4-H Cruel to Animals- Chicago Tribune! WOW

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RSC

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I'm sure most have seen this, posted on Breeders World!

4-H: Cruel to animals and kids
MCT News Service
November 2, 2009

Like most little girls, my stepdaughter loves animals. She joined a local 4-H club when she was 9, solely because "cows are cool." Now that the fall 4-H animal auctions are upon us, I can't help but remember Bonnie's first "assignment" a beautiful cow named Dana with long lashes and ears as soft as velvet. We all grew to love Dana, but none more so than Bonnie, who spent hours grooming her and walking her on a lead.

I had misgivings about Bonnie's decision to join 4-H: Unlike an unsuspecting 9-year-old, I knew the ultimate fate of the cows and other animals used in this program.

My fears were realized a couple years into the program when Bonnie learned that Meredith, another one of "her" cows, who was sick and unable to reproduce, had been sold to slaughter for a mere $75. To see such a deep bond so ruthlessly broken was a painful and eye-opening lesson for Bonnie. Her club leader was genuinely puzzled and irked by Bonnie's tears, dismissing her as "sentimental."

Dana, Meredith, Kath, Elise, Lola. They all had names, personalities and quirks. None was like the others except in one critical way. Like all cows used to provide milk for human consumption, these cows were treated as breeding machines and were artificially impregnated again and again.

Their babies bellowing and terrified were removed from them within hours of their births. The mothers were inconsolable, and the babies wide-eyed and quaking. The calves were desperate to latch onto visitors' fingers anything to suckle. But instead of being nourished by their mothers' milk which went to supermarket dairy cases the calves were fed a vile powdered nutritional supplement. In a barn full of cows, the frantic calls of mothers and babies became a symphony of suffering.

What does it say about society's mindset when children are encouraged to participate in a program that ultimately means the death of an animal they've befriended and whose trust they actively courted or when we dismiss a child's heartbreak at losing a beloved animal friend as weakness? The animals in 4-H programs are destined for one of two fates: They are either sold at auction for slaughter or are used as breeders for future "projects."

Unfortunately, 4-H provides a mere snapshot of how we systematically desensitize ourselves to the origins of the chops, steaks and wings that we put in our mouths. If most kind people actually stopped to think about it, they'd balk at eating the body parts of an animal who has lived and died in misery. But we take great pains to hide what happens in feedlots and on factory farms. We close our eyes and refuse to hear about the cows, pigs and chickens who are jammed into stalls and cages barely bigger than their bodies and who will never breathe fresh air or see the light of day. Bonnie was admonished for taking her PETA water bottle to fairs and was told to stop.

Bonnie went vegetarian after making the connection that all cows like Dana and Meredith end up on a plate. She hasn't eaten meat since. She knows that she can't save all the cows who are used as milk machines on dairy factory farms, but she continues in 4-H because she wants to make life comfortable for at least one cow every year. But that's little consolation for the billions of other animals raised for food who will never know a kind word or a gentle touch.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Jennifer O'Connor is a writer for the Animals in Entertainment Campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, Va. 23510; www.PETA.org. Information about PETA's funding may be found at www.peta.org/about/numbers.asp.
 

knabe

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humans only live to die.  those who support this nonsense should never have kids so they can stop the madness for themselves.  they rarely will be convinced otherwise because they are so isolated from survival that when confronted with it, they would die anyway.  anything one can do to speed up helping them to not procreate so animals can live will help the world be a better place.  i say if they want to think like this, they should be mandated to follow through on their logic and sterilize themselves.

why doesn't PETA care about bacteria and plants?
 

GoWyo

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She may be a PETA yellow journalist and may even have a kid, but I find it hard to believe that she had anything to do with 4-H.  If she did do a year of 4-H, you can bet it was not to enjoy a livestock project.  Imagine taking a cow and having her "artificially impregnated again and again."  The horror of it -- sounds like raping and pillaging to me.

Of course, under her mom's careful guidance, Bonnie went veggie after her tragic experience raising dairy animals for beef and having to sell such a special critter for slaughter.  My question is why did they sell it?  Why not keep it around until it expired of old age, and being rescued from the sadist AI tech with her vile gloved hand while immobilized in the claustrophobia-inducing AI chute?  Terrible.

Anyway -- please pass the steak.  I love my cows medium rare right next to the green beans and mashed potatoes.
 

RSC

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knabe said:
humans only live to die.  those who support this nonsense should never have kids so they can stop the madness for themselves.  they rarely will be convinced otherwise because they are so isolated from survival that when confronted with it, they would die anyway.  anything one can do to speed up helping them to not procreate so animals can live will help the world be a better place.  i say if they want to think like this, they should be mandated to follow through on their logic and sterilize themselves.
Knabe, I figured you'd respond to this with good insight!

We have processed  a 4-H project for our family for 3 years in a row now!  The first happened to win the show and the boys were very fond of him!  I just explained to him that he was in the business to raise beef to feed others,  It's your choice a stranger can eat it our we can!  He said, "Dad, we should enjoy it ourselves rather than a stranger."   Every time I go grab a package of meat out of the freezer,  the boy's call it by name and ask if we're having Mater, Cascade or Chester for Supper. Yummy!"

Tony
 

Bjk cattle

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I bet the PETA lady doesn't wear leather shoes, carry a leather purse, sit on leather seats in her SUV, are put milk on her daughters cereal every morning before she sends her to vegetarian school.
 

LN

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I think it's great that we're so secure in our food supply that we can have wackos spewing crap like this, although it irritates me to no end.

I should've posted this article earlier, but here's an example of how quickly they change their values when their life is at stake.
http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/2009/09/vegetarian-kept-alive-by-pigs-heart.html

Just love the part about artificially impregnating cows over and over.
 

BIGTEX

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"I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables."      Rudy's BBQ


"You don't need teeth to eat our beef"  County Line BBQ
 

knabe

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http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html

Human faeces can contain significant B12. A study has shown that a group of Iranian vegans obtained adequate B12 from unwashed vegetables which had been fertilised with human manure. Faecal contamination of vegetables and other plant foods can make a significant contribution to dietary needs, particularly in areas where hygiene standards may be low. This may be responsible for the lack of aneamia due to B12 deficiency in vegan communities in developing countries.
 

knabe

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also of note, B12 is synthesized in large vats and may utilize genetically modified organisms, though probably not anymore.  on the other hand, these small organisms mutate all the time, so avoiding mutant bacteria or whatever is impossible to avoid, thus the purity of vegetarianism is tainted.

it's amazing how vegans care so little about yeast and bacteria in general and how discriminatory they are.  me, i eat everything so i play no favorites except for raw onions, so i guess i am a hypocrite as well.  feels nice though, being less of a hypocrite than a vegan.

so think about it.  apes and humans evolved to get B12 from pooh.  then the do gooders made us wash our hands and make us b12 deficient.

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-view/vitamin-b12.htm

B-12 is produced by bacteria on foods (note: bacteria are not part of the animal kingdom - like plants they are not animals and do not have the capacity to suffer or conscious self-awareness)  people used to say this about animals in general.  how could a stupid vegan prove that bacteria don't have souls. hint, they can't because it would interfere with their flawed belief system.  they use the same logic as meat eaters but are too stupid to notice.
 

GoWyo

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It appears that the vegans have been practicing quite a bit of coprophagy lately -- feeding each other a line of crap and patting themselves on the back congratulating each other for it.  Let 'em eat all they want -- the "copro" that is.
 

ELBEE

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Give them all the drugs and guns they want, they'll work it out themselves. The pen is mightier than the sword, untill someone picks up a sword!
 

ROMAX

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Maybe this lady should go see how some of these "projects" live until they die,mine get the best of feed ,a pen to themselves full of bedding, fans to cool them, a bath everyday.....they live better than some people!
 

herefordfootball

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ROMAX said:
Maybe this lady should go see how some of these "projects" live until they die,mine get the best of feed ,a pen to themselves full of bedding, fans to cool them, a bath everyday.....they live better than some people!

Your cows probaly live better than most of those PETA's peoples kids. If those people looked around them would realize cattle have to do alot with our life. Milk,beef,leather, the list goes  on forever. With out some of the things cattle provide everyday life would be very different and.
 

aj

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This looks like to me to be a pre-manufactured story. She set up a straw man then knocked it down.
 

chambero

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I'll bet you a nickel she never had a kid in 4-H with a heifer project.  Whole thing is contrived based on what her viewpoint was before she started.  If she really did, The way it sounds I bet she broke a few "ownership" rules for 4-H projects the way it reads.
 

farmboy

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these 2 statements above me = 100% truth.

Flintstonesupermarket04meat.jpg
 

forcheyhawk

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I really hate articles like this more than anything.  I was in a deep conversation this weekend about regulations regarding the handling of manure.  I won't go into that argument but it's very similar to many left wing ideas.  My thought on the matter is this - the people that suggest and make rules ought to have to grow their own food.  They need to understand the challenges that are involved with it.  We all know the challenges faced, but I can guarantee that most politicians and left wing groups have no clue.  While many of these groups have cool buzz words like "Organic" and pesticide free, you and I know the dangers of introducing disease and insects to our crops and livestock.  I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't take care or consideration to new ideas.  However, most of these ideas have lost touch with reality.  I'll never vote for another Democrat as long as I live because they are too close to these left wing ideas.  Sorry I'll get off my soapbox now.
 

farmershane3

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just wondering if there was a link for the original article.  i have a class and this really pertains to it.  thanks
 
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