The basic thing about animal rights is that we shouldn't abuse them. I like to look at it from an American Indian type of perspective as well: They needed to hunt animals to stay alive and respected what they took down. They used the whole animal if possible and didn't waste much. While humans can live on vegetables and grains alone, it is much more difficult to maintain a healthy life than when meat is used sparingly--note I'm not touching on bb'ing here. The human animal is by genetics or creation...an omnivore, not a herbivore. My personal opinion is that if you're going to use animals for meat, then they should be used only as needed like the Indians did. That said, I don't agree with Obama's limiting of the fishing industry. Even with the perspective I just described, it would be wrong.
I get all my meat free range, even my beef. It is hella expensive but I have a very wealthy father figure who supports my body building lifestyle. Those animals at least have a life before they die, are not in cramped diseased places, and are allowed to socialize with one another. My next door neighbor is a butcher so he hooks me up with the leanest meats. I will go back to being vegan when I'm done with physique modeling/competitions. I have met and interacted with too many farm animals to believe they are lower forms of life than we are. We are too damn proud, and that pride will bring about our fall. All creatures on this earth must be respected. We do not respect them, nor our earth. We will pay for this dearly, and soon.
Get to know a pig and you will learn quite quickly they are smarter than dogs. Get to know a cow, and you will find they are extremely curious, gentle, and affectionate. Get to know a group of hens and it's like watching Sex and the City. They have their own little social groups and love to interact with each other, they have their ways of communicating with each other, and will often baby sit for each other.
Every spring when I was a kid living on a farm, a doe would give birth to twins and come to our apple tree every morning. It was just in her DNA to always have twins. She would knock an apple down, and split it in half and give one half to each of her fawns. Just like a human mother.
I was extremely healthy and even more crazy athletic as a vegan. I used to do a mile of walking lunges with a bar on my back on leg days. Vegan. Then I'd run 10 miles. I was very muscular, very healthy, and my stamina was insane. I did SEAL training on my own, I got a book and learned how to train like a SEAL. All as a vegan. People in my gym thought I was going into the military when I started doing one armed pull ups. Yeah you heard me right, single arm pull ups. Vegan.
We don't "need" meat anymore THESE days. Yes, back in the day we did. But in this generation, nope. Too many great and equal alternatives. Here's a pic of my back when I was vegan and doing SEAL training. No, I wasn't a heavy weight, nor was I training to be a body builder. But living a cruelty free lifestyle is easy enough to do. Even though now as a body builder beef amino's make a big difference in how I put on muscle, I still live cruelty free by not wearing or buying anything leather or fur or suede. That fur trim on your coat? Most sales people will say it's raccoon. Nope. 90% of the time it's either puppy or kitten. From China. I shit you not. I've got plenty of proof and pictures. I'm not a zealot I'm just telling you the truth. So each time you eat your meat, maybe stop to think and give thanks to that animal's spirit, for nourishing you while it suffered atrocious things in it's short lifetime.
yumm wild turkey.
