Digest Number 1250

[Guest guest]

Hi Rick,

Sorry if this isn't the right forum for this, but This message is for Rick..madbald scotsman. How do you eat Vegan being in the military? I met a big burly macho type ex hunter construction guy at a protest against circus elephants the other day and he surprised me, too, since it seems so many Americans think it is effeminate to be Vegan. Are there others like you that you know? How did you end up becoming Vegan? I am just curious because this has always interested me. Are you in Iraq? Do the pacifistic views of Veganism ever conflict with the militaristic teachings in your mind? And how do you deal with that if they do? I am not trying to offend only very curious. Peace & Blessings, Jill

 

Jesus is my Rafting Guide in the River of Life!!

[Guest guest]

Jill, I have to challenge something you said.

 

I don't believe the being vegan drags along with it any pacifistic views. For sure, lots of people in the movement sure hold those and probably to the detrament of showing others the other benefits of a vegan way.

 

This is always a challenge in so many of the social views I hold. Gay means you have to be left-wing, for instance. I think it makes it difficult for many more to participate in various social activities because they do not march lock-step to the whole range of expected political and social view points. Too bad...

 

Eric SS

 

 

 

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gillian22

Saturday, October 22, 2005 10:33 AM

Re: Digest Number 1250

Hi Rick,Sorry if this isn't the right forum for this, but This message is for Rick..madbald scotsman. How do you eat Vegan being in the military? I met a big burly macho type ex hunter construction guy at a protest against circus elephants the other day and he surprised me, too, since it seems so many Americans think it is effeminate to be Vegan. Are there others like you that you know? How did you end up becoming Vegan? I am just curious because this has always interested me. Are you in Iraq? Do the pacifistic views of Veganism ever conflict with the militaristic teachings in your mind? And how do you deal with that if they do? I am not trying to offend only very curious. Peace & Blessings, JillJesus is my Rafting Guide in the River of Life!!

[Guest guest]

To be brutally honest with you... I am not a vegetarian because I care about the animals. I still go hunting and even cooked all the meat at a BBQ party the other weekend (much to the surprise of the guests when I told them I was vegetarian). I will proccess the meat and give it away. I have done without meat for the last two years because of health reasons. I saw a program on TV with Gary Null and thought I'd give it a try. When I came back from Iraq, my cholesterol was almost 300. I went vegetarian overnight. I also cut out wheat, dairy, proccessed sugar and hydrogenated oil. I had to attend a class for the airforce (though I'm Army) on how to cut cholesterol.

When the dietitian heard about my diet, she told me that it was too extreme based only that most people wouldn't do it and she wondered where I would get my essential amino acids. When I told her, she looked at my references and gave me the thumbs up but still saying that most people wouldn't do it. She asked by how much I thought my cholesterol would go down. I picked by 90. She said she never saw anyone come down more than 30. At the end of the class... three months later, I had dropped all the way down to 120 total cholesterol. I broke the airforce record four times in one attempt. All the other people in the class actually went higher on cholesterol reducing drugs.

I lost the 40 extra pounds that I had gained in Iraq. Some of my hair is growing back. I can now see my abs for the first time in my life and I have more energy than I ever had. There are many more things that have been positive in my life but don't want to get too personal... Lol.

As far as the military aspect, there are vegetarian MREs and I keep a stash of canned black beans and a lot of things I buy at the local Asian market in town before I go anywhere. Yeah, some of the troops think I'm a little extreme but they see the results too. I've helped a few people lose the wieght that is mandatory. I run 5Ks and half marathons.

Just because the majority of vegetarians may be pacifistic, doesn't mean I am. As a matter of fact, I counter protested a peace rally the other day... lol, just because I knew that the organizer of the protest learned subterfuge in Cuba. The people who may agree with what the protesters were saying might believe some of it but I know they would have liked to know that the organizer was also a practicing socialist. So I got on an Arab scarf and made a sign that said: "Saddam only killed his own people, it's none of our business" and on the other side it said: "There are only 8 terrorist groups in Iraq, Let them grow in peace" Some people didn't get the irony and thought I was serious. One even wanted to beat me up. Isn't this a Democracy? One called me an idiot and said I know nothing about the Muslim people. I only spent two years of my life living in Egypt, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. I worked, laughed and played with all different groups of Muslims in Palestine. I think I

know a little about them. So pacifist? Only when I think it's neccessary. In other words... why do people protest a fur coat show but never say anything to a motorcycle club rally? Leather is neccessary for protection; fur coats are for vanity and excess. It's a matter of opinion.

 

If there are any more questions, feel free to ask. Sorry if I rambled!

 

Rickgillian22 wrote:

Hi Rick,Sorry if this isn't the right forum for this, but This message is for Rick..madbald scotsman. How do you eat Vegan being in the military? I met a big burly macho type ex hunter construction guy at a protest against circus elephants the other day and he surprised me, too, since it seems so many Americans think it is effeminate to be Vegan. Are there others like you that you know? How did you end up becoming Vegan? I am just curious because this has always interested me. Are you in Iraq? Do the pacifistic views of Veganism ever conflict with the militaristic teachings in your mind? And how do you deal with that if they do? I am not trying to offend only very curious. Peace & Blessings, JillJesus is my Rafting Guide in the River of Life!!

FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

[Guest guest]

Rick, hot damn! Thank you.

 

Thanks for expressing a viewpoint with sanity. Gosh, you didn't aim a gun at our head or screech and you still got your point across. Let that be a lesson to people.

 

I too am not vegan for any one reason. I will list them, but not detail them. If anyone is interested, they can look into it for themselves and probably get a much better education in any one of them than I could give.

 

Economics: Not just personal financial, but the social and environmental cost we will pay apart from and many times greater than what you hand over to the butcher.

 

Environmental: What we continue to do to this world for the privilege of consuming a Big Mac, i.e., our own American west and the rain forest being clear-cut for cattle.

 

Ethical: Yes, I could never take the life of anything and I cannot purchase a mercenary to do it for me.

 

Health: Blah, blah, blah...

 

And, eating a stew of ripe and varied veggies is just so darned much more interesting that a hunk of flesh in a bowl.

 

I don't mean to hijack the recipe list to a debating society. Maybe it is good from time to time that we reflect on what we are doing and why for nothing else than to reinforce things.

 

Eric SS

 

 

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Rick Elliott

Saturday, October 22, 2005 2:02 PM

Re: Digest Number 1250

 

To be brutally honest with you... I am not a vegetarian because I care about the animals. I still go hunting and even cooked all the meat at a BBQ party the other weekend (much to the surprise of the guests when I told them I was vegetarian). I will proccess the meat and give it away. I have done without meat for the last two years because of health reasons.

[Guest guest]

Being vegan is a philosophy, a diet, and a lifestyle. It does include compassion for all living beings. It is doing no harm in any way to any other living being. It is compassion in action. What it sounds like Eric and Rick are saying is that they adhere to a vegan diet but are not vegan. There is a difference. Check out the definition at: http://www.americanvegan.org/vegan.htm

 

God's Peace,

Gayle

[Guest guest]

Being " vegan " by that definition or any other definition isn't a

requirement for being on this list at least the last I checked. Please

let me know if I should , as I'm not vegan. I'm here because

I cook vegan recipes at times. This list has given me some excellent

ideas and recipes.

 

 

 

Yvonne

On 10/23/05, quintmom <quintmom wrote:

 

Being vegan is a philosophy, a diet, and a lifestyle. It does include compassion for all living beings. It is doing no harm in any way to any other living being. It is compassion in action. What it sounds like Eric and Rick are saying is that they adhere to a vegan diet but are not vegan. There is a difference. Check out the definition at: http://www.americanvegan.org/vegan.htm

 

God's Peace,

Gayle

[Guest guest]

I never said that was a requirement for being on this list. I was commenting on the posts by Rick and Eric and then also to the one who originally wrote the inquiry about how those who are vegan (and my guess is she was meaning by definition not diet) reconcile the vegan lifestyle and philosophy with being in the military. No offense, finger pointing, or anything else was meant by me towards anyone. My apologies if anyone took my post in that light. There are some who are vegan by definition and then some who are vegan by diet. My guess is that both and even those who fit into neither category are welcomed here.

 

God's Peace,

Gayle

 

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Yvonne

Sunday, October 23, 2005 10:02 AM

Re: Digest Number 1250

Being "vegan" by that definition or any other definition isn't a requirement for being on this list at least the last I checked. Please let me know if I should , as I'm not vegan. I'm here because I cook vegan recipes at times. This list has given me some excellent ideas and recipes. Yvonne

[Guest guest]

None taken Gayle,

There is fact and there is opinion. Some opinions are based on true facts; some are based on false pretentions, assumptions and lies. To BE vegan IS different from EATING vegan though those who eat vegan might also be vegan. I eat vegan but I use animal products... not vegan. I do not agree with repetitious unneccessary animal testing and hurting animals without purpose.

 

Rickquintmom wrote:

 

I never said that was a requirement for being on this list. I was commenting on the posts by Rick and Eric and then also to the one who originally wrote the inquiry about how those who are vegan (and my guess is she was meaning by definition not diet) reconcile the vegan lifestyle and philosophy with being in the military. No offense, finger pointing, or anything else was meant by me towards anyone. My apologies if anyone took my post in that light. There are some who are vegan by definition and then some who are vegan by diet. My guess is that both and even those who fit into neither category are welcomed here.

 

God's Peace,

Gayle