A Response to the Veal Issue

Look, as you know well, I am not a rabid vegetarian. I most certainly do not believe that eating animals is wrong. Wrong for me, yes, but not wrong in general. Veal, on the other hand, is a different story. I had no intention of getting into it, but I will, for you. ha ha I, personally, would prefer to eat an animal that had been hunted to one that had been grown specifically to be killed. My problem is the animal being treated as a product, and not allowed to ever be the animal God made it to be. Veal farmers are absolutely the worst offenders among us. The poor calves are kept in boxes for their entire short lives, and not allowed to roam or graze, because the exercise toughens and darkens the meat. The crates are often left with little shade and in wicked temperatures. They are fed milk only, instead of their natural diet of milk and grazing. By the time their number is up, they are usually too big for the crates they are in, covered in their own waste, and too weak to walk. If this seems OK to you, then by all means, eat up. YUMMY! SO TENDER! If I treated my dog half as badly, I'd have the animal taken from me and at least be fined. Such hypocrisy!

Now, I would think that you, as a nice thinking conservative will appreciate the following point: In America we give everything that is unpleasant a nicer name, so it's easier for us to digest (if you'll pardon the pun). Dead cow is BEEF, dead baby cow is VEAL, dead pig is PORK. We buy prepackaged hamburgers in the supermarket, completely sanitized from the real source, which is decidedly bloody. We aren't given the chance to see, know or appreciate what is required for us to have a nice, juicy burger. We aren't given the chance to be thankful for what we are really eating. I see that as being pretty leftist. Keep the people ignorant. Give me what I want, and keep it pleasant and easy. Let someone else do the dirty work. Sound familiar?

My dad was a hunter. As a child, I helped him butcher his various kills. I've seen where meat comes from, and as an adult, I decided that it was not OK for me. I, personally, do not want to engage in that trade.

I think that the American Indian way of dealing with this is best. "Thank you Great Spirit, thank you animal, and I'm sorry I have to take your life, and I promise not to waste anything." But we have been sanitized out of appreciation. And waste, oh, hell yeah. There's SO much waste.

I think when God said that we, as humans, have dominion over the animals, I don't think he meant that we could torture, abuse and waste them. I think he was entrusting them to our responsible care.

I'm just sayin'.

Try this - About veal.

Meet Your Meat - This is quite extraordinary.

This site has a lot of links. Go down to the factory farming section. I don't choose to look at this stuff, because it upsets me, and I don't need to.