which was offered by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). This amendment would have limited government subsidies of unhealthy foods, cut subsidies to millionaire farmers, and provided more money for nutrition and food assistance programs for Americans and impoverished children overseas.
Unfortunately, politics doomed the reform effort. At the eleventh hour, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) feared that freshman representatives who voted to cut subsidies might risk losing their seats in farm states in the 2008 elections, endangering the Democratic majority. The reform amendment was defeated 117 to 309.
Nonetheless, Congress did make some modest changes to the Farm Bill?s subsidy programs at the very last minute.
This fall, the Senate will have its turn debating and voting on the bill. PCRM will need your help again to encourage senators to cut subsidies for unhealthy foods and increase support for fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian foods. Other groups, including the American Medical Association and the President?s Cancer Panel, are also calling on Congress for sweeping reforms (see sidebar).
Learn more about these legislative issues and stay up to date with what?s happening with the Farm Bill>
Sign up to receive periodic e-mail updates about the Farm Bill and other PCRM campaigns>
Here?s what other groups are saying:
The 2006-2007 Annual Report of the President?s Cancer Panel:
?For example, current agricultural and public health policy is not coordinated?we heavily subsidize the growth of foods (e.g., corn, soy) that in their processed forms (e.g., high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated corn and soybean oils, grain-fed cattle) are known contributors to obesity and associated chronic diseases, including cancer. The upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the Farm Bill) provides an opportunity that must not be missed to strongly increase support for fruit and vegetable farmers, improve the national food supply, and enhance the health of participants in the national school lunch, food stamp, and Women, Infant, and Children food assistance programs.?
The American Medical Association in a resolution passed by the AMA House of Delegates in 2007:
?RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association support efforts (1) to reduce health disparities by basing food assistance programs on the health needs of their constituents, (2) to provide vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, vegetarian foods, and healthful nondairy beverages in school lunches and food assistance programs, and (3) to ensure that federal subsidies encourage the consumption of products low in fat and cholesterol.?
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 10, 2009 12:52 PM
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AZGoodfella-
OK Bro, I'm glad you were kidding about the plant thing. I've heard people seriously use that comparison soooooo many times.......
You are right, many people do love these products and this is supported by demand. I had to chuckle when I read your remarks because I can absolutely appreciate your position about eating meat. It reminded me of me because I sounded just like you 11 years ago. I loved eating animals and their products, ALL of them. I couldn't imagine the day I would ever stop eating my favorite meals that were longtime family and cultural traditions. My fond memories of making fresh tapioca pudding with my Grammy and eating it hot off the stove. Picnics with BBQ chicken thighs, pork ribs, egg and potato salad, pork and beans, buttery garlic bread. Finger lickn YUM!! 31 Flavors chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream with mom after school, soft serve Dairy Queen with Gramma after day care. Mom's home made spaghetti sauce with meatballs and Italian sausage. I could go on and on. The thought of never eating these and many other items so ingrained in my diet was non-negotiable to me. I was incredulous and remember declaring in absolute conviction "WHY in the HECK would ANYONE ever want to eat fake meat or drink fake milk??? YUCK!" I will never give them up!!! So it doesn't surprise me at all to hear those sentiments reflected by other people. I resonate with them all very well.
The funny thing is, I haven't given any of the above up, I still eat every one of them, only healthier and kinder versions made from plants because no one had to die, no one had to kill someone on my behalf and eating this way is stopping horrendous environmental decay. Knowing this is quite liberating and makes these meals all the more enjoyable to me than I ever thought possible. Although the plant versions were a bit odd to me initially, I rapidly grew accustomed to them and now the original versions I swore I'd never give up, actually cause me to become nauseous. My hope is everyone will know the health, vitality and peace I now have from this simple minor switch that can make a magnitude of positive difference for all of our futures in so many, many ways.
The issues surrounding this behavior are greater than most people understand because, those who profit by it, want to keep us ignorant (because really- I know farmers recognize peoples revoltion to witnessing slaughter or PARTICIPATING in it in today's culture, and once these images are burned into most "disconnected" (as the industry likes to put it)people's mind and consciouness, continues to devastate the demand/consumption these products. I think people understanding the truth about how their "food" gets to their plate is actually being "connected". And if they have not been peer pressured into continuing to kill and/or shut down their compassion towards these beings, as farmers are, the reality is that they ARE connected to their food and are intolerant of the insidious violence associated with it.
And frankly, I think many of us don't explore the truth because if we don't like what we find, we may not like ourselves very much. But sweeping it under the rug and ignoring it is not a very responsible way to live when I really think about it. I don't think most of us were raised to be like that. If we are inclined to do that, we should really think about why that is.
I'm a big fan of quotes because they are often provocative and make me think in ways I had not considered before and, having grown up in a Christian dominated society had not considered other cultural perspectives. I now think, instead of the 10 Commandments this quote should be posted in every school and government building in the world:
"Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture or kill any creature or living being." Mahavira- Jain Patriarch.
Now, I'm as American as they come, I was born and raised out west, joined the Air Force after graduating high school and served during desert storm. I've travelled most of the US and have been to 12 different countries so I've seen a fair bit of the world in my short 37 years. Fortunately, I never had to kill anyone. And that quote resonated with me on a very logical, rational and dare I say even an emotional level. There is a lot of unnecessary suffering going on in the world and I think if every one lived by this tenant, there would be a whole lot less&.
As intelligent, sentient human animals, it should not be too difficult of a stretch for us to empathize with the plight of other sentient animals. They are equipped with the same brain, central nervous and sensory systems we have. They suffer the same ways we do. It's that whole "Do unto others" thing. I was raised to love and respect animals as well. If we were smart enough to understand their language (and really- we can all recognize their fight to stay alive in the process of slaughter), I imagine they would say to us what we would say to them if the situation was reversed. So I had to ask myself: Is there love, peace, and compassion or respect associated or demonstrated in unnecessarily killing them for the sake of a mere taste preference? When I actually sat and considered this, it did not resonate with me. I felt guilt, which in psychology is referred to cognitive dissonance. It occurs when our behaviors are not in alignment with our beliefs.
I saw a bumper sticker recently that read: "God's original plan was to hang out in a garden with naked vegetarians." In reading the Christian Bible, in Genesis,1:28-30, it resonates that he did not want us to kill his beloved creatures. Dominion by any definition means "to guard over, to care for". Our parents and our government have dominion over us. Imagine what that could mean if applied the way we have applied it to other animals. In the end, I don't care how well I have lived, or kindly I have been treated, if someone with "dominion" decides to kill me (especially if I'm not committing a violent/evil deed against an innocent) without my consent, and especially for the mere purpose of taste preference. It wouldn't matter to me if my mother had intentionally bread me for that purpose.
Although other species of animals may taste delicious when seasoned and cooked, and it is currently a long established cultural norm in America and many "civilized" and "uncivilized" cultures, we do also know consuming them is not necessary for sustenance or dietary excellence. In fact, there is overwhelming science that is rapidly proving consuming them and their products are quite dangerous to our health. Marginalizing the animal's perspective as "lesser" intelligent beings is how our kind has justified our oppression and utilization of them.
Did you know pigs have the intelligence equivalent to a 3 year old human? As we have studied animals over time we have learned a lot more about their intelligence then we previously understood. So let me float an idea based on this truth. One could argue that if eating other beings is based on their lesser intelligence, we could by this justification; eat infants, the mentally ill and the elderly suffering dementia. I'm sure we would all agree that is a morally reprehensible thing to do and is a fundamentally revolting proposition to be sure. We, as a culture, have opted to draw an arbitrary line on this at other species of animals. In some other cultures, people still eat other people. Would we call them civilized or savages?
Contrary to popular American cultural beliefs; there are peoples all over the world have survived for millennia living longer, healthier, quality lives on plant based diets (without a bunch of drugs and surgeries to extend their poor/sickly, quality of life as is rampant and bankrupting America).
If humans are ever going to find peace, I truly believe it starts with kindness and compassion towards those at our mercy. We define ourselves different from the rest of the animal species because we, in many peoples opinion, were created in God's own image, AND more importantly/germane, we have the ability to reason and have developed a moral compass above and beyond natural instinct. If we want to consider our selves "civilized", why do we cling to an unnatural behavior of eating animals we, according to the scientific community, adopted as Neanderthals? Prior to developing tools to kill, and fire to cook and destroy the pathogens and parasites in animal flesh, humans, which are a primate species, ate: roots, fruits, nuts and shoots.
Eating other beings is merely another behavior we adapted that is comparable to smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. People have been justifying longtime behaviors as reasons to continue them in spite of the moral implications. Using that line of logic, people have been murdering other people since the beginning of time, should we call it "natural" and stop outlawing murder? Fortunately we continue to progress.
There are tremendous amounts of money spent on marketing with the sole intent of reinforcing behaviors that do not serve for our betterment, but more for those who will profit from it. I think many people go through life following in the footsteps of how we were raised and don't question or really consider the path we are on.
We want to love and honor our family and our heritage. Challenging those behaviors in some people's eyes is somehow disrespecting our heritage or telling the people we love and respect that they are "Wrong" or "Bad". But I do not believe that, it is merely considering things we have not considered the true impacts of and if, upon that reflection, and investigation, decide we should do something differently; we just do differently, without the judgment and the accusations. I am responsible to speak out against injustice towards the animals and nature with no voice, and as an informed member of our society on the grave impacts of this behavior on us all, and will continue to do so, as relentlessly as those who are exploiting and destroying would justify their position.
Challenging the justice of long established behaviors is how we have abolished slavery, won the rights of women to vote, and numerous other advancements indicative of a civilized and morally progressive consciousness.
This is merely the tip of the ice burg of the issues surrounding my abhorrence to CAFO's (Confined Animal Feeding Operations - also known as Factory Farms) and animal exploitation. All those issues, such as a right to clean air, clean water, sustainable agriculture and protecting the innocent when explored individually, trump, by most people's standards: personal taste preference and cultural habits or traditions. Fortunately people and cultures change and are progressing around the world everyday.
Here is a brainstorming outline of the things I've discovered in my investigation into the issues associated with animal exploitation:
Conservation/Natural Resources/Sustainability/Environmental
Man's Impact towards Climate Change/Global Warming (it is understood these are not the only contributors- these are just some of mankind's known contributors)
1- Animal Agriculture contributes 18% of Green house gas causing carbon. (40% greater than World Transport which is documented at contributing 13%)
2- Man's greatest contribution to Global Warming Climate change and Pollution is caused by deforestation, erosion, desertification- the primary cause of these is animal agriculture.
Water
1- Animal Agriculture is the leading cause of polluting water (ground and surface watersheds)
a. High volume waste and runoff from CAFO facilities includes but not limited to the following biohazards and chemical toxins (CAFO waste lagoons contain these)
1- Hormones
2- Antibiotics
3- Steroids
4- Fertilizers
5- Pesticides
6- Larvicides
7- Herbicides
8- Fungicides
9- Bacteria from decomposing bodies, afterbirth etc.
10- Infectious diseases
11- Fecal matter
12- Urine
13- Pus
14- Blood
15- Tumors
16- Cleaning chemicals
b. Chemicals from conventional chemical dependant and genetically engineered industrial farming practices forced by massive scale of crops primarily used for animal feed (90% oats/ 80% soy/ 70% corn grown is to feed animals).
1- Fertilizers
2- Pesticides
3- Larvicides
4- Herbicides
5- Fungicides
2- Water intensive practices impacting unsustainable water consumption depleting fresh water aquifers
a. Growing crops to feed animals
b. Watering animals
c. Cleaning animals for processing (either to milk animals or during slaughter)
d. Cleaning facilities
e. Improper field application of effluence (animal waste from CAFO)
Conservation and Sustainability
Animal Agriculture is the:
1- Leading cause of Deforestation
2- Leading cause of Erosion
3- Leading cause of Desertification
4- Leading cause of Water/Soil/Air Pollution
5- Leading cause of Extinction of biodiversity (20,000 species of plants and animals annually) according to scientists we are entering the 6th global extinction period and it is due to human exploits.
Invasive species
1. Farmed animals are not indigenous; they are introduced and unnaturally proliferated driving out indigenous species and are responsible for denuding a previously thriving territory of its rich and symbiotic biodiversity.
Government Groups
National Security (Fight for precious natural resources)
1- water scarcity = failed states- we take water from others- leads to conflicts
2- Fair use of available resources- currently America which represents 5% of the world population has an inequitable carbon footprint and on average consumes 25% of the world's resources. This creates a culture of hostile anti Americanism around the world.
National Safety FEMA response to catastrophic events
1- Flooding and mudslides cause by mismanagement of lands
i. over grazing
ii. intensive mono cropping
iii. poisoning of soils and fresh water sources, massive fish, wildlife, and bird kills if CAFO lagoons are in flood path.
Community Groups
Quality of Life (negatively impacts community)
1- Surrounding Area Air Quality
a. Putrid Noxious Odor
b. Pollution
i. Chemicals (Ammonia)
ii. airborne illness (vomiting, passing out, asthma respiratory)
2- Water Quality
3- Infestation (fly)
4- Infrastructure Costs-
a. wear and tear on city roads
b. fire protection
c. emergency response to catastrophic events
i. flooding
ii. tornado
5- Poor Job Quality
a. Unskilled labor/ low wage
b. Dirty work no one wants to do, jobs American's won't do (see human rights)
6- Ethics of forcing this on a community that doesn't want it (Not In My Back Yard - NIMBY)
Health and Government Organizations
Human Health and Public Safety
Small Scale
1- CAFO workers in spite of protective gear suffer significant air pollution levels that cause many respiratory illnesses (pneumonia, asthma, infections)
2- CAFO Workers witness of and participation in the large scale objectification and commoditization of living beings equals rampant animal abuse, cruelty and suffering for animals. This behavior devalues life, desensitizes people, engenders and perpetuates a lack of respect towards living beings in general, both human and non human. It leads to violence towards others and increased crime rates to communities.
3- Mental anguish suffered by doing such work for the more conscientious and/or exploited workers.
4- CAFO workers often become so permeated with the stench of their industry; it is in every fiber and hair of their being and they smell of it and taste it for several months after leaving the job.
5- Falling into a CAFO lagoon is certain death.
Large Scale
1- Leading Causes of death for Americans are due to animal based diets
a. #1 Heart Attacks
b. #2 Cancers
c. #3 Strokes
d. #4 Diabetes (both types)
e. Kidney Disease, Osteoporosis, Gall Bladder Disease, Autoimmune diseases, Asthma, IBS, Depression and many others
2- Infectious and food and water borne illnesses and diseases for humans and animals
a. E-coli
b. Salmonella
c. MRSA
d. Phiesteria
e. Cryptosporium
f. Mad Cow/Cruetzefeld Jakobs (vCJD)
g. Avian Flu
h. Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome (OHS)
h. Myriads of others not listed
3- Antibiotic Resistance in humans due to antibiotic use in CAFO animals
ETHICS: Social Justice, Peace and Animal Rights Organizations
Human Rights
Small Scale
1. Often CAFO workers are illegal immigrants (or even mentally challenged) who are exploited/ work extremely long shifts:
a. no legal recourse for injury, rape, assault, sexual harassment
b. accept lower wages, indentured servitude, slave labor
c. have no insurance or medical care
Large Scale
1. All people in the world have a basic right to:
d. Clean Water
e. Clean Air
f. Fertile Rich Soils
Destroying rainforest and natural bio masses of terrestrial carbon sequestration, destroys the air, erodes the soil, pollutes the water and accelerates climate change for everyone. The forests, rainforests and waters sources of the world are not personal property- they are inherent to the survival of all beings sharing the planet.
2. Displacement of indigenous peoples and destruction of habitat for those living in rainforests destroyed to provide crops and graze land for livestock.
3. Famine
g. Caused by failed states and corrupt governments (connected to overgrazing, desertification and water scarcity from poor land management of animal agriculture and using scarce water resources to grow crops to feed animals that could otherwise be directly eaten by humans).
4. Wars/Conflicts -Darfur- fundamental conflict: Genocide taking place in a fight over grazing rights. Nomadic "pastoral" groups are attacking people currently living on the land they want to graze their livestock on (which was "colonized" by western peoples). In this case, fellow humans are the "competition for resources". In America, the Fish and Wildlife Service uses taxpayer money to kill other non human animals (wild mustangs, prairie dogs, wolves, coyotes, deer etc.) that are "in competition for resources" or a "threat" to privately owned livestock grazing on public lands leased by private companies. (Or ranchers are evidently authorized to kill wildlife on their private lands)
5. Ethics of forcing the impacts of CAFO's on ANY community.
6. Fair use of available resources- currently America which represents 5% of the world population has an inequitable carbon footprint and on average consumes 25% of the world's resources. Unscrupulous use of ours and the resources of other countries has led to wars and conflicts devastating the environmental resources of other nations and diminishing those peoples quality of life.
Workers Unions:
Need to investigate....
Animal Rights
1. Wildlife- Their habitats around the world are being destroyed
2. Domestic Farmed- The Ethics of forcing other sentient beings into a process not of their choosing.
3. Inherent Cruelty of Industry Standard Practices for Farmed Animals
a. Debeaking
b. Dehorning
c. Vocal cord severing (to prevent baby veal calves from calling to their mothers and vice versa) "Don't want the neighbors complaining about the noise" (under debate- not standard- but still prevalent and not enforced/outlawed)
d. Castration
e. Tail Docking
f. Teeth Chipping
g. Branding
h. Standing on cage wire or cement is painful and causes sores and injuries
i. Impregnating (rape racks)
j. Hooked up to milking machines causing mastitis
k. Confinement
i. Battery cages
ii. Gestation Crates
iii. Veal boxes
iv. Close quarters resulting in
1. feather loss
2. injury
3. inability to stretch limbs
4. standing in own excrement
5. unable to clean or bathe
6. sharp edges, nails and wires tear flesh
7. insanity
8. fighting
9. biting
10. pneumonia
11. disease
12. cannibalism
l. Unnatural environment
i. No sun
ii. No dirt
iii. No visual stimulation
iv. Loud incessant noise
v. No fresh air or reprieve from noxious odors and ammonia fumes from excrement that cause eye infections and respiratory illnesses (anyone who has ever stepped into one of these operations, for even a few fleeting moments, can still taste the funk in their throat, tongue and smell in their sinuses for several days. Workers: It penetrates every fiber of their being and they reek for months after leaving the job)
m. Forced molting
i. Starved and deprived of light for several days
n. Untreated infections, injuries, diseases
o. Unkind "disposal" and/or "euthanasia"- injured/sick animals discarded as trash
i. left for dead to die slowly of infection/disease
ii. suffocate
iii. starve
iv. dehydrate
v. crushed under the weight of others
vi. held by ankles and flipped over shoulders to bash head against the ground- "thumping"
vii. Asphyxiation gassing
viii. captive bolt gun to the head
ix. shooting in the head
x. hammering/bludgeoning on the head
xi. stomped on
xii. throat slitting
xiii. neck twisting/breaking
xiv. ripping/cutting the heads off
xv. thrown/beat into walls
p. Separation of babies from mothers
q. Separation of mothers from babies
r. Unkind handling
i. Tossing
ii. Dragging
iii. Beating with crow bars
iv. Electric and metal prods
v. Shouting
vi. Transport
1. any and all weather conditions
a. freeze to death- or to side of transport
b. heat exposure- dehydration
2. crowded
3. rough handling and injuries
4. travelling up to 3 days w/no reprieve, no food or water
s. Processing for slaughter (frequently, due to conveyor line speeds, animals may still be alive when they arrive for parts of the process they should no longer technically be alive for)
i. Shackled by chains and hooks around ankles
ii. Frequently dismembered while conscious due to line speeds
iii. Boiled alive
iv. Ground up in grinders alive
v. Tracheal removal while still conscious (google/youtube Glatt Kosher Slaughter)
t. Unnecessary killing- it is understood and scientifically proven (albeit not widely known or accepted by the masses) animals and their products are not necessary, healthy or the natural diet of humans (which are physiologically and anatomically characteristic of primate herbivores) merely a long established and destructive behavior of some cultures.
Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Groups
An animal based agriculture is an inefficient use of resources because it is an unnecessary "middleman" to consuming resources. Humans can meet all nutritional and product needs from plants and mineral sources.
Small Scale
Confined Animal Feeding Operations
Massive amounts of coal based and petroleum based energy are used to:
1. Power conveyor machinery
a. Feed animals
b. Water animals
c. Remove waste
2. Light facilities
3. Heat facilities
a. Pullet hatchery
b. Factory Buildings in winter
4. Cool Factory Buildings in summer
5. Ventilation systems
6. Heat hot water tanks
7. Haul, render and treat the bodies and toxic waste
8. Grow, water and treat the crops used to feed the animals.
9. Heat facilities and water for processing slaughtered animals
Slaughterhouses
Massive amounts of coal based and petroleum based energy are used to:
10. Power conveyor machinery
a. Hang animals
b. Slit throats
c. Boil/disinfect
d. Remove feathers/fur/skin etc.
11. Light facilities
12. Heat facilities
a. Factory Buildings in winter
13. Cool Factory Buildings in summer
14. Ventilation systems
15. Heat hot water tanks
16. Haul, render and treat the carcasses and toxic waste
17. Grow, water and treat the crops used to feed the animals.
18. Heat facilities and water for processing slaughtered animals
Large Scale
National energy coal and petroleum use for all distribution centers, supermarkets and residents for:
1- packaging
2- refrigeration
3- freezing
4- transport
5- processing
6- cooking of animal products
Produce Farmers
1. Have lost a lot of crops due to contaminated fields from neighboring CAFO or animal agribusiness waste run off.
2. Have been sued for selling contaminated products. Possibly gone out of business for such an occurrence.
Insurance Companies
They have paid trillions in claims for effects of animal agribusiness.
1. Home and Business damages from floods and mudslides from animal agribusiness and improper land management
2.Health care and life insurance claims due to:
i. Leading Causes of death for Americans are due to animal based diets
1. #1 Heart Attacks
2. #2 Cancers
3. #3 Strokes
4. #4 Diabetes (both types)
5. Kidney Disease, Osteoporosis, Gall Bladder Disease, Autoimmune diseases, Asthma, IBS, Depression and many others
ii. Infectious and food and water borne illnesses and diseases for humans and animals
1. E-coli
2. Salmonella
3. Phiesteria
4. Cryptosporium
5. Mad Cow/Cruetzefeld Jakobs (vCJD)
6. Avian Flu
7. Myriads of others not listed
These diseases are rampant because people are EATING:
Hormones
2- Antibiotics
3- Steroids
4- Fertilizers
5- Pesticides
6- Larvicides
7- Herbicides
8- Fungicides
9- Bacteria from decomposing bodies
10- Infectious diseases
11- Fecal matter
12- Urine
13- Pus
14- Blood
15- Tumors
16- Cleaning chemicals
b. Chemicals from conventional chemical dependant and genetically engineered industrial farming practices forced by massive scale of crops primarily used for animal feed (90% oats/ 80% soy/ 70% corn grown is to feed animals).
1- Fertilizers
2- Pesticides
3- Larvicides
4- Herbicides
5- Fungicides
6- Genetically Modified Foods
Economics, Immigration and American Taxpayers
Animal Agribusiness by its exploitive nature is the epitome of "jobs Americans won't do" and as such is primary employer of uneducated, mentally challenged and undocumented migrant workers in the US.
1- Healthcare system taxed:
1- Unhealthy Americans due to misguided dietary information provided by the USDA (not the Dept of Health- conflict of interest- 6 of 11 panel members of Food Guide Pyramid were dairyman)
2- Uninsured illegal immigrants seeking emergency room health care
2- Entire Economic Infrastructure used but not taxed by the amount of undocumented migrants working in America using system and sending earned income outside the country.
a. Displaces youth who would normally learn responsibility working entry level jobs.
3- How much do we spend in taxes on a military budget due meddling with other nations natural resources because we are not living sustainably within our own means?
4- How many medical "research" programs for diseases are we paying for that a simple change in diet can cure?
5- How much are we paying regulatory agencies such as the ODA to regulate and enforce our safety regarding animal agriculture? Are they adequately funded and staffed to do the job properly? There is significant evidence this not the case.
6- How much of our tax dollars are going to subsidize animal products responsible for diseases that plague us?
So the irony here is, animal rights activists and environmentalists, who are paying attention to what our current system means, and upon discovering that our laws have been hijacked by special interests, are outraged that legal, civil methods to deal with this situation have been nonresponsive and futile, start revolting against the system of destruction, (and who by the way- animal rights activists have NEVER actually killed anyone- but have in fact lost 6 of our own) and in fact are trying every means necessary to stop this insanity, and yet, are labeled as "terrorists". Judging by the litany above of problems associated with animal exploitation and the numbers of people dying from this- who is really the terrorist? Just because it is legal and part of a failing economic and, more critically, the failing ecological infrastructure, does not make it right.
Here's a lovely quote from the book, Food NOT Lawns, that epitomizes the position of "the industry/special interests":
"Monsanto's director of communications has said: "Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."
This is like saying that a car company doesn't have to make sure its cars are safe, but the Dept of Transportation should take responsibility for accidents that occur because of equipment failure or bad design. The solution is obvious, if the suppliers of our food cannot be responsible for the safety of that food, then we need to take that responsibility into our own hands.
By refusing to consume GMO's and by supporting organics instead, we send the message that we want food that is grown responsibly and with the best interests for ALL species. Read the list below and stop supporting these companies produce. Call or fax them and tell them you don't want GMO's in your food. Support local, national and international movements to ban genetically engineered foods.
The Frankenfoods 15
Campbells Soup 800-257-8443
Coca-Cola 800-438-2653
Frito-lay 800-352-4477
General Mills 800-328-1144
Heintz 800-472-8437
Hershey's 800-468-1714
Kellogg's 800-962-1413
Kraft/Nabisco 800-543-5335
McDonalds 630-623-6198
Nestle 800-225-2270
Proctor and Gamble 800-331-3774
Quaker Oats 800-367-6287
Safeway 877-723-3929
Shaws 888-431-7429
Starbucks 800-235-2883
(this list comes from a flyer by the Organic Consumers Association)"
Be part of the solution, be vegan, because there is more at stake (and to steak) than just our palate.
Love life, live vegan! 
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Edited by eriyah at 04/12/2009 9:17 AM PDT
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Edited by eriyah at 04/12/2009 9:45 AM PDT
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 10, 2009 12:24 PM
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Hey everyone,
Please remember that in the HBO forums while we don't always agree with each other's point of view, we have to keep the posts clean and from getting too personal. Certainly feel free to make your points known, but you cannot attack someone for theirs.
Be respectful and civil to other members, even if you disagree with them. Differences of opinion are OK; personal attacks are not.
Review HBO standards here if you aren't sure:
http://boards.hbo.com/standards.jspa
Enjoy your weekend,
Ginna
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Host_Ginna
HBO Forums Host
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 9, 2009 10:58 PM
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Easter Message by the Slovenian President Dr. Janez Drnov?ek:
?The Easter Holidays are near. Let?s spend them in peace and good company. You can also renounce the ham, chocolate-eggs should be sufficient for an Easter atmosphere.
Would it not be more harmonious if we did not associate religious celebrations directly with ham and other non-spiritual symbols? Do really so many animals have to die when we celebrate higher consciousness and try to develop spiritually? The answer is clear: of course not.
Feasts don?t have much to do with spirituality, just the opposite. Even considering that we can try to understand that in some eras, in which food was scarce, religious events were celebrated with banquets, we can now leave such material remnants behind us. True spirituality does not need them, just the opposite, because they show us that religions demanding such identifications got stuck at a relatively low level of consciousness.
That?s why we?ll try to celebrate the occasion differently this time. We use the opportunity for a walk in nature, for a cleansing of the spirit, for the search for internal peace. We are friendly to our family, our neighbours and all those suffering in this world. Also to animals. We spare them this time from our lust for meat and we try to overcome historical behavior patterns.
We will do something good for our spirit and our body."
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=21087&lang=en
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Re: Death on a Factory Farm
Apr 9, 2009 9:28 PM
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> AZGoodfella:
>
> Go back to school. You've just compared a plant to an
> animal- a complete absurdity. And once more
> yawn......is this really the best you can do?
>
> Love life, live vegan!
>
> --
> Edited by eriyah at 04/08/2009 6:26 PM PDT
Cmon bro! Go back to school? I'm not trying to get into a "pissing match" with you or anything. I can appreciate and respect your love for the cause you represent, and your love for animals...I love animals also. I'm sure you teach or attend classes dealing with this subject, and thats cool! My post was intended to be light hearted and convey the fact that all people dont feel the same way as you do about consuming meat. There is a demand on the consumer market for this product, and alot of folks enjoy this product.
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