More disturbing news…

This story is sad in may ways, but it defines the true laws of nature. Instead of summing up the story here it is;

DOG ATTACKS GATOR , GETS OBIT

Freddy was a cairn terrier, 5 years old, 19 pounds of ferocious. His favorite toy was a rubber goldfish that squeaked when he chomped on it. Once he chased a possum and made it play dead. Once he chased a UPS truck and nearly got run over. Every day, when Sarah Frey took him for a walk and her two cats tagged along, Freddy chased away anything that got near the cats.
On Tuesday, she took him to Al Lopez Park in Tampa. He was not wearing a leash. Suddenly he took off. Only he knows why. Frey did not see what happened next. She is grateful for this. Other people did: Freddy saw a gator and ran to the edge of the water. The gator was about seven feet long. Freddy stared down at the armor-plated carnivore and began to bark. But he did not stop with mere barking. He jumped into the black water. And became a meal. A statelicensed trapper will kill the gator . — Thomas Lake/tbt*

We’re so quick to say eating meat is ‘the food chain’ or ‘law of nature’ yet when a truly natural thing occurs in nature we contort it. I am extremely offended, disturbed, and outraged at the fact the gator was destroyed. WTF would you expect a gator to do when food willing walks into it’s territory!? The owner of this animas should consider herself lucky I am not allowed to sentence her, because she would be in jail for being responsible to destroying 2 lives. There are reasons pets should be kept on leashes, mostly for their own safety. I try not to hate people, but this woman gets my blood boiling. This is the second instance in just a few months where food has willing walked directly into it’s demise and the gator is punished for doing as nature intended. Why aren’t we as humans punished so harshly?

The response to the undercover video footage lead schools to (temporarily) take meat of the school lunch menu (due to health hazards, not the mistreatment). I find this rather sickening, but as they say beggars cant be choosers. Regardless of the flawed reasoning behind the schools decisions I’m glad to see, at least for a while, meat will not be an option.

Another recent article I’ve read is titled ‘Diet Soda can be fattening. Rats!’ ok people, I have a bumper sticker on my car that reads “Torturing one is cruelty, torturing many is science!” I cant help but have a WTF reaction to why people, who don’t normally associate themselves with rats, or have a genetic make up similar to rats, don’t have a problem with being told an outcome on our two different species can have anything to do with one another. The entire subject of animal testing is very contradictory. Either we can kill and torture animals because they are nothing like us humans, or we can test out products on animals to be deemed safe for humans because they are so similar to us. Which is it people?? Are we really like rats? I think yes and no. Genetically no of course, but when the phrase ‘dirty rat’ comes to mind yes, humans are, as rats are thought to be, are clever sneaky creatures.

*WTF; What the Fuck

I’m not sure where to start. First off I’d like to bring attention to a local news paper called the Tampa Bay Times (TBT). I’ve been reading this paper for about a month now and have been astonished at some of the stories I’ve uncovered. This is a free local paper distributed all over the Tampa Bay area, and thus very mainstream. I’m not sure if it’s a journalism trend right now, but I’ve found several stories related to slaughterhouses and animal abuse. These stories don’t point out Veganism per say, but I’ll be dammed if at least one of these stories doesn’t stick with people and maybe one day lead them to the connection of the destruction and harmful behavior they are causing not only to the animals, the workers, but also themselves.

The very first story I came across was about secret undercover video under covering slaughterhouse cruelty shot by the Humane Society in a California slaughterhouse. The article was a mere snippet into the story, but powerful non-the-less. There even appeared a picture of a cow that was unable to stand where the caption read ‘In a scene from the undercover video, a slaughterhouse worker kicks a cow that is too sick to stand or move.” Just the fact that this had any mention at all in such a mainstream paper had me abashed. Of course as Vegan’s, this kind of thing isn’t anything new or even shocking. Here is the corresponding link to the story:

http://tampabaytimes.fl.newsmemory.com/ 

 

Several questions arose upon reading this article. Why is it worse to torture than to take a life?, and How can anyone think what is revealed in this video is so wrong if killing isn’t?

 

A coworker of mine also read the story, and when I inquired about the story to another in her presence she could not listen, and was nearly brought to tears at the mere mention. Yet the very same women continues to eat meat. I really don’t get this. How can anyone care so much for animals they are brought to tears at the thought of them being harmed, yet eat the very same animals? She even admitted to having to talk herself into eating burgers some times. Out of all the horrible things I’ve learned since becoming Vegan I must say this has shocked and horrified me the most. Knowing something is wrong but still doing it is so unconscionable, is it not? Still I sit he in bafflement, stunned into silence with no words to describe my query into this woman’s train of thought and corresponding actions, and people like her.

To me, American today represents greed, wealth, selfishness, and censorship. Is this the foundation of our freedom? I don’t think so. We are considered to be the free world, but what’s so free about having to work 40+ hours a week just to barley pay bills. What’s so free about being in debt half our lives in order to pay for an education that gets us the 40+ hour work week job?

My views may offend some, and seem un-American to many, but to be un-American is in essence to be American, is it not? Having the right to choose to want to be something, or not want to be something.

I wish I could better articulate my thoughts when it comes to my recent decision to turn in my voting card. Literally, I’ve sent it to the democratic national committee. I feel by doing so I’m freeing myself of a burden, not giving something up. It’s impossible to give something up when its already been taken away. Yes, I can still vote, but do I want to? Do I want to participate in a system so obviously flawed? Is there even really a difference between a democratic and republican? At the end of they day the presidential candidates all sleep well covered in their luxuries. The entire election process seems to be a mere façade. Sure we hear candidates tell us how they want to change the world and better our country, but when it comes down to it how much power do they really have to accomplish the impossible? Not to mention we only hear of a select few of the participants in the running. Are theses select individuals really the best we have to offer, no. of course not. They are merely the privileged few with enough money and backing to be heard.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am thankful for the right to vote, but I don’t feel today’s elections reflect a fair and just process- and maybe they never really did. By giving up my choice, not my right, to vote I feel I am taking away ‘the man’s’ power to make me feel helpless, powerless, and infuriated with things I virtually have no control over- such as my vote being merely symbolic in the recent primary election.

I guarantee a large majority of voters didn’t even recognize half the names on the ballot. When we have people like this deciding our country’s fate how worthy can the process really be? I will however hold myself to my own standards of believing if one doesn’t participate in the political process one forges their right to have a meaningful opinion on it. With that I wipe my hands clean of American politics, at least for now.

The thing about killing animals for food is that it’s a job that no one really wants to do. Think about it. Working in a slaughter house is nobody’s dream job. Unfortunately the people most likely working these horrific jobs are people with no other options. I know a lot of people think that caring for animals means someone cares less for humans. But that’s simply not true. I think its just the opposite. Yes I care what happens to animals, but I care so much about what the people have to go through in order to provide the animals for others to consume as well. When you think about it, its un-humanitarian to consume animal products. There’s a big difference between someone saying they could kill an animal for food if they had to and people virtually being forced to kill billions day after day. Think about what these people go through. Think about how you would feel having to look in the eyes of the innocent as you slit their throats. Is this a position you would ever want your loved ones to be in? Can you imagine being proud as a parent to have you child have to do this for a living? Put aside the health benefits, the impact our out of control meat eating has over the planets energy crisis, and the 10 billion needlessly mutilated and killed animals, and think about what you are doing to your fellow humans. Is eating animals really worth destroying another human being?