"Now that she is older and more aware of what she thinks are inhumane killing practices, she has decided on an even stricter diet. Several months ago, Penn made the decision to switch to a vegan diet and avoid all dairy products as well."
As a vegan who is tired of hearing the words "strict" and "vegan" in the same breath, I'd like to suggest that Penn has chosen a more "discriminating" diet. Is one strict if one chooses not to eat dog flesh? To those of us who recognize that a cow is just as capable of feeling pain and fear as a dog, abstaining from cow flesh or milk is not a choice but the natural expression of deep ethical convictions.
For those who think dairy is harmless, I urge you to look behind the curtain of the dairy industry and examine what happens. An intelligent animal is condemned to a life of intensive confinement, repeatedly impregnated so that she'll birth calves who will be taken from her hours after birth, pushed relentlessly to produce many times the quantity of milk she would produce for her babies in nature, suffering from mastitis, lameness, and numerous other health problems. Though a healthy cow can live up to 25 years, spent dairy cows are slaughtered for hamburger after just four or five years. Many of the "downer" cows--those who arrive at slaughterhouses or stockyards too weak or injured to stand up--are these former dairy cows. Inhumane treatment at slaughterhouses is rampant, with downed animals often being dragged, prodded, and kicked in violation of federal welfare standards. In fast-paced production lines, poor stunning practices frequently result in conscious animals be dismembered while they slowly bleed to death. And if you are a vegetarian who finds veal abhorrent, remember that dairy consumption is a major subsidy to veal producers, ensuring a steady supply of cheap male calves.
As for the so-called deprivations of veganism, I don't see them. I love to eat and I eat well. There is almost no recipe--including "ice cream" and "cheese cake", which can not be made vegan. Try the Vegan Outreach website for more information. Go vegan!
Veggie tales
"Now that she is older and more aware of what she thinks are inhumane killing practices, she has decided on an even stricter diet. Several months ago, Penn made the decision to switch to a vegan diet and avoid all dairy products as well."
As a vegan who is tired of hearing the words "strict" and "vegan" in the same breath, I'd like to suggest that Penn has chosen a more "discriminating" diet. Is one strict if one chooses not to eat dog flesh? To those of us who recognize that a cow is just as capable of feeling pain and fear as a dog, abstaining from cow flesh or milk is not a choice but the natural expression of deep ethical convictions.
For those who think dairy is harmless, I urge you to look behind the curtain of the dairy industry and examine what happens. An intelligent animal is condemned to a life of intensive confinement, repeatedly impregnated so that she'll birth calves who will be taken from her hours after birth, pushed relentlessly to produce many times the quantity of milk she would produce for her babies in nature, suffering from mastitis, lameness, and numerous other health problems. Though a healthy cow can live up to 25 years, spent dairy cows are slaughtered for hamburger after just four or five years. Many of the "downer" cows--those who arrive at slaughterhouses or stockyards too weak or injured to stand up--are these former dairy cows. Inhumane treatment at slaughterhouses is rampant, with downed animals often being dragged, prodded, and kicked in violation of federal welfare standards. In fast-paced production lines, poor stunning practices frequently result in conscious animals be dismembered while they slowly bleed to death. And if you are a vegetarian who finds veal abhorrent, remember that dairy consumption is a major subsidy to veal producers, ensuring a steady supply of cheap male calves.
As for the so-called deprivations of veganism, I don't see them. I love to eat and I eat well. There is almost no recipe--including "ice cream" and "cheese cake", which can not be made vegan. Try the Vegan Outreach website for more information. Go vegan!
August 27, 2007 at 4:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )