Countless times, I have tried
to figure out a way to free all
the lobsters from local supermarkets while standing over them helplessly; what a
wonderful story! I am so happy for the little guys.

Posted by: P. Locke | November 13, 2007 03:10 PM

Your all crazy. Nuts.

Posted by: Mike Forzley | November 13, 2007 03:11 PM

How funny is that!! They not only feel pain but they have brains too! How ever will the scientific community handle that one when the obvious is pronounced! Those lobsters could have easily hung around looking for food, you know being a supermarket and all but they choose "Freedom"!! Way to go!!

Posted by: Carla | November 13, 2007 03:47 PM

That's wonderful, although I must say if they were wild caught, they should be looked at by a marine wildlife rehabber, checked for diseases and put back into the ocean. Wild animals SHOULD NOT BE MADE INTO PETS!!

They will not, under any circumstances, be happier as a companion animal when they spent their whole lives in the ocean. Please, PETA, ask the rescuers to put them back into their sea homes, after they have been given a clean bill of health, of course.

GO LOBSTERS! I'LL BE THINKING OF YOU!

Posted by: Maya: Master's candidate, wildlife biology | November 13, 2007 04:09 PM

The moral of the story:
All sentient beings want freedom.

Posted by: BrandonXVX | November 13, 2007 05:10 PM

I think if the lobsters are put back into their sea homes, they would just be caught again by fishermen.

Keep them in the sanctuary away from fishing nets.

:o)

Posted by: Jaclyn | November 13, 2007 05:22 PM

P Locke, you could set up a fund to pay commercial fishermen not to catch lobster, or any fish for that matter. It would be a lot cheaper than retail purchase.

Excellent points Maya, good to see you get a little time away from study.

Posted by: rojo | November 13, 2007 05:26 PM

Hi Maya

So they can be caught again?

Posted by: Carla | November 13, 2007 05:27 PM

I completely agree that lobsters should not be pets. They should be responsibly fished, boiled, and served with little neck clams and a little drawn butter. Call me a murderer, but my sympathy goes to the fish monger who will lose money on the lost lobsters. Lobsters are very sensitive creatures, who are concerned about their little lobster families. If you don't check your lobster traps every day or so. The lobsters will eat each other. Not because they are starving after one day, but because they only know how to eat, screw, eat, screw and try to escape so they can eat and screw so more. Did the lobsters think, "yay, freedom?" No, they thought "I am going to have to get these rubber bands off my pincers so that I can get something to eat and then I might enjoy a good screw." Thats my personification of the lobster, I suppose we are all guilty of it now. Stick to kitties and puppies.

I was in Plymouth, MA, this week and I can promise you it was not a good place or month to be a lobster.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 13, 2007 06:25 PM

HI Jaclyn and Carla! And hey Rojo, long time no see!! Does this mean I get a day off? :)

Yes, of course it's a good point that they may be caught again, and sad to think about. However, I can't emphasize enough that wild-born animals that live as pets will always be confused, miserable and may even think that they are going to be killed. After all, that's how they felt in the first tank they lived in! There's no way of convincing them otherwise.

Prey animals that are caught or kept by larger animals will always feel fearful; even worse is a wild animal living in captivity. Keeping the lobsters as pets, even at an aquarium, is no better than buying reptiles at a pet store, even though the people rescuing the lobsters are obviously wonderful people.

Yes, they might be caught again. Then again, maybe not! Their release back to the ocean would be a good education for people not to eat lobster, and plus the lobster would be given a second chance at life. And that's all anyone can ask for.

Looking forward to more discussion with you all!

Peace!

Posted by: Maya: Master's candidate, wildlife biology | November 13, 2007 06:44 PM

Very pleasant surprise. Its good to see some have managed to escape the oppression. No Pun intended.

Posted by: Juan | November 13, 2007 11:14 PM

Hey, Mike Forzley -
Nothing of any magnitude gets done by "normal" people!
Nearly everything creative, everything discovered, everything that we take for granted now was considered "nuts" at one time, because if it was the "norm" then nothing new was happening. You have to look outside the box to make new things happen, and when you look outside the box, there are more and more new discoveries that prove that animals of all sorts, including crustaceans, have feelings, feel pain, and deserve a life apart from our self-centered idea that all they're good for is dinner. Am I nuts for thinking this way? I certainly hope so, and I hope all the "nuts" out there keep on going until not one living, sentient being ends up on any human dinner plate, or on any human back as a coat. I hope their fate will be better in the future than it is now, when it's the "norm" to take an animal's life for food, clothing and shoes. So you go live your "normal", unquestioning, toe-the-line life and don't worry about whether or not what you're doing is ethical or right. It takes "nuts" (i.e., people of vision and imagination) to change history and change the fate of fellow creatures without voices.

Posted by: Susannah S | November 14, 2007 11:42 AM

Christopher Cochran:
You're no doctor. You have too much time to post on the PETA blog to be a busy doctor, time to go kill all sorts of little animals and serve them up with fava beans and a little chianti, right?
I know lots of docs (several in my family) and none of them has that kind of time because they're busy with patients.
Why give doctors a bad name with your psychopathic musings? You like to pose as a rich country gentleman or something, some squire who goes off hunting on his warm-blood stallion and comes home with an unnecessarily killed fox or deer. Guess what, Lord Cochran? No one here CARES about your boring fantasies and pretensions, but I care about the innocent creatures who lives you take just for the hell of it. You want to know if it bothers me? Yeah, it does. Your attitude and philosophy of life bothers me. It's not a matter of "disagreement" and you know it. You like to pull people's chains and cause a lot of uproar. I guess you came to the right place because you're still here, and this time, I bit. HaHaHa. Right? Enjoy. But stick around. Maybe with enough repetition, even YOU
will discover that animals are for more than YOUR jaded pleasures, that they have a right to their portion of life without your interference, and that they are fellow beings who share this planet, NOT for our use and/or pleasure, but because they have God-given lives to live, just like we do.

Posted by: Susannah S | November 14, 2007 12:04 PM

I sympathize with the lobsters, when I shop @ Publix market in Jensen Beach, Florida I see how sad it is--Told the manager, he said as long as there is a call for lobsters he will stock them--money, money--sad

Posted by: mary | November 14, 2007 03:39 PM

That's so cool! I'm happy someone had the guts to save an innocent animal

Posted by: Hadley | November 14, 2007 04:38 PM

Anyone ever heard of logic at all?
On one discussion, you say that "animals" are enough like us to think and feel pain and deserve to be treated as equals... And then when it is pointed out that animals eat other animals, you say that as humans, we should be above that...
Humans are an animal. We use our brains to get food, because we were not given sharp teeth or claws or intense speed to catch prey. However, its sad to see that this gift of intelligence we have been given is lost on so many people...

Posted by: Tim R | November 14, 2007 09:40 PM

Hope they dont get eaten by predators. ;/

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 14, 2007 10:34 PM

Cochran,
Did it ever occur to you that us a/r's activists don't care what you think, and that we do not respect you because of your ignorant, childish comments?
On second thought, let me take back the word "childish." There is a topic heading on this blog site about two wonderfully dynamic, respectful children, who have more common sense, compassion, and fortitude for animals than you have yet to recognize, let alone achieve any of those attributes as an "adult" concerning any issue.

Posted by: Ariel | November 15, 2007 08:59 AM

Tim,

Maybe the reason some people feel deep revulsion killing animals for food is that animal flesh doesn't represent our natural diet. Just because a lion does well eating other animals is no indication that we will do the same.

"Although human beings eat meat, we are not natural carnivores. No matter how much fat carnivores eat, they do not develop atherosclerosis [clogged up arteries]. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.” 
 —DR WC ROBERTS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | November 15, 2007 12:36 PM

Anybody who complains that lobsters are being killed and eaten simply for the almighty dollar must have plenty of the almighty dollar already. The last lobsterman I saw wasn't wearing a Gucci suit.

What do you propose we do with all these people who make a living catching, selling and serving lobster. Do you have a plan for them or do you care about humans at all? Do you care that you are proposing the ruination of countless HUMAN lives over some cold slimy (though delicious) sea bugs? I get the feeling I am dealing with a bunch of spoiled rich people who have elitist ego issues. You people will tell someone all about the sea when they have lived on the sea their whole lives. When someone with any credentials speaks here, terror strikes you and you bash that person as a braggart.

Ariel, you have no credentials. You yourself are inferring that your views are childlike. Your comments are verbose, yet remind me of an empty dirigible hanger. I truly hope you are very young, because if you are an adult then you are pitiful.

Country Gentleman, ehh? I have never claimed to be a gentleman, but I am rural. My demeanor must have led you to infer my gentlemanly manner. For that, I thank you.

Do you know what hungry people eat? Whatever they can get their hands on. Being rich and fat gives you the option of making wacky food choices. It is a luxury that most of the world can't make. Lucky You.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 15, 2007 01:48 PM

I beleive the the issue with supporters of PETA is that annimals have feelings and emotions, There has not been enough research to state beyond doubt that yes animals do have emotions, any living thing with nerves and a nervous system are going to experience pain , whether or not the brains of animals have the cognitive capacity to process stimuli as emotion is yet to be proven. I feel that it is safe to say that the more evolutionarily advanced an animal is the more it has
a higher likley hood of having emotions, so I agree with PETA that we should not be creul to animals and not do sicentific research on house pets and primates, but lobsters. They may feel instantanious pain when boiled but I seriously doubt if they see their lives flash before their eyes and feel loss or regret as they are lowered into the pot. This exact article is why mainstream people are so sick and fed up with PETA. DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE SO THAT YOU DO NOT SEEM UNEDUCATED, SILLY,and quite frankly IMMATURE. Grow up and get out the butter !!

Posted by: Corinne | November 15, 2007 01:57 PM

Christopher said, "Being rich and fat gives you the option of making wacky food choices. It is a luxury that most of the world can't make."

As obscene as this is, according to Worldwatch, for the first time in history the number of overfed people has equalled the number of starving people.

Some of these fishermen may have to look for new jobs anyway. Their "product" is becoming so chemically polluted and so diminished, it soon will become either unpalatable and/or unavailable.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | November 15, 2007 03:06 PM

Mike,

I guess that is why Dr Roberts is NOT a vegetarian? He eats fish because he reads the cardiology research and can't deny that fish eaters are less likely to develop atherosclerotic diseases. Strangely enough, even an eighty year old doctor can change his mind. Meat is not the cause of atherosclerosis.
Obesity, smoking, DM2, HTN cause heart disease. Humans are not carnivores or herbivores they are obligate omnivores. Dr. Roberts doesn't advocate the eating of domestic animals because of high levels of saturated fats.(which I believe is what I have claimed on this blog as well) Twenty years ago when he formed his opinions, they were very justified. As we have learned, the picture is much more complicated....What we are not is natural tobacco smokers, of that I am sure. And for the record, fat vegetarians are just as unhealthy as fat omnivores. If a human decided to be a carnivore, he would undoubtedly be very unhealthy as fruits and vegetables are the most important part of our balanced diets.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 15, 2007 03:28 PM

Corrine

I also doubt that lobsters have flash backs of their lives or feel regret...but I will still not eat something that can feel pain when it is killed. I don't get the impression that PETA argues lobster eating because they have emotions. They are against it because you are still murdering a sentient being. Pain is pain...and frankly, it's just not necessary to cause pain when there are other things to eat.

Posted by: Vianca | November 15, 2007 03:32 PM

Dear Dr. Cochran:
Fat? Yep, I'm fat, although I prefer the termm "overweight." ButI've lost 25 lbs (and counting)since I became vegan in April. Rich? Spoiled? Gucci suits? Hardly. I'm a 65 year old widow, a freelance writer (yes, published,even...)who lives with three dogs. I help my son with his expenses at the moment, so I don't have a lot of free loot floating around. But I do try to live with respect for my fellow beings, and I care about the well being of animals, people, and the planet, in general, and that includes you. If you are, in fact, a medical doctor, then you know without my telling you so that eating animals isn't good for YOUR health, let alone theirs. Do you have a right to do so anyway? Sure. It's a free country. But for your sake, for their sake, for the sake of the planet, I do hope you'll reconsider. We could use someone with your abilities to inspire debate on OUR side!

Posted by: Susannah S | November 15, 2007 06:44 PM

Oh, Cochran. I love your arguments. So very much.

"What do you propose we do with all these people who make a living catching, selling and serving lobster. Do you have a plan for them or do you care about humans at all?"
Goodness, you are right. What did all those Nazis and slave traders do after they were out of work? If your work involves killing and/or torturing, ya just need to find new work. K?

Obesity causes atherosclerosis, you say? This is very true. Yes I would know. Have you ever seen a fat vegan?

Posted by: Silvia | November 15, 2007 08:01 PM

Lobster sanctuary? Whats next, a cockroach one too?

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 15, 2007 08:17 PM

I have seen overweight vegans, but when you are part of a group that is less than three percent of the population, the odds of seeing a vegan period aren't that great, no less a chubby one.

Silvia you epitomize the overzealous petaphile. You are comparing the plight of Jews during the Nazi era and Blacks during the slave era to LOBSTERS!!! If I were in either group, I would be fairly insulted.

Oh Susannah!
I do not advocate the over indulgence in any food, especially fatty meats. I simply advocate that the selective ingestion of animal products is a healthier diet than a vegan diet. I freely admit, though, that a vegan diet is a very healthy diet, just not the healthiest.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 16, 2007 08:56 AM

Cochran,
I really "hate" to burst your bubble, but speaking out for a/r's, one does not need to have academic credentials. One needs to have common sense, sensitivity, compassion, deep convictions, fortitude, and a commitment to justice (just to name a few attributes) for the a/r's movement. Obviously by your continuous juvenile delinquent comments, your so-called education and title(?) means nothing since you constantly fail to understand this. In fact, you are SO irrespectful towards ALL life, that now you even have to inflate your ego even more by undermining the innocence and common sense of children! That's REALLY pathetic!
And speaking about dirigibles, that is SO appropriate since you are actually the personification of a dirigible: largely inflated ego, full of gases, impractical, detrimental, and therefore out-moded and useless.
Btw, FYI, a LOT of famous people from inventors to self-made billionaires never even graduated from high school. And the poor, innocent, and humble Rosa Parks -who had no intentions of making waves about segregation- ultimately became famous and highly honored for her fortitude and convictions, that thankfully made one of the greatest strides against segregation. And you also refuse to accept the FACT that numerous academically educated famous people have in the past and presently, made great strides for a/r's. So Cochran -like it or not- us a/r's activists are NOT going away no matter what you would like to think or what you say to us. Try tending to your "patients" rather than wasting your time here with your nonsense.

Posted by: Ariel | November 16, 2007 11:24 AM

Christopher,

It wouldn't be the first time a doctor didn't practice what he preached. At one time doctors were advocating we smoke for our "health."

Vegans can always get their long chain DHA where the fish get it from in the first place—algae. Plus that way you have no concerns about possible bio-accumulated toxins that fish may contain.

The cause of atherosclerosis is actually unknown, but epidemiological evidence indicates that societies that eat little meat also have less incidences of it.

And you personally may not have to eat "domestic" animals, but the average North American omnivore certainly does, so they are getting that high level of saturated fat. One can buy cello-packed beans and bulk whole grains for embarrassingly low prices.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | November 16, 2007 12:07 PM

I grew up on a farm. My father was a hunter. He and his friends would hunt, and my mother would cook what ever he brought home and we would eat it. My father was a very good shot. Well one fall he was hunting for squirrel, and he saw one rather high up in a tree, he shot, and wounded and the squirrel. He shot again and killed it. He told our mother when he came home about this squirrel that was wounded, in great pain, and frightened who desperately tried to get away, before he was shot again and died.
My father never hunted again.
There are 7 children in our family, only one of us eats meat. Our father realized something that day long ago. It is cruel to hunt. Now you may say Dr. that he stopped hunting because he was no longer a good shot, but our father said it was because it was just plan wrong to hunt, and disturb nature that way.
Holly

Posted by: Holly | November 16, 2007 01:55 PM

As for what would we do with all the people who are in the fishing and lobster industry. The same thing they did with tobacco growers here in Pennsylvania, give them money to grow something else. Well give the fishermen and lobster catchers money to learn to do something else. Also the cattle industry. Now that studies show that milk causes Lymphoma, and does not prevent osteoporosis and beef causes gut and other cancers. The industry will have to stop producing at some point and go on to something else. The public will demand it, if not for cruelty of the animals then for the health of all who eat meat, and for the environment.
Also we are finding more and more about lobsters and fish and are beginning to open our eyes to the fact that there is more to them and there lives then we ever knew before. The world will change, it will have no choice.
Holly

Posted by: Holly | November 16, 2007 02:16 PM

Holly

Natural predators hunt, so you are saying that if humans do it its wrong? stereotypes

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 16, 2007 04:55 PM

Dr. Cochran,

Hello! Since we're doing an attack-fest here at PETA I thought I'd join in. Just kidding, I try to be pretty prudish and just stick to the boring stuff.

I agree that fish can be part of a healthy diet. But you and I both know that overfishing problems just equate to shooting ourselves in the foot. Animal rights aside, our resources are going away, with no replacement in sight. What will we do then?

As well, many fishermen live a lousy life; low pay (I've heard under $6,000 a year, how would that be to live on?) dangerous, cold, miserable work. I'm sure these people would prefer the fortune we've had; a good education, warm house, well-fed families.

And let's face it: absolutely best case PETA scenario, everyone in the world goes vegetarian within the next 100 years. No way in hell the industry will just vanish tomorrow because PETA says it should. The fishing industry has only to worry about depleting and polluting its own resources to death; that's the real issue.

I'd strongly suggest you read the book Entanglements by Tora Johnson if you don't beleive me.

And although I respect your knowledge, let's face it - coming on here and taunting people is kind of a waste of time, no? I think it's good to have a debate with people who eat meat and are in the health profession; but really, can you give me a logical reason why lobsters are less precious than humans? I mean, at least they contribute to the ecosystem. I don't see why killing one should be amusing or trivial.

No disrespect intended, though.

Posted by: Maya, Master's candidate, wildlife biology | November 16, 2007 05:54 PM

Holly, I am so glad you have all this money to give to people just to save some lobsters. I feel like my tax burden is unfair to begin with. Have you paid income tax before? Also, I respect your father's decision not to hunt. I hope you respect my decision to continue to hunt, but if you don't thats fine too.

Ariel,
........it's not worth it.

Mike, fair enough, eat what you think makes you healthy and I'll do the same.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 16, 2007 09:39 PM

Holly,
I enjoyed reading your posts! A wonderful, beautiful testimony about your compassionate father's decision; and you raised excellent, true alternatives AND FACTS in the second post. Thank you for your input.

Hi, Mike Q.,
You were right as always! The other day I watched a documentary about cannibalism. Ironically, "kuru" (simply meaning "involuntary trembling") was mentioned in relationship to the cannibalistic people in N.G. The documentary went further to explain that kuru is the same symptom people get from eating contaminated meat, which is referred to as "mad cow disease" and Cruetzfeld-Jacob disease. A VERY interesting point was mentioned: these diseases could remain dormant in humans for up to 45 years before symptoms occur.

Cochran,
With YOUR over-zealousness, your reading comprehension dysfunction came through again with Silvia's comments. She was addressing the aftermath of "employment" about the nazi's and slave traders, not the plight of the people who endured those horrible situations.
Nevertheless, I "hate" to burst your bubble again, but a few months ago, several people who lived under oppressive regimes in eastern Europe and S. Africa, thoroughly supported a/r's with their very touching and in-depth comments on this blog site. They expressed EMPATHY towards all sentinent beings that are enslaved, tortured, and killed. So since they who had first-hand, worst case experiences with enslavement and oppression were not insulted, then you have no basis for your broad comment that certain groups should feel insulted by the comparisons, if you were them. Also, several other people who dealt (and deal) with discrimination are a/r's activists, and they expressed how it related to their feelings and plights.

Posted by: Ariel | November 17, 2007 06:50 AM

Mike,

That's the great thing about freedom. I'll eat yummy fish and venison and you can eat pond scum....

Cheers!

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 17, 2007 04:44 PM

Holly, your comments were awesome! I am so glad that your father realized how hunting is wrong - your family sounds like a great group of people.

Many if not most of the a/r people on this blog site did not start off as vegetarians/vegans, but we finally came to realize what we were doing to the animals (and our health, and the environment...), and are now making steps, small or large, toward improving the lives of animals.

Silvia, you said it perfectly about what will the fishermen, etc, do if they had to stop fishing. We simply cannot condone abusive behaviour based on economics. This is unfortunately what is allowing the animal testing industry to continue - big buck$! More and more scientists know that animal testing is useless, but the big pharmaceutical industry does not want to lose its massive profits, so the testing continues. It's disgusting!

Posted by: Michele | November 18, 2007 12:12 AM

Holly

You must be fucking rich then. You cant just give people money, they HAVE TO EARN IT!

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 18, 2007 11:13 AM

Holly

You must be fucking rich then. You cant just give people money, they HAVE TO EARN IT!

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 18, 2007 11:13 AM

predator:
1. An organism that lives by preying on other organisms.
2.One that victimizes, plunders, or destroys, especially for one's own gain.

Now which definition fits you Caboose?

Posted by: Holly | November 18, 2007 09:45 PM

Christopher,
I think you are a wise man, and where there is wisdom there is deep thought. Deep thought brings enlightenment, and change. I do respect you, and hear the things you say.

Posted by: Holly | November 18, 2007 10:11 PM

I think posts that use profanity loose potency, and respect.

Posted by: Holly | November 18, 2007 11:41 PM

I think posts that use profanity loose potency, and respect.

Posted by: Holly | November 18, 2007 11:42 PM

Maya,

Your points are well expressed and I appreciate your comments. I do not think that lobsters or any other animal isn't precious, but that doesn't mean they are inedible. I work hard every day to restore and protect the native habitat near my home. My family and I have restored over five hundred acres of former cow pasture/fescue choked land back to native Ozark habitat. Many folks here think that I can not be pro-wildlife if I continue to hunt and eat wild animals and I don't agree. They would threaten my right to continue to do what I love to do. I contend that I do more for wildlife than most of the members of peta. I am not here to brag or simply to antagonize close minded people, rather if I can expose the insular thinking of a few people to a different point of view then the effort is worth it. I do not have an ego problem so the constant bashing doesn't bother me.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 19, 2007 10:35 AM

We should all know where our tax dollars go, and support the politicians who are willing to put the moneys where we the people feel they should be spent. So we all need to follow our local, and federal politicians and vote for the people who support our views. We all pay taxes, the rich should pay more tax, and pay it gladly and with great joy in there hearts knowing they are doing the right thing and can afford to do so.

Posted by: Holly | November 19, 2007 11:50 AM

We should all know where our tax dollars go, and support the politicians who are willing to put the moneys where we the people feel they should be spent. So we all need to follow our local, and federal politicians and vote for the people who support our views. We all pay taxes, the rich should pay more tax, and pay it gladly and with great joy in there hearts knowing they are doing the right thing and can afford to do so.

Posted by: Holly | November 19, 2007 11:52 AM

I am so very glad to read your post Christopher. Its a good thing to learn about who you really are. Way to go, and great job restoring the land, which does help wild life. I knew you were a wise man. Although we will disagree on many things concerning animal rights, I do respect you for doing all that you have done to improve the earth in a positive way. And for devoting your life to the care of we humans by becoming medical doctor.
Way to go Christopher!

Posted by: Holly | November 20, 2007 05:39 PM

Also, I think that people who spend time and money to restore the land should be rewarded with a tax break for doing good work, even if they are rich.

Posted by: Holly | November 20, 2007 06:04 PM

Cochran,
It's too bad that some of these people don't go back to read most or at least a few of your posts over the past few months so that they could have the REAL concept of you.
At first, you talked about ONLY properly maintaining your property - your "shangri la"- for the animals - and hunt ("harvest") ONLY sparingly on your land. After that, one related post after another, you bragged about the great joys of killing animals on your numerous killing vacations.
Initially, you said you wanted to have a discussion, BUT despite the attempts made to have civilized discussions with you (self included), you VERY soon became consistently sarcastic to everyone for no reason, and therefore, rapidly started losing ground for having any kind of respect. You went out of your way to continually taunt, tease, antagonize, and degrade a/r/a's no matter what kind of comments they had - comments that were not even directed to you or about you.
You also often commented about the need for wildlife to be CONTROLLED - and believe that hunters are the experts at controlling wildlife (despite the fact that hunters have been responsible for the near extinction or extinction of animals, AND despite the fact REAL conservationists and preservationists are the REAL experts) Oh, but according to you, you were "universally" declared to be an "expert" by wildlife control.
Your post 11-19 @ 11:35 am, is a sugar-coated BS repetition of a few of your initial sugar-coated BS posts - which once again also states that you do more for wildlife than a/r/a's. As you used to put it: "I do more for animals than a 100 of you put together." Then you went on to continually mock this, that, and the other thing, despite the UNbiased proof that was presented to you.
And once again as your post states, we are "close-minded." (just because we don't accept animals being killed - on an ANIMAL RIGHTS' blog site of all places!)
"...not here to brag or simply antagonize..." "I do not have an ego problem..." All I can say to that is your NUMEROUS past posts speak for themselves - as well as the NUMEROUS posts by a/r/a's who commented that they are totally fed up with your obnoxious comments (which you still continue to spout).
So now you think you have a couple of people buffaloed about you. IF they are smart, they will soon catch on to you - just like ALL the rest of us did:
-how much you particularly prefer to (try to) insult the females on this forum (not the males at all). And yes, us females gave it back to you because we didn't have to take your (attempted)insults.
-that you love to brag about your killing sprees
-that you consider a/r/a's to be academically inferior to you just because they don't have the title of "M.D." (just to mention one quote to an a/r/a: "I have more education than you. I am smarter than you."
-they will learn that you spend much time on here (trying to) insult and degrade the a/r's movement, rather than using your "professional" time with your "patients" and continuous learning that the med. profession requires.
And if you don't mention any of those things or if they do not surface, your obnoxious attitude will emerge with other types of comments - because those of us who have dealt with you from day one, OR recently (and those who have not even dealt with you), do not even have one ounce of respect for you - and YOU know it.

Posted by: Ariel | November 21, 2007 11:20 AM

Thank you Holly, but I must warn you that forwarding me compliments will earn you nothing but grief from the other members of this blog. As you may have noticed, I am not well liked around here.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 21, 2007 12:13 PM

Christopher,
I think everyone was touched by your good work.
Its important to look for good in people.
Holly

Posted by: Holly | November 26, 2007 01:32 PM

I think its important to treat others as we wish to be treated. If you ignore poor behavior, it usually stops.

Posted by: Holly | November 26, 2007 01:46 PM

I speak with some experience. I was raised on a large dairy farm. My grandfather was a doctor, as well as my uncle. Our father hunted and was involved in land, and water conversation back in the 50's, we all ate meat. We were so sheltered from the horrors of the farm we didnt know that the meat we ate came from our barns and the animals we loved. One night, one of our black Angus broke through the fence after her calf and was struck by a car, and killed. My little sister and I went out side after being told not to, and found our wonderful Angus who we called Ada hanging in a tree. Our hired hand told us that day that the slaughterhouse people were coming for her. We were horrified! We both stopped eating meat that day. I lost a lot of weight, and our mother did every thing she could think of to get me beyond what I saw that day. My little sister did not loose weight. She has not eaten meat to this day, and has been a vegan for the past 30 years or so. She has devoted her life to saving farm animals. I remember well the debating that went on in our house about being a vegetarian. We had some history, our Mother's Mother was a life time vegetarian, and our Mother was also a vegetarian for most of her adult life. The hunter's in our family, our father and grandfather and uncle,in those days remind me of Christopher in his debate in defence of his meat eating and life style. (although they were not arrogant) Change takes time as I saw in my family. Its been since about 1959 that this debate began in our family and of the seven children six dont eat meat and three of us are vegans. Our father did continue to eat meat, but did not eat it very often, and stopped hunting back in the late 50's
What I saw in our family was change through debate, and time. Even the most out spoken against vegetarianism in our family, did after years become vegetarian or vegan. I think that is why its important continue to debate, look for the good in people, even if you dont think you can find it, its there, and hope for change. It does not happen over night. I think good people like Christopher come here because they want to defend the things they were raised to believe as truth, but a part, maybe a very small part of them may read something here that will begin a new truth worth thinking about. and as it was with my family, they were not ready for this change, but with time, anything is posible, and for us was.

Posted by: Holly | November 26, 2007 04:39 PM

Holly

The first meaning fits us humans.

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 26, 2007 07:36 PM

Holly

So ur a person who thinks "profanity" is something bad? sad. What is "Profanity" really, but emphasis for ur dialouge. If i say that ur stupid (not u), its plain. Now if i say ur fucking stupid(again, not aimed at u), which one sounds like I really mean it.

So dont label a word "bad" just because it doesnt sound nice(cuz every blind cause runs on emotion).
When I said that u wur fucking rich, it was no insult, or disrespect.

Lemme guess, ur anti-gun too right.

Posted by: Caboose (Combine Slayer) | November 28, 2007 10:54 PM

I think lobsters are most comfortable with garlic, butter and a medium rare rib eye. yummy

Posted by: Sims | November 29, 2007 11:38 AM

This is another Rojo, but I am happy that we are evolving. Our ancestors did not have our choices and eating animal was a challenge. We no longer have food and educational challenges in our society. My dad came from a long line of rural fishermen, but he got tired of the "legacy job metality" and moved to the city to drive a taxi and give his kids a better education and chance. He is now a 76 year old semi-vegetarian. I am very happy that he could think for himself b/c he still loves the ocean so he wants to protect it and the animals that live in it.

Posted by: ROJO2 | November 29, 2007 12:22 PM

someone should come up with a free the lobster day. i feel so sorry for them, the way the scream when some sick person throws them in a pot of boiling water. that really disgusts me!

Posted by: Jasmine | November 29, 2007 12:46 PM

Caboose,

When you overuse profanity, misspell words on purpose, and use video game references in your name you DO discount what you have to say. By using good grammar and spelling you enforce your message with confidence and maturity.

All the Best.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | November 29, 2007 02:07 PM

Just wondering how other vegetarians handle the thought of the animals that are in the cans and kibble that we feed our dogs and cats. I don't eat meat, but I can't stand the thought of the animals that I feed my own animals...the carnivores that live in my house.

Posted by: Julie | November 29, 2007 03:32 PM

welcome ROJO2, our oceans must be protected and fished sustainably, and it is important that people with actual experience, like your dad, are involved.

Urbanisation is the way of the world, luckily some of us can remain in primary industries like farming and fishing, otherwise civilisation would crumble.

Posted by: rojo | November 29, 2007 05:53 PM

Julie,
http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/petfood-comm.html you will find vegan pet food here.

Posted by: Holly | November 29, 2007 06:23 PM

First of all Christopher Cochran MD, i am not rich, but i do find it cheaper being a vegetarian as meat is so expensive in my country in comparison, and do not think your education can replace compassion. Anyone can learn from a book, i myself am at university, but it does not mean i am above anybody.
Compassion is something that not everyone has, and those who do not posses it are surely the saddest people, as they will never love like we do.
Have you never had a pet? I know that my guinea pigs feel emotion, why do they come running to me when i have no food for them, but run away from my father, who does not like animals, but is holding food?
That is not an animal instinct of goig for food, neither is it fear as they know he will not hurt them, they simply do not like him, as they have no emotional connection.
Anyone with a pet knows that they love them, for more than they provide food.

secondly " what about the poor fishermen?" what are there no more jobs in America? land of opportunity? I don't know about you but in England we have a job centre, and benefits, trust me, they will not starve.

When slavery ended people thought oh but the poor traders, what will they do? They got other jobs! And a "slimy sea bug" is more precious to me than some humans, as being a human does not instatnly grant you the full mental capacity of one, you will still never learn to think of others

Posted by: Heidi | November 30, 2007 09:17 AM

Christopher Cochran MD.... i have the most problem with you on this topic, mainly because i cannot understand caboose, and disregard random "i love eating lobster, mmm" comments as people believing themselves highly amusing and pat themselves on the back, well done, so i'm sure you understand that you are the main opposition here.
If i volunteer at my local homeless shelter, i'm doing good work. If i recycle paper, i'm helping the environment.
However if i went out at weekends and killed people on the streets and went logging, i would surely be undoing the good work i'd done?
Conservation and hunting don't go together, if you take and then give back, you've acheived nothing. No ammount of good can replace the bad you have done.
You can learn from mistakes, and you can try create a better future and never do it again, but it never undoes what you did in the first place.
Also a life is a life, giving the squirrels and birds a place to nest is good, but they have the same right to life as the deer/ rabbits you shoot do. Killing one, saving another... do you do that as a doctor?
no, you try save everyone i'm sure.
Though it is a shame that as an educated person you think the way you do. I find that usually the uneducated, such as my parents who didn't have the opportunities that i have had, care little for animals, but are shocked to hear how much their lives impact on animals ( but yet disbelieving also), and also the highly educated think they as a higher being can do what they please. I can only hope that somewhere in the middle, there is a group who know their place in the world, neither better or worse than anything else, and with the same right to life.
I do not think myself better than you, even though i think myself blessed to care about others, though this also brings me great emotional pain, that you don't have, as i feel everytime i see a lorry of animals going for slaughter, hear new scientific developments or see a squashed hedgehog on the road. I actually feel sad, try think about this before you make sarcastic comments to animal lovers, and animal rights believers. Though your comments cannot hurt us, as i feel pity when people cannot understand the great relief i feel knowing i do not harm others, but i do feel pain from the impact that people such as yourself have on creatures i care about.
Animal rights isn't a hobby i can take or leave, i must believe in a world where animals are not exploited, because if not i feel sad. I do not wish to harm anyone, only to help others see as i do, and others, that we must stop unnecesary pain for animals, such as fur trading, researching, and then evaluate if we really need the practices left after this.
Do you need meat? For now, society is not ready for a mass vegetarian movement, but individuals can decide that actually no they don't, vegetarian options are tasty, and also relatively cheap, and give you such a good feeling- i made a compassionate choice.
Not that i'm smug, i only wish to leave behind memories, not a footprint that most people aim for, as in my opinion a footprint must crush something for it to be left.

Posted by: Heidi | November 30, 2007 09:48 AM

First, Hi Julie!

To answer your question, I agree that factory animals used for pet food are probably subject to terrible conditions that human meat sources are also subject to. However, cats are obligate carnivores. Depriving them of the proper diet can lead to blindness, heart disease and death. This can happen in less than 2 weeks because cats need extremely specific diets.

Some dogs do well on vegetarian diets, but work with a vet. I think you'll find that it's challenging but maybe worth it for some.

Obviously the last beings we should make suffer are our pets. Let's eliminate human cruelties first. Also, companies like Wellness and California Naturals may consider using only humane certified meat if enough people ask them.

Also, hello to Dr. Cochran, I am glad to hear that you're involved in land conservation. Since you're an M.D., I'm wondering what you've heard about vegetarians and people's ability to absorb non-heme iron from plant food, to avoid anemia. I've heard that for some it's impossible and they wind up with heart problems. That's something I've heard recently - my sister's a nurse but she was up in the air about it.

Posted by: Maya, Master's candidate, wildlife biology | November 30, 2007 01:30 PM

Christopher

I respect you, but I've something to say.

Why is so hard to ignore profanity?

I mispell words to try to condense my responses, and I dont believe in a written language.

I guess you hate gamers right? I can't help it, but we have to learn not to judge people based on their beliefs, or name, OR pseudonym.

Why is it so bad to be a kid at heart?

(Note: No grammatical errors detected.)

Posted by: Caboose | December 1, 2007 09:35 AM

Caboose,

Hey there - sorry to interfere, but I noticed you asked about why it's hard to ignore profanity. Stephen Pinker just wrote section about that very subject in his new book - he's a linguistics professor. It's really interesting.

I can tell you one thing - my mom is a language teacher, and if every individual spoke their own language it would be awfully hard to communicate.

I understand what you meant about following your own path, and making a statement. That's great, but it depends on the level of dissent. As Pinker points out, if a few people decided to drive on the wrong side of the road in order to make a statement, the problems it caused would not make it worth the effort.

Of course that's an extreme example, but personally I beleive that cooperating and communicating all on the same level is a tool we need in order to solve conflicts, like the one of animal rights.

Written with respect, of course. Looking forward to more dialogue with you. ;)

Posted by: Maya: Master's candidate, wildlife biology | December 3, 2007 01:52 PM

I can see both side of this issue. It very hard for some to think of suffering and do nothing to curb it.(I see so much suffering everyday with people being in the E.M.S. that after seeing so much with living people with souls its overwhelming to think of trying to save all the animals too) Others can turn a blind eye and eat their cheeseburgers. I for one am a Judas to animals, cause it breaks my heart to know what happens, how they are often killed by people who seem uncaring and abuse them or torture them.(I dont think however that you could find someone compassionate to kill every day, cause a kind compassionant person could not do that day after day.) I still eat my meat though. You would think of me as an uncaring person but I am not. Their are many views on this matter presented on this site, some wonderfully presented others leave room for definate improvement. I do try to rescue cats and dogs on a regular basis. I have a foster care for them in my home which is supported totally by myself. I feed the birds and squirells, recycle and do many different things to help the enviroment. I have three children who are growing to respect animals and be responsible like neutering and spraying them. Maybe people should remember you can catch more flys with honey then lemonaid. Alot of attitudes have to do with life styles how they grew up and life experiences. I do hope I have offended no one as that is not my intention. I just wanted to put my 2 cents in on this issue. not like it matters though!Please respond if you desire. Thank-you for reading my book lol (please overlook my many grammatical errors Ü)

Posted by: missygurlemt | December 3, 2007 04:16 PM

Right Maya, but what about international relations?

(How hard is it to understand "R" and "U" ? Heard of leet?)

Posted by: Caboose | December 3, 2007 07:48 PM

Heidi,

I would contend that most people take much more from the environment than they give. When I restore 200 acres to natural habitat, I aid millions of bugs, plants, mammals, birds, lizards, etc. I take three or four deer, twenty or so each of rabbits and squirrels, thirty or forty dove, fifteen or twenty quail each year....even with those deductions I bet I am miles ahead of you in the positive. But I don't do it to impress or compete with you. The natural environment is a give and take. What have you given lately? Did you rescue a cat? Good, because they eat all the little birds and mammals I work so hard to preserve.

Maya,
Vegetables typically do not have an absorbable form of Fe. Our bodies are lousy at absorbing Fe in the first place, but very efficient at recycling it. Males and non-menstruating women need almost no Fe as they do not lose much. Popeye wasn't strong because of the Fe in spinach, rather the folates and other nutrients. Fe deficiency even in strict vegans is rare because so many foods are fortified with ferrous Fe. If you must take supplements, tend towards ferrous gluconate as it is easier to absorb and doesn't cause as much GI upset and constipation. If you persist in being Fe deficient and your physician doesn't investigate it, find a new doctor.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | December 3, 2007 10:41 PM

Dr.Christopher C. I hope when you fall asleep tonight you are able to dream! In your dream you will be whisked away to a beautiful island! The beauty, however is overshadowed by the fact that you are the only human there! You see, the inhabitants of this tropical paradise are of the crustacean persuasion! Ah yes dear" Dr Kevorkian" they are all LOBSTERS!! They are sooo VERY HUNGRY but not for long! The families gather together for BIG FEAST!! The big black cast iron pot is filled with boiling water & their long awaited scoundrel"Dr.C"!! As they melt their butter & sharpen their knives in anticipation of their celebrated dinner,when the last horrific cry of torture is heard!!!!! OK said The Head Lobster Chef,"It's ready..Lets Eat!" Poor Dr "Coldheart", for he never awoke from his dream! He was found scalded in his bed the next day! Oh! if dreams only came true!! Sleep well you idiot!!(and you call yourself a doctor??...SHAME ON YOU!!) J.C.

Posted by: johnine | January 9, 2008 02:59 AM