Current Regulations Allow Cattle to be Transported for 52 Hours Without Food or Water

In today’s world of modern conveniences, it’s easy for many people to overlook the journey that the goods they consume must take before arriving at their homes, restaurants or retail stores.  In fact, most people don’t want to know or don’t care about whether the people who made their clothing were paid a fair wage, or whether the wood furniture they purchase originated from a rainforest.  This is especially true with food.  So many people have adopted an ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude.

There are so many good reasons to eat local, grass-fed, humanely raised meat (if you’re not a vegetarian, that is).  Now, you can add this one to the list: current regulations allow cattle to be transported for up to 52 hours without food and water.  As if it wasn’t bad enough already that they’re so often kept in cramped stalls, fed pesticide-laden grain, pumped with antibiotics, deprived of the little things that make life worth living for any creature and worst of all, treated as if they aren’t even live beings.

I know that most meat eaters don’t want to know what goes on at slaughterhouses or on livestock farms, for the sake of their own peace of mind.  I’ve heard it a million times – “It just tastes too damn good”. But, can you really be okay with the idea that your food was tortured before you consumed it? At least buy the good stuff from responsible farmers and/or cut back on the amount of meat you eat.  Just think of the poor, sad cow that suffered through a four-day journey without food and water in order for you to enjoy that juicy, delicious hamburger.  Mmmm, tortured flesh.

Link [Treehugger]

Vegetarian Matthew Scully Wrote Sarah Palin’s Convention Speech

There are a lot of reasons to fear Sarah Palin.  As Ecorazzi so accurately put it, “she’s like a buffet of really bad ideas”.  Aside from the fact that she’s a global warming denier, anti-environment, homophobic, pro-abstinence education, creationist, and a master at the craft of abusing power, she’s also the antithesis of an animal rights activist.  She shoots wolves from planes, for god’s sake.  Her house reportedly has a giant pile of caribou antlers outside it, her favorite meal is moose stew and her office is decorated with a dead bear.  And ironically, her speech at the Republican National Convention was written by none other than a passionate, dedicated vegetarian.

From Ecorazzi:

In an ironic course of action, Palin’s speech was penned by none other than former Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully. Scully is well known for his vegetarian lifestyle and rather strict views on animal rights. Besides his dietary choice, Scully is also the author of Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy — an acclaimed book written on the subject of animal welfare. Obviously Matthew is quite critical of the hunting community and has even spoken out against some of the more brutal forms of the practice, including aerial hunting — an activity Palin considers “fun.”

So we have to wonder – what happened, Michael Scully? How could you stomach writing such a speech, to be delivered by such a person? What’s it like to have to totally sidestep your own convictions – not to mention truth and reality – when crafting the fountain of lies and bullshit that came out of this woman’s mouth in St. Paul?

Link [Ecorazzi]
Image via Apartment Therapy

The Vegan Stripper: Casa Diablo Gentlemens Club Combines Hot Naked Ladies with Animal Free Eatin’

Talk about a mash up made in heaven- The Casa Diablo Gentlemens Club in Portland, Oregon combines veganism with strippers. I was a vegetarian for six years in my early twenties and could never see myself giving up milk, butter, and cheese, but if anything could convince me to make the jump it’d be a hot naked vegan girl dancing in my face.

Naturally, some vegans are pissed that their movement is being used to sell sex (but then again, a lot of vegans are pissed about one thing or another all the time, so what can you do…).

Here’s a bit from the story in the New York Times, it’s hidden behind a registration wall, but you can head over to BugMeNot and grab some logins (I used ‘pleasestopthis0′ for a login and ‘blahblah’ as a pw, try those first).

TWO things that you can find a lot of in Portland, Ore., are vegans and strip clubs. Johnny Diablo decided to open a business to combine both. At his Casa Diablo Gentlemen’s Club, soy protein replaces beef in the tacos and chimichangas; the dancers wear pleather, not leather. Many are vegans or vegetarians themselves.

But Portland is also home to a lot of young feminists, and some are not happy with Mr. Diablo’s venture. Since he opened the strip club last month, their complaints have been “all over the Internet,” he said. “One of them came in here once. I could tell she had an attitude right when she came in. She was all hostile.”

Mr. Diablo isn’t concerned with the “feminazis,” as he calls them. As a vegan himself, he says he hasn’t worn or eaten animal products in 24 years and is worried about cruelty to animals. “My sole purpose in this universe is to save every possible creature from pain and suffering,” he said.

Casa Diablo is just the latest example of selling veganism with a “Girls Gone Wild” aesthetic to draw the ire of vegans who complain that such tactics may get people to pay attention to animal cruelty, but for the wrong reasons. In Los Angeles, some frown at the scantily clad Vegan Vixens — a kind of animal-loving Pussycat Dolls — who perform songs like “Real Men Don’t Hunt” at fund-raisers for animal welfare groups.

Link [New York Times] via [Boing Boing]

Alyssa Milano Makes a Very Strong Argument for Vegetarianism

Alyssa Milano makes me want to eat more vegetables. A lot more vegetables. Ecorazzi has it:

The ad is part of PETA’s, Let Vegetarianism Grow On You campaign and features the actress turned sportswear designer in what looks to be a gown of collard greens and a corset made from asparagus and cabbage leaves.

Link [Ecorazzi]