People and animals (was Vegan perfection and compromise)

September 18, 2006

No disrespect taken. I can only speak for myself, but yes, we only buy fair

trade coffee and organic chocolate. I am trying to support sweatshop free

clothing, but it is much harder to dress a family in sweatshop free clothing

exclusively than it is to be vegan. We shop at the goodwill a lot, as that

is environmentally the best choice, to reuse and recycle, and does not

encourage overproduction and waste.

People often think that caring for animals comes at the expense of caring

for people. To the contrary, that is not the case at all. Some of the

greatest pioneers in human rights have also been champions of animal rights.

Gandhi, Schweitzer, and many others are on this list. Caring for animals and

being compassionate toward them does not come at the price of caring for

people. I often am asked this when I am at a protest for animals : what

about people? I also strive for equality and justice for people, as do many

AR activists. We cannot make animals wait for all human injustices to be

solved before we stop committing atrocities to them as well. I try to do the

best I can in every area I am aware of, and to make the best choices I can.

Leena

>

> On Behalf Of robin koloms

>Monday, September 18, 2006 6:20 AM

>

>Re: Vegan perfection and compromise

>

>I truly do not mean this to be disrespecful, but do those of

>you who work so hard for the rights of animal feel as strongly

>about humans? Do you buy fairly traded coffee, chocolate,

>etc.? Do you buy clothing that is sweatshop free?

September 18, 2006

exactly. many of us were led to the fight for animals through our work

fighting for human rights. most causes complement each other. for example,

many people who oppose the war also support maintaining civil rights,

protecting the environment, whatever, name your cause, and nobody seems to

think that they can only choose one cause. it's only when you start talking

about animals that people think you are a die-hard zealot and can't focus

your attention on more than one thing. my husband and i are active in many,

many causes -- that anti-war effort, supporting organic farming, living

car-less, supporting third-world workers, etc....not using animal products

is only one of many things we do to try to change the world! lol.

chandelle'

September 18, 2006

One thing I always am glad to think about is that by not eating meat I am

sparing just a little more land. An enormous amount of our country's land is

used to grow food for " food animals " . What if we were to sell that grain to

other countries and use the profits to help out with curing AIDS over in Africa?

How about feeding people whose countries don't care if they're hungry?

By instilling in our children a respect for life, we show them how to feel

compassion. I'm not a people person, I have trouble making friends sometimes due

to social anxiety disorder that I chose a couple of years ago to stop taking

medicine for- no sense in trying to be someone I'm not. Even then, I hurt for

those babies in orphanages, who have no one in the world to care for them, I

feel for the elderly people here in our country who live in substandard nursing

homes, I grieve for those whose families are broken apart by war. Most people in

our country and our world help no one but themselves. At least as vegetarians we

are helping somebody.

Kadee Sedtal, who is really upset that yesterday's grocery shopping trip did not

solve the problem of there being no brussels sprouts in my freezer.

leena <leena wrote: No

disrespect taken. I can only speak for myself, but yes, we only buy fair