Rain. Rain. Today must be the fourth straight day that rain has fallen on New York City. April has come and gone, and so why the showers and no flowers? I can tolerate my raincoat for only one day after which I could be described as the typical New Yorker however unjust that might be. Perhaps having worked in Manhattan for more than thirty years had actually engendered a constant state of grumpiness in me. But, I am giving New yorkers a bad rap. Walking along Fifth Avenue, I noticed that everybody seemed to have a grudge against me. Even the coffee cart guy said something that I took offense to as I passed by. I must be having a bad day. So I ducked into my favorite coffee shop on 38th and ordered some breakfast. The newspaper is usually free to read with the breakfast. There, the New York Daily News had a headline I couldn't ignore.
A cow had, out of an intense desire to live, escaped from the Musa Hala, Inc. slaughterhouse on Beaver Road near 158th Street in Queens and ran through the neighborhood at approx. 1pm yesterday. Now named, Molly, she avoided recapture for an hour but tranquilizer darts fired at her finally had their effect. It might be the unspoken rule in NYC that when a condemned cow shows enough spunk and desire to live that it has rightfully gained its freedom. This is not the first time this dash for freedom has happened. There was Maxine back in September 2007 who jumped a low wall to freedom. She weighed approx. one thousand pounds and was estimated to be worth $800 to $1,000. Maxine earned her freedom and now lives at the Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York. Not knowing Molly's fate, I rang Farm Sanctuary's emergency number and got someone who already knew about Molly's case. She told me that Molly's final home will be at the " North Shore *&*(%^# " I couldn't make out the rest of it because the cell phone reception wasn't good at all, having made the call entombed in a fortress-like, windowless building. Anyway, I am very pleased with the outcome.
So, what makes one killing acceptable and another improper? As I speak, there are other cows being slaughtered at that very same slaughterhouse. Why are we powerless to stop that? Does a sentient being have to fight for its life for it to be spared? There is a double standard in effect here, and our value system is skewed the wrong way. Those who defend the consumption of cats and dogs usually point to our society's consumption of farm animals as evidence of a double standard. To be hard nosed about it, only those who do not consume any animal meat should have the right to criticize those who eat dogs and cats.
Personally, I find the slaughter of all animals offensive and immoral. I haven't felt like this all my life, and I regret having spent more years being a meat-eater than not. Call it an epiphany, but not a hypocrisy. I am done with meat for a few years now, and I would love to see the day when we don't have to kill animals to have a meal.
A cow had, out of an intense desire to live, escaped from the Musa Hala, Inc. slaughterhouse on Beaver Road near 158th Street in Queens and ran through the neighborhood at approx. 1pm yesterday. Now named, Molly, she avoided recapture for an hour but tranquilizer darts fired at her finally had their effect. It might be the unspoken rule in NYC that when a condemned cow shows enough spunk and desire to live that it has rightfully gained its freedom. This is not the first time this dash for freedom has happened. There was Maxine back in September 2007 who jumped a low wall to freedom. She weighed approx. one thousand pounds and was estimated to be worth $800 to $1,000. Maxine earned her freedom and now lives at the Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York. Not knowing Molly's fate, I rang Farm Sanctuary's emergency number and got someone who already knew about Molly's case. She told me that Molly's final home will be at the " North Shore *&*(%^# " I couldn't make out the rest of it because the cell phone reception wasn't good at all, having made the call entombed in a fortress-like, windowless building. Anyway, I am very pleased with the outcome.
So, what makes one killing acceptable and another improper? As I speak, there are other cows being slaughtered at that very same slaughterhouse. Why are we powerless to stop that? Does a sentient being have to fight for its life for it to be spared? There is a double standard in effect here, and our value system is skewed the wrong way. Those who defend the consumption of cats and dogs usually point to our society's consumption of farm animals as evidence of a double standard. To be hard nosed about it, only those who do not consume any animal meat should have the right to criticize those who eat dogs and cats.
Personally, I find the slaughter of all animals offensive and immoral. I haven't felt like this all my life, and I regret having spent more years being a meat-eater than not. Call it an epiphany, but not a hypocrisy. I am done with meat for a few years now, and I would love to see the day when we don't have to kill animals to have a meal.
Comments