My life was taken

Makes me think of that Minor Threat song from the 1980's, "In My Eyes":

You tell me you like the taste
You just need an excuse
You tell me it calms your nerves
You just think it looks cool
You tell me you want to be different
You just change for the same
You tell me it's only natural
You just need the proof
Did you fucking get it?

It's in my eyes
And it doesn't look that way to me
In my eyes

You tell me that nothing matters
You're just fucking scared
You tell me that I'm better
You just hate yourself
You tell me that you like her
You just wish you did
You tell me that I make no difference
Well at least I'm fucking trying
What the fuck have you done?

It's in my eyes
And it doesn't look that way to me
In my eyes

I know that the song isn't necessarily about the consumption of animals. It seems like it's about alcohol, individualism, fatalism, relationships, & individual effort vs. overall progress. Yet, it does seem that the over all theme of not going along with the majority, not making excuses for inaction, and making an effort without being overly hung up on the overall impact are all relevant to things that vegans experience.

Animals deserve freedom

Humanity should not only give animals this freedom but should also unshackle itself from the effects of factory farming: environmental destruction, negative effects to human health, and becoming the purveyors of cruelty.

da Vinci - The time/day will come

"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men." -Leonardo da Vinci, artist and scientist

10 Billion people by 2050

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." -Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize 1921

This is cruelty

Paul McCartney - "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian."

Ethics 101: No Difference between abusing

And don't just pat yourself on the back because you've never personally abused a cat, dog, chicken, pig, or cow. If you're eating factory farmed meats (98 - 99% of meat in first world countries, btw) then you're abusing animals by proxy. You just pay someone else to do the abusing for you.

Fish: Catch and Release

I read something about this once. Fish have a mucous membrane that covers their bodies and protects them in the water. Catch and release disrupts this and dooms them.

Producing 1 pound of beef

For those that don't know, we have 7 billion (that's billion with a 'b') human inhabitants of this planet now. We're headed to 9 billion and it's going to be a challenge to feed everyone. It's time to stop making excuses and to learn to live without (best choice) or seriously cut back on your consumption of meat- especially if it comes from a 'factory farm.' (If you live in the first world, about 98 - 99% of your meat comes from a factory farm.)

Stuff your face with fast food

The unhealthiest people I know are the ones who chow down on fast food consistently- too bad they never seem to make the connection.

This is, if you stop and think about it, a testament to why 7 billion people eating animals at the rate that the United States does is completely unsustainable. Actually, just the USA eating animals at the rate that the USA eats animals now is unsustainable. The sooner more Americans (and Western Europeans and emerging markets like India & China) figure this out, the better.

This is factory farming

I don't care how much you like the texture or the taste; there's no excuse for supporting this type of cruelty- ever.

Optimus Prime - Freedom is the right of

He may be a fictional character, but he has a valid point.

Pigs: right & wrong treatment

I don't care how much people say they love bacon. There's no excuse for the type of conditions that are depicted on the right hand side of this image.

If every American skipped one meal of chicken

This would be a good start. Now, if Americans stopped eating chickens altogether, that would be like they took reversing environmental destruction seriously.

Gandhi Quote - The greatness of a nation

By this standard, the United States of America fares very poorly. Our pets are pampered but our "farm" animals (the majority of which are on "factory farms") are tortured- and most Americans are in denial or just don't want to know about it.

National Pork Producers statemet- So our animals can't turn around

Something's seriously wrong with a species that will do this to another species and then rationalize it and justify it.

Vegan food is real food

Maybe the only adjective that needs to precede vegan foods is the word "vegan." Maybe vegan cheese is the real cheese. And maybe vegan meat is the real meat.

Egg industry- male chicks

And, this is just one of the reasons to try and avoid factory farmed eggs.

How to feel f'in ace (for active people)

I don't know if this will make me feel "fuckin' ace" or not, but it seems like good advice.

John Lennon- I don't think animals were meant

I don't know if animals were "meant" to do or be anything but, I do know that modern factory farming is horrifically cruel to the animals and the workers; it is ruining the planet's ecosystem; and it is destroying people's health. Still, I like this quote by Mr. Lennon. Wish more of his fans felt this way too.

Make The Connection

Where I live, most people are exactly this type of specieist. I don't get it.

If You Were Alone On A Deserted Island?

This is the pic that got me thinking of starting this blog. I think the question that it asks is great. It is thought provoking. If I had any criticisms of it, it would be that it only mentions animal cruelty. Of course, animal cruelty is a hugely important issue to most vegans, but it's only one of the 3 big issues:

1. Animal Cruelty
2. Environmental Destruction
3. Personal Health