Animals Want Happiness Too

Levonian said:
If you think about it, we're the only cruel animals who have ever lived on Earth.
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Obviously you've never watched a cat or a dog play with their prey before they kill it. I've seen documentaries where lions and cheetahs and bears do the same, crippling an animal so that their offspring can "learn" how to kill and usually the animal ends up maimed but barely alive before the adult dispatches it. Its survival of the fittest.
 
neecy said:
Obviously you've never watched a cat or a dog play with their prey before they kill it. I've seen documentaries where lions and cheetahs and bears do the same, crippling an animal so that their offspring can "learn" how to kill and usually the animal ends up maimed but barely alive before the adult dispatches it. Its survival of the fittest.
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There is a huge difference between humans and animals. For one, we have the ability to rationalize. Animals don't.
 
Yes I am very aware of that. USDA can't be everywhere all the time. I only know about the slaughter house I work at. As far as the others all around the U.S. I've heard and know what your talking about. Yes the abuse does happen everywhere. I know it has happened where I work. Of course if I catch them (because I'm the leader in my area) or my supervisor or the USDA. They got themselves an instant termination. The hog plant I work at is actually more clean and sanitary then most I've heard of.



jonjan said:
jlfwildkat, regardless of the USDA's efforts, there are still a lot of violations and unsanitary conditions in factory farms. There was a NY Times article that got a lot of attention titled "they die piece by piece", about how many cattle were still alive while they were being cut up. There have been a few tv reports in the last 1-2 years of chickens being stamped on, kicked, their necks twisted at chicken slaughter plants. There have been several news pieces about appaling conditions at egg farms. There is a lot of video footage of appaling conditions, and more footage keeps being taken, so these things are happening.
Just like when the Better Business Bureau judged that the egg industries "Animal Care Certified" label was misleading... the egg industry has stopped using that label now... but nothing has changed. Hens still have less cage space than a 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, where they stand and sit for their entire lives. (That's one reason why buying "cage-free" is one thing that can help a lot.)
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neecy said:
Obviously you've never watched a cat or a dog play with their prey before they kill it. I've seen documentaries where lions and cheetahs and bears do the same, crippling an animal so that their offspring can "learn" how to kill and usually the animal ends up maimed but barely alive before the adult dispatches it. Its survival of the fittest.
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I might say that humans have the relatively unique ability of self-awareness and higher mental functions.
Some individuals in non-human animal bodies, with non-human brains, do have self-awareness, and some higher states of mental ability... like Washoe, KoKo, dolphins, and other animals. Seeing Eye Dogs can develop their brains to be as 'intelligent' as a 5 year old human, pigs are even more intelligent, and other animals are even more.

Our mental ability results in both major deep misconceptions and inaccurate beliefs... us-them thinking, searching for reasons why suffering is okay, or reasons why it's okay to rob, murder, or rape others. Searching for reasons why it's okay to do things to others that we'd never want done to ourselves. The news is full of crazy things humans are doing.

A big difference is that non-human animals, largely, don't 'think' about what they do, it is more an instinct. It is more than 'they' are not in control of their bodies... it's more of a reflex. But humans definitely have the ability to be self-aware of our actions and words, and to use self control.

The human brain also allows us to explore and create all the amazing things we read about too. Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, W Mitchell, Mattie Stepanek... even incredible acts of caring that we have done and done by people we know.

I think, no matter what description gets applied to humans, or humanity, the question i'm guided by is always...
"from here... where?"

from where each of us is, where do we want to move towards?

...from any place, there is are many directions that will lead to more peace, understanding, freedom, awareness, consciousness, and welbeing. No matter what humans, or I, get labelled, I'll keep guiding myself by what will help others, and myself, the most :) life is so precious, the body is so utterly complex, the bran is even more mysterious.. where does consciousness come from. The Earth is very complex and delicate, and we wouldn't be here without the sun, radiation-blocking belts around the Earth, and without a fine range of gasses in the atmosphere. Life is amazing.
 
jlfwildkat said:
Yes I am very aware of that. USDA can't be everywhere all the time. I only know about the slaughter house I work at. As far as the others all around the U.S. I've heard and know what your talking about. Yes the abuse does happen everywhere. I know it has happened where I work. Of course if I catch them (because I'm the leader in my area) or my supervisor or the USDA. They got themselves an instant termination. The hog plant I work at is actually more clean and sanitary then most I've heard of.
.
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good for you !
If somebody was doing what you were doing, at every slaughterhouse, there'd be a lot less suffering.
Maybe in the future there will be less pigs being slaughtered for food, but until then I'm glad you are the leader at the plant you work at.

Do you happen to know what gets done with the pigs skins and insides? Is it all landfilled, or does it get used for something else... ground up into feed, bloodmeal fertilizer, or something?
 
Read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair if you want an introspective look at the meat industry.
 
Levonian said:
I found this on a vegetarian message board. It’s an amateur Web page which shows the cruelty we inflict on the animals we eat. It’s somewhat disturbing, and not for the faint-of-heart. But tell me what you think—I’d like to hear your comments if you’re willing to look at it.

Animals Want Happiness Too
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Levonian, what did they did to the animals is inhumanely unethical. But those animals were caged in the factory farms, am I right? My health-conscious friends took me to a few free-range farms and the animals resided in there were excessively healthy and happy. Unlike the factory farms and its smell & pollution intricacy, the smells were almost unnoticeably. Same as European-bred meats, the free-range beef is mind-blowing appetizing!

Say, your chimpanzee picture reminded me of a Man Han Quan Xi-fashionedly Monkey Brain Stew I had~1~. Yum. :)


~1~ I'm just kidding.
 
guido said:
Read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair if you want an introspective look at the meat industry.
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Perhaps - but that book was written 100 years ago (to be exact - it was written in 1906) - we've come a long way since then!
 
neecy, not a long time ago, a few of my friends were vegetarians and tried to convince me to be on the vegetarian diet. I, of course, resisted but allowed them to twist my arms to read a controversial book, Fast Food Nation. It opened my eyes about meat and the fast food industry. Indubitably, I'd rather to die than give up eating mouth-drooling meats as long as it's free-range.
 
neecy said:
Perhaps - but that book was written 100 years ago (to be exact - it was written in 1906) - we've come a long way since then!
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Oops. Busted.:pissed:

It's still a good book that will make you think twice about eating meat.
 
I believe that animals do feel emotions and have different personalities like people do. But most animals live by instincts and not many have higher thinking processes like humans do. But be nice to animals becuz we share the earth with them. :)
 
Actually they use the skin for footballs, coats, trimmings, leave it on some meats like ham, etc.. They don't let nothing go to waste. At a hog plant they use everything but "The Squeal"



jonjan said:
good for you !
If somebody was doing what you were doing, at every slaughterhouse, there'd be a lot less suffering.
Maybe in the future there will be less pigs being slaughtered for food, but until then I'm glad you are the leader at the plant you work at.

Do you happen to know what gets done with the pigs skins and insides? Is it all landfilled, or does it get used for something else... ground up into feed, bloodmeal fertilizer, or something?
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Liebling:-))) said:
:cold: I begin to think about become vegetarian... :ugh3:
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if you think it's a good direction for you, then great :)

if it's helpful... here are a few forums of others exploring eating more plant-based...
Veggie Forums

the first forum is really active and lot of helpful encouraging people there.. veterans and newbies :)
 
gnarlydorkette said:
Lev or guido, if you know any more (I know there is milk that is free of any hormones, being called "MSF"?? help me out here), post away. Give them a chance to redeem themselves.
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Actually, I know almost nothing about the subject because my goal is to eliminate the use of all animal products, at least as much as possible. Milk and eggs are already out the window for me—there’s none in my ‘fridge, and I’ve discontinued buying any more. I’ve switched to a vegan brand of margarine called Earth Balance, and once I use up what little poultry and fish I have left in my storage freezer, I will discontinue buying more.

Veganism has massive advantages over lacto-ovo vegetarianism. Lacto-ovo diets can not reverse heart disease, but vegan diets have been tentatively demonstrated to do so. Veganism will probably reduce the risk of contracting most cancers by a very sizeable percentage—possibly up to 90%. Even a lot of autoimmune diseases like MS may be caused by eating too much animal protein. And I now convinced that everybody who has type II diabetes did themselves in—I’m completely convinced now that this disease is entirely caused by dietary choices. I strongly recommend reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, and The Food Revolution by John Robbins. They will open your eyes to the way in which the consumption all animal foods, not just beef and pork, are degrading to your health and vitality.
 
Levonian... Good for you. I also don't eat any animal foods anymore, since '96. I never get sick and people comment about it, and the last time I went to my doctor for a routine check-up, he said he wished all his patients were as healthy as me.

I grew up eating Little Ceasar's pizza and McD's quarter pounders with cheese, and BK's double bacon cheeseburgers. Starting in '94, I went through a lot of steps of choosing my diet consciously.. and currently I'm eating about 70% fresh organic fruits, and the rest is mostly organic cooked grains. I've just been following what leaves me feeling the best.. both from knowing the affects on the animals and our environment, and also what feels best to my energy and health and mind.

My mom switched to cage-free organic eggs. It's definitely better for the hens than if they were caged, pesticided, and growth hormoned. It's a good effort to explore what seems better, and it might be a good experience that leads to more.
Whenever we make a step in the right direct, it's a 100% success :) Anybody who eats even 1 less animal foods meal a month, is helping. And it's usually very easy to do much more than that :) All our support makes it so much easier :gossip: :type: :)


To everyone else here... I also updated a webpage that details the major benefits a more-plant-based diet has for our health, and also our air,water,and soil. The information is solidly referenced with links, and it's also easily-readable.
helpusall.com/foodsummary

Jon
 
the hope is already available...

rockdrummer said:
There might be hope for those suffering animals in the future. At least the ones that are slaughtered for food. Check out these links....
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it is interesting. I'd welcome test-tube meat (but I might not blindly trust the safety of it, especially after seeing how the FDA handled genetically engineered foods which are proven to have caused intestinal lesions, unexpected allergies, altered nutrients, and even human deaths.)
Actual GMO Harms

And... There Already IS Hope NOW :D


According to surveys done by Zogby, Gallup, Time/CNN, American Dietetic Association, National Resturant Association, Land O' Lakes, and other groups:


there are approximately 122 million people in the US
who are reducing the amount of animal foods they eat
or have eliminated animal foods completely from their diet

And those surveys were done from 1994 to 2001, so the number of people now would likely be much higher.
More speculative sources estimate that 248 million people worldwide, are choosing not to eat any meat at all. So the number of people who are reducing the amount of animal foods they eat, would be much higher than 248 million.

That said, welcome... and now, the information...

helpusall.com/foodsummary

There is no need to wait :)
 
guido said:
I'm not 100% on this, but I believe all over Ben and Jerry's products are BGH free. All they're products are from 100% naturally healthy cows. This might mean why they're products are a little more expensive, but to me, its worth the peace of mind.
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Just found this on veggieboards a couple of hours ago. It has nothing to do with BGH, but you might want to read it anyway:

A Scoop of Lies: Ben & Jerry’s and Factory Farm Cruelty
 
I bet Ben & Jerry's buy eggs from factory farms becuz its cheaper...with most if not all the companies--its all about the bottom line, $$$$.

I do wish we can find a better way to raise chickens in large numbers in a more humane way...It would be difficult to do range free chickens in a huge numbers--I can see them standing up free but packed in large farm lot. At least they wont get de-beaked.
 
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