How undercover animal rights activists are winning the Ag-Gag war

Lori Andresen

Unbelievable - a must read.

kwilczyk

For the life of me I cannot understand how these big ag farms get away with this kind of cruelty. It's just terrible and says a lot about what kind of people are out there and they see nothing wrong with treating the animals this way. Then the state and federal government protects this kind of behavior really turns my stomach as well. What is wrong with people? I like a good hamburger as well as anyone but I will cut down on my consumption of meat products and will only purchase meat from humane farmers who treat their animals with dignity. It's more expensive but so what. I will also give $$ to the animal rights organizations. Also, that guy who shot the horse in the head and who told the activists to fuck off - what a shitty human being.

Emmy Frederickson

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Great article on Ag-Gag!

swmnguy topcommenter

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I grew up in the country. I worked for neighboring farmers, mucking out hog barns, cattle barns, you name it. One of my brothers is a large-animal farm veterinarian. I've never seen cruel sadistic stuff like is shown on these videos. My brother has seen it though; on factory farms that pay low wages, have rotten conditions for workers and animals alike. Not all factory farms either, mind you. The ones that can't keep their good employees and hire the real bottom of the barrel psychopaths who get off on torturing animals.

Hey, I like meat. Just finished eating some, as a matter of fact. Every so often my siblings and I split an animal we'll order from a farm our brother recommends. I have a lot of scorn for privileged urban do-gooder types who don't have any idea what farm life is like. There are some pretty mixed-up people out there who seem to think animals are just people in furry suits; actually, just hippies in furry suits.

But the stuff that's in these videos is not borderline. It's really sick stuff. Totally unnecessary. As I said, I've never seen anything like it in person, and I've been in dozens of livestock barns out in the country. It's bad business too. If the big-business, capital-intensive factory approach to livestock agriculture requires raw sadism, I think that's worth discussing as a nation. The fact is, it's not required, and it's a source of hazards entering our food supply to boot.

CinBlueland topcommenter

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@swmnguy About my experience as well.

My responses may have been a little heated, but I've had it with PETAtards.

swmnguy topcommenter

@CinBlueland I think a large issue here is the growing disconnect between people and the food they eat. Very few of us have actually seen, much less participated in, the agricultural process. Between that and the financialization of everything in our economy, there's a lot of room for truly terrible practices to develop and continue, but also for a lot of ignorance and not-thinking to grow as well.

There are certainly unreasonable animal-rights people and militant vegan types. I've run across them. I thought they had all the best intentions, and many good points, but like most fundamentalists, they were reacting largely to something inside themselves rather than to the reality around them. I think of a guy I knew who was in his early twenties (I was too, then) who was a militant animal-rights/vegetarian. Who knows what he's involved with now; wouldn't surprise me if he's one of those guys who raids farms and lets out the animals,who then all get killed or starve, or try to get back into the barn. Well, he had grown up in an affluent suburban family, totally unconnected from how any of the things in his life got there, and had been the victim of horrendous abuse. It didn't take very long talking to him to get the idea that he saw farm animals as analogues of his little-kid self, and wanted to save them from what he had endured. Sounds kind of "Dr. Phil," but really, it just leaped out at you talking to the guy.

A lot more people need to hang out at the livestock barn at the State Fair and talk to the 4-H and FFA kids about what animals are really like, and what it's like to live with them and take care of them, and how it works mentally to nurture an animal that's going to be slaughtered for food. People would be amazed by the nuanced and sophisticated outlooks these kids have.

And we really need to restore the inspection and food safety system in America. People would be absolutely terrified if they knew how much our public health is left to the tender mercies of the worst operators in the industry. There pretty much is no functional food-safety system in America. It's a wonder more of us aren't poisoned by our food than already are.

swmnguy topcommenter

@CinBlueland @swmnguy He-he--the joy of self-employment. Except now my boss is on my ass and I'd better get some work done. At least when I had a conventional jobs, my working conflicts were with other people.

I've got the dual monitors and the laptop, but I can still only do one thing at a time. Stupid biological brain.

CinBlueland topcommenter

@swmnguy @CinBlueland Thank you for the longer write up.

Agree, and again similar experience..

My only excuse for short quips, is I'm posting from work. (still working, but that's why Ra gave us dual monitors)

CinBlueland topcommenter

@swmnguy http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

CinBlueland topcommenter

" Cody Carlson had no way of preparing for this moment. He was a Manhattan kid, days removed from working as an analyst for a business-intelligence firm"

And knows what exactly about Farming? Husbandry? It's like a liberal seeing a weapon for the first time.. "It was so scary, all black and military looking"

Those of you who follow the food reviews, juicy lucy debate.. Where do you think the meat comes from? Some happy place where animals are read to, and taken on nature walks then sung lullabies at night?

If you're upset by this, then don't look and see how your bulk grains are processed, (Hint you're a meat eater)

We have 300+ million in this country alone to feed. Holistic, Organic farms are not sustainable on even that level. Now think of the food aid we send around the globe to help the starving.

If you want to pay more for the myth of Organic/Free Range, have at it.. But the country and the world are hungry and it's not a pretty process.

stephanieohdee

@CinBlueland Do you realize how much land we use (and how many forests we destroy) simply to produce grains to feed our livestock instead of using that land to grow sustainable crops that could feed the 300+ million people in this country, let alone people all over the world? I'm not anti-meat (though I don't personally eat it and I don't believe Americans need anywhere NEAR the amount they currently consume), and I'm all for true animal husbandry - as well as crop diversity. Unfortunately both have been replaced with industrialized crap. If you prefer "cheap" food and if that's the short-sighted system you'd rather support, you can go ahead and give the pharmaceutical companies all of your saved money when it inevitably comes back to bite you. I'll continue to financially support the farms I trust and the companies utilizing sustainable practices - and in doing so, I'll also continue to enjoy good health.

lizcats

@CinBlueland LOL America wastes ~33 MILLION TONS OF FOOD A YEAR. I think we have PLENTY to feed the people here. This is about capitalism. FUCK agriculture. FUCK GMOs. FUCK MEAT. FUCK FACTORY FARMS. We do not NEED any of this.

CinBlueland topcommenter

Oh go away.. You ignored the trial of Kermit Gosnell, but whey grass eating nuts get front page?

lizcats

@CinBlueland Kermit Gosnell was disgusting and means nothing more than any other serial killer/white privilege criminal. He deserves news time but he does not reflect on any relevant community. What is your point?