i need strength

Oh boy ... you still carry that Glock in your waistband? Is than for being kind and gentle? People are animals too! Seems odd to care about pigs, but not humans. But what do I know? Omnivore for life!

 

It's not a tool for peaceful conflict resolution, and i eat meat as self defense from being dead. All good, then. You justify your choices, I'll justify mine.

 

I agree that 'factory farming' techniques are torturous. Thankfully there has been a resurgence of small scale farms and processing operations (often times the same farmer that raises the animal) that will harvest the flesh in a manner that is respectful to them. As Hogfiddles inferred, some farmers harvest their pigs by giving them a delicious meal and whilst the pig is happily munching away they approach the pig, speaking gently to it and calmly put a bullet (probably a Glock) through its skull - killing it instantly. There is no stress, there is no torture, it is an animal that was cared for and treated kindly its whole life and now it is honoring its caretakers by providing sustenance.

So all I can do is refuse to buy any product that was not raised and harvested with honor - will it shut down factory farming? Probably not, but that is one 'pig' I refuse to feed. I often get on a soap box (like now) and try to educate others to the importance of shying away from factory farm raised meat. It is not an appropriate way to treat a living creature AND an animal that is raised in a condition that is unnatural to them, which requires antibiotics, hormones and god knows what else is a stressed animal. Stressed animals do not provide healthy flesh. Animals pumped up with an unnatural diet and drugs/ chemicals do not provide healthy flesh - they provide toxic flesh that the end-user ingests and this in turn creates mental and physical health issues that we still haven't fully realized.

I told my wife, when my time comes, bake me some of your delicious lasagna and while I am stuffing my pie hole, walk quietly behind me and do the humane thing. Don't tie me up with tubes in a hospital, just let me eat drink and die.


We now return you to your regularly scheduled Hangout Lounge ramblings . . . .

 

Tell me about the rabbits, George.
OK Lenny. Just look over there and sit still...

 

My wife just put a pan of lasagna on the table ..........

 

Been to Walmart again, huh?

 

Are you still talking about wrapping the cat in bacon and eat it?

 

You made me spit out some really good beer!

 

Plant farming isn't that great either. Pretty much everything humans do produces something environmentally terrible.

We didn't spend all those millions of years getting to the top just to give up.
If you look at places in the world where vegetarian diets are traditional, you will see poverty-stricken crapholes with no sanitation. They got this way out of necessity, not because it's somehow superior.

 

Oh man, don't get me started on GMO's!
And factory farming of any plant food.

Quick thought - 80% of the world's almonds come from California. If there is contamination, or blight/ disease what would the end result be?
The family farm has all but vanished, we should be very afraid.

Pogo said it best; "We have met the enemy and he is us."

 

Nope.

I totally get it.
Large scale farming, whether CAFO or big agriculture 'vegetable' farming is the crux of the biscuit.

We should all be raising our own food. Or at best buying it as locally as possible from small farmers.

The only way to stop big agriculture is to start a revolution. Challenge yourself to purchase your food from local small scale farmers. Don't know about where you are but around here the Farmer's Markets are busting at the seams. Most vendors at the Market are within a 50 mile radius, use organic/ sustainable practices and pasture raise their meat (pasture raised meat contains good cholesterol). Cripes even the winter market is growing; greenhouse extend the growing season.

Try growing stuff you like; you like salsa? Plant a tomato, onion, cilantro and pepper plant (I would add garlic also). You can do this in an incredibly small space. Bio-intensive gardening works if your soil is healthy and it keeps weeds in check.

The tricky part is that the rules for the revolution requires you to eat seasonal crops, unless you get into canning/ preserving/ fermenting foods to have during the 'off-season'. But if you take a minute and think about it . . . Aren't we supposed to eat seasonal? Hasn't the land provided humans for thousands of years without a Walmart stepping in?

Because we have the technology to grow bigger food faster, and process food to make it's shelf life last longer doesn't mean that it is a smart way to live.

 

"Oooh oooh ooooh",( says the kid staring out the window......), "I see an XJ motorcycle going by!!!"

Dave

 

I'll eat what I please, and please what I....

TMI?