Random stuff that catches my eye with links to prove I’m not making it up!
Articles like this make me want to get off the internet altogether – or find a way to find a really good firewall that blocks all of my ‘stuff’ from other people – including big brother – forever. But then, how would I find out what all those people are doing to take away my freedoms if I quit searching the web?
Face it: A high-speed connection is no more an essential civil right than 3G cell phone service or a Netflix account. Increasing competition and restoring academic excellence in abysmal public schools is far more of an imperative to minority children than handing them iPads.
"...a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy" - PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk
Ultimately, PETA's assertion that there are no ethical differences among rats, pigs, dogs, and boys is correct if their naturalistic worldview is true. The problem is that it does not follow that we should not eat pigs just because we don't eat boys. Instead, it follows that it would not be unethical to eat boys.
I have no issue with treating animals well. Our animals, in many aspects, are treated as family members: we care for them medically, provide them shelter, food and love. I have recently had the hesitant need to purchase clothing for our dog (a thing I said I’d never do). Our family ‘joke’ is that the pets that belong to our kids are our grand-cat/dog/dragon. The death of a family pet; for our family, is a life-changing event that brings tears and happy memories.
I also have no problem, whatsoever, with eating animals. I do draw the line at certain things (although I do believe there was one specific time I unknowingly ate dog meat at a taco stand in Mexico), I believe that animals are on this earth for our care and use. Livestock animals (cow, sheep, goat, pig, chickens) are meant for eating. They also provide clothing, shoes and many other useful products (for my post on Pig products, see
HERE).
I don’t believe that eating animals is wrong. Eating them requires killing them, because it’s just too difficult to barbecue a steak while it’s still on the cow. Killing them is also necessary for coats and shoes and belts and those leather chaps the bikers wear (honestly – vinyl on a biker? Horrors!) I think God put animals on this planet for our use.
Notice I did not say “abuse”. Hurting animals is wrong; I haven’t seen PETA’s outrage covered much on the Michael Vick case; in fact they
used him as a spokesperson after his disgraceful abuse of animals. PETA is more interested in throwing fake blood on people who wear fur coats or parading around mostly-or completely naked to protest the destruction of animals (warning: “Naked” means without clothing).
Naked Protests
A man (or woman) who would purposefully and for material gains abuse a living creature by withholding food, maiming them and beating them (in order to get them to fight to the death in a ring for a contest) is more than a monster. That person is, in my mind, on the same level as a person who would harm a child. People who murder, rape, abuse or otherwise harm a child usually face sentences of numerous years in prison. IF they get out of prison, they are branded (rightly so) as an ex-con, a predator, an evil person. They have trouble finding work, places to live and re-entering ‘society’.
Evidently, men who purposefully abuse an animal (there were up to 60 dogs that were abused, taught to fight or died at his hands) only receive a less-than two year sentence – and not even for the abuse of the animals – for “a Federal dog-fighting conspiracy charge”. Upon completion of their mandated prison time they receive sports endorsements (Nike) and lucrative contracts from the sporting industry (Philadelphia Eagles). He has been ‘rehabilitated and wants a chance to prove it to everyone by someday owning a dog’. Imagine the revulsion and anger people would demonstrate if a pedophile, child kidnapper or child abuser said he was ‘rehabilitated and wanted to have children someday’.
PETA would like us all to just leave the poor animals alone, and wear clothing from hemp, plastics and synthetic materials; which, on the most basic level is wasteful, but on a deeper level is wrong. Dairy and beef farmers would need to find other livelihoods, not to mention the people who make their living by providing food for the farm animals. And, many who support PETA support the non-use of anything from a living animal, including milk and other dairy products. No cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, etc. Okay, people live without dairy and meat products. Great; your choice – in some cases your health. But I find it offensive that because you don’t believe that animals were created for our use and protection that you expect everyone to live without animal usage at all.
I’ll tell you what; when the PETA people spend as much money protesting and vandalizing for the ethical treatment of children as they do for animals; I’ll stop eating meat. Until that day, I’ll wear my leather shoes and have a hamburger with cheese and a chocolate milk shake.
