In fact… you probably skipped over the crazy rant in the comments here regarding the human specism (whatever that’s supposed to mean — I guess it means I think it’s okay to step on ants).

I am sincerly sorry for the mess. I would have certainly liked being able to post it all at once in it’s complete form.

4)For the Environment:
The meat industry uses half of all the water used, for all purposes, in the USA. To produce 1 pound of meat, 2,500 gallons of water is required, however producing 1 pound of wheat requires merely 25 gallons. In addition, livestock production is responsible for climate change, land degradation, deforestation, pollution of water, and loss of biodiversity, among other things. According to a 2006 UN report, livestock animals generate more carbon emissions than all of the world’s transport (aircraft included) combined. Researchers from the University of Chicago have found that the average meat-eater emits 1.5 tonnes more CO2 per year, than a vegan. Animals produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas. Though rarer than carbon dioxide, methane is far more powerful. A single pound of methane is equivalent to approximated 50 pounds of carbon dioxide. The production of animals for their flesh and secretions is also very energy inefficient, when you consider all of the fossil fuels required throughout production. When consuming plants directly, rather than cycling them through animals, energy is conserved. The amount of food energy per fossil energy expended is 34.5% in ideal conditions, while the least energy efficient of plant production is 328%. You could literally feed 32 vegans, for the amount of resources it takes to feed a meat/dairy eater. Meat eaters have 24 times the environmental impact of a vegan. If you would like to know more, please see the following links:
http://virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm
http://ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/sustainable_food/cafos-uncovered.html
http://www.alternet.org/story/74605/?page=entire
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/a-few-more-inconvenient-_b_40261.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html
http://www.alternet.org/environment/89015/

Unfortunately the world we live in allows for an overabundance of stupidity on the internet. Anyone and their brother can now set up any kind of blog or website they want and spew forth their own ideologies. There is this grand obsession with feeling important because some little voices are crying out with support or denoucing your comments. You are connecting with the world! …Or just the losers that happen upon your website/blog.

Someone stated that I didn’t present anything to back up my opinions so I gave it to them and yet… still not enough. I gave you specific websites and books to read. Notice how I attempted to include UNBIASED information (Books regarding health by acclaimed doctors, UN Report about factory farming’s environmental effect, Human Rights Watch Report about human rights violations, etc.) No PETA sites were included! It’s unfortunate that none of your ilk ever plan on actually objectively looking at the issue. You are closing up your minds without ANY investigation. That sure sounds like what a “thinker” would do, hey? Again, what are you all so afraid of?

In any case, you didn’t really add anything to the conversation. Everything that has been stated on this page are opinions unsupported by facts. I gave ample resources for people to utitilize if they wish to break free from their own ignorance and perhaps, hey do their own research? As I said, don’t take my word for it… Don’t take this “WarAxe” person’s word for it.

You stated that I am a “feeler” because I care. Well so be it. I care about the environment, the world’s people, the world’s animals. All of humankind is capable of caring (I suppose that means you too?) and they should do so freely and proudly. They should not be pushed down in the depths of darkness, by people like yourself just because they want to try their best at being a good person.

You have presented yourself as much the same as most pompous, right-wing Christians. As I said, I never expected much from you and my responses weren’t even necessarily meant for you or your kind. I only hope to present the fact that your opinion is not necessarily important and that there are other things out there that people should investigate before they take your statements at face value.

Go on hating vegans, you lovable ol’ Christian you.

Most of your points are, to use your term, not new. They are partly true, but that’s very different from wholly true. The trouble with many vegan arguments is that you are in love with your end conclusions… despite how you got there… so you kinda back-strapolate your logic to fit the end you want to reach. The result is shoddy rationale… but since you “feel” it’s the truth you accept the dubious route you took to get there.

That’s why vegans are mostly the “feelers”, and not as much the “thinkers”.

A balanced diet is the best of any diet. Vegetables provide things that meat and dairy products don’t, and meat and dairy products provide nutrients that vegetables don’t. There exists no better source for muscle-focused amino acids than red meat.

I have no problem with vegetarians… it’s the vegans that are the nuts (get it?). It’s the socio-politically crazed anti-meat wingnuts that bewilder most sane folks. Vegans seems to want to impose their diets on others… seemingly by doing lots of screaming. The rationale that is so weak it must be screamed by activists at rallies is truly inferior.

For a better education on animal rights visit: petakillsanimals.com. Here’s just a tasty morsel off the flank of this site:

Animal “rights” radicals are getting craftier about finding new ways to nudge Americans toward strict vegetarianism. The save-the-cows-and-chickens crowd has never been a stranger to the kinds of fear mongering and guilt tactics that other activists movements have used to gain political influence. But apparently, the shock videos and bogus health claims we’re used to seeing from PETA and other groups are getting a bit old. There’s a new fad sweeping the world of vegan activism, and it goes a little something like this: “Giving up meat is the key to solving [insert worrisome global problem here].”

Last month it was climate change. Animal activists resorted to everything from phony Letter to the Editor campaigns to public nudity to persuade an unsuspecting public that eating a balanced diet is destroying the planet. And the latest? World hunger. We’re not making this up.

—

In the end, this issue should not be about Vegans vs. Non-vegans. Reducing the issue to such simplistic terms polarizes and segregates the two groups while creating extreme antagonists on both sides. It is in the best interest of the government and corporations to distract the minds of the populace from the real issues. This assists them in ensuring that individuals are easily manipulated for the sake of their own agendas. While the world is under government and corporate control, human beings do not protest as much if they are occupied with fighting amongst themselves about the concepts of “right” and “wrong”.

At the heart of all people is a concerned citizen that cares about their home, the planet, and the world’s animals and people. One’s actions should reflect this compassion. Do not take anyone’s word as gospel. Research all of the issues on your own, and find your personal conclusion only after doing so.

—

I was unable to include all points into one post. I’m quite certain that you’ll scoff at what I’ve written here, and that is not my concern. It is not my intention to “convert” you, but it would be quite admirable if you would refrain from posting about things you are ignorant to.

This movie can be viewed, in its entirety here:

Earthlings Pt. 1
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=odee3Jqzf50
Earthlings Pt. 2
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=2ls6NCEsVVY

3) For the Workers:
Factory farms and slaughterhouses purposefully locate their operations in poorer regions of the USA, in hopes that they will attract the most desperate, poor and uneducated of the nation’s people. According to statistics from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau for Labor Statistics, nearly 1 in 3 slaughterhouse workers experiences an illness or injury every year, compared to 1 in 10 workers of other manufacturing companies. Human Rights Watch has declared that slaughterhouse workers have “the most dangerous factory job in America”. The industry is reluctant to provide its own workers with proper safety protection, training and slower working conditions, etc. It is very common for workers to become injured and once they do, incidents are not recorded and employees will be fired for taking time off, trying to file a health insurance or workers’ compensation claim or attempting to take part in a union. The industry actively focuses on hiring illegal immigrants and minors, both groups being illegal to employ. In addition, the turn-over rate of employees in this industry is very high. It is an extremely unpleasant occupation that forces human beings to kill and dismember animals for the entire length of their shift, every day. It is not uncommon for those employed by this industry to become addicted to drugs or alcohol (even to use them while working), beat their own families in frustration or develop a criminal record. If nothing else, these workers become permanently changed by their circumstances and either desensitize/ harden themselves to cope, or simply break down. If you would like to read more, please see the following link and read the following book:
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/usa0105/usa0105.pdf
http://newsmine.org/content.php?ol=nature-health/livestock/meat-industry-violates-human-rights.txt
http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/012299/012299f.htm
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

“It is the fate of every truth to be an object of ridicule when it is first acclaimed.”
– Albert Schweitzer

In the not so distant past, it was acceptable to treat women and children as property, to enslave black citizens, and torture and exterminate Jews. Women were not allowed to vote and gay people were unheard of. Those at the forefront of all of the movements to change these ideologies were/are laughed at, jailed, tortured and even killed.

Just because past history dictates that racism, sexism, ageism, specism, homophobia, etc., etc., are okay, does not mean that society has any right to continue utilizing the very same faulty reasoning in “modern” society. “Might” alone does not make any action right.

The US government reinforces the condemnation of activists by signing into law, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which is intended to target animal rights activists and environmental activists. This law penalizes damage and interference to animal enterprises or conspiring or attempting to damage or interfere with an animal enterprise. “Animal enterprises” are concerned about losing any profit due to activists and the information they may distribute. Why is it that no similar laws exist for other industries? The individuals that they call “terrorists” are the sort of “terrorists” that do not kill other humans, but merely attempt to show the truth to citizens while protecting those animals that are being exploited. It is in the public’s best interest for industry transparency to exist and for the public to know the truth. By demonizing activists, the government and corporations attempt to keep their “opponents” quiet, as well as further add to the false assumptions that average individuals make about these “movements”.

Vegan-sexual. This term does not apply to all vegans. I’m certain that there are plenty of vegans who hate this term and think it’s ridiculous. Vegans are aware of how this notion will be perceived, “Look at the stupid vegans! They are so crazy!”

Many vegans are aware of the population problem, just as they are aware of other issues, other than veganism. Adoption or deciding to not have children are viable options for everyone, if they would rather not contribute to the population. I personally never plan on having children.

Contrary to what you stated, vegetables do not have a central nervous system and cannot feel pain, nor can they have “feelings”. All animals are sentient beings, which means that they feel pain just as intensely as we do. A basic overview of biology would show this.
Vegans who decide to go vegan for the right reasons, did not do so primarily because they are insecure, lack religious ideologies or want to “feel good” about themselves. This is not to say that there aren’t some holier-than-thou vegans in the world, however they do not represent all vegans, just as one meat-eater does not represent all meat-eaters.

There are many reasons to go vegan:

1) For Your Health:
The American Dietetic Association and the Dieticians of Canada state that an appropriately planned vegetarian diet is healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provides health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. They also confirm that a vegan diet, as well as vegetarian diets are fit for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, and infancy. Vegan diets provide everything humans need to thrive, minus cholesterol, saturated fat and most contaminates. A proper vegan diet avoids and/or protects against many common health problems, such as stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, and cancer, etc. The American Dietetic Association acknowledges that vegetarians have lower rates of death from heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, prostate and colon cancer, as well as a lower probability of becoming obese. In addition, scientists have found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems and may live, on average, 6 to 10 years longer than the typical meat-eater. If you would like to know more, please see the following links and read the following books:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12826028?dopt=Citation
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/07/27/diabetes-vegan.html
http://www.rense.com/general/vega.htm
http://www.gentleworld.org/health/cancer.htm
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=649d99a8-df3c-4f8b-89a6-376a6d9d2a94
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/on-cancer-and-a-vegetaria_b_46661.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0826/is_n3_v8/ai_12182736/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1
-The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long- term by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell
-Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
-Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Long-Lived Peoples by John Robbins
-The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life by Brendan Brazier
-The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention: Evidence Supporting the New Four Food Groups by Kerrie K. Saunders, Ph.D.

If such a thing exists.

You did neither. You did nothing, really. Perhaps the reason you aren’t hearing any “unique” arguments is because you have failed so miserably to address the ones already in front of you.

And has Canada become so desolate that “leg-slappingly funny” and “absolutely tiresome” are that close?

I was working on more of a response, but I know that it’s not worth it.

Your comments are highly amusing… and bereft of any logical line of reasoning to support your “points” (which is how I know you’re an actual vegan and not just a vegetarian).

I love how you start off with sexism… mix in some random insults… and then finish off with a demi-glaze of condescension. Ha! Is this typical of all Canadian gals, or just the vegan ones? [ooooh check it out.. some stereotyping of my own!]

And BTW, plants have feelings, too, ya know.