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

I applaud the group for their actions to protect one of our wonderful natural resources, our open spaces.

And I would point out that one way to protect open spaces is to decrease demand for land. We devote a huge quantity of land in this country to "production" of animal protein...feedlots and vast tracts of land needed to grow the food to feed those animals, with further environmental impact from trying to dispose of the waste these animals produce.

BBQ = beef, pork, chicken. Perhaps they could choose a different menu? I know Barbeque-ing is our new national passtime but I hope some day, groups like this will begin to see the disconnect in their choices.

El Anon, if you are reading, I don't think "colonics can solve anything," but I sure think meat-free diets can solve an awful lot.

Thank you for speaking up Heather.

The Inconvenient Truth is that it is the height of ignorance and hypocrisy for any environmental organization to serve meat at a fund-raiser.

By now surely everyone who wants to save the environment is familiar with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report on the impact of livestock agriculture on land use, air and water pollution.

http://www.ojaipost.com/2007/10/the_greening_of_ojaia_chicken.shtml

I visited the Los Padres Forest Watch web site. Their Vision Statement says:

"Our vision is one of wild landscapes and expansive wilderness; free-flowing rivers providing clean water for wildlife and local communities; healthy, intact ecosystems that maintain the region’s rich biological diversity; the recovery of rare plants and animals; protection of sacred sites and landforms important to Native communities; and diverse recreation opportunities that allow for public use while minimizing environmental impacts."

Everything is connected.

Feedlots and slaughterhouses are major polluters of rivers and streams, filling them with poisonous residues and animal waste. Animal agriculture is the greatest producer of sewage wastes in the U.S.

A hen factory that houses 60,000 birds produces 82 tons of manure every week.

"Farm" animals produce 2 billion tons of manure each year--about 10 times that of the human population. It ends up in ground water, streams, rivers and lakes.

Millions of gallons of water are used every day in just one plant that processes chickens--enough water to service a community of 25,000 people.

It takes 25 times more water to produce a pound of meat than it does to produce a pound of vegetables.

suza,
did you see menu? baby-back ribs...

Speaking of reducing our ecological footprint, I assume that all of us here are powering our computers with renewable energy sources like solar?

Brian: I know that this is completely off topic, but could you give us any info you have on the state of local bee health, perhaps in a new thread? I was in the Ventura River Preserve yesterday (Tuesday) and although the abandoned orange groves on the far side of the river were still producing quite a few blossoms on the remaining live trees, and wildflowers were blooming everywhere, I did not see any European honeybees working any of these flowers during my 3 hours of walking around, even though I did find one hive in a tree cavity.

Heather-
here (sort of)
actually Delray Beach, FL

I BBQ tofu and broccoli as much as I can.
I am often an outcast at BBQ parties.
Such is my fate!!

I do veggie and mushroom kebabs (with pineapple) and my meat-eating friends and relatives are usually amazed and delighted at how scrumptious, "sophisticated" and "exotic" it all looks.

Brian-
Actually I capture the heat my computer generates and keep my house warm on cold valley nights

Thank you, El A and LTOR, for mentioning some of the tasty vegie-based BBQ alternatives.

Alas, civilization is just a veneer!

This "baby-back rib" web site even admits it!

"No doubt the first ribs were shared by cavemen soon after the first forest fire. Since then, cooking with fire has always meant a gathering the clan outdoors, and there is no more intimate gathering than hanging around the fire with the sweet smell of smoke and meat in the air, with a beer in hand. To this day, nothing says "party" like ribs. The scent can make your nose smile and your mouth cry. Barbecue is pure porknography. " http://www.amazingribs.com/

Besides the pollution, at any given moment three billion of these creatures-- "social, loving animals" as even those involved in modern factory farming admit--are locked up in metal crates, condemned to going insane from frustration, depression and boredom.

Ten million pigs are slaughtered every day across the planet to satisfy our appetite for pork!

As our human population grows, unless people choose to eat less meat, the misery for animals will only increase.

Any environmental fund-raiser that serves BBQ'd pigs should at least get their animal from a farm where it was raised humanely -- and a true carnivore would willingly witness the squeeling and crying as the pig is slaughtered. Or even be willing to slaughter the animal themselves, as my Indonesian relatives do.

A friend who once lived near a pig slaughterhouse wrote me a story about what he saw. When the time is right, I will post it here.

If people only knew the suffering that went into their tasty BBQ!

Any environmental group that has a BBQ fundraiser has conflicting intentions going on. Protecting land and open space is extremely laudable. Perpetuating animal agriculture by the promotioon of BBQs is just the worst environmental action one could take.

I'm surprised no one has taken aim at the "beer and wine" component of the fundraiser.
Let's face it, alcohol is at the root of all the evil personkind has perpetrated on the planet.
As I understand it, human creatures were getting along quite well, when some prehistoric person allowed some figs or grapes or plums to linger a lil too long on the ground and upon consuming them found that persons of the opposite sex looked much more appealing and words, that under other circumstances sounded stupid and crude, seemed to carry profound significance.
This then deterred people from getting much work done as they preferred to just sit around and imbibe this "holy water".
Boundaries fell, days turned into nights turned into days, and general mayhem followed.
We continue to further this abomination and I frankly am quite sick of the spectacle!!!

El A, I think you are mischieviously trying to muddy the waters...

I think we, advocates of the Ojai Post, really need to make a stand and picket at this event!!
What do you think??

Uh, before you get all pickety, how about calling them and voicing your concerns?

The war on BBQ is destined to fail. Worse, it will discredit the entire vegetarian-for-environmental/humanitarian-reasons cause.

If I too was born with "grazer's tongue" - a flattened, weak sense of taste - vegetarianism might have some appeal to me. Since I was born with a heightened sense of smell and taste, I am condemned to the knowledge that just about any vegetarian dish (with a couple of exceptions), would taste a little or even a whole lot better with the addition of meat.

(Those kabobs of LTOR are a great example.)

Being also endowed with a sense of sight, I can't help but notice the relative anemia and lackadaisia of my numerous vegetarian friends, which becomes even more pronounced in my vegan friends, many of whom suffer depression, can barely get out of bed, and become extremely nervous after adopting this diet, but refuse to make any connection.

Eons of evolution have landed me, by another accident of birth, at the top of the food chain, at least in this go-around. Mine is not to question why. As a human animal, my digestive system likes meat; my taste buds revel in it; my health becomes more robust when I eat more of it.

I also know that humanely raised meat, locally raised, on a small farm, running around and playing with friends like Wilbur in Charlotte's Web, tastes better and feels better than that factory crap, which is so degrading the planet and us.

So let me suggest: Before criticizing this fundraiser, check and see from where their no-doubt delicious baby-back ribs are coming from. If they are from a small farm, humanely raised, isn't that enough? Could those of us who were not blessed, or cursed, with the grazer's tongue then go and support this cause without regrets?

(Please don't be offended anyone, this is at least a little bit tongue in cheek.)

Speaking for myself, I don't think picketing this event or any of the other environmental events that are coming up is the appropriate response at this stage.

I am planning to write the organizers an open letter and include these comments.

The intentions of these fund-raisers are good -- but the time to address these ethical and environmental issues has come!

"So let me suggest: Before criticizing this fundraiser, check and see from where their no-doubt delicious baby-back ribs are coming from. If they are from a small farm, humanely raised, isn't that enough?"

Could you find out and let us know? Thanks!

Suza,
Be sure too tell them we're from Ojai Post.

There is absolutely no reason to serve meat when there are plenty of healthier and kinder options. When trees are being cut down to raise cows for meat, it is completely hypocritical to serve meat.

to "Lord Help Us"

you suggest "I was born with a heightened sense of smell and taste, I am condemned to the knowledge that just about any vegetarian dish (with a couple of exceptions), would taste a little or even a whole lot better with the addition of meat."

This is too easy.
Please read "Ten Talents" ">http://www.tentalents.net/>
or any one of about 1000 books on fine epicurean gourmet HEALTHY vegetarian cooking.
I suggest you will find your heightened sense of taste and smell has a lot higher to go.

As far as your observations about your veg friends and acquaintances, unfortunately I have some of the same observations.
But after you become a fully informed vegetarian you will be able to educate them properly and your radiance will snap them out of depression.
Believe me, they are not depressed and lackadaisical because they are not eating meat.
It could be the extreme amount of cannabis they are ingesting.

Kayla, please lead us in unified action!

Did you know that one of the founders of Greenpeace left the organization because he could no longer stand the hipocrisy? The fact that they claimed to protect the oceans while still eating fish and meat was too much for him. He formed his own organization that now patrols our seas protecting them from whalers and other poachers. This man is Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society.

As a vegan he is very critical of all environmental organizations that still condone the consumption of meat. It is a fact that meat production pollutes our land, air and waterways (including the ocean).

Time to take those blinders off, people!

I appreciate everyone's concerns about beef or pork or whatever but quite frankly I am disappointed that no one yet has spoken out about the senseless slaughter of innocent portabello mushrooms that are often grilled OVER AN OPEN FLAME at these so-called "barbeques." These innocent fleshy creatures of the night are confined in dark overcrowded rooms, left to feed on nothing more than manure before their heads are ruthlessly cut off, sealed in cellophane and sent off to market for display, or worse, sliced and diced into mere "toppings" for tomorrow's pizza. Sometimes I've heard that people even dunk them under water for extended periods of time, lay them out to dry, and then stuff them full. Others leave them in their refrigerators too long, letting them decay into a slimy stinky pulp. It's nothing more than ruthless slaughter of our fungi brethren and sistren and I am sick of it!

Very funny comments El, Lord Help Us and - Brian (!!) Your humour becomes you - you should display it more often!

And as for the taste of meat versus vegetarian cuisine, I will repeat what I have said before. And that is that, after not eating meat for about 25 years, it is virtually tasteless to me know, except when slathered in sauces and marinades. Get yourself some better veggie recipes, Lord Help Us, and you too will be transformed!! :)

Good grief Brian! We heard through the pigvine that you do not know the difference between a mushroom and a pig!

We hope you are kidding but just in case you are not, can't you see that we have a face? We have two eyes, two ears, a mouth and a nose with a highly developed sense of smell. We have a heart and a nervous system similar to yours; there is blood coursing through our veins. We are intelligent, friendly, social, emotional creatures with an IQ higher than your dog.

We have even saved the lives of humans, just in case you missed hearing it on the news.

If you honestly can't see the difference between plants and animals, there are some magic mushrooms that might help your evolution along.

Sincerely,

Rosie and Tillie

Touche El Anonimo.

Though I have to say, it isn't my conspicuously cannabis-consuming vegetarian and vegan friends who are the most anemic, depressed and lackadaisical. Perhaps there is another culprit?

But ah, then you say there are a thousand books showing how to dress up vegetarian food to have some flavor. I've seen many of those - how to make tofu ribs, soy burgers and the like.

But I still say I'm right. Give me your favorite vegetarian recipe, and I'll bet I can improve its flavor with the judicious addition of some meat. (Hummus, tabbouli and the like excluded.)

Now, LTOR, you say meat is virtually tasteless to you now. And I say, is that not the grazers tongue?

I am all for those with the grazers tongue being vegetarian. In fact, I have a modest proposal: I'd support a law requiring it. We could test tongue sensitivity, and issue licenses. After all, if you can't taste the difference, why should you needlessly be contributing to the slaughter of animals and the demand that fosters environmentally degrading factory farming?

In fact, there's even a shortcut: If you currently buy meat and vegetables from Costco and think the meals you make from that tastes OK, you ought to be barred right there. That's prima facie evidence of grazers tongue.

Dear Brian,

We want to gently and respectfully bring your attention to the fact that you and the other people who mock us never give us an intelligent, thoughtful response when we patiently point out the difference between an animal and a vegetable.

Sincerely,

Rosie and Tillie
Ojai's Spokespigs

(for more of our writings Google "Rosie and Tillie.")

Thank you, and have a nice day!

Dear Ojai Spokespigs,

Won't you please show us a nice picture of yourselves? Without that, you seem to be Too Good to be True. Seeing is believing.