andru235_recants andru235 i genuinely apologize for my inducement of irritation in meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. i suppose i did become rather preachy, even by my standards. in general i feel no shame about preaching; but food consumption is a very personal thing, as much or more so than sex. and as a gay guy i've had to defend 'eating meat' many a time; frankly, it's no one's business. indeed, there is a man in france who has allegedly consumed a small cessna aircraft over the past twenty years... in my defense, i had earlier that day been reading about the treatment of animals on corporate farms, and it makes me very sad. though i have known about this stuff for years, it still riles me up more than anything except the humans having nukes. it would make me very sad if any of you were treated like those animals, and i would become equally preachy if those things were being done to you. (and yes, 'only' equally. the other animals have shown me far more kindness, respect and understanding than the human animals, so i'm somewhat biased.) i confess that i don't understand why such a blind eye is turned towards the sentience of animals. however, i also must confess that i enjoyed eating meat for many years, and still occasionally hunger for it. i just feel too bad about how the animals are treated. if i were going to eat you, i would do my best to provide you the finest possible life. after all, happy chickens taste better! anyway, excuse me. 050705 ... REAListic optimIST what about the sentience of plants? why must we grow them in pens, disallowing them to breathe the air of the outdoors, to feel the tantalizing tickle of bees feet? why must we have such a predatory relationship with plants as we do with animals? can we not afford them at least the same equal liberties we afford our free range foul? are meatavarians animal haters? are they just ignorant of happens in order to bring steaks to the supermarket? are vegetarians plant haters? are they just sapsuckers? i don't pretend to know, but i *do* think that a looming issue for the human race, what with the approaching oil crisis and all, is local organic sustainable growing of food. the idea of " food_not_lawns " springs to mind. people learning to grow what they need, to redevelop the urban residential soil, to lessen dependance on internationally and otherwise impractically transported goods. i believe we shall soon be forced to rebalance our blindly consumptive relationship with the world, and this is frighteningly wonderful. 050705 ... andru235 yes, the sentience of plants... my aversion to eating makes me suspect i am not really meant to exist in this sphere, or perhaps at all. 050705 what's it to you? who go blather from