Animal Rights

[That_one_guy]

It amazes me how much support they have from people who claim to be Catholic.

It amazes me how many people who call themselves Catholic throw compassion and understanding out the window and utilize baited accusative statements to make their points.

 

[That_one_guy]

[sign1]Note:This subject always gets people angry; let’s try to behave ourselves for once, OK?[/sign1]

OK, that said: Yes, animals have a right to decent & humane treatment. They are part of God’s creation, & should be treated as such.
That does not mean that I do not believe that humans come first…It means that, to be human is to accept the responsibility for being the stewards of God’s creeation.

Now…about PETA…
I live near the folks who raise animals for essential medical research. (Not for testing Glow-In-The-Dark-Fuchsia Mascara). Periodically, PETA raids them…The result is always the same: When the people come to work (or to answer a late night police report of a break-in), PETA has let the animals out of their cages…and killed them.
Methodically, slicing their throats, poisoning them, you name it; whatever the chosen method, if this http://bestsmileys.com/angry1/25.gif ] is “animal rights”, I will personally take vanilla.
So will my much beloved cat, who eats 9-Lives canned, & Purina Cat Chow.
And if you knew what goes into pet food, you wouldn’t begrudge it to pets! Do you really want cow brains http://bestsmileys.com/sick/9.gif&:eek: sheep lungshttp://bestsmileys.com/sick/9.gif & pigs’ reproductive organshttp://bestsmileys.com/sick/9.gif for your dinner???http://bestsmileys.com/puking/5.gif
I didn’t think so…

The ASPCA is a wonderful organization. So are local Humane Societies. They take care of animals (including the thankless job of euthanizing animals who are too sick or injured or brutalized to rehabilitate).
Someone mentioned the RSPCA: Britain’s version of the ASPCA; also a fine group of people.
None of these folks are guilty of holding animals above humans…and neither are they guilty, like the PETA folks, of being on record as opposed to any & all companion animals. (They think animals are better off dead than being pets. I think they’re, not to put too fine a point on it, as crazy as bedbugs).

I would be willing to bet that the vandals and murderers who broke into the “dog house on haunted hill” were not really PETA.I’m not defending all of PETAs activities.But,PETA is a much more public group than the Animal Liberation Front,who must do their nasty deeds in secret because they are evil.It also wouldn’t surprise me if these people were deliberately trying to paint PETA as evil by committing this atrocity in their name.

 

[Sam_Maloney]

A lot of organizations have made mistakes.
Yet,at the same time,have made beneficial contributions to humanity.Our Beloved Church,for example.How many heretics became Saints?How many innocents were burned at the stake.Does this make Her evil?
Come on,…!!!

This was no mistake: they received considerable criticism for it, but did not apologize or back off the statement.

Why? Because the mindset it reveals is at the core of their philosophy.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

Dogs should NOT eat table scraps - they can cause severe illness, such as pancreatitis, which is difficult and costly to treat. Much scientific research has gone into pet foods in the last couple of decades to improve the nutritional value and reduce the yard waste (or litter box waste). There are also foods for animals that are overweight, have kidney disease, have allergies, etc. When we assume stewardship, or ownership, of a pet, we sign on for a responsibility which can last up to 25 years.

Cats should NOT roam free - their life spans are significantly reduced due to predators, viruses, and exposure to the elements. If you ever have an opportunity to witness a cat dying of distemper you may change your song.

I pray that you have no pets.

marietta

I don’t have pets. I think it is rather silly to own a pet. If it is a working animal, that’s okay, but just a pet is silly for both human and animal.

If you eat a lot of ****, you probably shouldn’t feed it to your dogs. However if you eat a healthy diet, there is nothing wrong with feeding the scraps to a dog. Most dogs are scavengers at heart, they love rotten food that they find in a compost heap or any other means. They can also catch and kill small animals and eat them if they aren’t too pampered or inbred.

As for cats, their use is to catch mice. My son had a lot of mice in his home, until he owned a cat, which kept them at bay. Farmers used to suppliment cats’ diets by spraying milk from cows they were milking into the cats’ mouths.

 

[That_one_guy]

This was no mistake: they received considerable criticism for it, but did not apologize or back off the statement.

Why? Because the mindset it reveals is at the core of their philosophy.

Well, I should hope they are being prosecuted,then.

And,Sam,IMOD,I never advocated their philosophies.I only pointed out that they have brought a lot of issues to light.

 

[Fox]

Hi everyone. What rights should animals have according to the Catholic Church? I think they at least deserve the right to be happy, healthy, well fed, well watered, and that they have the right to proper shelter. What is your opinion? Should we support organizations such as PETA or is PETA too extreme? What about the ASPCA?

We are to be good stewards to animals, nothing more. They don’t possess human souls but they do deserve respect as God’s creations. I don’t believe in factory meat for food. I follow how our Lord ate to the best of my ability.

PETA, as far as I’m concerned, is a terrorist extremist group, that care about animals over human beings. ASPCA is alright.

 

[cathybramble]

I don’t have pets. I think it is rather silly to own a pet. If it is a working animal, that’s okay, but just a pet is silly for both human and animal.

If you eat a lot of ****, you probably shouldn’t feed it to your dogs. However if you eat a healthy diet, there is nothing wrong with feeding the scraps to a dog. Most dogs are scavengers at heart, they love rotten food that they find in a compost heap or any other means. They can also catch and kill small animals and eat them if they aren’t too pampered or inbred.

As for cats, their use is to catch mice. My son had a lot of mice in his home, until he owned a cat, which kept them at bay. Farmers used to suppliment cats’ diets by spraying milk from cows they were milking into the cats’ mouths.

my dog eats 4 coups of dog food a day. i don’t accumulate 4 cups of leftovers or food scraps in a month. i’d say if you’ve got enough table scraps left to feed your dog properly every day, you’re probably cooking way too much food.

before pet foods were invented, i’m guessing that most people who kept dogs and cats lived in rural areas where a cat could go out and hunt its own food. most dogs were bred as working dogs, often for herding cattle or sheep, so it would make sense that people who had these dogs would have plenty of bones and meat scraps to feed the dogs with.

most human food is unsuitable as a sole and steady diet for dogs or cats. in general i think most of the material marketed and sold as “food” for humans is not suitable as a sole or steady diet for humans either

 

[CHRISTINE77]

most human food is unsuitable as a sole and steady diet for dogs or cats. in general i think most of the material marketed and sold as “food” for humans is not suitable as a sole or steady diet for humans either

People eat a lot of junk. If it’s not good enough for your dog, it certainly isn’t good for you!

 

[That_one_guy]

People eat a lot of junk. If it’s not good enough for your dog, it certainly isn’t good for you!

As a kid I used to hear the old cowboys say that if their dog won’t eat neither would they!!!

 

[rpp]

As a kid I used to hear the old cowboys say that if their dog won’t eat neither would they!!!

Cowboys aren’t the only ones who say that! :yup:

 

[cathybramble]

People eat a lot of junk. If it’s not good enough for your dog, it certainly isn’t good for you!

ayuhp. regards to dogs as pets, actually got mine as kind of a bodyguard - it’s a scary world for a single mom with two daughters living on their own. maybe some people are braver than me but just having a dog in the house gave me a lot of peace of mind. in a sense he IS a working dog and earns his keep just being the critter he is.

he also keeps my feet warm

 

[cathybramble]

PETA are the people who equate ham with the Jewish Holacaust.

Decent people should condemn them and have nothing to do with them.

DO NOT trust any ‘information’ they ‘uncover’: it’s pure propaganda for the feeble minded.

i’m a decent person and i don’t condemn everything they do. i don’t support their organization and am not a member but i think it’s easy for people to dismiss their videos as “propaganda.” most of us don’t like what we see in those clips. my goodness, if they are true, and these things really are going on… we might have to re-think our food choices a bit. heaven save us.

you have to look at motives here. big meat, egg, and dairy corporations stand to lose billions of dollars by letting you see the truth. they lie to us all the time - told me all my life that i “need” their products to be healthy, even knowing full well it wasn’t true. the “got milk” campaign by the dairy board is the biggest lie there ever was, scaring us into consuming their products lest our bones become weak - and yet we have one of the highest osteoporosis rates in the world. the egg industry is currently being sued for its “animal care certified” logo that misleads the public about their treatment of hens. they’ve been ordered not to use it but continue to do so anyway. people don’t like the thought that they are contributing to the mistreatment of animals.

then you look at groups like PETA and really, what do they have to gain or lose by lying to people? do they just have it in for KFC and so are expending all this money and energy to create video forgeries of cruelty? i really don’t see it.

all that said, PETA does shoot itself in the foot all the time, credibility-wise - but to just dismiss them as “evil” is oversimplifying things.

 

[Sam_Maloney]

i’m a decent person and i don’t condemn everything they do. i don’t support their organization and am not a member but i think it’s easy for people to dismiss their videos as “propaganda.” most of us don’t like what we see in those clips. my goodness, if they are true, and these things really are going on… we might have to re-think our food choices a bit. heaven save us.

you have to look at motives here. big meat, egg, and dairy corporations stand to lose billions of dollars by letting you see the truth. they lie to us all the time - told me all my life that i “need” their products to be healthy, even knowing full well it wasn’t true. the “got milk” campaign by the dairy board is the biggest lie there ever was, scaring us into consuming their products lest our bones become weak - and yet we have one of the highest osteoporosis rates in the world. the egg industry is currently being sued for its “animal care certified” logo that misleads the public about their treatment of hens. they’ve been ordered not to use it but continue to do so anyway. people don’t like the thought that they are contributing to the mistreatment of animals.

then you look at groups like PETA and really, what do they have to gain or lose by lying to people? do they just have it in for KFC and so are expending all this money and energy to create video forgeries of cruelty? i really don’t see it.

all that said, PETA does shoot itself in the foot all the time, credibility-wise - but to just dismiss them as “evil” is oversimplifying things.

They are not just against ‘big’ food, but every family ranch in the country. Thousands of everyday working stiffs will loose not just thier jobs but the land they love if the PETA types get their way.

What will become of the land? Instead of being used for eco-friendly grazing, it will turn into more cultivated, pesticide and insectcide drenched land devoid of natural life to provide you with more high-fructose corn syrup and a diabetes inducing high carb diet.

So you see, informed choices need more information than PETA is likely to provide.

What does PETA have to gain? Millions and millions of dollars in donations, as well as the self righteous rage of the revolutionary, the halos of the crusaders, and the smug self satisfaction of people convinced that they are infinetly better, wiser, kinder than the mere working man they seek to grind beneath their heels.

Evil? Haven’t called them that, but I think it fits.

 

[Salonika]

I don’t know many cats that will eat vegetables.

Apparently you have to start them on vegetables early. The vet who advised me that my cats should eat meat and vegs told me that as the two cats I had adopted were about a year old I probably wouldn’t be able to get them to eat them eat vegetables.

I used to get these two cats to eat new kinds of pet food etc by putting some on a plate and and pretending that I was enjoying it. Then they would usually ask for some.

 

[Salonika]

CHRISTINE77:

I don’t have pets. I think it is rather silly to own a pet. If it is a working animal, that’s okay, but just a pet is silly for both human and animal.

I never say I “own” my cats. My cats are my companions, I hope they see me as a companion not their “owner” This helps me treat them as cats not as surrogate humans. That’s also a reason I have two as then they outnumber me.

What do you think of the elderly and the housebound having a pet (a companion animal)? While not a “working dog or cat” the animal may give the person a pattern to their day and someone to share it with.

 

[redhen]

What will become of the land? Instead of being used for eco-friendly grazing, it will turn into more cultivated, pesticide and insectcide drenched land devoid of natural life to provide you with more high-fructose corn syrup and a diabetes inducing high carb diet.

What does PETA have to gain? Millions and millions of dollars in donations, as well as the self righteous rage of the revolutionary, the halos of the crusaders, and the smug self satisfaction of people convinced that they are infinetly better, wiser, kinder than the mere working man they seek to grind beneath their heels.

Straw man much?

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I never say I “own” my cats. My cats are my companions, I hope they see me as a companion not their “owner” This helps me treat them as cats not as surrogate humans. That’s also a reason I have two as then they outnumber me.

What do you think of the elderly and the housebound having a pet (a companion animal)? While not a “working dog or cat” the animal may give the person a pattern to their day and someone to share it with.

I think that is fine. It’s almost like a dog for the blind or the deaf. The dog is providing a service. Dogs are good companions and they provide comfort for the lonely and elderly and infirm.

 

[Sam_Maloney]

Straw man much?

Such flippancy really deserves no respectful answer, but I’ll try to offer one anyway:

Look at land used for grazing versus used for crops, study the eco-diversity of each, tell me which is better for the natural world.

Sugar consumuption has increased 10 fold in the last century, and diabetes is at near epidemic proportions. Not a coincedence.

PETA is the second richest animal advocacy group in the world. I’d say they have a finacial stake.

So do I: I’m a rancher. Ban beef, and I loose my land. So pardon me if I take these things seriously and personally.

 

[cathybramble]

They are not just against ‘big’ food, but every family ranch in the country. Thousands of everyday working stiffs will loose not just thier jobs but the land they love if the PETA types get their way.

What will become of the land? Instead of being used for eco-friendly grazing, it will turn into more cultivated, pesticide and insectcide drenched land devoid of natural life to provide you with more high-fructose corn syrup and a diabetes inducing high carb diet.

So you see, informed choices need more information than PETA is likely to provide.

What does PETA have to gain? Millions and millions of dollars in donations, as well as the self righteous rage of the revolutionary, the halos of the crusaders, and the smug self satisfaction of people convinced that they are infinetly better, wiser, kinder than the mere working man they seek to grind beneath their heels.

Evil? Haven’t called them that, but I think it fits.

i think you overestimate the support that PETA has from the average veg-head. personally i see them as a means to an end… the DO expose cruelty in the system and bring awareness to these issues… and whatever lobbying they can do to help factory farmed animals is great. but that’s about as far as they will get before losing the support of your average animal rights person.
the extremists are a vocal minority. most of us would love to see a return of the family farm - because real farmers take care of their animals. “the good man cares for the life of his beast, but even the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”

big agribusiness has much much more to lose from being exposed than PETA has to gain by exposing them. righteous indignation and working for a “cause” runs out of steam if it’s not fueled by real problems. i even got into this discussion with someone who was “For” factory farmed battery cage eggs – this person actually said, “it’s not like chickens are living things or something.”

 

[cathybramble]

Such flippancy really deserves no respectful answer, but I’ll try to offer one anyway:

Look at land used for grazing versus used for crops, study the eco-diversity of each, tell me which is better for the natural world.

Sugar consumuption has increased 10 fold in the last century, and diabetes is at near epidemic proportions. Not a coincedence.

PETA is the second richest animal advocacy group in the world. I’d say they have a finacial stake.

So do I: I’m a rancher. Ban beef, and I loose my land. So pardon me if I take these things seriously and personally.

nobody can or will ban beef. giving animals protection against cruelty is not about banning meat. it is not about elevating animals to human dignity - it is about elevating humans to the compassionate morality we are called to have.

large scale livestock farming (“CAFOs”) do NOT help the land, they create biohazards, pollute the air and water, and are opposed by every small farming community in the areas where they crop up.

and what does sugar consumption have to do with animal rights?