Comments on: The Pleasures of the Flesh http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:34:32 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: toni brockhoven http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18963 toni brockhoven Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:39:35 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18963 PART TWO ....the animal kingdom the right to life, unhindered and free from torment. And yes, I have included the planet in this statement. When will we learn? PART TWO ….the animal kingdom the right to life, unhindered and free from torment. And yes, I have included the planet in this statement. When will we learn?

]]> By: toni brockhoven http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18962 toni brockhoven Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:37:14 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18962 A well written piece except when the author started on about pearl grey vegans ?? After 3 years as a vegan i am certainly not pale grey. My skin is clearer, my eyes are "twinklier" and my heart is easy. The only logical, workable, reasonable and cost efficient way to reduce world hunger, global warming, deforestation etc etc is to adopt a vegan lifestyle. It is also the only way to end the horrific suffering of billions and billions of sentients. We talk about biofuels as a crime against humanity - what of the meat eaters, whose lust for flesh is depriving humanity, the planet and A well written piece except when the author started on about pearl grey vegans ?? After 3 years as a vegan i am certainly not pale grey. My skin is clearer, my eyes are “twinklier” and my heart is easy. The only logical, workable, reasonable and cost efficient way to reduce world hunger, global warming, deforestation etc etc is to adopt a vegan lifestyle. It is also the only way to end the horrific suffering of billions and billions of sentients. We talk about biofuels as a crime against humanity – what of the meat eaters, whose lust for flesh is depriving humanity, the planet and

]]> By: Anthony Paton http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18954 Anthony Paton Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:13:44 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18954 There are grey carbon based bi-pedal life forms on Earth, but we are Vogons not Vegans. Admittedly Spock looks a bit green or blue, but that's because he's been eating Venusian meat. We are leaving earth as soon as Scotty can get enough biofuels into the Star-Ship Enterprise. There are grey carbon based bi-pedal life forms on Earth, but we are Vogons not Vegans. Admittedly Spock looks a bit green or blue, but that’s because he’s been eating Venusian meat. We are leaving earth as soon as Scotty can get enough biofuels into the Star-Ship Enterprise.

]]> By: Don Hawkins http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18597 Don Hawkins Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:55:19 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18597 The setup looks right for another dramatic ice loss this summer. March 2008 compared to Marches past March 2008 monthly maximum extent was 780,000 square kilometers (301,000 square miles) greater than the past record low, set in March 2006, but 540,000 square kilometers (208,000 square miles) less than the 1979 to 2000 mean. Including 2008, the linear trend for March indicates that the Arctic is losing an average of 44,000 square kilometers (17,000 square miles) of ice per year in March. Although March 2008 extent is greater than in recent years, the setup looks right for another dramatic ice loss this summer. A look at sea ice thickness Another way to study sea ice thickness is to look at freeboard, or the amount of ice and snow that protrudes above the water surface. New information on ice thickness is coming from NASA’s ICESat instrument, a spaceborne laser altimeter. Colleague Ronald Kwok at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses data from ICESat to study freeboard. His findings indicate that freeboard in the spring of 2008 is 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) less than in spring 2007, pointing to thinner sea ice. Let's see the commercials from oil and gas and coal after this summer. The setup looks right for another dramatic ice loss this summer.
March 2008 compared to Marches past
March 2008 monthly maximum extent was 780,000 square kilometers (301,000 square miles) greater than the past record low, set in March 2006, but 540,000 square kilometers (208,000 square miles) less than the 1979 to 2000 mean. Including 2008, the linear trend for March indicates that the Arctic is losing an average of 44,000 square kilometers (17,000 square miles) of ice per year in March. Although March 2008 extent is greater than in recent years, the setup looks right for another dramatic ice loss this summer.
A look at sea ice thickness
Another way to study sea ice thickness is to look at freeboard, or the amount of ice and snow that protrudes above the water surface. New information on ice thickness is coming from NASA’s ICESat instrument, a spaceborne laser altimeter. Colleague Ronald Kwok at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses data from ICESat to study freeboard. His findings indicate that freeboard in the spring of 2008 is 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) less than in spring 2007, pointing to thinner sea ice.
Let’s see the commercials from oil and gas and coal after this summer.

]]> By: Elaine Vigneault http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18588 Elaine Vigneault Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:44:39 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18588 "I cannot help noticing that in most cases their skin has turned a fascinating pearl grey" I'm vegan and I'm not grey. My husband's vegan and he's not grey. I know plenty of vegans who aren't grey. There are white vegans, black vegans, latino vegans, mixed-race vegans, but no grey vegans. I think the author is confused. “I cannot help noticing that in most cases their skin has turned a fascinating pearl grey”

I’m vegan and I’m not grey.
My husband’s vegan and he’s not grey.
I know plenty of vegans who aren’t grey.
There are white vegans, black vegans, latino vegans, mixed-race vegans, but no grey vegans.
I think the author is confused.

]]> By: evie http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18577 evie Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:29:06 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18577 Mary's "... unsettling is that there is no hint that bringing sentient beings into existence for the sole purpose of dominating, exploiting and slaughtering them, when there is no need to..." - for 1 split second I thought you were speaking of humans. Yikes. I rarely eat meat and if I do it upsets my system; I am not a gray color but a "high-yellow". I won't explain that term. It might help a tad too if the world practiced a little more birth control. Mary’s “… unsettling is that there is no hint that bringing sentient beings into existence for the sole purpose of dominating, exploiting and slaughtering them, when there is no need to…” – for 1 split second I thought you were speaking of humans. Yikes.

I rarely eat meat and if I do it upsets my system; I am not a gray color but a “high-yellow”. I won’t explain that term.

It might help a tad too if the world practiced a little more birth control.

]]> By: Mickey Z. http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18574 Mickey Z. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:39:56 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18574 "In most cases their skin has turned a fascinating pearl grey"? Maybe Mr. Monbiot not only needs a vegan diet...but an eye exam, too. “In most cases their skin has turned a fascinating pearl grey”? Maybe Mr. Monbiot not only needs a vegan diet…but an eye exam, too.

]]> By: Mary Martin http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18557 Mary Martin Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:33:19 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18557 What I find somewhat unsettling is that here we are, with the realities of the myriad costs of using animals as food exposed, and we still want to find a way to continue to eat animals simply because we "enjoy" them. What I find very unsettling is that biofuel production is consistently called a crime against humanity, yet meat production, with all of its inefficiencies and with its decades of diverting food from the starving, isn't similarly vilified. But what I find most unsettling is that there is no hint that bringing sentient beings into existence for the sole purpose of dominating, exploiting and slaughtering them, when there is no need to, might also be some kind of crime. What I find somewhat unsettling is that here we are, with the realities of the myriad costs of using animals as food exposed, and we still want to find a way to continue to eat animals simply because we “enjoy” them.

What I find very unsettling is that biofuel production is consistently called a crime against humanity, yet meat production, with all of its inefficiencies and with its decades of diverting food from the starving, isn’t similarly vilified.

But what I find most unsettling is that there is no hint that bringing sentient beings into existence for the sole purpose of dominating, exploiting and slaughtering them, when there is no need to, might also be some kind of crime.

]]> By: hp http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18553 hp Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:11:49 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18553 'Nothing will benefit human health or increase the chances for survival on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.' Einstein If people can't even do something which is so simple, so good for them, saves them money and is truly an evolutionary act of goodness and a humane example for their children, then how can they be expected to do penance which really does hurt? When you make things harder than they are, this is just an excuse to do nothing. Except, of course, for the interminable talk, talk, talk. ‘Nothing will benefit human health or increase the chances for survival on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.’
Einstein

If people can’t even do something which is so simple, so good for them, saves them money and is truly an evolutionary act of goodness and a humane example for their children, then how can they be expected to do penance which really does hurt?

When you make things harder than they are, this is just an excuse to do nothing. Except, of course, for the interminable talk, talk, talk.

]]> By: Rich Griffin http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18539 Rich Griffin Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:43:48 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/04/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/#comment-18539 One of the (many) strategies to get people to eat less meat has to be (in the U.S.) to end agricultural subsidies to factory "farmers". This will increase the cost to consumers. We also need to increase subsidies to healthy nutritious vegan food growers. We also need to change our nutrition advice by having it provided by the NIH with no input from big business interests, such as the dairy industry. One of the (many) strategies to get people to eat less meat has to be (in the U.S.) to end agricultural subsidies to factory “farmers”. This will increase the cost to consumers. We also need to increase subsidies to healthy nutritious vegan food growers. We also need to change our nutrition advice by having it provided by the NIH with no input from big business interests, such as the dairy industry.

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