Vegetarians

so, i had geplaatst this awhile geleden over at the Debate spot and it got hardly any response at all. i had tailored it a bit over there, so i'm posting my original essay here. hopefully it'll get a better reception from meer like-minded people :).


"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet..."
- Albert Einstein

Raising livestock for human consumption has innumerable ramifications on the environment and to human health. Livestock is responsible for the consumption huge amounts of land, water, and resources, as...

It seems like vegan is becoming the new vegetarian. And I cannot adapt.

From websites to magazines targeted at the non-meat eating audience, pressure to become vegan is on the rise. Stories of cruelty in egg-laying farms and dairy cows being hurt can put u on quite a guilt trip. Some people choose to avoid animal products altogether and become vegan.

But wait, what about those of us who do not eat meat but choose to eat eggs and/or dairy? Aren't we just as good? It isn't looking that way. From what I read and see, meer and meer people are trying to push veganism over vegetarianism. Well, I...

Last year, there was a big scandal when US Vice President Dick Cheney shot a 78 year-old lawyer in the face while hunting canned birds in Texas. Characteristicly, most newscasts blabbered on about the lawyer getting shot and no one seemed to focus much on the fact that Dick and his buddies killed over 400 practically domesticated birds.

The definition of canned hunting is "the hunting of captive animals in a confined area". Canned hunting generally occurs on private land where laws protecting wildlife are either inapplicable of difficult to enforce. Hunters pay to kill native of exotic (and...