Animal Agriculture loses friend

I don’t know whether Dr. Atkins knew what an animal was, but it doesn’t matter. I have “Loosely” (no pun intended) followed his protein diet for nearly ten years. I like it. But I think the thing to point out about him is his spirit. Did you know he first wrote about the low carbohydrate diet in 1966? For nearly forty years he stood by what he believed and wasn’t afraid to call a “weenie” a weenie.

I found an interesting article today in the Orlando Sentinel about his death. The first person quoted was none other than “the wolf in sheep’s clothing” himself, animal rights activist Neal Barnard.

"The books were in and of themselves quite harmful," said Barnard, president and founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. For profile check on Barnardwww.activistcash.com.

But the next quote sums it up for me. One person can make a difference if you want to. "Although professionally I would not agree with his theories, he made
all of us take a look at our own work, and I think that's good," said Dr. Susan Mitchell, a Winter Park dietitian and nationally prominent author. "He made scientists say, 'Let's do some research on this.' "
Can you say “Bus Trip”?

I say we get a bus lined up. According to the slate of speakers scheduled for the 2003 Animal Rights Conference, they need somebody to speak that has actually handled an animal….Call me if you want to go.

The Animal Rights 2003 web site has been updated and exhibit registration is now open. The updates include sponsoring organizations, speakers, exhibit diagrams, lodging and travel boards and the AR2002 photo gallery. Please visit www.animalrights2003.org for details and registration.

Happy Easter

Most importantly, spend time with your family and have a wonderfully Happy Easter.

Trent

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In any frame of mind


Some times Loos Lips needs to put smile on your face and warm your heart. Matt Meurer is a friend of mine from West Lafayette, IN and this is pretty cool. Thank you Matt. Take a break from the grind and log onto Ride with the Cowboy. Included is a poem from a soldier in Kuwait starts like this on this website
Written by Corporal Joshua Miles and all the boys from 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines, Kuwait

"Wish You Were Here"

For all the free people that still protest. You're welcome. We protect you and you are protected by the best.


This just slays me.

Robert Cohen, “mastermindless” of www.notmilk.com, and I debated about the “evils” of milk last fall on The Conspiracy Zone on TNN hosted by Kevin Nealon. You can watch a short snippet of that by clicking here. Cohen sends out a daily column and today he is talking about “why the healthiest and longest living people reside in Okinawa, Japan?” Strangely enough the advertisement is selling “calcium supplements”. Hey, Robert there is a simple solution that would replace the need for calcium supplements, DRINK MILK!

This is a sample of his column today:
M is for Mastectomy, she's half the gal she used to be.
O is for the Osteo, her bones are getting weaker.
T is for Thrombosis, sadly, her future's getting bleaker.
H is for her Heart which soon will never beat again,
E is for Eating poisoned foods, she's dosed with medicine.
R is for Radiation, which may prolong her tragic end.

Robert Cohen makes a living trying to create FEAR. He is a “Weenie” and we need to stand up to him.

Cohen also introduced me to his good friend Howard Lyman who is quoted today in Daily Camera. This is an example of what this former rancher does. Yes, he went broke ranching so now he is trying to bankrupt those who do things right. Lyman wrote Mad Cowboy: "Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat", and he now travels about 300 days a year around the world to preach the benefits of a plant-based diet including a stint on Oprah Winfrey bashing the meat industry.

Man, he jetsets around the world as a “rancher”, does this quote sound like any rancher you know? Click here to read entire article but he says:

Americans' love of red meat an "addiction" and a "smoking gun" responsible for a national obesity epidemic - and now a rise in adult
onset diabetes among children.

Animal Handling, who cares?


Yesterday’s anti-Christian message certainly did get your attention. One response was from Phil Clemens President of Hatfield Quality Meats. I have a great deal of respect for Phil, as does anyone who has ever met him. Hatfield Quality Meats has been in his family for 106 years – WOW that is impressive! Phil was kind enough to share with me his presentation to the 2002 Animal Handling Conference and I think you should read it. This is an excerpt from the speech and the “mindset” that has allowed this Pennsylvanie family to be the meat business for 106 years. Thank you Phil.

A cynical person may say - you are raising these animals to be slaughtered, then you are actually slaughtering them - how can that be looking out for the animals welfare? I believe it is very clear. God has given them to us to have dominion over - that means to use under our direction. To raise animals for food is very natural. But, it requires that animals are raised in the best possible conditions, transported in the kindest way and then processed by the most humane treatment.

"People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do"

The lowest of the low that I know

Any of you who do not believe animal agriculture is under attack will think this story is some fairy tale. Actually it has hit me so hard I am trying to find someone to punch, look out Kelli. Top Producer has an article this month about Karl Shank, chairman of the Yankton county planning and zoning committee. He was arrested and tried for perjury because he supports animal agriculture. Read whole story; here is a sample:

The state of South Dakota has charged Schenk, a Mission Hill, S.D., farmer with perjury. If found guilty at his trial this month, he faces a possible 10-year jail sentence.
His real crime, Schenk and his defenders say, isn’t failing to tell the truth. It’s the belief that animal agriculture is good for rural communities, their grain farmers and their tax base. “Livestock is the only economic development program you don’t have to subsidize,” the 200-head cow-calf operator and grain producer says in his defense.

Update: Mr Shank was found NOT guilty on two counts last Thursday. My sources tell me that jurors had no doubt that the county attorney received the minutes and attempted to frame Mr. Shank. Unbelievable even to me. I wish only the best to the Shank family for what they have gone through.

Please note correction

Amy and I must have had a communication problem. Yesterday, I told you the neighbors who filed the lawsuit against them lived up to nine miles away. I was wrong, the neighbors range from .9 to 1 mile. Thank you Amy for the correction.

Food shock and awe

The pendulum has shifted. I am convinced that PETA’s outrageous campaigns are designed to be so extreme that it allows the rest of the radicals to seem middle of the road. I continue to see and hear that if you produce animals for food you are “evil”. I have even heard (with my own ears) some cow/calf ranchers correlate the work of NCBA members as anti-Christian. Sometimes we support someone thinking it will benefit us short term and do not understand the long-term implications. Take a look at PETA’s “Jesus was a vegetarian” campaign. Then look at the links on the site including the Christian Vegetarian Association. I cannot put all the statements you should read here but it is well worth your time to look at some of this information. Here is one good example from Fr. John Dear, S.J. “I am convinced that society will look back on human arrogance and cruelty toward other animals with the same horror and disbelief that we presently reserve for atrocities committed against human beings.”
I have to wonder how these “men of God” can support PETA so much. What about PETA’s financial and verbal support for bombing packinghouses, banks and other structures of food production?

Using the court system to instill FEAR

In the past seven days, two pork producers (that I know of) in the state of Iowa have had nuisance lawsuits filed against them? Last Monday, a couple from Madison county with one 350 head finishing building had a suit filed against them for odor. I spent 20 minutes at the kitchen table with the plaintiffs in the case Tuesday evening. They admitted there was not an odor from the building but they don’t like the owner and they are using pigs as the excuse. Pigs are always the scapegoat. The co-founders of Faces of Ag, Chad and Amy Wilkerson, were served with a lawsuit for the same thing this morning. A group of neighbors, some of which live up to nine miles away and the closest which is a full mile away, are the plaintiffs. People are filing lawsuits just to be a nuisance and people are being coached and looking for avenues to create Fear. Are we living in society where we will become reluctant to do anything for FEAR of being sued? I fear that.

Nicollet County, MN pork producer confronted with activist

Rick Grommersch, a Minnesota pork producer, noticed someone walking around the end of his driveway in a grove of trees. It turned out to be animal activists taking illegal photographs. The deputy sheriff was called and assisted the perpetrators in deleting the pictures from their digital camera. They were also warned about trespassing on private property and asked not to return to Nicollet County. Of greater concern to Rick was the fact that these activists had a GPS guidance system with four locations locked in the memory - one of them was Rick’s farm. Law officers suggest that farmers need to be very aware of this type of activity and realize that trespassing laws are difficult to enforce if “No Trespassing” signs are not posted.

Matt Mackell was one of the individuals. He is treasure of Compassionate Action for Animals. Click here to read Matt Mackell column on “Why Animal Rights?” but this is my favorite quote. I think he was talking about himself compared to animals."They think, they feel, and they can suffer. Many non-human animals are more intelligent than many humans."


Dan Murphy to leave Meat Marketing Technology

Dan Murphy, editor of Meat Marketing Technology and best known to agriculture producers as editor of meatingplace.com, has announced his resignation. Dan accepted a position as vice president of Public Affairs for the American Meat Institute. In his farewell editorial, he summed up the meat industry in these words: “In my experience, the commitment to this industry exemplified by the thousands of people I've met with and talked to is built on a feeling of pride in knowing that being a member of the meat industry means you're providing sustenance, you're feeding families, you're providing one of the most essential of all human commodities”. Dan’s last day at MMT will be April 18, 2003.

Dan Murphy is one of the few who has been willing to stand up to the Weenies. Thank you Dan. Would you please take just a moment and join me by telling Dan, Thank You.