factory farming abuse

Hi GE Followers!

It’s Quarter-end at work and I have been up to my eyeballs in fund reviews. But that’s not why I’m writing.

Since Christmas, I have been reading the blogs that I follow and almost everyone has either written a 2012 recap or written about their future goals/resolutions for 2013. A good percentage of the blogs I follow are fellow vegans; however, some are not and hey that is their choice, I’m not passing judgment here; well at least I’m trying not to.

😐

Every morning my routine involves catching up on the news feeds about animal cruelty stories. These stories encompass all animals from family pets to animals raised for consumption or bred for fur. I also ride the Commuter Rail in/out of the city five days a week and almost every day I encounter some level of rudeness from people (natch!); although, generally I brush it off. With that said, do you want to know what really goes up my ass 90 MPH? When I overhear conversations from these so-called “Foodies” who discuss the food they either prepared or ate at a restaurant. I especially grow annoyed when I overhear someone blather on about their grass-fed beef, the free-range chicken and their “organic” cheese. In the past, I have posted about these food labels; however, allow me to rant about those labels here as a refresher: Grass-Fed, Free-Range and Organic Meat Labels DO NOT MEAN A DAMN THING!!! Their sole purpose is to ease consumer guilt. When people hear: Free-Range Chicken, they assume the chicken spent it’s life running around a farm, taking dirt baths (which is a natural instinct), and basking in the sun. The same applies to “grass-fed beef”. I’m sure most people conjure up thoughts of cows basking in a field, rubbing up against fence posts, receiving daily back rubs from their local farmers while nibbling on fresh grass — when nothing could be farther from the truth – their entire lives have been spent indoors – no fresh air, no blue skies, no sun on their backs, nada! Oh and don’t even get me started on those stupid dairy cow commercials on TV showing happy cows as members of someone’s family, taking showers, and playing board games. Yah, I bet all the dairy cows suffering right now as I type this post would love a life like that. Folks, these labels ease your guilt while the animals suffer until they land on your plate, in your glass or on your pizza – trust me on this. If you need further proof or documentation I suggest navigating to: http://freefromharm.org

As for pigs, well, when was the last time you heard: “Free-Range Pig”? Or “Grass-Fed Pig?” You haven’t right? No, neither have I. Pigs endure such horrible abuse that it cuts me straight through to my core. I’m not saying or even implying that the abuse pigs endure trumps the abuse of all other animals, but it’s hard to watch sows imprisoned in gestation crates their entire lives (which is up to 4 years). I have always had a thing for pigs and I don’t know why that is. I mean I love all animals, but pigs hold a special place in my heart. Maybe my connection to them stems from some ability to see their intelligence. I honestly don’t know…

If you’d like to read a heartwarming story about a pig rescue, check out this story of Julia, a pregnant sow rescued from a factory farm. She endure horrible abuse before landing at the Farm Sanctuary (thank G-d!).

In conclusion, the reason I am a vegan is because I cannot subscribe to the abuse farm animals endure – whether these animals are bred on small farms or raised in a factory – the abuse is the same as is the way they are slaughtered. I can no more fathom eating my cat (and in some countries, people do!), than I can eat a cow, pig, steer, chicken, turkey, et al. All animals have feelings; form bonds; and feel pain. If you are justifying your animal consumption by declaring that you only eat: Grass-Fed or Free Range, well then you are deluding yourself and trying to justify your position. IMHO, if you want to continue eating animals and consuming dairy then it is your moral imperative to watch Earthlings If you can sit through the entire movie, well then maybe you should have your pulse checked to see if you are still alive. Better yet, have your psyche checked to see if you are human because I absolutely could NOT sit through this entire movie and I don’t see how any animal lover could.

Before I close this post, I hope you will consider going Vegan. If you can work up the courage to watch Earthlings, I thank you. If not, perhaps you could watch this short video that shows egregious abuse taking place inside a factory farm as well as a so-called “organic” farm. The video shows abuse to: pigs, cows, chickens as well a fish. I hope you’ll watch.