Fact about fish

Fish, like other animals sentient animals feel pain and there is scientific evidence to prove this.

Do fish feel pain?

Fish do feel pain.


If you're a scientist how can you over look these studies and continue to fish or eat fish?

I know that for most of my life I held a bias against fish. Somehow I believed that they were different and didn't really suffer as much as the rest of us.  I don't know what evidence I based this assumption on! None! It allowed me to eat fish occasionally during my "vegetarian" days. I've stopped finally.  There are no excuses for that.

I also recall as a young adult accompanying my dad and uncle when they went fishing on my uncle's farm. I was told to carry the live fish by hooking my fingers through their gills. I don't know why I agreed as my instincts told me right away that this was cruel and wrong.  How would you like to suffocate? Or be carried by your lungs?  I've come to realize that I am quite a passive person. I've also come to realise that as a young person, even though I loved animals tremendously, I was often quite oblivious to obvious wrongs being done to them in front of me. It must be true that our personhood, moral awareness and compassion develops as we get older. 

Ingrid Newkirk's great speech

I have had some misgivings about PETA, but Ingrid Newkirk's speech is compelling. 

It's called: Non-violence includes animals.

If you believe in non-violence, peace and kindness, it only makes sense to extend these principles to animals as well as humans, since they, like us, experience pain, joy, fear, and a totally subjective sense of self.  You cannot inflict violence on a rock, or other inanimate objects, since they have no self-awareness.  Violence requires a conscience and sentient being on the receiving end.  This is the reason why why violence is bad, since it harms a sentient being.  You could argue that the destruction of buildings, an inanimate object, is and act of violence, but I would say this is only the case since these structures support the well-being of humans through providing shelter, psychological meaning, etc.  Hence this kind of destruction hurts humans, but not the building itself.

This music video is sweet

Cruelty free companies

Check it out

Great speech

Take a look at this

France: Non-violent protestors protest just before a bull fight and are beaten by the crowds!

Deliberately distorted labelling and supression of democratic principles

This is a great interview with Will Potter who wrote "Green is the New Red."  It briefly explains how and why animal and environmental activists are increasingly labelled Eco-terrorists in the U.S.  Our Hen House also has an interview with Will which goes into the various ways the U.S. government tries to suppress freedom of speech and animal activism in the U.S.

It makes me absolutely furious to read these things. More evidence that government supports corporations, not people, nor the principles of democracy. If I were not in a foreign country I most definitely would join in the Occupy Wall Street protests.  Strength to them! I support them wholeheartedly.

Animal welfare versus abolitionist movement

Bruce Friedrich from PETA wrote an interesting article about why animal welfare movements are important and  can lead to the eventual abolition of animal slavery.  The comments following the article are for once not cringe-worthy and contribute to the debate. I am undecided on the issue. I am certain that we must strive for abolition, not just welfare reform, but decreasing the suffering of animals immediately seems like a worthwhile goal too.  It seems to me that most people will never go directly from being indifferent to food animals to veganism unfortunately. I didn't!  It took me years of increasing awareness and self-reflection to realize that veganism, rather than vegetarianism, is the right thing to do. Though I give credit to authors/bloggers like Erik Marcus and Gary Francione who helped me see that.  However, considering the opportunity cost, or the limited time and money available, what will produce the biggest changes, promoting veganism or animal treatment reform?  This is an important and empirical question!