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Showing posts from December, 2009

The Face of Meat. Sentient Being on Your Plate.

Meat sauce, hamburgers, steaks, and stews don't have a face on them. Most people don't know where their meat came from, and how those animals lived, were fed and how they were killed. Most people have never met the meat they consumed. It's all very convenient when people just have to order from a menu. It's all been made pretty on a plate for them. People like that arrangement unless they have a conscience. For something that is so critically important, the meat that people put in their mouths, chew, and swallow into their bodies, most of them turn a blind eye to the animals' well-being while alive, to the manner of their slaughter, and preparation as food. I know. I have been this kind of fool for the greater part of my life. People don't even want to sit on a park bench that is dirty, but they will eat meat whose past is unknown to them. We, as a species, must be incredibly stupid. Most animals will check out their food by sniffing at it, but we go right in an...

Scotch Plains. New Jersey. Nativity Scene. Live Animal Display.

I am cross-posting a message from the Animal Protection League of New Jersey (APLNJ) regarding a nativity scene in Scotch Plains, NJ that uses live animals 24 hours a day---even during the snowstorm we had last week. The misinterpretation of Jesus' birth as it is stated in the bible ( Matthew and Luke ) coupled with a disregard for animal welfare makes this display more of a naivete display than a nativity display. From Luke, the most we can know is that Mary placed Jesus in a manger after being told that there was no room in the inn. There is no account of animals living in the room or stall where the manger was located. The location of the manger is also in dispute. Two early accounts placed the manger in a cave outside town. Furthermore, Mary's placing the baby Jesus in the manger does not mean that the birth took place there. The gospels are not clear on these points. We must ask, whose bright idea was it to use live animals and what is in it for the town of Scotch Plains?...

Vermont. Dog Shooting. Scheele vs. Dustin. It's more than just Property.

I love Vermont. It's God's little green acre, picturesque both in Summer and Winter. My wife and I made all sorts of excuses just to come up to Vermont to see our son who, back in 1999, was a freshman at Middlebury College. Well, he transferred to a school in England after another year but those two years were enough for us to enjoy the natural beauty of the state. We haven't been back since 2001. At the present time, amidst Vermont's bucolic splendor, a case is pending in the state supreme court regarding emotional distress and the value of a pet's life in our own lives. Is it sufficient compensation when the man who shot your dog is ordered to do 100 hours of community service, a year's probation, pay for vet bills and cremation ($4000) resulting from his harmful and criminal act? According to Denis and Sarah Scheele of Annapolis, that isn't enough. The culprit is 76-yr old Lewis Dustin ( Vine Street, Northfield, Vermont ) who shot the Scheele's do...

Philippines. Quezon City. Midnight Dog Rescue. PAWS. Carlee.

I never get tired of rescue stories, animal rescue stories to be exact. Human rescue stories, I must admit, are simply news to me. They are not as heart-warming as animal rescues. I love the animal kingdom, but the human race scares me. Heck, I am being very frank here. The photos below tell you the story of a dog who ran for its life, and found the only safe refuge in a sewer. This dog reportedly ran away from some guys who intended to slaughter it for its meat. Horrible, horrible stuff. If God had a drop box for suggestions, I would implore the almighty God to endow all animals a natural element, a cell or pigmentation, or whatever, that would make them inedible to humans. Now, that would be the only true God! I am still waiting. A kind-hearted citizen had been trying to reach members of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) for hours. Unfortunately, PAWS was out rescuing animals from the floods that typhoon Ondoy brought to the Metro Manila area. Upon their return around midn...

Domestic Violence. Animal Abuse. Hand in Hand.

IHOP. International House of Pain. Bill Maher. Cage-Free Poultry.

It would be off the mark to describe Bill Maher as a funny guy. Yes, he makes us laugh but that is made possible through his quick wit, his lampoons, and not through exaggerated and silly situations that some comedy shows thrive on. His sarcasm and perspicacity are traits to be admired and feared. In other words, he is not a comedic character, and he certainly wasn't kidding in The Video .