Libertarian Vegan

According to the results of a new federal study, published in last Monday’s Archive of Internal Medicine , eating red meat increases your chances of death.  (Who knew, right?)  The study, which is the largest ever of its kind, studied over half a million men and women.

Researchers state that eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger a day over ten years gave men a 22% higher risk of dying from cancer and a 27% higher risk of dying from heart disease.  For women the results were a 20% higher risk of death from cancer and a 50% higher risk of death from heart disease.

This was in comparison with people who ate 5 oz of red meat a day, I would like to know the figures compared to those who do not eat meat at all.  The study does not address this.

For as much as people complain about high health care costs, they rarely complain about the lack of responsibility they take for their own health.  If you stay healthier, you will have fewer health care costs, simple as that.  So where does Descartes come into this?

Interestingly, he was the first to give meat-eaters a non-Biblical justification for eating flesh.  It was his belief that animals did not have souls, that they were purely matter, and matter could not think, so matter could not feel pain and experience suffering.  To him, animals were machines, nothing more.   Meat-eaters ran with this idea, ignoring the common-sense fact that animals do feel pain.

And yet, Descartes himself was a vegetarian -  for health reasons.  He saw the body (animal and human) as a mechanism and found meat did not agree with the human mechanism.  The human mechanism, with its soul, did feel pain and suffering, and key to the long life of this machine was a vegetable based diet.

Meanwhile, back in 2009, studies continue to prove Decartes right on this point.  The lack of animal pain however….yeah.

For your punk rock fans, check out Propagandhi’s recent release, “Supporting Caste.”  It includes a great song relative to this discussion entitled “Human(e) Meat.”  Listen to it on their myspace page. 

Also check out vegetarian death metal band Cattle Decapitation - essentially everything they’ve done has to do with treating humans how we treat animals.  It’s great, great stuff.

Sources: Yahoo News - Study:Lots of red meat increases mortality risk March 23, 2009

Stuart, Tristram.  The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times.  2006

Montana state representative Ed Butcher (yes, that is his real name) says that his state is a great place to build a horse slaughterhouse and is promoting a bill to make that dream a reality.

Butcher says that the county is in need of a slaughterhouse for horses because of horse abandonment and cruelty towards the animals during hard economic times.  His bill, H. 418, would limit what a state could do to stop or delay construction of a horse slaughterhouse.  The last one in the county (in DeKalb, IL) was shut down in 2007 when courts upheld an Illinois law prohibiting the slaughter of horses for human consumption.

The Humane Society of the United States has said that the bill is bad for both Montana and horses. VP for government affairs Nancy Perry said, “A slaughterhouse killing what are not generally regarded as food animals presents a difficult image problem.”  She also said claims of humane treatment don’t stand up.

However, Butcher remained optimistic about killing horses - “It’s boom!” he said. “The horse is deceased.”

As seen in North Dakota and Wyoming, the strategy of those seeking a horse slaughter plant has been to frame it as they are doing what is best for the animals.  However, does anyone actually believe these plants would only be used for horses that are either past their prime or “unwanted”?  If so, that seems a waste of money.  Simply, horses would begin to be raised solely to be sold to slaughterhouses.

There are many more “unwanted” dogs and cats in this country than unwanted horses - it would make more economic sense to open up slaughterhouses for them.

Butcher made headlines back in 2007 when he referred to an American Indian legislator as “chief” and asked if a chairman’s gavel was a “war club.”  In his”apology,” Butcher said, “It was meant as a compliment.”

Sources: Forbes - Legislator finds MT right for horse slaughter February, 11, 2009

Missoulian - Lawmaker apologises for racist comments toward Indian collegue January 6, 2007

Last Friday saw the House Agriculture Committee agreeing with two North Dakota lawmakers, saying the state should set aside money to study a possible horse slaughterhouse.

A bill is in consideration that would allocate up to $75,000 in agriculture fuel tax revenues to study the feasibility and legality of a horse processing plant.  If passed, the money would go to the state Department of Commerce, who would study the proposal.

Those testifying in favor of the plant said that without a slaughterhouse, horse owners have few options with “unwanted” horses.  Perhaps the question to be addressed is why are they unwanted?  The most often cited reason appears to be financial - they simply can’t keep paying for the upkeep of a horse.  Is the best way to deal with that to open up a plant to slaughter them?  Are there really that many “unwanted” horses to justify opening a plant?  This appears to be just another attempt to turn an animal into a commodity, pushed under the guise of “doing what’s best for the animal.”

Lynn Larson, volunteer at the Triple H Horse Rescue in Mandan, (who wants it to be clear that she is certainly no PETA supporter), said “It’s wasted money to spend $75,000 to study a slaughter facility. That money could be better used to develop ways to help these animals.”  She went on to say people need to exercise more responsibility before buying or breeding horses, saying a slaughterhouse is “not going to make the problem go away.”

There are certainly more people in this county with “unwanted” dogs and cats than with horses - does that justify opening a meat market in dogs and cats?  No?  But that is precisely the argument being used by those in favor of the horse slaughterhouse.

It all comes down to exactly what Larson said - responsibility.  Is it really all about “doing what’s best for the animal” when people such as North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, state, “Why don’t you just pass a law that makes it illegal for horses to die?”

Source: Bismark Tribune - Horse Slaughter Facility Promoted February 7, 2009

While a great number of Americans celebrate today for the crowning game of the manliest of U.S. sports (rugby and hurling players are tougher), let us not forget that there are many other reasons to celebrate this today, February 1st , and for much better reasons than an excuse to eat the most chicken wings you can without throwing up.

First of all, there are many Happy Birthdays to celebrate:

1898 - creator of really fast cars, Enzo Ferrari

1938 - comic genius Mr. Jefferson a.k.a. Sherman Hemsley (really, who knew he had his own website?  do yourself a favor and visit.)

1942 - Monty Python member Terry Jones

1954 - the original choice for Eddie Munster, Billy Mumy

Or you could celebrate important events in history -

1861 - For you southerners still fighting the civil war, Texas seceded today

1920 - For you Canadians, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police began operating

1960 - Something actually worth celebrating - four brave black students staged a sit-in at a lunch counter in Greensboro, NC

And today is worth celebrating for anyone who has enjoyed “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” - Mr. Wonka’s unprecedented tour of his factory was on February 1st.

Yet with all this worth celebrating, we are still met today with headlines such as “700 pounds of meat dumped at national monument”

Yes, that’s right.  Vandals in Colorado dumped 700 pounds of elk, deer and cow carcasses at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.  They could face a year in jail and $100,000 if caught.  It is thought the animal parts could be from a meat processing plant.

Happy February 1st!

This past week NBC rejected an ad for the Super Bowl from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) because it “depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards.”

The ad itself is rather hilarious, and certainly NBC has run things as explicit before.  NBC said they would consider running the ad if the following were changed:

:12- :13- licking pumpkin
:13- :14- touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli
:19- pumpkin from behind between legs
:21- rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin
:22- screwing herself with broccoli (fuzzy)
:23- asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into vagina
:26- licking eggplant
:26- rubbing asparagus on breast

After the ad was rejected, PETA responded, “Ads for fried chicken and burgers are allowed, even though these foods make Americans fat, sick and boring in bed.”
In the end, PETA did not pay the millions for this to run for 30 seconds.  Instead they have received a great deal of free promotion as this thing makes its way around the internet, making them the winner of this silliness.

Sources: Pork Mag - NBC rejects PETA Super Bowl Ad January 30, 2009

PETA - ‘Veggie Love:’ PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad

The PETA Files - NBC’s Sexually-Explicit Super Bowl Ad Rejection makes us blush January 27, 2009

Not a day goes by without reports of animal cruelty throughout the United States.  Here are just a few these past days -

Temecula, CA - 67 year old man in jail for suspected animal cruelty after animal control officers found over 300 malnourished or dead dogs and cats at his trailer home.  Responding to a call over a vicious dog, the officers found and followed two dogs, which led them to a pile of dead dogs.  Some had been eaten by other dogs.  204 carcasses were found in black trash bags in sheds and barrels.  It took officers some 12 hours to remove all the animals.

Cecil County, MD - Investigation has begun into the Cecil County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where, ironically, animal cruelty is suspected.  Former employees and volunteers reported seeing abuses, including animal control officers shooting or incinerating live dogs that didn’t succumb to euthanasia.

Houston, TX - Harris County District Attorney Particia Lykes vowed to stop the dumping of dogs killed in illegal dogfighting operations.  “They dump injured dogs and dead dogs. This will no longer be a cemetery for dead dogs,” she declared.

Knox County, KY - Couple indicted on 16 counts of animal cruelty.  The case of Earl Enlow, 24, and Melaine Rogers, 22, began last September when animal control officers found numerous dead and malnourished animals on their property.  At least one horse, rabbit, and cat were found dead, along with 5 dogs and 3 roosters.  Officers seized 13 live dogs and 6 horses, many of which were malnourished.

I think most people would agree the above stories, (especially the 204 carcasses in trash bags), are revolting.  But what about when animal cruelty is done in the name of “gourment” food?  That brings us to the question - what the heck is rennet?  Essentially it is enzymes used in the production of cheese.

According to Wisegeek, “Rennet is an extract from the fourth stomach of young ruminants, such as cows, goats, and sheep. This extract contains a number of enzymes which are designed to help these animals digest their mother’s milk, and when added to milk, rennet will cause the milk to coagulate, forming the curds and whey which are so essential in the cheesemaking process.”

Mostly it comes from the stomachs of baby cows, like this little guy - 

and these stomachs are a by product of making veal.  Normally the baby cows are taken away from their mothers within two or three days of their birth.  Often they are kept chained in small crates so they cannot move.  Since they can’t use their muscles, it keeps the meat nice and tender.

When they are slaughtered, the stomachs are taken and the rennet is used in cheesemaking.  Most cheeses on the market are made in this fashion, but not all.  It is very difficult to tell, however, as ingredients normally just have “enzymes” listed, without the source.

Vegetable and microbial rennet can also be used in place of the stomach enzymes.  The only store I know who labels their cheeses as “Vegetarian” and “Traditional” rennet is Whole Foods. (whose founder happens to be a libertarian vegan )  For those of you who cannot give up cheese but perhaps don’t want to eat the by-product of killing baby cows, here is the best listing I could find of vegetarian cheeses.

As always, this past week has seen a number of animal cruelty stories across these United States - here are only a few of them:

Ripley, Mississippi -  Nellie Bracken and Margaret Payne are to be charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty and neglect.  After a neighbor reported two dogs left in a minivan on their property for several days, police showed up to find a number of dogs and a cat in a trailer and on the property, dying of thirst and hunger.

Suffolk, Virginia - Snowball, a tethered dog, died after receiving a laceration to its neck.  Also, a dog was taken into the woods, shot, and killed.

Albany, New York - A man left his dog outside in the extreme cold without food, water, or heat.  The dog is not expected to live.

Laurel Hill, Florida - A man arrested for driving his car over a  family’s dog will stand trial.  In July 2007 he drove his vehicle over the family’s pet, shut off the vehicle, restarted it and drove over the dog again.

Johnston, Pennsylvania -  A dog was found wandering the streets on new year’s eve with third degree burns over 30% of its body, including his head and neck.  The owner, Erik Licht, said the dog’s bandana caught on fire and he tried to put it out by throwing his drink, which contained rum, amaretto, and vodka, on the dog.   He said he was not able to afford a vet, so he just set the dog loose.

When this is how we treat “cute” animals, how do we treat the rest?  Mostly as machines.  Take, for instance, milk.  While all mammals produce milk, we normally use the general term to specifically refer to cow’s milk.  First off, there is absolutely nothing natural about drinking another species’ milk, which is intended solely for its offspring.  Humans are the only ones that do it.  Can you imagine another species drinking human milk?

Dairy cows on factory farms are essentially treated as machines.  It has become commonplace to force dairy cows to produce 100 pounds of milk a day - ten times higher than they’d ever produce naturally.  They are often artificially inseminated every year to keep the milk coming, and pumped full of growth hormones.

Over milking is painful to the animals and leads to infections, which leads to overuse of antibiotics, which can get into milk, along with blood and pus from infected utters. Delicious.

The only natural milk for humans to drink is human milk.  Somehow I don’t think your mother is up for that anymore.

Today has seen a number of reports of animal cruelty come in from across the country, here is the roundup:

Willow Springs, NC - Six horses were put in foster care after they were found starving in a pasture, eating moldy hay, dirt and bark off of trees.  A 7th was dead from complications due to starving.  The Animal Defense Fund has filed suit against the horses owners, Michael and Judy Keating and their daughter Gayle

Billings, MT - Linda Kapsa faces two counts of felony animal cruelty and other charges related to her dog breeding operations, as she failed to properly feed and care for the dogs, which she sold on the internet.  199 dogs were seized, and another two dozen dead dogs were found at a kennel she runs.  Two of the dogs seized died from a canine virus, numerous others were treated for open wounds, broken bones and other injuries.  Many were found living outside with temps dropping 15 to 20 degrees below zero.

Hampton, VA - 2 female pitbulls were found dead in a dumpster behind Maaco’s auto body, wrapped in bloody carpets.  Obviously used for dogfighting, they had severe animal bites all over, along with deep puncture wounds on their legs, shoulders, necks and faces.  And they were both shot in the head.  Authorities are trying to track down the owners

Waupaca, WI - Investigators are hunting for the snowmobilers who slaughtered 5 deer.  The animals were apparently run down by the snowmobiles, one of which had its stomach ripped open by the machine.  3 were found dead in a field, a fourth was found with broken legs and euthanized.  The 5th was dragged from the field and tied to a tree.  Two were bucks, three does, and one was a fawn.  Authorities are searching for the guilty parties.

These are horrible instances, and the stories are replete with comments about “how could people do this” and the like.  I certainly agree, but why is this behavior condemned, while this:

is not only tolerated and tacitly endorsed by the millions of people who eat beef?  We don’t talk about “cute” animal cruelty or “domesticated” animal cruelty, but simply animal cruelty.  Why does this only apply to certain “worthy” creatures?  Wouldn’t this rightly fit with those stories above -

Anywhere, USA - Anywhere’s slaughterhouse met the nation’s average today, killing 250 cattle every hour.  Per the Humane Slaughter Act, each of the cows are supposed to be rendered unconscious, and so each of the 250 were “stunned” by a mechanical blow to the head.  However, as this is imprecise, a good number were still fully conscious when they were hung up by their back legs and bled to death.  Unconscious or not, they were each “stuck” in the throat with a knife, ending their life.

How does this not come under the heading of “animal cruelty”?  It happens every single day in slaughterhouses across the nation.

“The cow is a poem of compassion.” - Gandhi

In a first of its kind study, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control estimate that roughly 1 in every 200 kids in the United States is a vegetarian.  This works out to about 367,000 kids.  Other studies have estimated that the number among older teens, who have more control over what they eat, could be four to six times higher.

(Let me preface the rest of this report by saying, although I am a vegan, I cannot see what could possibly come out of this report that would justify spending taxpayer money to determine the number of vegetarian kids. Okay, back to the story…)

Some estimate that the number of vegetarian adolescents is rising in part due to videos of slaughtered animals on sites such as YouTube.  That was the case with 14 year old Nicole Nightingale from Safety Harbor, Florida.  She was reading about chicken online and found a video showing chickens being slaughtered, posted by PETA.  Revolted, she told her parents she wanted to be a vegan, which led her mom to send an angry letter to PETA.  However, the veganism is working fine for Nicole and her mom is slowly eating more vegetarian.

Nicole said it is typical of her generation, “A lot more kids are using the Internet. They’re curious about stuff and trying to become independent and they’re trying to find out who they are.”

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch First U.S. Count finds 1 in 200 kids are vegetarian January 11, 2009

What also seems typical to me is the initial reaction of Nicole’s mother.  She did not become angry that some 9 billion chickens are killed in the U.S. every year (that’s 269 chickens killed every second), but instead angry at PETA for showing what happens between that cute chick being born and the fried chicken on your plate.

I cannot count the number of times I have encountered similar reactions.  I have never once told anyone “Don’t eat meat.”  Never.  However, I want people to know what is going on.  If they don’t have a problem with all the bloody horrors, there is nothing I could say anyways.  Confrontation in such a manner turns people off immediately and is counterproductive.

To me it seems natural that children raised on movies featuring animals that we eat (Babe is one of the greatest movies ever) would have an aversion to seeing their cute movie heros slaughtered for them to eat.  (Actually, the human star of Babe,  James Cromwell became an ethical vegan after doing the film.)

If you show a child a film of wheat being cut down to make pasta while they are eating spaghetti, you will most likely not get any reaction whatsoever, even after you explain how the pasta they are eating can only be made by cutting down the wheat.  Show a child a film of a cow being hit in the head to “stun” it, being hung upside down and slaughtered while they are eating a hamburger, they will most likely be disgusted and revolted.  When you explain that the burger they’re eating can only be made by killing the cow, they’ll most likely be even more revolted.

Why?

More reports continue to come out on the cat meat trade in Guangdong province, China.  LA Times reporter Barbara Demick tells the tale of one feline -

“The gray tabby cat with hazel eyes and a white nose scrunched at the bottom of a stack of metal cages filled with rabbits, quail, pigeons and ducks, across the aisle from the buckets of turtles and scorpions in a narrow shop with as many live animals as a petting zoo.

If it was male or female, young or old, nobody seemed to know or care. All that mattered was its weight, 6 1/2 pounds.”

The shopkeeper offered to sell her the cat for $9, or about $1.32/lb, and would even slaughter it right there for her.

While dogs are eaten in many parts of China, it is only in Guangdong that they eat cats.  It is part of Cantonese cuisine, which is known as the most exotic of Chinese cuisines.  However, cat loving Chinese are beginning to draw the line.

Last week there was a demonstration at the Guangzhou train station, where protesters carried banners reading, “Cats are your friends, not food.”  They were attempting to stop a shipment of cats.  According to the Small Animal Protection Association, one Guangzhou based business captures up to 10,000 cats a day from different parts of China, paying around $1.50 per cat.

While many pets have disappeared, the police have been reluctant to charge cat catchers with theft as many cats live outside and are technically not owned by anyone, just fed and cared for by them.  Without the police, then, increasing numbers of cat lovers have begun taking action on their own.

Lu Di, nearly 80 years old, is the founder of the Small Animal Protection Association.  She used to work for Mao Tse-tung, reading to him in his later years when his eyes were bad.  Now she and her organization lead many of the efforts to save cats.  Paraphrasing Ghandi she said, “You can judge how advanced a civilization is by the way it treats its animals.”

Demick described the trade, “Often, the cats are badly mistreated in their final moments, crammed as tightly as tomatoes into crates so they can’t breathe, and clubbed into semiconsciousness before being thrown alive into boiling water.”

Delightful.

In good news, however, Demick did end up purchasing the gray tabby cat, releasing it into a field where a local woman told her “Oh, we really need a cat here.  There are mice in the empty lot.”

Source - Los Angeles Times - Chinese seek to pull cats from the menu December 22, 2008

 I suppose there is not much to add to this.  It is a horrible and disgusting practice.