Thanksgiving may be a good day for people, but there’s no
doubt it’s an awful one for animals. Maybe
what’s needed is a pretty fable about a happy animal get-together, with
sharing and festivating and every one enjoying the normal, natural life each
was intended for . . . before Dominionism entered the world – ironically, via a
so-called holy book (“And God said, Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle . . .”).
Instead, what we have is a mad celebration of giving
thanks for our bounty by eating animals (apparently not seen as part of that
bounty). What’s wrong with this picture? tradition? lifestyle?
How many turkeys will die and be eaten this week? Not only those purchased for Thanksgiving
dinner, but also those given away by supermarkets and myriad organizations. And
– lest we forget -- those brutalized in slaughterhouses while on their way to
death!
Ugh: what a huge, sickening
example of Dominionism, with people mindlessly eating turkey on this holiday
just because that’s what they’ve always done. And if they were forced to think about it, they’d probably conclude that
turkeys exist for the dining pleasure of humans.
Then there are those who serve
both turkey and ham for the holiday for democracy in action: an equal opportunity
for turkeys and pigs to die.
It’s all just too much, including
any hope of making a significant dent in this practice. What would it take? I wish I knew.
Unable to stop the cave man-approach to Thanksgiving and too
bummed to think more about it right now, I’ll change the subject to . . .
butterflies! Last summer as I waxed rhapsodic about Monarchs and milkweed, one
of the many things I didn’t witness and couldn’t imagine was, how do butterflies
“hatch.” Well, here’s how, with thanks
to the Dodo (www.thedodo.com). It’s amazing. https://www.thedodo.com/videos/how-a-caterpillar-becomes-a-butterfly
Sticking with good news, how about California’s new law
requiring pet stores to stock only animals
from shelters or rescues? Viva
California, enlightened home state of Gov. Jerry Brown, “the California car,” the
Paw Project (www.thepawproject.com) and
innumerable other ahead-of-its- country positions. What better way to end puppy mills and kitten factories?
Since we’re on a positive roll, the city of Denver also
earns plaudits for its unanimous vote to ban the needless, cruel and outlawed-elsewhere
practice of declawing cats. Every Denver
city council member deserves to feel a warm, virtuous glow after doing the
right thing.
If only veterinarian associations and feline-only
organizations were just as emphatically against declawing – as they ought to be
– so other cities and states might join the BANwagon.
Finally, like it or not, here’s a column by a cat-hater,
explaining why she’s adamantly against felines. It’s definitely a different, if
not welcome, perspective. What do you think?
And on the subject of what you think, how about the last
blog post here, which I thought would prompt an avalanche of comments – but didn’t.
I hope you’ll re-read it and have a say.
Happy animal flesh-free Thanksgiving, everyone!
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