I really used to keep my mouth shut and take anything and everything that was dished out me. I rarely spoke a word to anyone. I didn't care what happened to me, or how people treated me. I just kept my mouth shut and tried to become as inconspicuous as possible, now I just piss it right back. Why not? time is of the essence, why should I put up with anything I don't like? I can't think of any reason at all.
Not that I'm garrulous now with everyone, but in terms of the consequences of expressing my thoughts or feelings, I no longer give a shit. You don't like 'em? Fuck off. Simple.
So, here's what I think about Animal Welfare. I've been called an extremist by many a "livestock" farmer (how can a living sentient being be considered as "stock"? the term disgusts me), greyhound "trainer", abattoir owner, researchers using animals, dressage riders, horse racing industry people and all scum of the earth of that nature. How I hate them. Filthy exploiting pieces of shit.
I remember one "debate" I had with someone who was defending the use of greyhounds in racing. He called me an "extremist" (always the last resort of of the intellectually bankrupt) I replied, "Oh, I'm the extremist? I'm not the one the killing these poor dogs by the hundreds of thousands every year, I'm not the one forcing them onto tracks where they can have their legs severed (oh it happens) I'd actually consider that pretty extreme behaviour"
1. Dressage should be banned. Horses are designed by nature for running, trotting, standing. Not fucking prancing, high jumping, their backs are simply not designed for this. As far as I'm concerned, every prancing piece of crap sitting on a horse should be shot without mercy, just as the thousands of horses that break legs and spirits each year in service of this egotistical garbage are put down or passed on to knackers without a second thought. If it's good enough for the horse, it's good enough for the piece of the crap sitting on it.
2. Horses in police work. Horses are a prey animal, that means instinctively, they are programmed for flight and nervousness, it's this nerviness that keeps them constantly alert for predators and gives them a chance to escape. You see the same kinds of behaviour in deer, zebras, mice and other prey animals. Putting an animal like this in confronting, often violent situations is just pure psychological torture..
3. Animals raised for fur and meat. Insane cruelty. Especially in this age of good old capitalist economic "rationalism" that's lead to the nightmare of factory farms. Well, what to feed our obligate carnivores (cats) and omnivores (dogs) that we keep as friends around the house? Here's one solution: When people pop off, cut the tumorous bits out of 'em, grind 'em up and put em into cat and dog food cans. I see nothing disgusting about this. I'd be honoured to be put back in the food chain. It's more dignified than mouldering away in the dark dank and claustrophobic soil. I'd rather be put back in the mammalian food chain than be nibbled to bits by fucking earthworms for fucks sake. Where's the dignity in that??
4. Dairy. I used to think that Dairying was a benign form of farming. It ain't. Not in these days of mass conglomerate economically "rationalized" farms. It's nasty and cruel. I no longer consume any dairy.
5. There's a lot of griping about Asian treatment of animals. One thing to remember, is that the West, especially the English speaking West, is the consummate propagandist. It knows how to hide the ugly truth. Have you ever read about what happens to animals in Western military research and development? Ever really taken a look at footage at what happens to animals in Western cosmetic, medical, food technology and legal recreational drug (tobacco and alcohol) research clinics? Ever wondered what goes on in Western abattoirs? Over the next few days I'm going to post links so you can take a look for yourself.
Like it or not, Northern Europe has some of the most progressive laws in defence of animals. And, like it or not, under the NAZIS, laws regarding the welfare of animals were both strengthened (greatly) and enforced. Sadly, there are stories of German soldiers shooting dogs belonging to Jews. There is garbage everywhere, although, as a friend of mine here who has lived some time in Germany said, "You know, come to think of it, I never saw an abused animal in Germany". Of course it happens, but in terms of scale and comparison, we Krauts take care of our animals.
6. Horse racing. Yeaeahh, those poor animals enjoy getting the shit flogged out them as they (like greyhounds) are literally running for their lives on the track. What this actually means is, if they have no success rate, they're dead.
7. Horses: In Australia, in that barbaric Frankenstein nation established upon the rivers of blood of the original custodians of the land, they have a thing called "Jumps Racing" it's distressing and nearly every :"race" ends up with the death of at least one horse. This is a country with notoriously poor animal welfare laws, and by the way, has one of the highest rates of domestic violence and child abuse.
I could go on. And on. Sadly.
Is there an ethical metre by which to gauge the proper treatment of animals? Well, for me, there's a few guides:
1. Consent. This is my guide for human and non human animals. If I don't have consent voluntarily given by the other party, I'm going to presume that I have no right to do intrude upon their person in any way.
Is it possible to know whether an animal consents to something? Yes, it is, if the animal is in psychological or physical pain, if the animal is frightened, wary, kept in unnatural conditions not conducive to it's mental or physical well being, you can be pretty certain, you don't have it's consent for what you are doing to it.
If you need to overlook consent for the animal's own individual welfare, (taking it for medical treatment etc in spite of it's own misgivings for example) then that's simply what has to be done.
2. Pantheism God is in Everything, Everything is God. I'll post a blog about this explaining another day. Pantheism in the West has strong roots in German mysticism which began with the Medieval Rhineland mystics. It was Jakob Böhme (a fascinating genius and a religio/philosophical hero to me) who in the 17th C (1600s) understood the Cosmos as "Alles in Allem" (Everything in Everything) His religious philosophy was beyond incredible. I'll tell you his story next time.
There's so much more I want to add about the status of Animal Rights Groups considered "extremist". I'm going to say something now which I think will make me even more enemies, well, y'all pretty much know how I'm going to respond to that...
After the September 11 plane hijackings in America, which killed I think just over 2,500 people? I dunno, the figure keeps getting quietly revised downwards, many Western nations took the opportunity to revise and tighten up their so called :"anti terror laws". These, under the guise on 'non discrimmination', were stretched to cover nearly every group considered 'extremist'. In England, especially, though not exclusively, this included tightening the screws on animal welfare activist groups. In other words, the freedom to protest cruelty toward animals and act in defence of them was even more restricted. Popular Power: 0 Government Power: 1.
All this, because a few thousand Americans are killed in retaliation for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children exploited, dispossessed, corralled into refugee camps and killed every year by Israelis who perpetuate this holocaust by weaponry that says: "Made in America".
I remember how people moaned and groaned about "oh, how the world has changed post September 11" Well, let me conclude by saying this:
If the world ever had cause to change, it's because of the ongoing oppression of and violence against millions of voiceless and defenceless animals and people, not the murder of a few thousand of the privileged.
2. Dead Palestinians
3. Battery hens
4. Palestinian refugee camp.
