NY Times Klinkenborg piece on pig raising and killing 10/25/07

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The Thursday, October 25 New York Times includes a column by Verlyn Klinkenborg headed, "The Rural Life." (Pg A24). It opens:"Very soon, a farmer and his son will come to the farm to kill our two pigs. If that sentence bothers you, you should probably stop reading now — and you should probably also stop eating pork."That sentence did bother me -- the whole piece did. Which is why I don't eat pork. Klinkenborg writes about how much he likes spending time with the pigs, and well he treats them and how they trust him. And he writes, "yet somehow the fact that we are doing this for meat, some of which we keep, most of which we trade or sell, makes the whole thing sound like a bad bargain. And yet compared with the bargain most Americans make when they buy pork in the supermarket, this is beauty itself."While we may not all see things

the way Klinkenborg does, and see no need to make either bargain, the piece makes important points and it is always good to see issues about the morality of eating animals discussed in the New York Times. I encourage all animal advocates to make sure the discussion continues on the Times editorial pages. The article opens the doors for letters to the editor about "the bargain most Americans make when they buy pork" or any animal products, and the joys of plant-based diets. You can read the full piece on line at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/opinion/25thur4.htmlThe New York Times takes lettersAlways include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.Yours and the

animals',Karen Dawn(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to http://www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php-------You are d to DawnWatch using the following address: dogs_goodDate: Thu Oct 25 23:34:10 2007