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I Am Absolutely Convinced That So Long As People Shed the Blood of God's Creatures, There'll Be No Peace on Earth.”—Isaac Bashevis Singer

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I Am Absolutely Convinced That So Long As People Shed the Blood of God's Creatures, There'll Be No Peace on Earth.”—Isaac Bashevis Singer Fall 2001, Vol. 10, No. 4 Salicylic acid: Aspirin’s active ingredient abundant in vegetarians Ł page 11 IBP chutzpah: HFA reveals truth about live butchering in Wallula Ł page 13 Not in the “101 Reasons”: Intimate and personal reasons to go veg Ł page 2 Spinal-cord spam: Mechanically deboned meat harbors mad cow Ł page 6 Grapevine gleanings: VivaVegie love, even for meat eaters Ł page 5 The VivaVine is a publication of the VivaVegie Society, New York City’s premier vegetarian-outreach organization. "I am absolutely convinced that so long as people shed the blood of God's creatures, there'll be no peace on Earth.”—Isaac Bashevis Singer Robert Byrd: The ers or ancient epidemics for the megafauna kill-offs that reveal them- animals’ angel selves in the fossil record. Early speaks out in man, with a fierce appetite for meat and armed simply with the U.S. Senate spears, fire, and “other primi- He’s chairman of the Senate Ap- tive killing techniques”—as propriations Committee. As pro the San Francisco Chronicle tem of the Senate, he’s third in Continued on page 10 line to the presidency. A living legend already, Senator Robert Cattlemen Byrd (D–WV) can now consider himself a savior of the lowest of snivel for 12.2 the low on Earth—the livestock that billion to clean get turned into meat. The following up manure pits excerptedspeechaccompaniedthesen- ator’sactionstoamendthesupplemental t was enough to make your vegetar- appropriations bill in July, allowing it an I ian eyes pop out. In testimony be- extra $3 million for enforcement of the fore the Senate Agriculture committee Animal Welfare Act and the Humane in July, an official of the National Cat- Slaughter Act. Humans and meat: tlemen’s Beef Association explained The combo that that Congress needed to allocate $12.2 ur inhumane treatment of live- billion to aid farmers and ranchers “O stock is becoming widespread was always bad for over the next 10 years to control ani- and more and more barbaric. Six- the environment mal waste. Eric Davis, vice president of hundred-pound hogs [are] raised in 2- the NCBA, said that the government foot-wide metal cages called gestation f you thought meat consumption has owed livestock producers this perk to crates, in which the poor beasts are un- I been disrupting the environment cover costly antipollution regulations able to turn around or lie down in nat- only since the advent of factory farm- that have been passed in numerous ural positions….Veal calves are con- ing—perhaps 50 years ago or so—you states. Funny, these producers of meat fined to dark wooden crates so small may need to think again. Human and poultry products reckon taxpayers that they are prevented from lying hunters in prehistoric times drove instead of their own consumers are the down or scratching themselves. These many species of the Earth’s largest ani- ones to pick up their costs of doing creatures feel; they know pain. They mals to extinction in North America business—kind of like welfare. suffer pain just as we humans suffer and Australia in relatively short peri- More about meat subsidies on page 3 pain. Egg-laying hens are confined to ods of time, according to two recent www.vivavegie.org Continued on page 8 studies. Don’t blame advancing glaci- CENTER PROGRAMS • COMMENTARY VEGETARIAN CENTER PROGRAMS Reasons not in the “101 Reasons” All events are at 121 East 27th BY PAMELA RICE after eating a hamburger; I attribute Street, Suite 704. Where appropriate, this to the chemical and drug participants may bring dinner with n my time, I’ve expounded on a residues in the meat! Thank God, that them. Information: 646-424-9595. lot of good reasons to be a vege- era in my life is ancient history now. I tarian, but my emphasis has al- 6. No PMS (premenstrual syn- ways been on the social, economic, drome) and no menstrual Holiday party (6:00 P.M.) and ethical aspects of this food cramps either, or at worst rarely. Sun., Dec. 16: Call ahead for a choice. Still, it There’s one downside to this: My pe- suggestion of something to occurs to me riod can come on unexpectedly. bring. that there are 7. Practically no more colds. some very im- This is a biggie. What meat eater—or This is the big one, not to be missed. portant practi- more specifically, what milk drinker— Time to enjoy a touch of the bubbly, cal and per- does not count colds as a regular part which could mean the real thing or sonal—even of the anguish of being alive? As a meat just a Fresh Samantha with a twist. intimate—rea- eater I used to have chronic sinusitis; Did we mention food? Yes, there will Photo by Ted Teisler sons why being one time it had me in bed completely be goodies; we call them light re- a vegetarian is a good idea. Many stuffed up for a week. freshments. What did you expect, have never been touched on in this 8. No more warts. This one’s a The Plaza? magazine, let alone in my pamphlet bit dubious, but a friend swears he’s “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian,” forever wartless since going veg. Rap ’n’ Wrap (6:30 P.M.) although perhaps 9. Be kosher they should have Mon., Nov. 12: A time for vege- Cleaner drains, bone- with only one set tarians to shoot the breeze and been. of dishes. To be an sort things out from our own So I’ve taken it free food, better sex, observant Jew, one perspective: Jean Thaler, legend of upon myself to come freedom from may not eat impro- Big Apple Vegetarians, has agreed to up with ten of these constipation, a better perly slaughtered “hits home” reasons, meat, and one must lead our Rap ’n’ Wrap. Topic: What disposition, pain-free are your personal reasons (as but I’m sure there never mix milk and opposed to social and ethical are many more. menstruation, no more meat—not in the re- ones) for being a vegetarian? 1.Goodbye, colds, no more warts, a frigerator, nor at a (See the essay on the right.) We’ll com- Drano. Kitchen kosher-ready kitchen, meal. Lucky for me, I drains rarely get never eat either. pare lists, so bring one of your own! In and odor-free flatulence. general, if you have an opinion about clogged in a vegetar- 10. Remain un- something, we’ll discuss it, and we’ll ian household. It detected when order burritos. Suggested donation: $3. helps that most vegetable oils are passing gas in public. Benjamin not solid at room temperature. Franklin even commented on this 2. Stayin’ alive. Choking on a one, after experimenting with a vege- Veg’n health workshop bone is an unlikely event for a vege- tarian diet for a time, according to By appointment: Getting started tarian. vegetarian historian Rynn Berry. Gas with your new veggie diet. 3. Vegetarians make better still happens but, for some vegetari- What do you eat, now that you’ve de- lovers. It helps that we taste better, ans, often with no accompanying cided to go vegetarian? Browse our smell better, and last longer, thanks to smell. files and take some literature. View the cleaner fuel we eat. Healthy blood videos that will have you saying, flow is critical for good sex—not likely o there you have it. If you don’t “Aha!” Donations appreciated. in an artery-clogged meat eater. care about the animals, the 4. Vegetarianism is the only Splanet, world hunger, or your real cure for constipation. For long-term health—those less-immedi- Volunteers’ open house some, this may be the best reason to ate reasons to become a vegetarian— Tues., Nov. 13 & Dec. 4: Get in- be a plant eater. maybe one of these little goodies will volved with your favorite vegetarian 5. Save money—no need to make things click for you. In any advocacy organization, and learn buy that Prozac. No, I never took case, after a while you’re sure to have marketable skills too! Can you stick to the drug, but since becoming a vegan a ton of personal reasons of your own a task? Do you have clerical, com- I rarely get the blues to begin with. that you can spout off at a moment’s puter, or promotional skills? Could we When I was a meat eater I was fre- notice. In fact, come to our Rap ’n’ give you an E for enthusiasm? Then quently depressed, often picking a Wrap session, November 12 (see col- you’re someone we want to see! fight with the nearest warm body just umn on the left), and do just that. The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 2 ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR VEGETARIANS Handout Roundup: Gov’t bucks to meat interests U.S. fails to meet int’l trade group founded by the British govern- fueled them.” In a BBC story posted ment, as quoted in a Bloomberg re- on the Internet in mid-August, Lord obligations to declare the lease, CAP “was developed at a time Haskins was quoted warning those in extent of farm subsidies of food shortage” in postwar Europe, agriculture, “If farmers want to rely when most people were rurally on the past for handouts they are Governments love to hand out based. Today, “it is a policy which is going to be living on borrowed time.” money to special interests. This is al- delivering chronic food surpluses,” The “green” movement, which is most a truism.
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