Aspies For Freedom

It's not the tools for killing that is unnatural. I think everybody who eats meat should have to at least see a documentary with footage of how the animals were killed.  What isn't natural is that a lot of people feel squeamish about seeing a live cow and connecting the dots to that being the steak that they just ate.  

A previous poster was talking about chickens and saying that once they finish laying then it is ok to kill them for food.  What I want to point out is that is not what happens.  Ever seen footage of all of the chickens cooped up in little cages?
Now, I'm not against eating chicken or their eggs, but I think we all need to make a point of buying firstly free range eggs and the same in our chicken meat... I believe organic covers it.  Chickens are also injected with lots of chemicals to make them grow quicker, so buying organic is also healthier for us.

I'm with Brightman.  Mom told me to buy a trenchcoat up to $200.  I did.  It was made of leather.
I have 2 leather belts and I am not sure if all my shoes are leather.

I would really try to avoid fur.  Gore Tex, lets sweat evaporate, is waterproof.  

I try not to overdo meat.  I tell you the truth sometimes I could use a burger.  Like last Friday when I had an 18 page Word document to turn into an accessible Web page, instead of "I need a cigarette" or "I need a beer" I went and got a Snickers bar.  I try not to eat meat like a felid at the zoo.

I also eat eggs (rarely) and milk (in MODERATION, adults only need 8 oz a day of SKIM MILK), and not too much ice cream.

I also eat fish and poultry.

No feathers please.  Though I imagine it must have been quaint writing with one.

I have seen documentaries on the way livestock are killed, and most slaughterhouses are not like the ones you see on PETA's website and actually adhere to their policies designed to reduce the stress/pain experienced by the animal.

I don't know anyone like that, save for the ones that are already vegetarians/vegans. I live in an area where there are cows everywhere all the time (raised for both meat and dairy), so seeing a live cow and then going home and eating a hamburger isn't really a big deal.

All egg-laying chickens are sent to be slaughtered and processed once their egg-laying abilities diminish (I believe that starts to happen at around one year of age). Their meat is of lower-quality and is usually used in products like canned soup and animal feed. There are of course chickens raised strictly for their meat, and these make up the bulk of the chicken meat that humans consume, because it is higher-quality.

"Organic" does not necessarily mean cage-free and "cage-free" does not necessarily mean the animals are treated humanely. Many cage-free chickens are kept in horrid conditions, with hundreds of individuals packed in a small pen (not cage), leaving no more room to roam around than the chickens that are kept in cages. Additionally, in this case, the caged chickens may  arguably be treated more humanely, as chickens are natually aggressive towards each other and being kept in a cage prevents them from attacking each other (which is a problem when chickens are kept too close together).

I did watch Fast Food Nation.  Kind of touching how the coyote who smuggles the kids into America gives them happy meals to welcome them into America.  

The husband is seriously injured and gets no assistance because he had amphetamines in his bloodstream, his wife works the butcher floor.

Don't watch that film after eating.

It might be more of a city thing - but I know quite a few people that don't like anyone mentioning the word "cow" when they're eating steak, for example...

I live in a residential area and I know plenty of people like that. In fact there was a television show called The Chasers where two men stood out the front of a steak restaurant asking people to choose which bit of the cow they wanted for today's meal and people were horrified, having never actually put a cow and the steak they eat together.  Basically, since you live in the country, there would be a completely different attitude to the people in the city who don't farm cows and see what actually happens to them.

I have owned chickens and I don't know where you get the idea that chickens are aggressive towards each other.  Roosters are, but not chickens.  It seems from my shopping unless I go specifically to a Health Food Store - where they get their chicken meat and eggs straight from a farm - that the only options in shopping centres to buy chicken that is better for us is to buy organic chicken.  At least with organic they haven't had the growth hormones that other chicken has.  

Ultimately the best thing I do on the matter is to buy from my local health food store because I know where the eggs come from... otherwise the best I can do is buy free range eggs which are at least better than the cramped warehouses where a lot of chickens die and they actually can't move in their cages at all. I've seen pictures.

By the way, I thought I'd point out that I'm not vegetarian. I just make sure I keep the animals in mind, so I actually don't tend to eat red meat that often... I try to get my protein another way, but I tend to have to eat red meat due to anemia problems.  Generally I eat salmon, tuna and other fish for my meat and vegies.

Bella brings up an important point.  Women of childbearing age are susceptible to anemia without some source of iron in their diet.  One might think that some source of meat or red meat might be a good source of iron, not to say pig out at McD.

Anemia is a problem in North Korea among women of childbearing age, for example.  Although a single T-72 tank has a lot of steel (and iron) in it, don't you think?

It's true about Anemia being a problem, however I really think most people (well around where I live particularly and I suspect in most developed countries) eat far too much meat.  Meat every night is definitely not necessary or healthy.  I just trust my body and when it wants red meat I get it... but that is not very frequent... not even once a week.  Sometimes I go a few weeks without red meat.  Usually I try to eat iron based greens - silverbeet, brussel sprouts etc and eat fish.

Three ounces of meat is an adult serving.  That is less than a deck of cards.

Lose the quarter pounder (4 ounces).

Lose the 8 oz, 12 oz, one pound steak.  When Mom took friends out to eat, the lady of the house got a one pounder steak and took over half home, to make dinner.   Smart, but pushing her luck.

I don't think there's anything wrong with using animals for food just as long as the animals are treated humanely while they're alive. When it comes to fur and skin, only if they're going to use the meat to eat. Wearing fur is unnecessary now, since we have other materials to make clothes from, and so it's kind of like senseless killing...

Well, that is true. In some cases, fur is really the best alternative. I guess the only problem is when people wear fur just for the sake of looking good.

I'm a vegetarian and don't wear fur. But I also don't eat cheese, because I don't like it. And I don't eat some other things that make it pretty difficult to find something else than a few vegetarian meals... But still.

Wool is doing the sheep a favor, don't you think, especially in summer?  Just something I read in a Bible book for children (Baaa Baaa, we want our coats off, too (they said to Joseph))

I'm not sure if they meant 3 oz for men.  But you're right, CJ, women of childbearing age generally need to replenish iron supply.