THE BEE DILEMMA

THE BEE DILEMMA

One of the great vegan debates is whether honey is vegan or not.  Most vegans do not consider it vegan. The debate should be about whether the way we treat bees in modern society is vegan.  It’s not.

Sure bees are little insects most people could care less about, but their numbers are dwindling and they are on the verge of extinction.  When the bees go we will be next.  One third of our food is pollinated by bees and that is where the problem lies.

Human activity is destroying natural plants by plowing fields, building cities and homes, etc. Butterflies, bees, and birds are all losing their habitat.  Bees depend on natural plants. Fruit, nut and vegetable growers have had to import bees to pollinate their plants.  Current beekeepers make more money transporting bees thousands of miles to pollinate plants than they do selling honey.  Bee hives are piled on trailers. The vibration of the trip, the change in weather and the change in sunset and sunrise all add stress to the bee’s life.  Added to that stress is global warming, pollution, and pesticides.  Stress reduces the way their immune systems function.  Disease is wiping out our bees.

Transporting bees thousands of miles to make them pollinate trees is definitely not vegan.  But without that, we would not have the fruits and vegetables we love.

So what can we do:

First, we still all need to go vegan. Two-thirds of the land mass is used to either raise or feed farmed animals.  This land is cleared of plants bees need to survive.  It takes less land to grow fruits and vegetables to feed humans directly than it does to raise animals for flesh eating. Going vegan and returning this land to its natural state will help bees recover.

Second, buying local will help.  Also, we should pass legislation that requires fruit and vegetable growers to have their own bee hives for their crops. Especially those labeled vegan or organic.

Third, everyone should stop using pesticides.  Stop putting chemicals on their lawns, even better forgo the lawn and plant wildflowers and other flowering plants for the bees.

Fourth. everyone who has land should start a bee hive. Not for honey, but just for the bees. Other than checking on them once in a while, just let them be bees.

Don’t buy honey or products made with honey.  Don’t buy products made with beeswax or royal jelly.  Show companies that we will not support the demise of bees for money.

We need to do all we can to help this most important little insect.  When they go extinct, humans will not be far behind. The sooner humans realize that all life on this planet is important to the well-being

of all its inhabitants the better. All life is precious and we are all connected.  It’s important for the future of our children and grandchildren to start to do something now.

Resources:

Vanishing of the bees

Silence of the Bees

A Taste of Honey

PICTURES OF MY FRONT YARD

GUN VIOLENCE

GUN VIOLENCE

Lately, every time you turn on the news, there is another mass shooting, another murder, another gang shooting, or another police involved murder.  Our world has become very violent.  I blame the NRA for a good portion of this violence.

The NRA was established in the late 1800’s to promote gun safety.  In the 1980’s, however, gun sales started to decline.  Gun corporations started taking over the NRA. Now the NRA’s board of directors is filled with CEO’s of gun corporations.  They turned the direction of the NRA from gun safety to promoting gun ownership. They take their members’ dues and use it for lobbying. They managed to successfully reverse and block any gun restriction laws presented by congress. They pushed open carry laws in states.  It is now easier in most states to buy a gun than it is to vote. Gun sales have skyrocketed. This climate of everyone having a gun is a main cause of the violence.

Police have to accept a major portion of the cause too.  Police departments are not properly screening candidates for aggression or racism problems. They are not properly training their policemen in handling tough situations. They are over arming them with military style equipment, giving them the impression they are fighting a war instead of protecting and serving citizens.  So many police are either angry or scared when they approach suspects. The climate of everyone owning a gun increases the violence. Their fear is increased if they are even slightly racist.  When someone is shot 9-15 times, that indicates either aggression, anger, or fear.

Our society bears a good portion of the violence blame.  We are conditioned since birth to think that certain people or species are of less value than ourselves. If we do not grow out of that thinking, we are more likely to disregard the lives of others.  We are conditioned since birth to eat violence and to think it tastes good. "Hate on your dial" shows like Fox News, 700 club, and talk radio promote hatred, violence, racism, sexism and animal cruelty.   Commanders in war always have their soldiers eat huge portions of meat before battle, because they know it will make their soldiers more aggressive and more violent.

Groups that are trying to promote peace and rights for all are often put on the FBI’s terrorist lists. Animal right groups who have killed zero people are considered terrorists, while violent groups, like anti-abortionists who have killed 100’s of people, are not on the list.

We are all one tribe, one people, one species—Earthlings. No matter what race, sex or species we are, we are all connected.  The loss of one of us touches all of us. The sooner we realize this; the sooner the violence will end.

If you truly want to end the violence, start living a more compassionate life yourself.  Go vegan and know true peace.

For more information:

Please watch Earthlings at Earthlings.com

Please read Our Conscious Planet by Neil Pine and World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle. 

I'M VEGAN AND I HATE PEOPLE

I’M VEGAN AND I HATE PEOPLE

My car is a moving billboard for veganism.  I have many vegan bumper stickers all around the car and “Watch Cowspiracy” signs in my windows. It’s a small thing I do to try to get people to open their eyes.

The other day, the FedEx driver asked me, “Who owns the decorated Subaru?” 

After I told him it was mine, he said “I have heard that eating meat is really bad for global warming.  But the problem is I have tasted ribs and I really love them.”

I told him I haven’t eaten any meat in over thirty years and find it gross—it’s decaying flesh of dead animals. Then, thinking he was concerned about the environment, I listed the facts about the harm animal eating does to our planet—51% of greenhouse gases, water pollution, cause of drought, land degradation, rainforest destruction and world hunger.  He replied “I read it takes 10 gallons of water to make one almond.”

To which I replied “I love almonds, but I don’t eat them because of the water usage. It takes over 5000 gallons of water to make one burger.”

His reply “I don’t eat many hamburgers. I have to go, but I will think about it. I really like ribs though.” Then he left.

This same conversation I have had many times. I pull my hair out trying to understand flesh eaters.

Thirty years ago, when I found out how animals were being treated for food, I stopped buying and eating their flesh. When I saw how egg laying chickens were treated, I stopped buying eggs. When I saw how cows and calves were treated in the dairy industry, I stopped buying any dairy products. When I saw orangutans being killed for palm oil, I stopped buying products with palm oil in them. When I saw how workers in the berry, chocolate and banana industries were being treated, I started to make sure I buy only fair trade. When I saw a picture of a turtle suffocating on a plastic shopping bag, I stopped using them and only use cloth reusable shopping bags.  When I heard about the plastic island in the ocean, I stopped using plastic water bottles and containers.  I only use glass now and they are healthier—less chemicals. They also keep my water colder naturally.  When I heard about the disappearance of the bees and that almonds were a big part of the problem, I stopped eating almonds.

Many flesh eaters are fully aware of the damage the dairy, flesh, and egg industries are doing to our planet.  They are fully aware of the animal abuse in these industries.  Yet, they continue to purchase these products. Why? Because they love bacon, or they love cheese, or they love their ribs. Basically, selfish reasons. How can someone like me, who cares about animals, our planet and future generations have any respect for people who only think of themselves? How can I even look at them without seeing a selfish greedy slob?

It is not hard to do the right thing, you just have to stop and think. Think about the future of your children and grandchildren. Think of others over yourself. Start living a moral, responsible life. Go Vegan.