Hey CAA Writers,
Here's an excellent opportunity (see below) to write a letter to the
MN Daily thanking them for publishing this piece, expanding on factory
farm cruelties, and also encouraging people to go veg as a good way to
help animals. You can send letters to letters at mndaily.com before Sunday
afternoon...The more letters people send in the more likely we are to
get 1-2 published!
Also, if people want to share their letters for feedback to this list,
just e-mail us at writers at exploreveg.org
-Gil
---
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/09/20/72163435
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Farm Sanctuary opens hearts and minds
Gene Baur will be giving a free presentation with a catered reception at
7 p.m., Oct. 2 in the Coffman Union Theater.
By Gene Baur
every year, 10 billion farm animals are raised and slaughtered in the
United States for food. They are victims of genetic manipulation,
overcrowded, filthy living conditions, brutal handling and cruel
slaughter. Some are packed so tightly into cages and crates that they
can't walk or even turn around. The idea of animals living in filthy,
inhumane conditions is repugnant to most consumers, and the only reason
these conditions are allowed to continue is because they are hidden from
public view.
The physical and psychological suffering farm animals endure before
being killed is the dirty secret of industrial agriculture, and the
ramifications of this kind of suffering have caused a multiplicity of
other medical, ethical and environmental problems on a global scale.
Farm Sanctuary has taken a comprehensive approach to ending the practice
of factory farming. Combining direct animal rescue with education and
advocacy, we have worked for more than 20 years to confront and expose
the cruelty of factory farming, and provide safe haven for its victims.
At Farm Sanctuary, animals who have known only pain and suffering can
live the rest of their lives free from abuse and fear.
Treated with compassion, they learn to trust people again, and their own
distinct personalities are allowed to blossom. Our shelters in New York
and California make it possible for animals to have second chances, and
they also make it possible for people to have second chances. People who
visit our shelters are able to connect with animals and reflect upon
what it means to treat animals as mere commodities that are known to
exist only for our consumption. For the first time they have the whole
story - the truth about what is on their plate. And for the first time
as informed citizens they can make a clear choice - not one driven by
slick agribusiness advertising campaigns.
When I think about these second chances I always think of one lucky calf
named Opie. Opie was found in a stockyard alleyway, left for dead on the
day he was born. It was a cold day in upstate New York; he was suffering
from severe hypothermia and was not expected to live through the day.
But he did. He was brought to our shelter and was able to make a full
recovery. He now weighs nearly 3,000 pounds and is known as a gentle
giant. When people meet Opie they are amazed not just by his size, but
by his sweet temperament, as if he's returning the compassion he was
shown by his rescuers tenfold.
Over the years, support for the work we do has blossomed, and it has
become obvious to us that rejecting cruelty is something all of us hold
in common. In recent years, citizens from across the social, political
and economic spectrum have started asking questions and paying more
attention to the source of their food, and they have started speaking
out against factory farming cruelties. Mahatma Gandhi said you can judge
the moral progress of a nation by its treatment of animals.
If that is the case, our nation has some soul-searching to do. Some of
the most extreme forms of animal confinement, such as "gestation crates"
(two-foot-wide enclosures where female breeding pigs are kept for years,
unable to walk, turn around or even lie down comfortably) have been
banned and are being phased out in a few states.
With more open discussions about farming practices, even industry
representatives have acknowledged that "bad has become normal" on
today's factory farms. This is why we are seeing a growing number of
laws and ballot initiatives being drafted to address these issues.
Kindness and empathy toward animals is an indication of a humane
culture. It can become contagious and spread, just like cruelty and
callousness. At Farm Sanctuary we continue to fight for the rights of
animals and for the rights of citizens to make informed choices about
what they eat, how they spend their money, what impacts our global
ecosystem.
Contrary to what cynics might think, our experiences have given us a
great deal of faith in people and in legal processes. When people see
suffering and injustice they want it stopped, they make laws, and they
enforce them. It is this faith that lets us know the days of factory
farming are coming to an end.
/Gene Baur is the co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary. Please
send comments to letters at mndaily.com/
--
Gilbert Schwartz
Campaign Coordinator
Compassionate Action for Animals
300 Washington Ave SE, Rm. 126
Minneapolis, MN 55455
www.ExploreVeg.org
Office: 612-626-5785
Cell: 612-296-9020
gil at exploreveg.org
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