My Take

I eat meat. 

Meat comes from animals.

I accept that fact and understand that is the way of the world. The way things are meant to be. 

If we humans were meant to eat grass we'd have four chambers in our stomach and flat teeth designed for grinding. Just like cows do.

Whether you are an evolutionist, a steadfast believer in creationism, or are of the opinion the human race is an accidental collision of dust particles matters not. We are equipped to chew and digest meat and to deny those basic instincts is a crime against nature.

This leads me to a recent news story here in my area of the Texas panhandle. A national animal rights organization released video of abuse taking part at a local cattle company. Yes I said abuse. The owner of the company was on local news and admitted what was seen in the footage was wrong. Despite my steadfast love of meat I am not foolish enough to say or even suggest there are stupid people in this world. People who make mistakes and do things they should not.

But I am unwavering in my belief that the idiotic actions of some should provoke a knee jerk action or banning of something else.

The spokesman for this animal rights group looked in the camera and said, "This is why everyone should be vegan. If you eat meat you are as guilty as those on the video."

That my friends is wrong.

But let me back up and say I something that often provokes shock from others.

I DO NOT believe in animal rights.

Nor do I believe we should treat animals humanly.

What I believe in is animal welfare.

Same thing you say. Yeah, it is in most people's minds, but unfortunately the whack jobs mean the terms literally.

Humanly means to treat something like a human. And that is what groups like PETA, ALF, and Mercy For Animals believe. Animals are not human. Treating them like I would my cousin Larry will not make them so.

Animals have no rights. I don't want to arm bears, have a chicken clucking away in the voting booth next to me, or set free all the Fido's and Spot's now incarcerated in backyards the world over.

Those are crazy ideas.

On the other hand I do not believe a person should repeatedly kick a sick calf, feed a pit bull gunpowder to make it aggressive enough to fight another dog to its death, or keep and starve to death a dozen Bengal tigers because they can't afford the meat to feed them. (Good luck convincing those tigers that a vegan lifestyle is the way to go)

There is no place for cruelty or abuse anywhere in this world.

That goes at feedlots and migrant farm camps, where often times the folks who pick all those veggies are treated worse than animals.

But back to the guys assertion meat production should be banned based on the video evidence.

Following his logic ... the next time some sorry bastard is found guilty of child abuse, all fornication should be banned, that way no innocent kids will ever be harmed again.