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From: hdj@burdvax.UUCP (Herb Jellinek)
Newsgroups: net.veg
Subject: Re: Vegetable Morality and Request for Recipes
Message-ID: <1378@burdvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Jan-84 08:32:15 EST
Article-I.D.: burdvax.1378
Posted: Thu Jan  5 08:32:15 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Jan-84 04:37:14 EST
References: <130@hou2f.UUCP>
Organization: System Development Corporation, Paoli PA
Lines: 71

You asked for flames; here's mine.

              The only justifiable reasons for not eating meat are
     religious and personal preference. This bit about being not
     nice to kill animals is pure poop (like that word??). This
     mentality, I believe, stems from people who let their social
     conditioning spill over into areas where it does not apply.

Your first sentence is crap, of course.  I take it you're saying it \is/
nice for humans to kill animals?

     Or maybe they mentally put themselves in the same position
     as the animal and get emotionally hung-up. I often wonder
     how these people feel when a bobcat catches and kills a
     rabbit on some TV wildlife show. Maybe they don't watch
     these shows. Maybe they feel nature should get an *R*
     rating. 

Or not.  Bobcats can eat what they will; so will I.  I don't kill, and
I don't eat meat.  If a lack of blood-lust offends you, I'm sorry.

     I guess veggies are OK to pick and cut up because
     although they are alive, they don't move around and make noise
     like we do. So they are looked upon as inanimate objects.

Veggies aren't conscious, are they?  Would you like to be killed for food,
or clothing, or sport?  Do you think animals owe us their lives for our
pleasure?

               Getting back to religious reasons for not eating
     meat, I can't see that being much of a reason in this part of
     the world. While not being an expert in the area of theology,
     I never heard of any restriction against all animal killing in the
     Christian or Jewish faiths, which are the predominant religions
     here.

I've seen some king-ass logical fallacies before, but this one takes the
cake.  If something is not banned by large segments of society, that hardly
makes it mandatory.  Better read your Logic 101 textbook again.

               Now there is some argument as far as dietary amounts
     or the quality of the meat. 

How gracious of you to allow us this one shred of social correctness.

     ... The bottom line is that we need meat,veggies and fruit,
     grain and dairy products (the four basic food groups) to
     maintain health. This is the only sensible diet, the rest in
     my opinion are fads.

I thought the four basic food groups were beans, nuts, dairy, and grains.
Silly me! All this time I've been a faddist!

               Two of my all-time favorite veggies are asparagus
     and broccoli. I'm sure there are others who share my love for
     these two. I'm looking for interesting ways to prepare them.

I'd tell you an interesting way you should prepare them, but it would not be
polite, so I'll demur.

In conclusion: I thought the "bear-baiters" were only to be found in
net.motss.  I'm sorry to find the same sort of narrow-minded foolishness in
net.veg.  I find vegetarianism to be a satisfying way of life, and I really
don't care who agrees.  You're welcome to your opinions, for that is all
they are.  If you like to eat meat, fine.  Most of my friends do; it doesn't
bother me.  It's their prerogative.  Likewise, it is my prerogative \not/ to
eat meat, or to kill animals.  The greatest lesson I have learned from my 5+
years of vegetarianism is to live and let live.  It seems like this is one
lesson you have missed.  That's a shame; I feel sorry for you.

		Herb Jellinek