If this doesn't turn people veg then idk wat will...

Posted by: Lauren | February 20, 2008 03:37 PM

My husband and I are bikers
and on long trips we frequently share the road with live transport trucks and ride past the animals final destinations. My feeling is that if more urban
drivers did this they would be more aware of where their
dinner is coming from.

Posted by: meg schramm | February 20, 2008 04:49 PM

Not only is veganism better for our health, but it will spare many animals a life of torture in captivity and a violent end in the slaughterhouse.

Posted by: Brandon Becker | February 20, 2008 05:35 PM

I HOPE THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS ANIMAL CRUELTY ARE BEING PUT BEHIND BARS!!!

Posted by: CHRISTINA BUTLER | February 20, 2008 06:01 PM

im a 14 year old became veg about 3 1/2 months ago, i go to highschool and there is only 1 thing on the menu that is vegetarian, only on mon wed and fri ! the other days i gotta get only fries and a preztel =/ the kids who go to my school dont care.. besides this one girl i know is veg. so please send out more stuff to the new york schools. [ps: their meat is like ordered from some crappy place that is looks SO discusting i hated it before i became veg]

i would agree with being put behind bars, but i doubt it will happen. people are too worried about human welfare and other stuff that is nothing nearly as bad as animal suffering.

animals can't defend them selves.
people can, they could also help defend animals !

Posted by: matt ligotti | February 20, 2008 06:40 PM

It makes me so angry that my tax dollars
1. subsidize ranchers, so they can sell beef at artificially low prices

2. place this crap in schools for kids to eat

3. then, to add insult to injury my tax dollars pay for the medical costs associated with an animal based diet, when EVERYONE knows what this garbage does to people's health

I held a fundraiser at my company last year--spaghetti and Boca "meat" sauce. Over 100 people ate this. No one noticed they were not eating dead cows. I made less money because I purchased the more expensive (per ounce) Boca crumbles, but who cares! Why should it have to cost more to eat food that is better for our planet, our bodies, and most importantly, the animals???

Posted by: Kelley | February 20, 2008 06:53 PM

I'm only 12, but the issue of animal cruelty needs to be challenged. Vegitarism is the greatest way to perserve animal life. I used to eat meat. Then I went full on vegan. I feel heathier and I know that somewhere out there animals are now living safely, without the fear of being killed to be processed for digestion. Thank you PETA.

Posted by: Kristen Merritt | February 20, 2008 07:43 PM

if i could address the media, i would say......

shouldn't cruelty to animals and sickening footage of tortured animals be making the news EVERY NIGHT????

do you think this is really NEW news? where have you been????? PETA and other animal groups have been hard at work for years, only to frequently be vilified and mocked. and now this is newsworthy?? how are people so shocked???

these animals are born to die! are we really so naive to think that these gentle cows live grazing through breezy fields until their peaceful slaughter???

GET REAL! quit running your beef and pork ads and tell it like it is.

if slaughter houses had glass walls (as sir paul mccartney discusses), and if cruelty to animals warranted massive recalls of animal flesh, then THERE WOULD BE MEAT RECALLS DAILY! THERE WOULD BE NO MEAT!

just a little frustrated about this stuff..... just a little.

Posted by: katie | February 20, 2008 08:05 PM

I spent every summer on my grandparents farm. I saw the respect with which they treated the cows. I have been crying after seeing the inhumane treatment of animals at the slaughter house. This is monstrous. The callousness and
inhumanity. And, on top of everything, the downed cows were sick and their meat when into the food chain. Where the heck is the Food and Drugs Administration in protecting our food supply and in protecting the humane treatment of all animals: cows, pigs, chickens, etc.????
Mary Q. Chapin

Posted by: Mary Q. Chapin | February 20, 2008 08:40 PM

I believe that humans need quite the taste of the hellish agony they put animals through when on their way to the slaughter house. Remember people, we and animals are on this earth together. Since when do these losers think they are superior to the animal race to torture?

Posted by: Betty Petrov | February 21, 2008 12:25 AM

I don't want to appear dumb, but if everyone in the world were to become vegetarian, what would we do with all the cows, chickens, pigs, etc. Who would want to keep them? They are very expensive to feed and house. They are domosticated, not wild. What purpose to the eco system would they have? If they did not serve a purpose, such as meat and dairy, what would they do? Now, I'm in total agreement that these animals are not treated with compassion and there are many practices that should be changed, however I'm not sure about the world becoming vegetarians. What would become of these animals?

Posted by: Lori Cater | February 21, 2008 09:28 AM

Dear Smokey,
You are right about canine teeth...yet if you compare our teeth to set of, oh, actually CANINE teeth now, ours our much duller in comparison. I believe that there was a time (B.C.) that man had to eat meat in order to survive. But as evolution goes on, our bodies have changed to meet environmental and physical changes. I can't see anyone jumping on a cow and tearing its flesh with its teeth...and that IS what your saying correct? You wouldnt have to cook it to make it tender if that is what we're genetically composed of doing. As for the Inuits who have to use fur in order to survive...That is EXACTLy it..in order to survive. They dont kill for profit or vanity, and it is a very spiritual process. There is no torture or overkill. They are living off the land, unlike the factory farms or the fur traders who don't give a damn about animal life (or human life for that matter...Im talking to you factory farms) its all about the money. Until we can back to "family farming" where animals have a happy life, are able to roam and are not pumped with chemicals, there will ALWAYS be abuse, and ALWAYS be tainted meat.

Posted by: Courtney | February 21, 2008 09:44 AM

Steve,

Either you're joking about your post or this is the very first time you've visited the PETA website.

Cody,

Have you ever heard of Howard Lyman? He had 7000 head of cattle, and now he's a vegan.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | February 21, 2008 12:42 PM

Lori,

The world is not going to go vegan overnight. It's a matter of supply and demand. The less people demand the flesh and secretions of animals, the fewer animals will be bred and killed for these purposes. Since domesticated animals are unable to survive outside of human society, we should care for those left to live out their natural lives in our homes (like dogs and cats) or sanctuaries (like cows, pigs, chickens) and cease bringing any more into existence.

Posted by: Brandon Becker | February 21, 2008 01:16 PM

Vegetarianism is a high carb high fiber diet that is very bad for human health. Pls check out www.fibermenace.com for complete info. If the world went veggie overnite, we would all starve as there is not enough good land for growing food crops. Animals eat inedible food which they turn into muscle which we eat as meat. The case is for humane treatment of food animals, not for not eating meat.

Posted by: meanjean | February 21, 2008 01:20 PM

Thank's to PETA and other self awareness I have been going trough I stoped eating meat and are currently looking for an alternative to dairy since cheese and milk are some of my favorites :(.

Anyways keep up the good work and thanks for making the world a better place for animals .

on subject:kids do need to eat vegeterian meals at school ,if there is one thing schools should be teaching is a life full of a healthy life .

Meat eating is a childhood induced taste , since our parents since we are little feeds us meat we take it as normal , if kids were forced to see how animals are treated and killed I bet you that most kids would chose a life of vegeratianism over eating flesh .

Posted by: Robert Ornelas | February 21, 2008 01:23 PM

I have to comment on Smoky's rederick on "if we are not suppose to eat meat, then why do we have canines. Well MR. Smoky, gorrillas have bigger canines that we do and they are strictly VEGATARIAN. And also since we are on the subject, carnavours have extremely short intestins as oppose to vegetarians which have extremely long entestins.Due to the fact that there is less absorptions of toxin from the meat in short intestins. You do realize we humans have long intestins don't you? Have a nice day. PS. I hope your canines fall out.

Posted by: Terry | February 21, 2008 02:55 PM

Meanjean,

According to your fibermenace website, "Constipation happens to be the most common digestive complaint in the United States, outnumbering all other chronic digestive conditions.”

According to the American College of Gastroenterology the average American daily diet contains only 10-20 grams of fiber—the goal is 30-35 gms/day.

So, if fiber is so evil (and currently Americans aren't getting much anyway), what's causing all the constipation?

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | February 21, 2008 03:21 PM

meanjean: to the contrary: vegetarian eating is much healthier - i'm now a vegetarian for almost 40 years and i never was ill and my dad is 89! pls read the peta files - there is much about this subject! i'm tired to repeat always the same stuff!

Posted by: RAINBOW WARRIOR | February 21, 2008 03:50 PM

dudes, we need to teach the kids, or peers about animal cruelty, im like 13 and they don't have veggie options, the lunch ladies told me to get a docs note. some kid even slapped a chikin finger in my face. if we teach them now we can stop this ignorant maddness

Posted by: erica | February 21, 2008 04:13 PM

I've strugled w/ my meat diet for years. After seeing a pig jump out of a scalding tank in a Peta video, i gave up meat for 2 months. I ate it again, but always felt ashamed to call myself an animal person and then eat them. I want to extend a huge Thank you to Westland Meat for making my decision to swear off meat forever easier. I have vowed to change my lifestyle...i can't contribute to this industry anymore and live w/myself.

Even more importantly, I will absolutely NOT raise my 10 month old son on meat. I am at a HUGE disadvantage b/c my mother brought me up on it and now its hard to give it up. I can catch my son early-before he ever develops a taste for it. He wil be raised to be compassionate and NOT think killing other beings is OK.

Posted by: diane field | February 21, 2008 04:30 PM

Meat is a child induced taste? Really?

I hunt and my grandparents farm. I've seen animals humanely killed for their products as long as I can remember. It never turned me off meat as a child; rather, it instilled me with a healthy respect for animals and where my food comes from.

I have no qualms with vegans and vegetarians, but I enjoy meat (preferably free range organic, or from my grandparent's farm) and I will continue eating it.

Posted by: rathernotsay | February 21, 2008 04:37 PM

Brandon,
Thank you for explaining in a nice way. I'm new to this and just learning. I have always been an animal lover, but I'm trying to extend that to action. From what you have said, I gather that eventually these animals would just become extinct. If I have misunderstood, please correct me. I realize that the whole world will not become veggens overnight, or possibly ever. I was just wondering what the plan was. I don't like the idea of anymore animals becoming extinct, and at the same time I don't want them to be tortured and abused either. I know I want to get involved, I'm just not sure in what way. Thanks for being nice!

Posted by: Lori Cater | February 21, 2008 04:41 PM

Lori, are you joking?

These animals don't breed naturally. Farmers use artificial insemination.

If fewer people ate meat, fewer animals would be bred. End of story.

There would never be "too many."

Posted by: kelly | February 21, 2008 05:22 PM

This is the impossible to find list of State
agencies that track food shipments.
They will tell you if your school has been
supplied with beef from Westland.

http://inslide.com/agencies.htm

Posted by: Warwak | February 21, 2008 06:58 PM

terri and katie-
i was about to write a bunch of stuff but then i read what you wrote and i ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE! you guys are totally right. i dont get why this cow recall is in the papers when it happens all the time and what about those other animals being slaughtered? and cody- it is still wrong to eat innocent animals. oh, and smoky- hope your canines fall out! and matt- you are totally right! thanks PETA! you guys rock!!

Posted by: caitlin | February 21, 2008 07:11 PM

These comments are terrific, especially the ones from students. You know, everyone of you in public schools in our country has a Board of Education and that board is meant to represent every person in your school district! Nearly all boards allow Public Comment. Check your school's website and GO TO A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. Tell them what you think about the quality of the meals, lack of healthy options (you can say the word vegan or leave it generic), and ask too if any irradiated foods are used in meals. That will give them "food for thought"! Believe me, they are aware of the recall by now, but the public needs to follow up with them, all over the country, by going to those school board meetings. The recall is NOT their fault--and blaming them is misplaced. But if every school board in this country were asked politely to write to their Senators and Representatives (in the House of Rep), in re to The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (HR 1726), the Downed Animal Protection Act (s 394 and HR 661) then maybe Congress would not be able to sweep this carcass under the rug. Ask them politely to write to their Congressman and then to also provide you with a copy of their letter. Your principal will be there too, so see if any of the administrators are willing to meet with one or two students to talk about improving healthy options along with the Food Service Director. Hey, it could work, if you try!

Posted by: Kathleen in NYS | February 21, 2008 08:39 PM

As an endoscopist, I don't think people can eat too much fiber (fiber causes constipation? That's original, at least!!) However, in my other duties as an internist I battle people's addiction to simple carbohydrates as well. I still believe corn is the most insidious and damaging food product today. Not just as a human food product, but as an animal food as well. A vegan diet can be quite healthy if chosen well, just like an omnivorous diet.

Courtney,
Since the agricultural revolution humans have evolved very little. The one thing that some did evolve to do was continue to digest dairy after infancy. As far as sweeping changes in human physiology as selected by natural selection to an obligate herbivorous body, no such luck.

Terry,
Your knowledge of human anatomy and physiology are almost as bad as your spelling and grammar.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | February 21, 2008 09:00 PM

to all the angry carnivores....

your questions are not new questions. they have been asked hundreds and hundreds of times, and answered and re-answered by many of us weirdo animal lovers.

you've all posed some really good questions. we think we've answered them really well, too!

so go ahead and continue asking us "the hard questions". but take it a step further and explore peta's website, and the animal liberation front's website, and really educate yourselves if you are serious about finding answers. the answers are out there.

---from a midwestern, "heartland" animal lover

Posted by: katie | February 21, 2008 10:10 PM

Hello, I am vegan. common sense.. do we all need any forms of meat to consume? NO! There are perfectly good natural things that people can enjoy without hurting the animals. They have done nothing wrong, leave them alone. Why should it be different than the treatment of humans. How would that affect us if humans were treated in such a way as the animals are? Think about it. We are living creatures too. Put yourself in their places. Would you really want to go through what they do?? Duh?

Posted by: Dana Everett | February 22, 2008 05:14 AM

I am a vegetarian myself (been for 9 years). I enjoy reading the blogs and more importantly, the comments. This is where it gets downright gritty and to the point.

This is where I feel as if I should make a comment for once. I see quite a lot of fighting in these entries and the ones that make the harsh comments are those who are offended by what meat-eaters have to say. "I hope your canines fall out." That really goes to show the maturity of some people. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not everyone can take to heart of anothers opinion. That's what is so sad about most people; is that they can't learn to get along. Meat eaters will ALWAYS exist. So will veggies. Let's learn to get along and quit acting like children. I mean, we are all adults here and just learn to respect a meat eaters decision. Vice versa with a vegetarian/vegan.

Posted by: Justin Davis | February 22, 2008 02:05 PM

I eat dairy but I prefer soy milk to cow's milk and I have not eaten meat since 1993. The latest in beef recalls is not a shock to me - I have been waiting for something like this to happen since the mad cow epidemic in the 1990s.

I do eat seafood occasionally for the last couple of years but I have not eaten meat or poultry in 15 years and have lived a much healthier life post-veggie life. I think it's important for people to understand non-GMO soy products are the only ones they should consume and if they eat dairy to buy responsibly run small organic farm dairy or European dairy foods -not mainstream American dairy manufacturers.

And fyi - all the animal rights activists who wear leather and then throw paint at people who wear fur (some of these activists are meat eaters, btw) are enormous hypocrites in my opinion. I'm just sayin....

Posted by: Champagne | February 22, 2008 03:02 PM

The general public has no idea of the torture,terror and horrific death these animals endure.It should be mandatory for meat eaters to watch at least one undercover video! I tell my friends its the LEAST they can do.

Posted by: sandra dickerson | February 22, 2008 04:01 PM

Hi everyone! I must say I am so pleased to see the teenagers and pre-teens getting involved already. It makes me feel there's a little more hope for the future generations.
I have a 10 year old step-daughter who has know since I came into her life at four that I am %100 against circuses, rodeos, and any type of animal exploitation including Sea world and even certain zoos out there with animal shows.
I now have two young daughters of my own and they will never go to a circus or County fair, and ride an Elephant, Camel, or one of those ponies they have chained to a wheel all day in the dead of summer going in circles while parent's encourage this nonsense and pay $5 to $10 while their kids takes an innocent joy ride at the expense of the animal.
A friend of mine told me she was taking her girls to the circus and I said "no your NOT!" She asked me why and I filled her in-box with one video after another (mostly on Elephants which are my heart)and she called me back sobbing.
It seems like the general public thinks all this stuff has been long since rectified.
IT HASN'T!
I am big on making sure all the products in my home have not been tested on animals and let me tell you, it's slim pickings!
After looking at some of the Elephant videoes I forwarded them out to everyone I knew, but I never get a response when I do this...........WHY? Do they even look OR do they roll their eyes and delete??
I made my 10 year old step-daughter watch some videos just to be an advocate and maybe spread the word to her friends.
If either of my daughters ever gave me a hard time about not being able to go to the circus or Sea World, they would be getting an eye full too!
I am proud to announce..........a bill was passed in my state of CT (the first state to do this BTW) making Bull hooks used to train Elephants Illegal! The "torture tents"(as I call them) i.e. circus doesn't come here now because they refuse to stop using them.
Well, one state down 50+ more to go! M.C. Locke

Posted by: M.C. Locke | February 22, 2008 04:16 PM

Justin Davis,

I agree we keep the personal insults to a minimum. We need to remember that we are all socialized in a speciesist culture that approves of using other animals for nearly any purpose, especially as food. We must deprogram ourselves and break down the barriers that cause us to see animals as objects rather than subjects.

However, this does NOT mean we should "respect" anyone's decision to continue to consume the products of violence - flesh, milk, and eggs. All sentient beings feel pain and value their lives. Considering that humans can be healthy on a 100% plant-based diet, there is no reason to continue to support these practices. We have a choice, the animals don't. Go vegan.

Posted by: Brandon Becker | February 22, 2008 04:26 PM

if this doesnt turn pple veg idk what will....

lmfao

Posted by: b | February 22, 2008 04:31 PM

I didn't hear any news people asking the question: Why were these cows sick and "downed"?
The short answer is that these animals grow up sick under factory conditions. The fact of their condition & their still being led to slaughter easily refutes the industry's assertion: that proper animal care is important to production/profit.

Posted by: John Carbonaro | February 22, 2008 04:40 PM

Well...if the people didn't eat the damned meat we wouldn't have this problem would we?
I went veggie in October and I haven't regreted it at all. All the people i know are like, "How can you not eat meat? That veggie stuff is DISGUSTING!" And I am just like, "Well if I were to eat meat again I would feel as though I am eating my cat, my dog, my horse, or my rabbit. That's how i can can avoid meat. You should try it sometime. You'll definatley benefit from it." And they won't try it. I think that if we got the word out about the health and ethical reasons to go vegan then more people would try it.

Posted by: erika | February 22, 2008 06:27 PM

Brandon

I totally agree with your February 22: 4:26 comment. The animals get no respect as they are being raised in filthy, deplorable and cruel conditions on factory farms. The extreme violence and pain endured as they are being slaughtered certainly deserves no respect. A respectful and non-violent choice is to go vegan.

Posted by: Ana | February 22, 2008 07:15 PM

John, I guess it's along the same lines as humans who get sick or injured. It just happens.
Sorry, animals don't grow up sick under factory conditions, that would indeed be contrary to profitability. Sheer numbers mean disease will affect a proportion of animals. Just like a child coming home from school with the flu doesn't mean every child has it.

Posted by: rojo | February 24, 2008 05:37 AM

ALSO I QUIT BUYING VEAL FOR MY FANILY,AM SPREADING THE NEWS OF THE CRUELTY OF FARM ANIMALS AND PETS.MANY PEOPLE THINK I AM CRAZY-I LIVE IN FARM COUNTRY BUT I DON'T CARE-EVEN IF I REACH ONE PERSON.I PRMOTE NO CIRCUSES,NO POULTRY,NO PORK,NO BEEF,NO FUR OR LEATHER,WHY ARE SO MANY ACTORS AND DESIGNERS INCLUDING FUR AGAIN AND LEATHER IN THEIR STYLE-WE ARE GOING BACKWARDS.MORE COMMERCIALS NEED TO BE ON TV,INTERNET SITES TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THE NUMEROUS CRUELTIES IN THIS WORLD, I HATE MIKE VICK AND AM angry his money wasn't taken back-shame on that judge! I APPLAUD ALL THE CELEBRETIES WHO PROMOTE ANIMALS TO BE TREATED BETTER-ESPECIALLY HANNETTE PANTIER WITH THE HORRIBLE SLAUGHTER OF JAPANS DOLPHINS.WE REFUSE TO TRAVEL TO COUNTRIES WHO DON'T HELP ANMALS.MAKE MIKE VICK APOLOGIZE AND TEACH YOUTH WHAT HE DID WAS WRONG!WHY HASN'T THE LOCAL PROSECUTOR ARRESTED HIM YET-

Posted by: DR. TOULA M. GUILFOYLE | February 24, 2008 12:09 PM

No Kelly,
I wasn't joking! sorry I'm not as well informed as you. Hope when you were learning there were people like you to help you along (not). I never said anything about there ever being "to many" animals of any kind. If you are going to respond to someone's post, at least have your facts right. All I said was that I didn't want them to become extinct. If they don't breed on their own, and we don't eat them, then they will become extinct. Kelly are you also against hunting?

Posted by: Lori Cater | February 25, 2008 09:27 AM

Did you see the cartoon in yesterday's (2/24/08) New York Times regarding the beef scare. Done in very poor taste.

Posted by: Sara | February 25, 2008 11:04 AM

Did you see the cartoon in NYT mocking the meat recall and cruelty to animals. Done in poor taste.

Posted by: Sara | February 25, 2008 02:08 PM

Rojo,

There is a big difference between being sick and dying. Downers are, of course, non-ambulatory.

"Detailed statistics from the United Kingdom show that approximately 1% of the national herd are considered “downer cows.” Given that the U.S. herd size was 97 million in 2002, this would suggest that there were 970,000 downer cattle."

If 1% of schoolchildren died, or were likewise incapacitated, it would be a national scandal.

In a confined feedlot system, each animal may have as little as 20 square feet. That's like 7 or 8 almost full-grown steers in your bedroom. That kind of over-crowding is bound to exacerbate disease.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | February 25, 2008 03:16 PM

Dr. Cochran, First off, I want to thank you for your criticism of my grammer and spelling. As for the other stuff you and I disagree. Anyway, if anyone is interested and Dr. I think you may find this book really fascinating. The China Study is probably the best book I have ever read on the health problems eating meat and dairy products cause humans. It is concerning a 30 year study by doctors and scientists. Everyone should read this book. Anyway, choosing not to eat meat is an ethical one for me. And to Justin Davis, I agree with you 100 %. Is my spelling and grammer ok doc.?

Posted by: terry | February 26, 2008 10:18 AM

Terry, don't worry about what Dr. C tells you. He is known for these types of comments.

Posted by: Michele | February 26, 2008 03:52 PM

Terry,
Our closest related ape relative the chimpanzee is not a vegetarian. We have a gut that is the perfect size for an omnivorous diet. The meats that we eat are unhealthy because they are over fed bad grains such as corn. Humans need a diet of mostly unprocessed vegetable products with good lean meat sources. I haven't read any Chinese studies lately, but given their health records I wouldn't lend much credence to any research they do. Only a few months earlier, everyone here was bashing China due to a dismal animal abuse record. Thanks for putting a little more effort into your post, your "rederick" sound much more earnest.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | February 26, 2008 03:54 PM

mike Q, disease comes from somewhere, and if it is transmissable then undoubtably close conditions will aid the spread within a feedlot. It's why they have quarantine areas and protocols.

Space per head is a difficult one, and the feedlots I've seen don't have such cramped conditions. In Aust, the minimum space per beast is 10m2 or about 100sqft for feedlot approvals.

http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/pdfs/cattle.pdf

You're pretty presumptious about my bedroom size. Sadly accurate though.

Posted by: rojo | February 26, 2008 05:22 PM

Rojo,

It's only good for two things anyway, lol.

Christopher,

We belong to the family Hominidae, as do chimpanzees, and the mainly herbivorous orangutans and gorillas. A gorilla's DNA is 97%–98% identical to that of a human. So there is certainly an antecedent for a human to follow a vegetarian or near-vegetarian diet.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | February 26, 2008 06:39 PM

Lori,
You have come back a few times so just in case you read this:

If we all became vegan, the meat industry would stop breeding the animals so quickly and cruelly. Many of them are in such a terrible state they would die quickly anyway. All would have less-than-normal lifespans, and we would only have to support them for a few years and would not have processing fees. But it will be a much more gradual process.

Everyone on here should offer their comments to other places too, so the people who are not alredy looking at the facts can see what is happening. Get into newspapers, everywhere you can-this website already has plenty of good information!

Posted by: Anika | February 26, 2008 07:04 PM

Christopher Cochran,

Whether humans are omnivores or herbivores, we are clearly not carnivores so we do not need to eat animal flesh to survive. Considering this fact, it is unjust to continue to breed, confine, and kill animals for food.

Since we can all be healthy without killing animals, we should all be vegan.

Any concerns you have about health relating to plant-based diets can be found on this page from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/

Finally, the China Study is a book by Dr. T. Colin Campbell reporting the findings of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project.

Check it out:
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

-----

rojo,

Practically every major disease that inflicts humans stems from our 10,000 project of domesticating animals. This tyranny has caused untold suffering to human and nonhuman animals alike.

Check out Dr. Michael Greger's "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching." You can read it online at http://www.birdflubook.com/

Posted by: Brandon Becker | February 26, 2008 08:21 PM

Dr. Cochran, You missed the point completely. I used the example Gorrilla because smokey said we have canines which means we were meant to eat meat. Gorrillas also have canines and they do not eat any meat. As far as the China Study, it really has nothing to do with China. You seem to think you are much better than me and very full of yourself.I don't feel you are really worth my effort to respond to any more. Have a good time cutting me up on your next post. To everyone else, let me know if any of you read The China Study. I would like to know your opinion of it.

Posted by: terry | February 27, 2008 09:22 AM

TERRY,
Don't go there with Faux Doc.
The only reason he is still here is because Jack felt sorry for him.
This is the only place people will address him.
So because of our compassion we just put up with him...
Your posts are great.
Peace!!!

Erica,
If people refuse to listen, call the media or stage a protest.
Make them listen, and keep it peaceful.
Good Luck!

Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | February 27, 2008 04:02 PM

Brandon, it's interesting that the main vector for bird flu spread is wild birds, and research indicated they've had these virus strains for many years before the outbreaks.

At a factory farm no individual bird is more likely to get the disease than one in a backyard, probably less if access to the outdoors is retricted.Bird droppings are the most common mode of spread.
Unfortunately if one gets the virus it has the opportunity to spread through the entire flock.

SARS for instance seems to have stemmmed from bat droppings, bird flu from the aquatic bird disease pool, AIDS from monkeys,none caused by agriculture, but proximity to animals will increase the risks.

The biggest concern is the people who cohabitate with their poultry, and the consequent opportunity of virus mutation to become transmissable between humans. Humans are only infected by a fraction of one percent of the pathogens existing in the animal kingdom, so the danger is real.

Posted by: rojo | February 27, 2008 05:48 PM

Terry, I just requested The China Study from my local public library - I'm looking forward to reading it! As to the comments by the big, (self-)important Doc about not lending credence to any research done by the Chinese, he sure thinks he is smarter than anyone else, but ends up looking pretty silly in the end - hee hee!

Posted by: Michele | February 27, 2008 10:34 PM

Michele

Love your comment Feb, 27, 10:34 pm.

All of your comments are so wonderful to read. Uplifting and at times funny!! :)

Posted by: Ana | February 28, 2008 05:12 PM

Ana, thank you for your kind words. It IS uplifting to be able to hear from fellow animal rights folks, isn't it? I like reading how others can sometimes explain what I am thinking, but in a much more succinct manner than I could manage. And, of course it IS fun to get the occasional "burn" in there! The faux Doc (thanks to whoever coined that one - was it you Ana, or Judith perhaps?) asks for it sometimes, doesn't he? LOL We definitely need to use humour to release the stress of always having to fight an uphill battle in the quest to save animals.

Posted by: Michele | February 28, 2008 10:09 PM

http://nwherald.com/articles/2008/03/01/opinion/letters/doc47ca193372f5d649795572.txt

After trying to teach the evils of meat to our children, there was a 143 million-pound recall that was too late for our children in the school system. Turns out, 384 pounds of the recalled meat from Westland was made into taco meat and fed to our children at Fox River Grove Middle School in April and the months after of 2007.

You can confirm this with Jim Copp, Principal Consultant Division of Nutrition Programs and Support Services Illinois State Board of Education. USDA announced the recall for fears of mad cow disease. I was fired for trying to warn the kids and if just one of them gets Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which is the human form of mad cow disease, who are we to blame?

How sad it would be if one Fox River Grove child, just one child gets a brain-wasting disease through our fault. It is called spongiform encephalitis for a good reason. The brain turns into a sponge. I know what you are thinking. It cannot happen here. Meat and dairy have no place in the school lunch program. Animals were never food. We were raised wrong. We are teaching wrong

Posted by: Warwak | March 2, 2008 05:55 PM

"Animals were never food" can be nothing less than an outright lie. Even educated vegetarians don't deny this.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2082785/Humans-are-Omnivores-Portrait

While I wouldn't wish to underestimate the risk of BSE induced vCJD, one could simply compare the statistics between US cases of vCJD - 0, with the deaths from peanut allergies - 50 to 100 per year.

Posted by: rojo | March 4, 2008 05:24 PM

Rojo,

That's assuming that vCJD is not being misdiagnosed.

"Nobel Laureate Gajdusek, for example, estimates that 1% of people showing up in Alzheimer clinics actually have CJD. At Yale, out of a series of 46 patients clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's, six were proven to have CJD at autopsy. In another study of brain biopsies, out of a dozen patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's according to established criteria, three of them were actually dying from CJD. An informal survey of neuropathologists registered a suspicion that CJD accounts for 2-12% of all dementias in general. Two autopsy studies showed a CJD rate among dementia deaths of about 3%. A third study, at the University of Pennsylvania, showed that 5% of patients diagnosed with dementia had CJD. Although only a few hundred cases of sporadic CJD are
officially reported in the U.S. annually, hundreds of thousands of Americans die with dementia every year. Thousands of these deaths may actually be from CJD caused by eating infected meat."

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | March 5, 2008 03:44 PM

Hi Mike Q, Dr Greger has certainly pulled some abstract facts together. As you know animal experiments prove nothing in humans :)

He's made a great leap from vCJD to sporadic CJD and then on to all cases of dementia.

I'm just not sure why, if vCJD cases are so rare in the US(zero I think), and CJD cases are only in the hundreds, how do so many show up in Autopsies?
Is it that Alzheimers resembles CJD? Or is it oldies that may actually be spreading the disease. I'm sure we could link some elderly folk to cattle feeding. Sometimes they even interact with the general population! There are increasing nubers of oldies in the world and this seems to correlate with increasing cases of dementia. I rest my case.

Posted by: rojo | March 7, 2008 06:00 PM

Rojo,

Research is going on now for a possible link between meat and spontaneous CJD.

Apparently, many pathologists are very reluctant to do possible CJD autopsies, since the prions are so hard to kill. Generally an autopsy is the only definitive way to determine if the culprit was dementia or CJD.

There have also been some instances of "clusters" of CJD in the States over and above what is a normal expected incidence.

http://www.nbc10.com/consumeralertarchive/3281620/detail.html

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | March 8, 2008 03:28 PM

Mike, the prions certainly are of concern. I understand instruments used in brain surgery are destroyed. Not that spread between autopsy recipients would be of concern.
Apparently corneal transplants can also transmit the prions. Here in Aust blood donors must not have eaten beef in the UK during specified years. I can only assume blood products are of concern too.

Not sure what to make of your link, authorities claim no cluster but incidence of CJD is usually only 1/million. I'm not sure how statistics takes into account the wide span of years in this regard. ie over 10 years does it make it 1/100000?

Anyway here is health auth. report.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm53e507a1.htm

Posted by: rojo | March 11, 2008 08:11 AM