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Cow in Tilt TableI clipped out this picture from an issue of Wired (along with the accompanying, brief article) knowing that at some point I would figure out what I wanted to say about it.  It has sat on my desk for a couple of weeks and every time I run across it I think: I must write something about this hideous photo.  Now, my bailiwick is plant-based, cruelty-free recipes.  It is my belief that eliminating meat and dairy from one’s diet guarantees a happier and healthier body.  I mostly leave the animal rights activism to more knowledgeable and eloquent voices.  So the other day when I read The Logic of Animal Rights, by activist and blogger Kara Kapelnikova, I knew that she had written what I would have liked to have said about the photo of this dairy cow hoisted into the air (by a “tilt table”) for an inspection of her hooves.  The deceptive banality of it, the look in the cow’s eye as she stares at the photographer, the filth and muck that surrounds her…While there are certainly more graphic and disturbing images out there, this photo to me exemplifies how we exploit animals for our own needs – how many of us view animals (especially “food” animals) as products rather than living, feeling beings – born, bred and butchered so that we can dine on their remains.  By the way, this was an article in a section called Toolkit about how to start a dairy farm.

Please visit Kara’s blog, Vegan Rabbit to get inspired and informed.  She lends her considerable intelligence, grace and eloquence to the cause of animal rights.

It seems appropriate here to mention another vegan-themed blog, this one called Bacon Is NOT an Herb, written by a new friend from the blogosphere (when I started blogging I had no idea I’d make so many wonderful connections with people of all stripes).  Terri shares recipes and restaurants reviews and makes it a little easier living in her part of the country to thrive on a vegan/vegetarian diet.  Right now she’s looking for vegans, vegetarians or those contemplating making the switch to a cruelty-free diet to submit stories about themselves and their journey.  You can find all of the information here: ‘Coming a Veg.   I think it will be fascinating to read what others have to share about their choices and lives.

Finally, wishing a happy birthday today to a beautiful yogini, vegan, author and devoted friend to “creatures great and small,” Ms. Tracey of Shanti Warrior Holistic Wellness Services.  I’m proud and honored to know her.  Peace and love, my friend.

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  1. trueindigo says:

    Being vegan is a choice that effects more than just our own selves – it changes the world.

  2. That belongs on a t-shirt! Well said.

  3. Vegan Rabbit says:

    The expression on that poor mother cow’s face is absolutely pitiful. Hoisted up so she can be inspected like some kind of machine undergoing routine maintenance. The dairy industry is, to me, the cruellest industry in agribusiness. As a feminist, I am disgusted by any industry which profits off of the female reproductive system – especially ones that do so against the female’s will. Stealing a child from its mother ranks in the lowest acts a human can do – and it is something that happens every day around the world in the name of milk, butter and cheese – in the name of greed, gluttony and apathy. Until all dairy farms are eradicated I will not rest, and I’m comforted by the knowledge that you are fighting by my side. Thank you for your mention of me in your compassionate blog. Thank you for helping to spread the truth about the plight of non-human animals around the world. While change will not happen overnight, I am confident that it is inevitable because I believe that people, at their core, aspire to do the right thing.

    “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” ~ Samuel Adams

  4. Kara, thank you for coming ’round to leave a comment. I think the “tireless minority” is increasing ranks.

  5. veganelder says:

    I can come up with little to say about the photo, the face of the cow being says it all. Anymore I’m always reminded of photos of the horrors associated with human slavery or the death camps of WWII when I see such images.

    On balance, when we see what we human animals have done with our abilities to manipulate our environment, it is difficult to see those powers as anything other than an evolutionary experiment gone badly wrong. Shame on us.

    Merry holidays to you and all others who practice harmlessness and birthday wishes to your friend….you have my gratitude for adding your voice to those speaking up on behalf of our sister and brother animals.

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