Fw: Greetings

[Guest guest]

-

Chalissa1 (AT) aol (DOT) com

iscowp (AT) earthlink (DOT) net

Tuesday, July 31, 2001 1:41 AM

Greetings

 

 

Dear Balabhadra dasa

 

Haribol

 

My humble obiesance to Srila Prabhupada.

 

It was nice to have made the connection with you after all these years. We

met many, many years ago in North Carolina at the Iskcon community that

Maduha Dasa set up. My wife & I had come there to see if we could join, & our

karma was not to do so yet!

 

 

The following article is expected to be published in several Indian weeklies

within a few days.

 

I introduced Dr. Gross to the congregation- & put these words together.

please read on:

 

 

Report filed by Aroon Kumar. Chalissa1 (AT) aol (DOT) com

 

VEGANISM vs VEGETARIANISM:

 

Most of us wish to be compassionate individuals, and some of us, as part of

our goal to be compassionate eat only vegetarian foods. Many people who are

vegetarian feel quite comfortable eating dairy products; since they believe

there is no killing of an animal and assume that there is no cruelty involved

in obtaining such animal products, as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ghee. Is this

indeed true? A speaker at the Hari Om Temple suggested that there is great

suffering associated with milk and other dairy products.

 

You should have been at the Hari Om Temple ( Medinah) on Sunday july 22 ! Dr

Steven Gross, who is the co- chair of the Illinois Humane PAC ( Political

Action Committee) spoke eloquently on the subject of " Raising of Dairy cows

in the USA". What an eye-opener! The gist of his speech follows. Read-on!!

 

A cow by nature is a grazing animal, who needs to ingest huge quantities of

grass, typically walking 4-5 miles during the day. Today¹s factory dairy

farms seek to minimize human overview, and often confine dairy cows to their

stalls. This confinement causes several problems. The cow, being fed a

concentrated diet of high protein to stimulate milk production develops

several diseases. The most common metabolic diseases are ketosis and

laminitis, which causes lameness. These diseases are extremely stressful to

the cow, and often lead to the cow being sent to slaughter since no

individual care is typically provided.

 

Instead of producing twenty-five pounds of milk per day, the factory farmer

pushes the cow to produce one hundred pounds of milk. Pushing the cow for

production beyond her biological limit causes other diseases such as,

mastitis, a painful bacterial infection of the udders and milk fever, a

disease that is the result of an imbalance in calcium and phosphorus. Milk

production is pushed even further when a significant number of dairies give

their cows bovine growth hormone and sub-therapeutic dosages of antibiotics.

These hormones are then ingested by humans and increase the probability of

both breast and prostrate cancer. Milk also contains insulin like growth

hormone, which is chemically identical to human growth hormone. The ingestion

of this hormone is linked not only to cancer but to other chronic diseases as

well as contributing to an early onset of puberty. For those of you

interested in more details about the health impact of milk and dairy

products, it is suggested that you read "Eat right, live longer" by Neal

Barnard, M.D. or "Milk: the deadly poison" by Robert Cohen.

 

The dairy industry likes to project the image of "Bessy" the contented cow,

grazing on grass, enjoying the sun and fresh air. As noted above, most cows

are raised in confinement, most cows do not graze on grass, most do not see

the sun, few enjoy fresh air, and in addition many cows are mutilated by

having their tails cut off without anesthesia, this causes both short term

pain and long term suffering, because cows use their tails to deal with the

many flies that are part and parcel of factory farm life. "Contented Bessy"

never reaches old age, which is twenty plus years, instead she is sent to

slaughter somewhere after her third lactation when she is around five years

of age. A significant number of dairy cows are so lame or so devastated by

milk fever, that they are unable to walk. Unfortunately, these gentle

creatures, are pulled on to trucks by wenches attached to their legs. This

process is excruciatingly painful, and causes additional damage to the cow.

In most states this process is legal, thankfully in Illinois and California,

this process is illegal.

 

In order to replace the cows that are sent to slaughter as well as to have

continuous milk production, cows are impregnated every year. Usually, half

the calves are female and most are used as replacements for their soon to be

slaughtered mothers. Calves, who normally suckle between seven and eight

months, are given either no time to suckle or a maximum of three days to

suckle. The female calf is taken away from the mother, and placed alone in a

hut. The calf cannot suckle nor does it receive critical social interaction

that is necessary for normal development. Mothers typically vocalize their

distress and become depressed after their calf is taken away.

 

Male calves are either killed within hours or a few days after birth and sold

as "Bob" veal, usually for frozen dinners. Other male calves are raised for

meat, and about a million plus male calves are raised for veal. The male calf

being raised for veal is tethered by the head, to an extremely small crate.

The calf cannot turn around, groom itself, walk or otherwise engage in most

of its critical species specific behaviors. Additionally, many veal farmers

raise the calves in the dark and feed it a liquid diet containing no iron,

therefore causing the calf to suffer from anemia. The air that the calf

breathes is filled with the smell of excrement. The calf suffers from

constant diarrhea, extreme depression, and the atrophying of its muscles.

Within a few months the calf will more than double in size, and be sent to

slaughter. The first time the calf sees daylight or smells fresh air is

en-route to the slaughter-house!

 

What can we do to change this horrible situation? First, learn that there are

much better sources of calcium than milk. The healthiest calcium sources are

"greens and beans." In addition, calcium from such greens as broccoli are

much better absorbed than calcium from an animal source. We need about

400-500 milligrams of calcium per day, a cup of broccoli has 178 milligrams

of calcium. Second, delicious milk substitutes are readily available in most

grocery stores. Soy milks in all flavors, most of which are enriched with

additional vitamins, rice milk, which is sweeter, and other grain milks are

all excellent substitutes that are better for your health and reduce

suffering.

 

I admire the tenacity & courage of Dr. Gross in this lop-sided battle where

milk is touted as the perfect food & celebrities in their ignorance endorse

it! See the PCRM website (pcrm.org): ( Physicians Committee for Responsible

Medicine) & find out what they have to say!

 

Mr A.N. Salwan President of Hari Om Mandir & other officers fully endorsed

the ideas & information presented by Dr Gross & encouraged the congregation

(Some of the audience had tears in their eyes unaware of all this) to give up

milk & other dairy products- perhaps for 1 day a month graduating to 1 day a

week & eventually giving it up entirely.

 

Dr. Gross is a selfless individual & spends hours & hours for this " God¹s

work" fighting for the mute & voiceless animals that share Mother Earth with

us humans & are treated so very, very badly!

One eminent Vegetarian said, " If animals could speak & were asked what does

the devil look like, they would tell us humans, go look in the mirror" We are

not steward¹s of the Lords creation that He intended for us to be- but are

the evil tyrants.

 

Let us change & learn to be compassionate!!! Be Vegan.

 

_________________________________

 

Dr Gross has kindly agreed to come and speak to any organization & coordinate

through Chalissa1 (AT) aol (DOT) com .

 

 

P.S.

 

After I heard this I was so upset, that we have allowed these monsters who

run dairy farms to treat cows in this cruel fashion & even more distraught

that we as Vaishnav's put money in their pockets with every gallon of milk we

buy from them!

 

I think it is desecration to the Lord if we make prasad from the milk of

these tortured animals, also because the cows are forced to ingest the Bovine

growth hormone- making it completely unwholesome & unnatural.

 

My plea is that the Board of Trustees of ISKCON Bar ALL temples from making

any prasad to be offered to the dieties other than from the ISKCON farms. I

would even go a step further & suggest that ISKCON farms be established in

every community to serve the milk supply for all Vaishnav's. Obviously at

the ISKCON farms the cows are cared for & treated properly & are not destined

for slaughter & above all the calves have a chance to live their lives out in

peace. I for one would willingly pay twice or even more knowing that there is

no cruelty involved. This should really be taken up as a business venture &

sold as " CRUELTY FREE MILK".

 

I need direction from you Balabhadra Dasa, I would like to write to

 

1) All the Board of Trustees of Iskcon & make my plea

2) Write to the Iskcon farms

3) Write to BTG.

 

There are probably 4-5 Million followers of Eastern Religions, professing

Vegetarianism, in the USA . I feel quite confident that given the choice

between the tainted cruel milk in the stores vs the pure clean & wholesome

milk from Iskcon farms or others that are run by compassionate people, the

buyers will opt for the latter.

 

I await your experienced Counsel. Although I am an old staid man, yet it is

hard for me to contain myself & see how many of us are duped into believing

that drinking milk that is store bought is ok!

 

I look forward to your direction with bated breath! I recall that you have

been in the farming & cow protection activity & have actually taught Iskcon

devotees on how to take care of the sacred cows, however I sensed a

reservation when I talked with you today. Please guide me.

 

I also realize you have a great task on your hands taking care of your 100

acre farm & 26 cattle; as the " Adopt - cow" program elsewhere is your farm

also have an arrangement like that? I think I could attempt to mobilize

support from the Chicago community. So that some of your time could be freed

up to lead in this endeavor!

 

Hare Krishna

 

Your humble servant

 

Aroon ( Chalissa1 (AT) aol (DOT) com)

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

 

To paraphrase a part of Aroon's email:

 

"I for one would willingly pay twice or even more

knowing that there is no cruelty involved. This should

really be taken up as a business venture & sold as

"CRUELTY FREE MILK".

 

I don't know if he has ever read my stuff, which I am

sending him now, but he is echoing my sentiments and

words in their entirety.

 

Protection Farms - food without cruelty.

 

__________

 

Get your free @.co.uk address at http://mail..co.uk

or your free @.ie address at http://mail..ie