Joy of Vegan: September 2015

Saturday, September 26, 2015

THE HOLOCAUST

When I was a child and learned about Hitler and World War II in school, I was curious as to why so many people would allow the Jewish holocaust. It was a wonder why people would inflict such horrors on other people. Then I read about the Milgram experiment.

In 1961 at Yale University, Stanley Milgram conducted a series of psychological experiments. His goal was to measure the willingness of participants to obey authority figures. It consisted of an authority figure, “a teacher” or someone that obeyed the authority figure, “a learner” or the person who was shocked. The “learner” was someone who pretended to be a volunteer, but was actually acting. The “teacher” would repeat words and the “learner” was to select a match to that word. If the “learner” picked the wrong choice, the “teacher” was ordered by the authority figure to administer an electric shock to the “learner”. Each participant was in separate rooms. The “teacher” would keep giving stronger and stronger electric shocks to the “learner”. Finally “the learner” would say “I need to stop. I’m going to have a heart attack”. The authority figure would urge the “teacher” to administer the deadly electrical shock. In 65% of the cases, the “teacher” would reluctantly administer the final shock. Reluctantly yes, but he still flicked the final switch.

This experiment was repeated by the Discovery Channel’s “Curiosity” in 2011 episode “How Evil Are You?” They found that 72% of their subjects would administer the final shock.

This is very disturbing considering we have a holocaust going on today. One that no one wants to see or acknowledge. Every hour, 6 million animals are killed. They live horrid, tortured lives, and have violent deaths. I think most horror movie writers base their movies on the lives of farmed animals.

During the 12 year Nazi reign, about 11 million people, Jews, Gays, etc. were killed. We do that to animals in less than 2 hours, every single day.

In all the wars total, throughout history, approximately 82 million people were killed. Every YEAR, 96 BILLION land animals are killed and about 3 TRILLION fish. A holocaust of death every year.

The Milgram experiment is important, because it shows how this holocaust continues. You allow it. It is wrong, you know this much killing is wrong, and yet you allow it. You are obeying authority. Every day we are bombarded with advertisements “Eat Meat”, “Drink Milk”. We have become to believe we need those things to live. We don’t. In fact, many researchers have found we are healthier and live longer if we do not consume meat, dairy or eggs. The PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) has done many studies that show this. Meat and dairy causes many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, and obesity. Animal agriculture is also the number one polluter of our planet and number one destroyer of rainforests.

When you put items in your grocery cart, stop and think. Do I really want to be a part of the holocaust? Do I really want to hurt my health, the planet, and other living beings?

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate

http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2004/farm-moratorium.html

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

VEGAN PROPAGANDA

VEGAN PROPAGANDA

Face it, today’s world is all about money and greed. Caring about others and our planet has fallen on the wayside.

Propaganda is used by corporations to keep their profits ups. All advertising is propaganda. Dairy, meat and egg industries use propaganda to keep people buying their products. In 1974, the dairy industry advertised milk with the slogan “Everybody Needs Milk”. The FTC issued a proposed complaint against them citing false, misleading, deceptive advertising. Since then the dairy industry has changed their advertising to never say that milk is good for our bodies, but just to imply it. Slogans like “Milk Life”, “Got Milk” all try to push milk. It’s the same with the meat and egg industry—they don’t really say it, just imply it. Animal agriculture is the biggest lobbyist in our government at all levels. It is not just comprised of farmers and food producers, but huge food conglomerates and big pharmaceuticals. They all make billions of dollars every year by keeping people consuming dairy, meat and eggs. They get billions every year in government subsidies and they are not going to give that up without a fight. The products they don’t sell in the free market are bought by our government and used by them mostly in the public school lunch programs. Crops that are fed to livestock like corn and soybeans are also receiving huge government subsidies. However, healthier foods like vegetable and fruit, meant just for human consumption do not receive subsidies. So the meat, dairy and egg industries really do not operate under “free market”.

REVOLVING DOORS

It is in our government representatives’ best interest to keep people buying these products, no matter how harmful they are to people’s health or to our planet. They are making money and that seems to be all they care about these days. The PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and other groups petitioned the FDA and USDA to remove meat and dairy from their dietary food charts. The FDA compromised and made those smaller servings. Instead of saying not to eat meat, they decided just to say eat smaller portions. The FDA and USDA are the worst “revolving doors” in our government. Many people who work in animal agriculture will go into these offices, and many people leaving these offices will go into top paying positions in animal agriculture.

EXAMPLES OF PROPAGANDA

Some propaganda is outright foolish and you wonder why people believe it. For instance, Hitler told the German people that all the reasons their economy was so bad, was because of the Jewish people. Currently in Japan, the government tells its citizens that the reason our oceans are running out of fish is because there are too many dolphins and whales that are eating all the fish. Scientists know the reason the fish population is low is because of over fishing. But the Japanese people want to believe their government and hence, we wind up with the Taiji massacre. Why does the government lie to its people? The fishing industry in Japan is like animal agriculture here—the number one industry. Their government officials are paid millions by the fishing industry, just like animal agriculture does here in America. Japan’s officials also make tons of money with the sale of captured dolphins to SeaWorld and other aquariums around the world. The capture and enslavement of dolphins is a big part of the Taiji massacre. When you support SeaWorld or aquariums, you are paying for the Taiji massacre.

Lysol commercials claim to kill 99.9% of all germs. But it is a dangerous, toxic spray. Harmless vinegar will also kill 99.9% of germs, without dangerous pollutants and chemicals. Lysol will never tell you that.

Unemployment is high so we are now hearing propaganda using job creation. “We can’t save our environment because it will cost us jobs. We must do give money to huge corporations because it will create jobs.” So much of our tax dollars are given to corporations using this excuse: “It will create jobs”. For example, cities all over the country are giving millions of dollars to build sports stadiums for team owners who make millions of dollars each game. The owners threaten to move the team elsewhere, if the state doesn’t give them what they want. The state officials sell it to the public by saying “it will create jobs”. In truth, they hardly create any jobs and the ones they do are seasonal and low paying. Part of the reason Detroit went bankrupt was because of stadium funding. Another current propaganda used is immigrants are taking all our jobs. In reality, corporations are sending our jobs to China, where they can pay people next to nothing and make bigger profits. Immigration is not destroying our economy. It is income inequality that is destroying our economy.

THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a timely tale of how propaganda spreads. People do not want to look stupid. They do not want to admit they were fooled. I think the boy who cried “The Emperor has no clothes on” represents vegans. We are trying to take the veil off and show people the truth. Mark Twain stated “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” Instead of looking at it that you were fooled, you should look at it as an awakening, as if you are seeing the world for the first time.

QUESTION EVERYTHING

Propaganda plays a big role in keeping animal abuse alive. It is important not to be swayed by advertising, but to question everything. Examine the claims, question the motive. It is better not to believe every ad, but find out the facts for yourself. Never be afraid to ask “why”. I suppose there is such a thing as “vegan propaganda” since we are somewhat “advertising” to try to end the exploitation and abuse of animals. What is our “propaganda”? It is “end animal abuse, save our planet, eat healthier”. I welcome you to research the facts of “vegan propaganda”. I wish what we are showing the world was a lie and just propaganda. But unfortunately it’s not and we need to stop it. We have nothing to hide. We want everyone to see the truth.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

QUICK AND EASY ORANGE CHICK'N WITH RICE VEGAN STYLE

ORANGE CHICK'N WITH RICE

This dish is quick and easy to make. Perfect for a busy day.

4 CUPS COOKED RICE

4 CUPS ORANGE JUICE

2 PACKAGES GARDEIN® CHICK’N SCALLOPINI

CORNSTARCH

PEPPER

Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking pan with cooking spray. Spread rice evenly over pan top with Gardein® pieces. Pour 3-1/2 cups orange juice in pan on top of stove. Heat. Meanwhile mix ½ cup orange juice with ¼ cup cornstarch. Whisk into orange juice and heat until thickened. Add pepper, salt, season to taste. Pour over chicken and rice. Bake for 25-30 minutes until heated through.

For variations you can top each chicken slice with a LightLife® Smart Deli® ham slice. You can also add sliced cooked baby carrots.

Cruelty free always tastes better.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

RECOMMENDED MOVIES TO LEARN MORE

These are just a few recommended movies to learn more.

Cowspiracy http://www.cowspiracy.com/

Wildlife Services http://www.predatordefense.org/exposed/index.htm

Forks over Knives http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Food Inc http://www.takepart.com/foodinc

Vanishing of the Bees http://www.vanishingbees.com/

Earthlings www.Earthlings.com

Unity http://earthlings.com/landing/index.php

Battle for Compassion http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the-battle-for-compassion-2015/

Lucent http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/lucent/

Our Rising Oceans http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/our-rising-oceans/

Emotional World of Farm Animals

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-emotional-world-of-farm-animals/

A Cow At My Table http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/a-cow-at-my-table/

Resistance http://www.resistancethefilm.com/

Pump http://www.pumpthemovie.com/

Apology to Elephants http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/an-apology-to-elephants/

Blackfish http://www.blackfishmovie.com/

The Cove http://www.thecovemovie.com/

Fowl Play http://www.fowlplaymovie.com/

Meet Your Meat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32IDVdgmzKA

Peaceable Kingdom http://www.peaceablekingdomfilm.org/

Speciesism the Movie http://speciesismthemovie.com/

The Witness http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the_witness_2000/

Vegucated http://www.getvegucated.com/

Merchants of Doubt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ii9zGFDtc

End of The Line http://endoftheline.com/

The Corporation http://thecorporation.com/

The World According to Monsanto http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/

Please add more in the comments. Thanks.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

SAVE THE WOLVES

We all are asked to sign many petitions every day to save animals. Are they effective? I have my doubts. So many of them are to stop the Wildlife Services from culling wolves, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, wild horses, and the list goes on. Every year millions of these animals are killed by the Wildlife Services.

The Wildlife Services was founded in 1895 as part of the Dept. of Agriculture. (USDA) It was first called Animal Damage Control and in 1997 changed its name to Wildlife Services. Just the fact that it is part of the USDA should tell everyone what its objectives are. Its mission is to protect the health and value of American agriculture. It is used to eradicate every other species that competes or poses a threat to animal agriculture.

In 2013, all at taxpayer funding, it killed 4 million animals. In 2014, it killed 2.7 million animals. All this killing is funded by US taxpayers whether we want it or not.

http://www.predatordefense.org/exposed/index.htm

Representative Peter DeFazio said “Wildlife Services is one of the most opaque and least accountable agencies that I know of in the federal government, outside of highly classified programs. They are a world unto themselves. And that’s a world we are not allowed to see into.”

Tom Knudson, from Reveal, reports the Wildlife Services kills about 225 coyotes a day and gases coyote pups in their dens. Millions of innocent animals are killed by mistake. Family pets, eagles, herons, cranes, etc. are among the victims. All these deaths are paid for by our tax dollars.

So why are they doing this? It’s simple. Animal agriculture views wild horses, wolves, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, etc. as competition to their profits. Animal agriculture needs their land for their animals. Animal agriculture uses over half of the land in the US for livestock. This land is used to raise their animals and feed for their animals. 349 million acres are used for feed and 788 million acres are used for raising livestock. In contrast, only 3million acres are used for raising vegetables.

http://www.westernwatersheds.org/watmess/watmess_2002/2002html_summer/article6.htm

Another interesting aspect of this discussion is that public lands (our national parks) are used by ranchers for grazing their animals. Ranchers pay next to nothing for this service and they pay nothing for the Wildlife Services program. This to me is welfare.

Most Americans will never hear about this program. It’s meant to operate in the shadows. Animal agriculture propaganda wants people to think predators kill millions of livestock. In actuality, predators kill very few farmed animals. When you think about how farmed animals are raised now, how can they even get at them? Most farmed animals are raised in factory farms. They are kept indoors, crammed into small barns, hardly any room to move, and never get to see the light of day. Even cattle raised outside are crammed as close together as possible. Predators have very little chance to attack livestock. Animal agriculture wants you to want to destroy these animals, just to increase their profits.

Animal agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceuticals are the largest lobbyists in Washington. That is why we never hear much negativity about these industries. Even though animal agriculture is the number one cause of greenhouse gases, water usage, water pollution, rainforest destruction, and species extinction, most Americans will never hear of this. Money controls our government and what it tells its citizens. Big Pharma has a big stake in animal agriculture because it pumps 80% of its antibiotics into farmed animals. These antibiotics are used to grow animals bigger faster, and to make it more profitable to cram so many animals into small spaces.

One of Japan’s largest industry is fishing. The Japanese government tells its people that dolphins, sharks, and whales are over populating the oceans and eating all the fish. It encourages people to kill dolphins in blood baths like Taiji. Japan is even trying to push this on the United Nations so it can hunt whales again. We know the main cause of the fish population reduction is over fishing, but the people of Japan believe their government and think dolphins are the problem. That is how propaganda works. That is how it is working in America.

The most effective way we can save our wildlife is to go vegan. We need to put animal agriculture out of business. It is destroying our planet. We are healthier not eating animal products, so why do it? Instead of spreading and signing petitions, actually do something to help—Go Vegan.