By Suzanne Westgaard
The holiday season has approached, and as is always the case, the grocery stores are advertising all their sales of murdered animals for the holiday dinners.
As an animal rights activist/advocate and vegan, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to view this. Unfortunately, there is no realistic way to avoid it. It is common knowledge that Pilgrims did not eat turkey. So why does the brutal torture and slaughter of innocent turkeys continue as a customary way to celebrate Thanksgiving? Christmas is to honor and celebrate the birth of our beloved Jesus. I’m sure He would want us to do so by performing an act of kindness. He would want us to do the right thing rather than eat a brutally murdered animal.
Don’t think that advertisements for “free-range turkey” are necessarily valid. And even if they were, it doesn’t change the fact that the turkey was murdered; but the meat industry tries to give the public the impression that, if the turkey was “free range,” he or she had a good life. This is simply deceptive advertising, not fact. It is death by murder of the turkey. Of course, the same is true for turkeys who are not advertised as “free range,” because the only difference is their lives were spent imprisoned in cages.
And speaking of cages, chickens who are used for egg-laying are kept so crowded and cramped in cages that they cannot even open their wings. Their beaks are cut off so they don’t injure each other; not for protection, but to prevent “damage” that would preclude them from being sold for human consumption. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows the term “cage-free” on egg cartons to be used if the chickens are out of the cage for just one hour a day!
I volunteer at Luvin’ Arms Farm Sanctuary in Erie. Each animal who was rescued and now has a peaceful, safe life there, is an individual with a distinct personality, character, behavior, intelligence. There is a large turkey there named “Walter.” He is a gentle, interesting guy. Another example is a pig named Felix. His companion and best friend, Desmond, passed away due to medical problems. It was obvious that Felix mourned the loss of his friend, and was very aware that his friend was no longer with him. His behavior was analogous to humans mourning. Also, studies have shown that pigs are very intelligent.
So you’re not eating “ham,” “pork” and “spare ribs.” As for “baby back ribs,” those are from a baby pig. Think how adorable piglets are. But they, too, are murdered. As for “veal,” this was a young calf torn away from its mother; “lamb,” which was the innocent baby of a sheep; “beef,” “steak,” “brisket,” which was a gentle cow.
Think about your pets. Hopefully, you have pets because you love them. Both those who have pets, as well as those who don’t, often express that they love animals. If you love animals but you eat them, you are a hypocrite. Just like your pet, each animal is an individual with a unique personality.
It is incomprehensible how many billions of animals are brutally, horrifically slaughtered. In many cases, it was the end of a life imprisoned in a cage. As the iconic Paul McCartney said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” To take that a step further, just as one example, if the truth about the dairy industry were known, everyone would be not just vegetarian, but vegan. I will spare the details about that. However, vegetarian is a good way to start.
Please think about giving thanks by trying vegan alternatives. It is amazing how many delicious, tasty vegan choices there are. And let’s celebrate Jesus in a way that He would want: by showing kindness, compassion, and caring not only to humans, but also to all the innocent, sentient, intelligent animals whose lives will be unnecessarily, horrifically, cruelly ended.
Suzanne Westgaard lives in Boulder
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November 19, 2021 at 06:52AM
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Guest Opinion: Suzanne Westgaard: Think before you eat - The Daily Camera
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