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(click for larger image)
photograph by
Amanda Stephenson
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world"
Margaret Mead
"Go for it baby!" was the reply from Christina on my answering machine.
I had left a message on her machine asking if it would be OK to write an
article about an upcoming rally for farm animals. I figured that she
might like the idea. Once on a macro tour in Puerto Vallarta when we
were out on a boating trip, I had urged another guest to refrain from
"throw back" fishing, that is, catching the fish, then taking the hook
out and throwing the poor creature back into the ocean. Christina
thanked me for that. We both care deeply about the welfare of other
species that share this earth with us.
So, OK, I would go to the rally that was to be held in Trenton, New
Jersey. Driving up I-95 on my way to the forum that was held the day
before the rally, I felt exhilarated and slightly nervous. "Does this
make me an animal activist?" I wondered. For years I have been receiving
literature from many different animal welfare groups. I would read what
they had to say and feel very badly about the way animals are
mistreated.
Sometimes
the stories of cruelty would make me ashamed of being a human being. How
can we be so heartless? What gives us the right to treat other species
the way we do? I would respond to my feelings by sending a contribution
to the animal charity at hand.
But this was different. This was really being involved. I was going to a
forum and rally with people who were true activists. I was finally
following my heart and doing something that might make a difference.
When I arrived, there was a large group already gathered in the hotel
lobby where the forum was to take place. Everywhere I looked, there were
pictures showing abusive farming practices, and a film narrated by Mary
Tyler Moore entitled "Life Behind Bars" was playing.
The film showed veal calves and pigs confined in cages so small that
they cold not turn around and frantic chickens in battery cages,
debeaked and walking over each other. No doubt about it, factory farm
animals need our help. In the European Union, this type of animal
handling has been outlawed and within a few years will be completely
phased out.
As I looked around at the crowd, they all seemed like regular people to
me. Not militant, not kooky. No, they were just average folks who had
probably received lots of the same mail that I had and were here to see
what they could do to help the animals who are unable to help
themselves.
Across the United States, large-scale industrialized "factory farms" are
rapidly replacing small farms. As a result, hundreds of millions of farm
animals are confined in cages and crates so cramped that they cannot
walk, turn around or even lay down comfortably. With each advance in
factory farm technology, farm animals are pushed harder to maximize
profitability, and their treatment becomes increasingly more cruel and
inhumane.
Farm Sanctuary, the animal rights group that sponsored the meeting, is
trying to educate the public about the horrendous conditions that exist
behind tightly closed doors on these farms. They have evidence of how
animals suffer out of public view and out of public concern.
Meat is bought
in nice neat packages in brightly lit grocery stores, worlds away from
the houses of torment in which the animals are raised. Slaughterhouses
are always in remote areas where the screaming of the doomed and the
stench of their blood cannot be heard or smelled.
There is, however, a small light at the end of the tunnel that could
eventually lead to a revolution in the way that farm animals are being
treated in the United States. The government has the power to enact laws
that would force farmers to change their current methods of cruel
farming to more humane ones. In 1996, New Jersey enacted landmark
legislation requiring the development of standards for the "humane
raising, keeping, care, treatment, marketing and sale of domestic
livestock."
The state of New Jersey is, therefore, in a position to play a leading
role in improving farm animal welfare in the United States. The problem
is that these proposed standards were supposed to be implemented in six
months. But six years later, the state has not even begun to process the
paperwork that would put this law into effect.
The rally on the
capital steps was being held to draw attention to his and to try and
urge New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Arthur Brown to set into action
the work needed to implement the more humane laws.
The forum included many interesting speakers. Gene and Lorri Bauston,
the founders and directors of Farm Sanctuary, told the story of finding
Hilda, a goat who had been left to die on a farm. Hilda became their
cherished pet and changed their lives. Knowing that there must be many
other animals like Hilda who needed their help, they decided to make
animal rights activism their life's work.
The issue at hand in New Jersey is the banning of veal crates. Peter
Singer, the Princeton philosopher and author of Animal Liberation, said
that what we are asking is reasonable and just. He stated that people
are basically good and want to do the right thing. "Who can say that
what we are asking for is unreasonable?" he said. "We want veal calves
to be housed in pens with other veal calves and to be fed a diet that is
not so deficient in iron so that when they are taken to slaughter, they
do not have to be dragged by the legs because they are too weak to walk.
"We are not asking that they be able to run around in the sunlight and
graze on the grass as they would on a small farm. All we are pleading
for is an end to the extreme confinement and gross suffering that they
must now endure. How can anyone with any humanity say no to this
request?"
After the morning of talks, everyone gathered for a catered lunch. I had
bought my own food in my little Japanese lunch box. Surprisingly, this
drew very little attention or comment from the others at my table. They
simply did not care what food I had or why I had gone to the trouble to
bring my own food in the first place. Animal welfare is their mission.
They are vegans for ethical reasons, not health concerns.
It is their
opinion that anyone who eats anything that was once living is a little
lower on the totem pole of ethics. Vegans do not approve of the
macrobiotic idea that it is Ok to eat fish. To them, that is also animal
exploitation.
The following day I drove back to Trenton to attend the rally. As I
approached the steps of the capital where the protesters had assembled,
I saw the life-size animal replicas of veal calves, pigs and chickens
crammed in small iron pens that had been put there to graphically tell
the story of the animals' plight.
Some people
walked by and jeered at the group. One of them said in a loud voice,
"They are a bunch of nuts, they'll stand there all day." I felt a pang
of anger that quickly turned to empathy.
I realized that it will take the higher consciousness of those of us who
do not consume meat to take a stand for the animals. A problem cannot be
solved by the same consciousness that created it. In our culture, bent
on the pursuit of pleasure, we can be made to feel as though we are weak
or neurotic because we deeply care and feel a kinship with our fellow
beings. But the distress at what we feel is real and valid. It is a
measure of our humanity when we endeavor to speak out against the
madness and cruelty of factory farming.
New Jersey bill A-1948 is the measure that outlaws veal crates. If this
is enforced, farmers in New Jersey will no longer be able to raise veal
in crates. This would then set a precedent making it easier to try and
get the veal crate banned by the federal government on a national level.
Politicians
listen to the concerns of the public, so it is extremely important at
this time to become active and call your local representatives. Even if
you are not a resident of New Jersey, please take the time to write or
call Trenton and speak up for the animals.
Farm Sanctuary would also welcome your support. They fight tirelessly to
help the billions of farm animals who cannot help themselves. You can
contact them at
www.farmsanctuary.org or at (607) 583-2225 or by writing to PO Box
150, Watkins Glen, NY 14891.
Originally published in
Christina Cooks Summer 2002
The following are some delicious meatless recipes. The ingredients will
promote good health and harmony with nature. We are so much better off
when we eliminate meat and dairy (liquid meat) from our diets. Enjoy
these cruelty-free dishes.
TOFU DOGS
Woody Allen was on the Today show and mentioned that he is careful about
what he eats and would never ever consider eating a hot dog. Good for
you, Woody! Kids and grownups alike enjoy these easy to prepare "dogs".
tofu dogs
whole-wheat tofu dog buns
onions
button mushrooms
relish
stone ground mustard
sesame oil
Slice and try lots of mushrooms and onions in the sesame oil to which a
pinch of salt has been added. Slice the dogs in half and fry with the
mushroom-onion mixture. Serve on the buns with lots of mustard and
relish.
BLT SANDWICH
No, this is not a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich! It is a bread,
lettuce and tempeh sandwich. Bacon is fried slabs of fat (ugh). Tempeh
is fermented soybeans, a good source of protein and very delicious.
1 block of tempeh
leaf of washed lettuce
sliced sourdough bread
sliced baby dill pickles
stone ground mustard
shoyu
ginger
sesame oil
Lightly boil tempeh in water seasoned with shoyu and a slice of ginger
for about 15 minutes. Let the tempeh cool down and slice into eight
slices. Fry until golden brown in the oil. During frying, season with
shoyu and generous amounts of ginger juice. Assemble ingredients into a
sandwich.
Note: I previously used nayomaise when making sandwiches until Christina
pointed out that they put cane sugar in these products. You can make
your own if you have the time and energy.
CRUELTY-FREE EGGLESS TOFU SALAD
Most of the eggs that are sold come from hens who are raised in "battery
cages". The hens are crowded so tightly that they cannot stretch their
wings or legs. They are debeaked, which cuts through bone and cartilage
and is extremely painful. In addition, eggs are high in cholesterol and
therefore may be harmful to human health. This eggless tofu salad is
easy to prepare and very tasty.
1 block soft tofu
1 block firm tofu
6 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
4 tablespoons brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons turmeric
salt to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup finely grated carrots
1 small chopped red onion
½ cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons kelp
2 teaspoons paprika
In a food processor, blend the soft tofu, vinegar, brown rice syrup, ½
of the onion, turmeric, garlic and salt until smooth. Crumble the firm
tofu into a bowl. Mix in celery, carrot, onion and parsley. Stir this
mixture unto blended tofu mixture. Add kelp and paprika.
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