ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

I love animals, they're delicious !

I propose the following new stanza to be added to John Lennon's "Imagine":

Imagine no meat-eating
A world of little harm
No slaughter-house of horrors
Or brutal factory farm
Imagine all the animals
Living with us in joy

[original lyrics follow]

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Do you wear leather shoes or carry a leather pocketbook or wallet? Do you have a warm wool sweater? Not all farm animals end up on a table.

Excellent article but it only scratches the surface of the problem. The quotes speak to the dignity and freedom of all animals, and that also applies to pets. Pets are slaves to human neuroses. There is huge ontological confusion, massive denial and misplacement of psychic energy onto pets, not to speak of the money that is made off them. Not eating meat and animal products is a good start but the restoration of animal rights only starts there. Pets are one of my pet peeves (pun intended) because it stares us in the face everyday. Slaughterhouses and animal factories are mostly hidden from our view, as are science torture chambers. Animals take their revenge in human diseases and horrors but most humans are too stupid to see it. This is a huge subject too complicated and emotionally loaded to say much more. I feel the anger of the animals even when they have to put on pleasing manners and jump through hoops to please their human slave masters. Of course, they're cute and cuddly and all that human projected neediness but how much more admirable are they in the freedom of their own element. If humans die off because of their ignorant insanity, how long do you think pets will last on their own when they've been stripped of their inherent dignity and survival abilities? The pain of the 4H children pales next to that of the animals. Of course, 4H is part and parcel of the government corporate money complex which needs animals and meat eating humans. What a farce and tragedy! -Love, Dennis

Ha Ha Ha, What a moron, this guy couldn't even feed himself with out the help of many other people. I really doubt this person has any skills which benefit the community.

Fake laugher: You are the moron. You make no sense and are smug about it. Not even funny, not even sad, just another mindless human going thry the motions, pretending to be awake but I see that you are fast asleep. zzzzzzzzz

Thanks for the excellent article, Suza.

great article, Suza...i'm surprised there aren't more (quantity) and more serious comments being made.

i was a 4H member for many years, and sent something like 9 lambs and 3 or 4 calves off to slaughter. my family continues to raise animals - goats (meat and milk), sheep, chickens, rabbits, and the occasional pig or turkey - for both personal use and as fair entries, and since my youngest sibling is just 11 years old, they'll likely be at it for quite some time.

that said, i agree with you that there is a disconnect between the loving, nurturing process of raising the animals and the probably-gruesome fate that we send them off to. the culture of this disconnect ends up being one in which new 4H-ers can be spotted by whether or not they're crying on Slaughter Day (the last day of the fair, when the animals, who have been mysteriously marked with colored paint the night before, get released into giant pens based on which truck they're going on), which in turn makes it desirable as an older member to disengage the emotions in the guise of a deeper understanding of the circle of life. we're often teased with the possibility that our sweet animal friend may be purchased as a "pet", which does happen (incredibly rarely, of course) but for me now amounts to telling a dead person's family "maybe she went to heaven".

if this is such a natural and righteous process, why isn't there - as you correctly pointed out - a display on the after-fair process for these animals? the best you'll find are displays of the various cuts of meat (required knowing for an animal raiser, since the judges may very well ask you some of the parts).

at the end of your article Alice Walker says "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans..." just so we know what we're dealing with, there are religion-based ideas that animals exactly exist for human use and nothing else, and while this philosophy in itself does not condone cruelty it certainly doesn't make overt attempts to prevent it. after all, they're just dumb animals.

the two smartest and sweetest animals i've ever known were butchered for meat. the LEAST we could do is open up that process: see it, smell it, understand how what we're eating got to us. my guess is that if we'd do THAT, we'd choose to clean it up (or abolish it).

Thank you Evan. I greatly appreciate your observations and real-life experiences. I'm aware of all the things you pointed out. There are a vast number of web sites exploring a wide range of viewpoints on all aspects of the subject of "humane killing" and later, when I have more time, I will respond more.

I'm hoping that the OVN's will publish a slightly different version of my Post (which was originally six pages but cut to about 1,100 words).

Namaste.
(Namaste means "The divine in me recognizes and honors the divine in you.")

PS I just re-read your Post Evan. It is really an editorial unto itself. Maybe you can send a version to the Ventura Star. I too noticed this at the Fair "if this is such a natural and righteous process, why isn't there - as you correctly pointed out - a display on the after-fair process for these animals? the best you'll find are displays of the various cuts of meat (required knowing for an animal raiser, since the judges may very well ask you some of the parts)." I know you are a busy-new dad, so thanks again for taking the time to respond!

And thank you Sally and Dennis for your responses, and signing your names.

(Note to Dennis: I have an assortment of rescued dogs and cats, one found starving on the streets of LA, others headed for the pound. Your philosophy on Pets is a whole other topic which I'm already well aware of from your previous Posts, so no need to keep barking about it here. May I suggest you adopt a dog and take good care of it for a year. Good care including taking the dog with you on your hikes, feeding it healthy food and letting it sleep in your den, ideally on your bed. If at the end of the year, you still subscribe to your current Pet philosophy and want to get rid of the dog, I will gladly adopt him or her and reimburse you for any expenses.)

Namaste.

It blows my mind to even think about what we do to animals raised for food. The 4-H is a distant cousin to the use of children in warfare, but they are related. The shame of it all.

Ultimate betrayal at the fair
By Marty Fast

Once again this year, the 4-H animals were on display at the Ventura County Fair. Many of these animals return home once the fair is over, but what happens to the pigs and other market animals? Market pigs begin their life with great pain and suffering. Procedures such as castration, tail docking and ear notching are all done with no painkillers or anesthesia.

Once these well-cared-for animals reach the fairgrounds, go to the judging arena and are purchased at auction, what happens next? They are forced into the livestock trucks and transported to the slaughterhouse to complete their short six-month life at 250 pounds. Pigs are among the most highly intelligent mammals, comparable to primates and marine mammals in terms of their brain development. They have the most highly developed sense of smell of any mammal. When they reach the slaughterhouse after a long, crowded and terrifying ride, they become even more frightened by the cries of other animals and the smell of blood.

The Humane Slaughter Act, a federal law passed in 1958, requires that all swine, sheep, cattle and horses be humanely handled and rendered unconscious prior to being shackled, hoisted and bled at a slaughterhouse. This HSA is not enforced. The meat industry is indifferent to animal suffering. In an effort to keep the production line running, animals may not be properly stunned and, therefore, are shackled, hoisted, stuck and bled, and scalded while still conscious.

Gail A. Eisnitz has been investigating the abuse of animals for many years, and her work has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines. She is chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association. Her book, "Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry," should be required reading for all 4-H market animal club members and their parents.

These market pigs were given names, bonded with their 4-H owners as a family pet, and trusted their owners to care for them and keep them safe. This is the ultimate betrayal. These 4-H market animal owners have been desensitized and programmed to believe that it is all right to trade an animal's life for an inflated auction paycheck. What these 4-H members receive for their auctioned animals in no way reflects the price ranchers receive for their livestock. Few or none of these 4-H members will earn their living as livestock ranchers. These 4-H market animal projects are outdated and have no relevance.

Parents try to justify these projects by saying that the projects teach children responsibility and that the animals receive excellent care. This is true. However, it is a very short-term commitment. Children can learn responsibility by becoming involved in animal projects where the animal comes back home when the fair is over, instead of going to auction and the slaughterhouse. Raising a puppy for Guide Dogs also teaches responsibility.

Some adult friends who raised 4-H market animals when they were young have told me that they have never been able to rid themselves of the guilt of sending their market animal, that trusted them, to slaughter.

— Marty Fast lives in Ojai.

I want to thank Marty Fast for her writing on behalf of animals. Fifteen years ago Marty gave me a pot-bellied pig named Rosie, and over the years I learned first-hand that pigs are highly intelligent animals. Someday I will post some stories about her.

thank you, Suza...when i saw your post, i knew that i'd connect with it's topic. when i READ it, i had to respond!

thanks also to Marty for a poignant and concise article. lest we villify anyone too much, i'd like to reiterate one line: Parents try to justify these projects by saying that the projects teach children responsibility and that the animals receive excellent care. This is true. HOWEVER... (emphasis mine)

it's the "however" that's the important part. this is exactly the same argument used to brush off criticism of the militarization of our youth: that the Young Marines, JROTC, and the like are simply responsibility-building programs. it's also how we tolerate State-sanctioned murder (war) as "service to one's country", when there are so many other options for service that don't include killing other people. in other words: Raising a puppy for Guide Dogs also teaches responsibility. and you dont even have to kill anybody to learn it.

i also meant to mention (in regard to vilification) that the Future Farmers of America and the Grange are just as big and active as 4H in certain areas.

also for clarity: the four H's are
- Head
- Heart
- Hands
- Health

Excellent point Evan. Everything is connected! Thank you, again.

And on the other side of the coin is....

Anyone that makes their child raise an animal for 4-H without that child knowing what the end result is... has not given their child the benefit of what 4-H stands for in educating children. The dead cow and the full plate are important parts of the beef cycle.

I was in 4-H. I went to a so called "slaughterhouse" at a very young age. In school, I saw pigs shocked to death to do tissue tests for testing them for diseases. Although, I'm pretty dang sure they don't scald them to death like you say they do. I believe the current humane way is with a steel rod from a gun-like device that pentrates through the skull and brain... killing the beast instantly.

As an adult, I've seen rendering plants where they boil down the inedible animal parts (eg. bones, feathers, flesh and hide, diseased dead animals, collected grease from restaurants) to make ingredients that go into fuels, soaps, rubber, and plastics that are common to everything used by man. Nothing goes to waste from ol' bessie....

And here is something that you really should know, as a vegetarian, vegan, or person who advocates against cruelty to animals. This is how some rendering industry products are used:
1) Non-edible tallow: Used in wax paper, crayons and soap
2) Oleic acid: Used in foods, soaps, permanent wave solutions, shampoos, hair dyes, lipsticks, liquid make-ups, nasal sprays
3) Glycerine: Used in inks, glues, solvents, antifreeze, cosmetics, foods, mouthwashes, toothpastes, soaps, ointments, plastics
4) Stearic acid: Used in rubber, cosmetics, lubricants, candles, hair spray, conditioners, deodorants, creams, food flavoring, pharmaceutical products
5) Linoleic acid: Used in paints and esters
6) Meat meal and bone meal: Used in livestock feed and pet food.

Before putting down somebody that enjoys steak and burgers for killing a poor little cow or lamb... take a look at your household soap, shampoo, cosmetics, etc. Then you might have to go look in the mirror and scorn yourself. Chances are very high that most of the products you own have 2 or more of the animal byproducts I'm talking about that came from the same slaughterhouse that you are supporting, while you pass judgment on others for doing the same.

Anonymous, why don't you sign your name?

Anonymous 10:26

thank you for "the other side of the coin". however, while there is certainly frustration and pain on the part of those of us who are concerned for respecting animals and treating them humanely, i (this is me, speaking for myself) want to be very careful to not be judging, scorning, putting-down, or any of the other defensive terms you used. you're so right that many other products other than food are derived from animals, just as they are from plants and from the earth. the issue as i read it is primarily about the WAYS in which animals are used, and how the respect for them as independent beings may be being neglected at best. besides, using the argument that the benefit of these other products justifies inhumane slaughter seems the same to me as using freedom to justify torture. we can have both the products we need AND a cruelty-free way of obtaining them, if we have the will.

at any rate, there are plenty of the products that you mentioned that are cruelty-free. i have a bottle of shampoo in my shower that has no animal products in it, nor was it tested on animals, and it works just fine. i got it from Trader Joe's.

Anonymous, why don't you sign your name?

Posted by: sholom Joshua | August 13, 2007 10:34 PM

'Do the clothes make the woman, or the woman, the clothes?

Names perhaps can display ownership over words. But I think of names in this context more like clothes. They shelter the words. They protect them. And they project them.

Or not. Some with their names have girded themselves as a clown, or a peacock, or a prancing pony. We see their names, and we dismiss what they write. Or we color it with our established impressions. For these, their names detract from their words.

Naked words, unclothed by the identify of the speaker, have nothing to shelter them. And nothing to lend them credence, but the power of the expression itself.

Like their words, anonymous speakers stand naked, their words alone offered for their own merits. They get no respect they don't command on their own. They are easy to ignore.

How different from the named, those who can say anything, or nothing at all, but by the power of their name command attention to their idea.

The blog is a place of discourse. Why dress the discourse with one's name? Why claim ownership over words at all?

The blog is far different from the pasquines of Garcia Marquez's childhood, the anonymous scandal sheets that aired the dirty laundry of a small town, posted overnight on the square. The blog is far from the awful modern pasquine of the Ojai Valley News, that "thumbs up/thumbs down" feature that anonymously airs the pettiest of gripes, the expressions that would not be made were a name attached for sheer embarrassment.

On the blog, the merits of one's comment can be instantly addressed. Discourse is immediate. Accusations can be answered. On the blog, we don't need to distract from the power of our words by girding them with our name. Our words speak for themselves.

And we need not fear the discourse. On the blog, there is neither reason nor sense in hiding for fear of how some might react. But: If you are a victim of such fear, is it not preferable to speak your words by themselves? To allow your words, unowned and free, nameless, to suffer their blows and rally their defenders?

And: If the words are the body of the woman, and her name merely her clothing, answer truthfully: Would you not rather discourse with her naked?

Do you really need to know her name? What does her name add that you wouldn't prefer to do without?

Posted by: Anonymous | August 7, 2007 09:13 PM'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgqssNg_zxk

Why advocate humane slaughter versus inhumane slaughter? After all, what is more inhumane, and what is more cruel, than the actual killing of the animal for these products? When the end product is death, the other parts seem a little trivial. And, unless you live under a rock, you probably own something that has supported the killing of animals, because it contains these products.

Should we put the piggy on a pedestel before we slice him open? It makes me think of the ritualistic tribal ceremony that precedes the great feast. In the end, isn't the slaughter, just that... a slaughter? Why the shades of gray distinguishing gently and nurturingly guiding the little piggies down a shute in their velvet slippers, versus whipping them with red-hot barbed wire? Ten minutes from then, the knife's going to hit the skin either way.

dear anonymous (you coward, who dares not sign his name to his thoughts),

i would like to assure you, by the great Law of Karma, that the philosophy you have just enunciated is going to apply with full force precisely to you.......

let's see what you have to say about it after the fact.......

David, I do believe your ring is black. Your cowering from truth is a dark symphony of self righteous comedy. Thanks for the laugh.

Some with their names have girded themselves as a clown, or a peacock, or a prancing pony, or a moody hippo.

dear mood ring and bo jangles,

i am sorry to say that your commentary is as obscure as your names.... i have no idea what you mean by "ring is black" or "girded selves as clown" or whatever else you are babbling about..... if you insist on being so contrary to sanity, why don't you at the least make yourselves intelligible to the common man.....?????

Get back on topic: Do kids really know where the animals are going
after they are auctioned off?

The author thanks "Stop Acting Like Children" for reminding readers to "Get back on topic!"

Here is a link to the Ventura Star which published the article by Marty Fast, "Ultimate Betrayal at the Fair." Many comments, offering other points of view: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/12/ultimate-betrayal-at-the-fair/#comments
(If this Link is not Live, I will ask the Post Manager to fix it.)

Here's a copy of my letter to the Ventura County Star:
Re: Marty Fast's Aug. 12 letter, Ultimate betrayal at the fair,

In all the years that I’ve been to the Fair I’ve never seen a single display illustrating what actually happens after the Livestock auction. There are plenty of displays about raising livestock and all the products that come from these animals. But the part on how the animal is actually killed is always conveniently left missing.

What happens in those in-between-hours after the auction and before the pet becomes a piece of pork or steak? I wonder if any 4-H or other leader has ever taken the time to accompany the animals to the slaughterhouse to report back what they see. Surely familiarizing youngsters with the manner in which animals are transported, handled upon arrival, and the actual killing process, should be part of the learning experience.

Children are coached not to cry while their animals are in the auction ring, but it is difficult for some to hold back the tears as the end draws near. It is human nature to gradually accept as "normal" what the society you live in accepts as normal. We are appalled by photographs of a family in a distant land preparing to kill a dog for lunch. However, if this was a normal part of the day, we would gradually come to accept it. Likewise, the child initially feels horror that he or she is relinquishing his pet to be slaughtered. But grown-ups convince him this is normal, acceptable behavior.

There is ample documentation in books such as Gail Eisnitz' Slaughterhouse that enormous speed-ups in the slaughter line mean that workers often resort to brutal animal handling techniques. Numerous sources document that fully conscious pigs and cows are beaten, strangled, scalded, skinned and dismembered in the nation's slaughterhouses.

The responsibility of caring for animals does not end with their sale at the Ventura County Auction. We’ve read the glowing articles about how well the animals are cared for and how their sale helps kids go to college. Now someone should do a thorough, independent investigation of how these animals are transported, how they are handled as they enter the killing area and the manner in which they are killed.

If we teach youngsters that they must break the bond of trust they have created with their animal, we must also teach them to make sure the animal has as humane a death as possible. Rather than obscuring how the animal dies, this is an important part of the learning process.

An online comment states that "There are no mass slaughter houses and processing plants but only county processors and butchers." I would like to know why photographs and videos of what happens after the Livestock auction are not part of the animal educational displays at the Fair. So that people like me don't get the wrong impression, I urge the Star to set to the record straight. Please do a story, with photographs, on what really happens.

--Suza Francina, former mayor, Ojai

damaiste suza!!!!

You're for abortion, so why not show that as well !

I would have no objection to deleting comments like that.

If my sources are correct, most of the animals from the Ventura County fair are sent to a meat packing plant called Yosemite Meat Packers. A place in Santa Paula called Old Fashion County (or Country)Butcher cuts and wraps the meat. Yosemite Meat Packers does the "processing," which I assume is a euphemism for killing. I searched www.yosemitemeat.com and read all their links.

According to the chart on the web site below, yosemite meat "processes" 1500 pigs per day.
(#18 on the list)

http://nationalhogfarmer.com/mag/farming...

The link in my previous post did not go to he home page. Here's a better one:
http://nationalhogfarmer.com/
On the home page you can search "Yosemite Meat," to see the forementined slaughterhouse esimated kills per day charts.

I invite everyone who has responded here to do their own research. See for yourself.
http://www.pigprogress.net/gestation_crates/

http://www.hfa.org/photo/index.html

The Humane Farming Association has numerous photos and video footage taken from their ongoing undercover investigations in factory farms and slaughterhouses. HFA makes some of these available to the public for the purpose of reproduction in newspapers/publications or for public viewing/demonstrations.

There are hundreds of books, articles, videos and web sites that document brutal animal handling techniques and widespread violations of the federal Humane Slaughtering Act.

After I wrote the original article, "Do kids really know where their animals are going?" I spent many more hours researching this question. For a look inside today's slaughterhouses, google "Inside the Slaughterhouse". There are hundreds of videos, photographs, books and articles by former slaughterhouse workers and others who have witnessed frsthand how the majority of animals are killed. For starters, here is a link by a veterinarian student who spent six weeks in the midst of the slaughter of 700 pigs per day:

SVV: inside the Slaughterhouse
a veterinarian student in a slaughterhouse. ... You are here: Home > Vegi-info > 98-2 > SVV: inside the Slaughterhouse . ...

www.vegetarismus.ch/heft/98-2/schlacht-e...

The above link to "a veterinarian student in a slaughterhouse" was cut (my mistake). Here's that link again. (If it's not live, I'll ask Tyler to fix it.

http://www.vegetarismus.ch/heft/98-2/schlacht-en.htm

--Suza Francina, former mayor, Ojai
"Former" on paper only, living eternally in our hearts!!
Allah be praised...

Actually, here in Pennsylvania the 4-H groups visit the local butcher shop to where most of the auctioned animals are sent. His entire family has been active in the 4-H program for many, many years and every year he shows the kids EXACTLY what happens to the animals they raise in a better effort to educate them about where their food comes from. I eat meat, but only that which I raised or from someone else's farm who I personally know. Many of the animals sold at our 4-H auction go into the freezers of people in our community. The kids go out of their way to market their animals to local families so they know exactly what will happen to the animals when it is sold.

I just now read the above post from my friend at Painted Hand Farm. I do appreciate what you wrote very much. While I myself am vegan, most of my friends and family members and even my yoga students are not. I do appreciate that 4-H animals and animals raised on small farms have a much better life than those raised on factory farms. After I wrote the original article I spent many more hours researching this subject. I googled "inside the slaughterhouses" and with great difficulty forced myself to watch dozens of graphic videos of how animals are killed. I read hundreds of articles posted on the web, by "experts" in the field of killing animals, including the work of Temple Grandin. I read "Dominion" by Matthew Scully and "Eternal Treblinka" by Charles Patterson, among many other recent books documenting the suffering of animals. I am updating my interview with Gail Eisnitz, author of "Slaughterhouse" who is writing a new book on factory farming. Of all the images I saw on the web, the most horrific was the dogs and cats raised in cages for food and the pigs in crates, and the chickens crowded together... I'm working on a follow-up article describing all I've learned these past weeks. So, knowing the full scope of the inhumane treatment of animals world-wide, I respect the care you give your animals on Painted Hand Farm. They are the lucky ones! I know you and other small, organic farmers are deeply connected to the earth and I greatly appreciate the work you do.

One follow -up question to Painted Hand Farm. Are the animals in your area slaughtered locally or have you and the 4-H kids seen he actual slaughtering process? Here in Ventura County from what I've gathered so far many of the Fair Auction animals are shipped to Modesto to a place called
Yosemite Meat Company. I looked on their web site and it shows everything except the actual killing area. I do not think there is such a thing as "humane slaughter" but there are methods that are less cruel and traumatic. I feel that 4-H and other organizations have a responsibility to make darn sure these "less cruel" methods are used.

Yes, our animals are all slaughtered locally. As a matter of fact, our local abattoir's children are active members in 4-H. He does a presentation each year about slaughtering at his facility. The kids know exactly what happens to their animals and they use this as a selling point when promoting their animals to potential buyers. It's nice to hear kids tell people that if they are going to eat meat, buy it from farmers in your community and have it processed by local businesses. There's a huge push for agriculture to keep money within their communities. It's call the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign. Unlike California, there are numerous small USDA abattoirs in rural areas as opposed to large meat packers hundreds of miles away. Mine is about 30 minutes away which mean less stress on my stock when the day comes to send them for processing. I take them down in the morning and they only spend minimal time in the holding area. I also chose my abattoir because they do not use electric prods or any other pain-inflicting methods to move their animals. Their chute system is based upon Grandin's methods and designs. Sadly, this is the reason that there will never be much of a locally-produced meat market in California because producers are not going to want to truck their stock hours away and the trek back to pick up their processed meat. I began selling my USDA-inspected meat at our local farmers market a few weeks ago and people love it. They love knowing it was locally produced, meeting the farmer and are more comfortable knowing it was processed at a small-scale local facility instead of with thousands of other animals. They know that when there is a recall of 21 million pounds of ground beef they won't have to worry about it.

Thank you, "Painted Hand Farm," for sharing your experiences and observations here, for your friends in Ojai to learn from. I enjoy visiting the Painted Farm web site.

Just so I'm clear, do the 4-H kids in your area actually witness the slaughter as part of the educational process?

My original article questioned whether our local (Ventura County) 4-H kids really know where their animals are going after the livestock auction. The slaughtering process is not shown in the displays, and, as far as I can tell, the local groups do not include investigating what happens at the end as part of their responsibility to their animal, as you do.

I'm familiar with the work of Temple Grandin. She is an animal scientist who is autistic and who experiences the world in ways that she feels gives her a special rapport with cattle. I have her book, "Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life With Autism."
If you search "Inside the Slaughterhouse" her articles will show up.

While I respect and appreciate the care you give your animals, I can't help but wonder why we humans have taken to calling slaughter houses "abatoirs."
(French, from abattre, "to beat down").

Going to the abatoir sounds like a much nicer place than a slaughter house or "killing room."

Animals are sentient beings and to refer to them as something that is going to be "processed" makes them sound like a kernel of wheat or an ear of corn, rather than living, breathing, feeling creatures with a face, a nervous system, blood coursing through their veins and a will to live, just like human beings. This is the type of thinking that has led our agricultural scientists to regard animals as units to be fattenend and killed as expediently as possible.

I will save your posts as resources for future articles on this subject.

abattoir sounds like some kind of spa high up in the mountains, a
gentle, healing place....
or, an abattoir sounds like it might be like an abbey.... a place where monks live, a monastery.....a sanctuary from the madness of the world.....

Being a writer, I just cannot get that lovely French, soothing word "abattoir" ( pronounced "abetwar", in a soft, hushed voice) out of my mind! I think I've just stumbled on the title of my next book!

Abattoir is the perfect euphemism... who wouldn't want to go to the abattoir? It also sounds like a blend of abbey and boudoir.... you kind of get the feeling it is like the boudoir in an abbey.... a sacred
bedroom.....a healing place where monks have sacred sex...

As many, many people in my area raise their own meat, seeing an animal killed is something you grow up with. Hunting is also very big and a traditional right-of-passage for kids. Being mindful and respectful that another living being's life is taken is practiced by all our Muslim customers who pray before, during and after the killing.

I studied Cultural Anthropology at UCSB and I really think that many of the traditions that centered around the production of food that we have lost is what has created an empty void that we, as a society, have replaced with meaninglessness and junk food.

I take all of my animals to one particular place because they are respectful of the animals (clean holding pens that aren't crowded), don't kill in front of other animals, don't use electric prods to move the animals). They are a Mennonite family and prior to beginning on Wednesdays (their kill day), the entire company gathers and prays, thanking God for his bounty and asking for his blessing on the animals.

While I respect my many vegetarian friends' views and beliefs, I do not practice them myself. However, as a meat eater and more importantly, a meat producer, I'm very mindful and aware of treating my animals respectfully (grass-fed, no chemicals, no mutilation) from the day they are born until the day they are eaten.

To my friend at Painted Hand Farm,

I am most grateful to you for taking the time to respond to my queries and sharing your insights and experience. I look forward to integrating what you have written here in my future articles on yoga, ahimsa and animals. I hope you will continue to contribute comments, whenever you feel inspired to do. Your Painted Hand Farm web site looks more amazing each time I visit!

I still remember the beautiful baskets of vegetables, fresh eggs (all different colors)and other goodies you used to bring to the Ojai Yoga Center, years ago!

Namaste.

Oops! The anonymous above is me, Suza. But don't confuse me with the other Anonymouses!!

I have been thinking...so one more thought...the very thought of killing an animal turns my stomach and fills me with grief. I could probably do it an extreme situation, such as if someone was starving. I grew up in a family of meat eaters, and they still all eat meat and dismiss my vegan philosophy. But I can't even bear to kill a spider or snake (althoug I'm sure if one attacked me I would strike back) but I know I don't have the heart to kill anything under normal (non-life threatening) circumstances.