Introduction
These poems cover the caging, hunting, torturing and eating of creatures (and aren't in any particular order).
Some articles appear under the last poem, poem number 34.
Some articles appear under the last poem, poem number 34.
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
PLEASE TELL ME, HOW COULD A LOVING HEART, ONE PRESUMABLY SOUND AND TRUE, AND
THUS NOT ASKEW, DINE ON SOMETHING THAT ONCE HAD EYES, EARS, A NOSE, A MOUTH,
AND YES, FEELINGS TOO?
WOULD SUCH REALLY BE THAT DIFFERENT TO SOMEONE DINING ON YOU AND I, WE KIND OF
SWAPPED, QUARTERED AND CHOPPED, PUT IN A CASSEROLE OR PIE?
AFTER ALL, FLESH IS FLESH, YOU KNOW, AND BLOOD IS BLOOD, OFTEN SEEN TO FLOW, OR
SHOW — "MEDIUM RARE?" — AND SO, WHERE'S THE DIFFERENCE HERE, GIVEN ARMS AND
LEGS ARE WHAT CREATURES SHARE? — YES, THEY SO LIKE US, YET WHAT A FUSS, SHOULD
HUMAN BUTCHERIES APPEAR, AND PEOPLE START SHOUTING, "IT'S JUST A STEAK! IT'S JUST A CHOP!
IT'S JUST ANOTHER FLESH-FOOD SHOP! WE CREATURES TOO, YOU KNOW, AND LIKE THEM,
HAVING BABIES TOO, HENCE THOSE LAMBS, CALVES AND CHICKENS, SO WHAT THE DICKENS!?"
WHEN IT COMES TO PETS, TWO RULES SHOULD APPLY:
IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD ONE, DO NOT GET ONE, BEARING IN MIND THE COST OF VETS,
AND THAT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT COSTS MULTIPLY. ONE'S PET NEEDS TO
BE KEPT IN GOOD HEALTH, WHICH REQUIRES A SNIFF OF WEALTH.
THE OTHER THING THAT APPLIES TOO, WHICH IS RULE NUMBER TWO, IS THAT
IF YOU CAN'T GIVE THEM THE TIME, EFFORT AND AFFECTION NEEDED, THIS IS EVEN
MORE REASON WHY NOT GETTING ONE SHOULD BE HEEDED.
AND AN AFTERTHOUGHT HERE:
ANIMALS DON'T UNDERSTAND THINGS LIKE HUMANS DO, WHICH IS WHY THOUGHT AND
CARE HERE, SHOULD BE SECOND NATURE TO YOU.
YES, CRUELTY COMES IN VARIOUS FORMS, AND THE LIVES OF PETS TOO OFTEN STORMS.
Vivisection.
1. The Puppy
Have you seen that poor little puppy that will spend its entire life in a horrid cage,Only to be experimented on? Oh, how over such cruelty we all should rage!
How I yearn to set such creatures free, for in a cage, and in that place, they shouldn’t be,
For nothing that lives and breathes should be tortured so — no, such is plain criminality.
Week after dreadful week that little puppy will suffer, be denied love and affection too,
Due to a vivisectionist systematically torturing, as they daily do.
Injecting this and injecting that, cutting and stitching, leaving that puppy in pain;
A puppy born into a ghoulish nightmare, a hell, where cruel vivisectionists reign.
There he sits in his cage, alone and fearful as the hours, days, weeks, months and years go by,
Cowering each time they come to grab, jab, only to shove him back, where one day he’ll die.
No matter how much he whimpers, claws at the floor, or chews at the metal, there he'll stay,
Never receiving a cuddle, a pat, a rub, a brush, unable to run, stroll or play.
And he’s just one of many, that each day, all throughout the world, are going through misery,
Yes, poor little puppies deserving of a comfy home and a loving family.
But no, there they'll stay, only to be treated heartlessly, callously, sadistically,
Until we can bring an end to such wrong — an evil that brings shame on humanity.
By Lance Landall
"There is no way in the world to extrapolate animals to human circumstance. Animal research is
cruel to the animal, dangerous to the public and misleading to the scientist."
Dr G. Dettman
More quotes from doctors can be seen in the blue box to the right, and under the heading:
More Quotes Regarding Vivisection.
Two more poems on the same subject appear further down.
Hunting.
2. Which No Heart Can Afford
A man may well be a nice man, but if he hunts creatures without any need,
There’s a piece of his heart that’s truly dead, ’cause over such deaths, his heart should bleed.
Oh, how killing creatures for sport is such a cruel thing — heartless, many would say,
And certainly insensitive, that hunter's heart having started to decay.
And one hoping that decay won’t spread, each bullet making killing easier,
’Cause that love for stalking isn’t what hearts are for, and how lines begin to blur.
And who knows where such might end given a piece of that heart is already dead,
Which no heart can afford — and oh, how those poor creatures must live in utter dread.
Imagine it, two lions smooching each other (as we’ve seen them do), and then
One of them lying dead, the other mourning, and all why I’ve picked up my pen.
Yes, hoots of joy coming from the killer, a shaking of hands, or a high five,
But not so much as a single thought for the partner or siblings still alive.
All know creatures have feelings — eyes, ears and a nose too — but something’s missing here,
Yes, a piece of that hunter’s heart, it unable to comprehend, shed a tear.
It deadened, you see, as good as detached, callous intent having taken its place,
He unable to appreciate anymore how his guns pointing at a face.
By Lance Landall
Hunting.
3. A Sad Tradition
Wow! That was really awesome, Dad, and what an amazing prize,
It was quietly grazing — then BANG! — you caught it by surprise.
I saw it stumble, try to get back up, and then it fell,
But you got it real good, Dad, what a rush watching you kill.
Could I have a go please Dad? I’d love to get as good as you,
And surely if I practice I’ll become a great shot too.
I’ll sneak up on some creature innocently standing there —
And BANG! — down it will go, twisting, twitching, legs in the air.
I promise I’ll take care, Dad, so please can I try your gun?
I want to be a hunter too, and together we’ll have fun.
I’ll follow in your footsteps, and one day teach my kids to kill,
And then they’ll teach their kids too, who’ll soon pick up on that skill.
I’d never kill a human though, 'cause taking life’s not right;
I’d only have a creature in my telescopic sight.
And so I'd teach my children that the only blood to spill,
Is a creature’s, whose execution gives hunters a thrill.
After all, they’re just creatures, ay Dad? And therefore, fair game,
Though I wouldn’t hurt my pet, 'cause a pet’s just not the same.
I know it’s still a creature, but it’s different, ay Dad?
And if anyone were to hurt it — boy, would I be mad.
Anyway, I think we’re there, Dad. I’m sure it’s here somewhere,
Yes, see the splashes of blood on those bushes over there?
There it is. It’s a beauty. I wish I could have killed it,
Although I’d pass when it comes to skinning, I must admit.
What if I hold your gun, Dad, so you can carry the deer?
I’ll be really careful — wow, it’s a cool one, all that gear.
When I get my own gun, Dad, I will treat it special too,
And that same love for killing enjoy, foster and pursue.
BANG!
Dad, Dad...?
By Lance Landall
Irony.
4. Zap One, Hug One
Come those supermarkets, there’s a row that’s dedicated to spoiling one’s pet,
Yes, tasty treat after tasty treat, other than what else pet lovers may get.
Oh, how folk swoon over their much loved pet, grooming and patting it to death, yet,
When it comes to other creatures like cows, sheep and chooks, animal rights forget.
Is this why people treat humankind similar, they loving some, killing some,
Thus making some distinction whereby their feelings are either passionate or numb?
Hence those expensive gifts and glowing words on one hand, weapons in the other,
They either treating someone well or ill, despite being their sister or brother.
Yes, we all humans, but, they all creatures, but — but what!? — for it doesn’t make sense,
Folk happy to kill on one hand, and on the other, shouting it’s an offence.
“Don’t harm my pet, for that’s a crime, but I’ll have another chop or steak, thank you,”
And they do, stroking their loved pets midst those flesh food cooking programmes that on TV they view.
And so, come those supermarkets, they move from that row that caters for one’s pet,
And over to another long row where the packaged flesh of creatures they get.
One row dedicated to nutrition and pampering, and the other row
The product of man’s lust for flesh, butchered carcases from which blood’s seen to flow.
Don’t some people have pet lambs? Yes, but it’s a case of zap one, hug one, clearly,
Like those Nazi death camps where they murdered folk midst loving their own family.
And how they managed such hypocrisy was via justifying it somehow,
Just like folk do when they draw a bogus distinction between a cat and cow.
Thanks Charles Darwin, your theory being all the Nazi’s needed, folk expendable,
Well, supposedly, we having just evolved, and to boot, some less worthy — well,
I can’t agree, and why that foolish evolution theory isn’t for me,
For its not only badly flawed, but aids those wanting to act like some Nazi.
I’d rather believe in a Creator like that one mentioned in the Bible,
Who, we’re told, not only created humans but created us all equal.
And who, by the way, and regarding creatures, said don’t ingest their blood or fat,
And particularly avoid certain creatures. Why? Well, we can figure out that.
After all, some creatures are scavengers, and thus like waste disposal units,
Their bodies being full of toxins-cum-poisons which one’s health hardly benefits.
But why do folk eat creatures full stop? — they being the sole source of cholesterol,
Which every doctor knows is harmful, let alone that blood which adds to the toll.
Hence why all creatures were meant to be hugged, not zapped and eaten-cum-cruelly used,
And the latter no doubt why we’re seeing creatures in general being abused.
For if it’s okay to kill and eat them, where’s the reason for treating them well,
And besides, who wants their stomach to be a graveyard where corpses rot-cum-smell?
If we’re meant to eat flesh, why do we have the dental structures of herbivores,
And what’s with veggies, fruit, nuts and grains, which hardly need one to have fangs and claws?
Yes, it’s clear folk have swallowed some myths, one being that we need to eat flesh, and why
It’s a case of zap one, hug one; and why of much shorter lives one can prophesy.
By Lance Landall
Flesh food.
5. Have A Heart
Yes, you’re entitled to that steak or chop that’s on your plate, but they’re not for me,
As I’ve seen the fear in the eyes of such creatures awaiting their fate, you see.
Yes, for they have emotions too, and there they wait, completely at our mercy,
Some peering out at the stoves from their cages in which there’s more than two or three.
And sadly, they simply raised to die in one’s mouth, so to speak, their tomb one’s belly,
Their life cut short for the sake of appetite, all of it unnecessary,
For despite the misleading spiel, veggies, fruit, nuts and grains are all that we need,
And both flesh food and refined food linked to illness, a shorter life guaranteed.
Yes, I’ve seen the fear in their eyes, their sadness pleading, but folk indifferent,
Their blood being part of the rush folk get who’re encouraged by colour plates and print.
And hence not just dogs in Vietnam, but sheep, cows and fowls just about everywhere,
Along with pigs, deer and whatever else — and ironically, one’s pet near.
And yet, all have eyes, are living breathing creatures, or were so, or soon won’t be,
Billions dying due to some strange distinction made by humans, though not by me.
But by those who imprison, torture, slaughter and eat them, ignoring their sad eyes,
And who may well call them dumb creatures just because they can’t hear those inward cries.
So please, have a heart.
By Lance Landall
Flesh food.
6. The Horridness Of It
All that it wants is love and affection, and so very loyal it would be,
But those murderous hands that grab it are only thinking of making money.
Hence why it’s crammed in a cage, bound with cords or tied to something, and full of fear,
No last minute rescue about to occur, for soon a cruel knife will appear.
Yes, simply bred to die, or kidnapped from life, only to be eaten instead,
No loving owner, no daily strolls, no brushes, no fusses, no cosy bed.
And near it the smell of its burning kind, it sensing ill — yes, its ghastly end;
Oh, what cold-hearted and filthy lucre seeking humans do to man’s best friend!
By Lance Landall
Animal cruelty.
7. The Acid Test
Something that’s very revealing regarding a person’s character-cum-heart and mind,
Is how they treat those who can’t speak for themselves, though here I’m not referring to mankind,
But rather, those innocent fury and feathered creatures that inhabit this world too,
And indeed any creature that roams the land, sky or sea, one’s pet or those in a zoo.
Yes, 'cause many who have others in their charge, or creatures, do not treat them well at all,
Hence that unfairness and cruelty that abounds, those sad incidents that one can recall.
And this, all because of those who abuse their position, power and authority,
Or those who when it comes to creatures, misuse their natural superiority.
Well, such abuse says little for humanity, for shame is thereby brought on us all,
Who, rather than remaining silent, should stridently condemn such wrong, thus standing tall.
In other words, we neither stooping to inflict such wrong nor looking the other way,
But above all, we protecting those who can’t speak for themselves, lest their rights we betray.
Yes, how we treat any who are in our charge is the acid test, for such reveals much,
This clearly seen where innocent and vulnerable creatures we wrongly curse or clutch.
Oh, how they suffer, yet look at that unconditional love that faithful hounds display,
And why more goodness is oft found in creatures than many of us who see them as prey.
By Lance Landall
Animal cruelty.
8. Lockdown, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs And Parrots
Come Lockdown, and even worse, horrid quarantine, and how we all hated such,
Yet too bad about those birds in their cage, guinea pigs and rabbits in their hutch.
Oh, how they hate such too, but they’re there for life, and in a tiny cage at that,
Which is nothing but selfish cruelty, a statement of the level that we’re at.
Yes, the truth is it’s very cruel, yet cage them we do, they placed in quarantine,
Simply for our pleasure, we cuddling whilst imprisoning, an ironic scene.
Yes, twenty four seven, seven days a week, year after year, until they die,
When they should’ve been as free as us, had a decent life too — oh, how we dare!
By Lance Landall
Animal cruelty.
9. Heartless Confinement
They’re kept in a very tiny cage — a prison, in other words,
Incarcerated for life, never to be free like other birds.
And there those poor creatures remain, until finally there they die,
Yes, a cruel and heartless confinement, that no one can justify.
Such is no minor infringement, 'cause it’s acting inhumanely,
And hence why it’s time folk stopped to think, as it’s torture, quite plainly.
It’s simply deriving pleasure from some poor creature’s misery,
In other words, getting amusement callously and tastelessly.
Yes, back and forth they hop each day, 'cause what else can a caged bird do?
It's such a mindless existence, and it's so unnatural too.
I’m sure that it drives them crazy, and it must have some ill effect,
'Cause after all, it’s a form of abuse, that we all should reject.
No bird was ever meant to be caged, but rather, flying freely;
In other words, enjoying their habitat, living naturally.
After all, they’re not toys or ornaments, but living creatures with rights,
Therefore, it’s wrong that their imprisonment amuses and delights.
Not one single creature should be caged, accept where necessary,
And, let me add, nor should humans be imprisoned so barbarically.
Yes, it’s selfish (even sadistic) keeping creatures in a cage,
And should the tables be turned — oh, how loudly we'd holler and rage.
I’m not mincing my words here, am I? And neither should I be, friend,
'Cause caging these innocent creatures is a practice that should end.
How can we who champion freedom, not grant them their freedom too,
'Cause not doing so, is hypocritical, behaviour that’s askew.
So please don’t become the warden of a prison in your own home,
A prison with an inmate who's unable to fly or to roam.
Yes, consider how you would feel, should you be kept in a barred cell,
Simply for someone’s enjoyment, and completely against your will.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
10. How Ironic
We stopped on the brow of a steep hill where we spotted a seagull on the road,
It seemingly injured, so we rang for help, thus waiting until those folk showed.
And as happens, animal rescue arrives, reasonable expense outlaid,
Along with all the effort that in such cases as this one is duly made.
And I thinking, how ironic, these same folk and others touched by that bird’s plight
Tucking in to other creatures, a duck possibly, that once was in full flight.
Yes, so much care and trouble for one, and a sharpened fork and knife for others,
And by the way, some folk just like that over their fellow sisters and brothers.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
11. I Just Don't Get It
They throw a cat off a bridge into a creek and then there’s a public outcry,
It all over the news, and I thinking to myself, I don’t understand why.
Don’t folk hunt creatures for sport, eat them for food, cage them for personal pleasure,
So tell me, when it comes to cruelty to creatures, what do we use as a measure?
After all, a creature is a creature, or do we divide humans up too,
Saving this one but killing that one, and who for what, depending on ones view,
Which isn’t what love’s taught me, but that a life’s a life, and all injury wrong,
The product of selfishness, sickness and weakness, and why none to love belong,
For love is selfless, sound and strong.
By Lance Landall
Flesh food.
12. As Close As It Gets
Imagine a body shop with human flesh on display,
And where, “I’ll have a kilo of rump,” the customers say.
A shop where certain body parts are hanging from cruel hooks,
Or laid out in trays, and titivated to attract looks.
Yes, the flesh of men and women, and little children too,
Arms and legs, hands and feet, and ribs marked, “Suitable for stew.”
And almost entire bodies, skinned and disemboweled torsos,
Human steaks, or sausages made up of tongues, ears and toes.
Sounds dreadful, I’m sure — but in a sense, such is what we see
When we pass each butcher’s shop and their grizzly artistry.
There’s that slimy blood too, soiling those empty trays (grossly),
That fingers pointed to earlier — ghoulishly, surely.
Why eat flesh when there are vegetables, fruit, nuts and grains,
Why eat some creatures entrails, livers, kidneys, even brains?
Given there’s not a lot of difference between them and us,
Isn’t it time we acted more civilized, less barbarous?
Yes, it’s one step away from cannibalism, that close.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
13. Stumped
No matter how hard I try, there's something I just can’t get my head around, given the irony,
And that is, how those who take care of creatures somehow, also chop, fry and eat them quite happily.
On the one hand saving, sheltering, taking care of them, and on the other, acting contrary,
Which every code of decency appears to violate, or at least that’s how it seems to me,
'Cause isn’t this hypocrisy, betrayal, and kind of schizophrenic — loving them, killing them —
And as I understand it (if I’ve got things right), the kind of behaviour that we’re quick to condemn.
'Cause don’t we abhor those people who though loving their own, will go and kill others cold-bloodedly,
And don’t we all wish to live in peace, free from all the warring and violence that plagues humanity?
And yet, after slaughter houses and butchers have done their worst, out comes the flesh eater’s knife and fork,
And there, in front of their darling pets, they dissect and devour their fish, chicken, duck, lamb, beef or pork.
And as they fill their mouths with some charred creature, it's “No dear!” they shout at their child tugging Fido’s ears,
Which somehow rings hollow, 'cause that creature they’re chomping, didn’t just get its ears tugged, and who shed tears?
No, I can’t figure it out, 'cause I can’t equate killing with love, one being our pet, one our food,
Or let me put it this way: How can they happily see one pampered and happily see one stewed?
All why I shake my head when I spot people chewing on some part of a creature’s anatomy,
'Cause I have arms and legs myself — and a heart, one that refuses to act so contradictorily.
By Lance Landall
Animal cruelty.
14. Animal Cruelty, And Who's Guilty?
We wonder why many are cruel to creatures (and oft youngsters), and yet we eat creatures, don’t we,
That is, after we’ve kept them in squalid and confined conditions, treated them abominably.
Yes, after we’ve kept them permanently lactating, hacked them to pieces, displayed their parts, grossly,
Thus allowing folk to choose which organ or limb they’ll take home to roast, boil or fry, enjoyably.
Then there's vivisection, all in the so-called name of what, whereby creatures are treated shockingly,
Experimented on, tortured, and even though the evidence shouts we’re doing so pointlessly.
Yet day after day such evil's perpetuated, after having been sanctioned, unbelievably,
And then we've the cheek (do we not?) to rage about animal cruelty — now that's hypocrisy.
Such sends a terribly confused message, one that I’m sure the younger set are very quick to spot,
Yes, “Don’t you dare treat creatures like that!” — and here we are, tossing body parts into some pan or pot.
And then there are those who take their youngsters hunting, or who teach them how to hook, club and gut a fish,
And midst conversations about growing violence, that creature's organ is oozing on their dish.
I don’t know about you, but there’s something about this whole scene that seems terribly askew to me,
'Cause on the one hand we’re condemning cruelty, and on the other, happily engaged in cruelty.
And, I must say, all of it unnecessary (despite the propaganda pushed incorrectly),
And all of which just makes a mockery of our words, and why cruelty we will continue to see.
By Lance Landall
Animal cruelty.
15. What A Fish Would Say
They say that we have no feelings, that we’re just fish, a thing,
Thus, in our direction, a nasty hook and line they swing.
When we chomp on it, they yank it hard, drag us through the sea,
While we thrash about fighting for our lives desperately.
When we’re landed, they tear that hook out, leave us lying there,
Hence we suffer further, gasping, convulsing, going nowhere.
Or they club us, and later on gut us, unfeelingly,
And they call this sport — a way to unwind, amazingly.
The bigger we are, the more excited they get, ghoulishly,
Dragging us for hours ’till we’re exhausted, at their mercy.
Then they string us up, parade us egotistically,
And they call this sport — well, we don’t, we call it misery.
Yes, don’t let them kid you that we don’t feel a thing — we do!
For we’re living creatures, we’ve nerves, even flesh and blood too.
Hence why we thrash about when hooked, jerked, dragged through the sea,
And they call this sport — well, we don’t, no, we call it cruelty.
By Lance Landall
“We now know that fish actually are cognitively more competent than we thought before—some species of fish have very sophisticated forms of cognition…In our experiments we showed that if we hurt fish, they react, and then if we give them pain relief, they change their behavior, strongly indicating that they feel pain.”
Victoria Braithwaite, author of the book, Do Fish Feel Pain?
Animal cruelty.
16. The Sheep Truck
Sitting in our car waiting for my wife, I saw a truck go past full of sheep, a sight that disturbed me,
'Cause there the poor things were, the day hot, they crammed together for ages, and scared — yes, abject misery.
And adding to that sad picture, they unaware that they'd soon be slaughtered, though sensing ill, probably,
And all this because of us, and when there’s no need for such cruelty, such predatory barbarity.
It’s strange how we view animals differently, even though they’re living, breathing, feeling creatures too,
Thus pretty much like us, as opposed to nuts, grains, fruit and veggies — yes, it might sound silly but its true.
But despite them having a face, body, even a personality, we kill them quite happily,
Chomping on their charred body parts — they once alive, running about — which sounds so Jekyll and Hyde to me.
Yes, love some, kill some, and there the poor things were, jammed in the back of some truck, their eyes staring out at me,
And I knowing where they were heading, a few hours of their life left, and they powerless — trapped, sadly.
Yes, no last moments of affection, just a sea of motorists behaving indifferently,
Who, once back at home, and over time, would devour truck load after truck load — their stomachs a cemetery.
And what’s it all doing to people, those of us who eat these creatures, feeling no concern, pangs of guilt,
Despite the suffering that these creatures go through, and oft right from birth until their innocent blood’s spilt.
After all, we’re not dealing with things, but creatures, creatures that we raise to kill, and tell our kids to eat,
Which all our talk about non-violence, peace, love, care, compassion and kindness, must surely defeat.
Yes, the sheep truck, a tragic sight, full of living, breathing creatures who’ve as much right to life as we,
A right that’s denied them, all because of our lust for meat, food we’re told we need — a lie, actually.
One that’s perpetrated by those who’ve a vested interest, and one that's swallowed all to readily,
Which is why those sheep trucks keep on delivering their prisoners to those death camps blighting each country,
And once there, they’re slaughtered while flushed with stress and fear, which the injurious results, flesh eaters soon bear.
By Lance Landall
This poem was upgraded 10 February 2020.
Vivisection.
17. Vivisection
Vivisection they call it, but that's really just a fancy name,
'Cause vivisection is just torture with a so-called righteous aim.
Yes, these poor defenseless animals are suffering every day,
Held captive in their cages, as Auschwitz-like, people cruelly play.
We’re talking concentration camps, where evil experiments are done,
Animal torture chambers that should really upset everyone.
It’s time that they were dismantled, 'cause such practices aren’t okay,
As they’re shameful and outrageous, for with lives they just cruelly play.
Quivering in their little cages, freedom never to regain,
They live in such fear and loathing, riddled with misery and pain.
Each time those hands reach to grab them, they know that more pain there will be,
And that love and affection isn’t something that they'll ever see.
Now, just imagine your much loved pet being treated in this cruel way,
'Cause I’m sure that you would feel angry and certain things do or say.
Yes, I’m sure that you’d want to rescue your much loved and cared for pet,
And that midst your strong expressions you'd rush them home or to a vet.
It's a terrible tragedy and crime, a blight on humankind,
That such wicked concentration camps, one throughout this earth can find.
It’s dreadful that there are people who’re prepared to so hurt and maim,
And who can torture and slay without feeling any guilt or shame.
Yes, be it battery hens or vivisection, it's all the same,
In other words, cruelty, torture, despite what those spin doctors claim.
It’s terribly barbaric that they're treating animals this way,
And it only dehumanizes those who such cruelty display.
Yes, vivisection it’s called, but that's really just a fancy name,
'Cause it’s nothing but plain torture that some righteous end cannot claim.
Therefore, it’s time we put a stop to such shockingly evil acts,
That humanity’s very fabric just undermines and attacks.
By Lance Landall
Vivisection.
Alternative poem
18. Beyond Belief
Behind many closed doors there’s an animal hell, where vivisectionists carry out their outrageous ill — in other words, where they coldly torture, wickedly inflict pain, where they willingly and deliberately act inhumane, where helpless innocent victims they permanently detain, where integrity and human decency they daily profane, or to put it another way, and the facts more clearly convey, where the equivalent of Nazi death camp activities reign, each vivisectionist acting like another Saddam Hussein, and all in vain.
Yes, let’s not kid ourselves, nor turn a blind eye, and ignorantly, “It’s in our best interests” cry, 'cause it’s not (that’s rot), we’ve simply been spun a lie, one that only benefits those with a vested interest, who want us to think that vivisection is for the best, and who as a consequence, though it doesn’t make any sense, all manner of horrid concoctions on animals test (and years of unhealthy energy, and shameful amounts of money, grossly invest), despite the protests of doctors of note, who hours of opposition to such devote, and evidence of its harm to humanity, and its pointless and heartless insanity, often quote.
Yes, behind many closed doors there’s an animal hell, a concentration camp, an Auschwitz, with many a miserable cell, and many a cruel Josef Mengele (their torturous equipment state-of-the-art) — yes, contemporary torturers refining their art, seared in the mind and cold in the heart, and who effectively act like a Jekyll and Hyde, who behind some so-called noble pretext hide, and who even if sincerely deluded, with forces of evil have colluded, and thereby, stand just as guilty too, 'cause no one such brutality should pursue, and surely if they’re sound, such would not do.
Oh, how those animals must suffer, so atrociously treated, and on death row, each day a hellish existence, deprived of affection and assistance, and no escape from their foe, who just turns a deaf ear to their cries, and their misery callously multiplies, injecting them with this or that, and in order to operate, pinning them flat, until after constant experimentation (another word for sadistic mutilation), they slump in their tiny cell, scared witless, shaking, chronically ill, and in the same cage that they began their life (so full of misery and strife), slowly and painfully die, and why “Foul!” every single human should cry.
Yes, vivisectionists have no good reason, no justification, no defence — it’s cruelty beyond belief, terribly sadistic, a horrific and widespread offence, and how they can do it, completely escapes me, 'cause it’s nothing more than outright perversity, something that brings shame on humanity, and why all should condemn its practice vehemently.
Do I hear your voice?
By Lance Landall
Irony.
19. Bizarre And Confused
Tell me, how can love on the one hand pet, and on the other maim, kill, talk of better ways, and yet
Create fear and thus guilt share? — because those who don’t do the killing still eat those creatures, don’t forget.
Yes, on the one hand pamper, and on the other devour, such surely rather bizarre and confused,
And we wonder why not just creatures, but humans too, are lightly regarded, tortured, killed and abused,
Because where’s the line?
And I guess this is why this world has seen more than one Hitler given that we pamper or swallow,
Spare or kill — both man and beast — thereby making all that hollering about love and peace ring hollow.
In other words, those calls for an end to violence (some even against smacking), but kill a creature?
Why not, it seems, which surely makes a mockery of that "Do not kill" coming from any preacher.
Yes, it’s clear that the slaughter of creatures hardens the heart, eating them proving so, 'cause how can we
Dine on a living creature that once lived and breathed like us, without losing some sensitivity?
Seems we’ve perfected the art of making the abnormal seem normal, the incorrect seem correct,
Which when it comes to life, is no doubt why both man and beast are given so little thought and respect.
All why we've human predators, why so many of us have had cause for anxiety and fear,
Emotions that no human at the sight of another should have reason to feel — but oh, how some scare.
Hence why most creatures fear us, and others not so, some pampered and cherished, mourned when they pass away,
And others caged, experimented on, stalked, which surely some kind of double standard must convey.
Were there no alternative food, and no access to such food, the killing of creatures could be justified,
But not where the opposite's so, given life is life, and not just there to see one’s desires satisfied.
And that's the criminality of it, 'cause taking a creature’s life for pleasure rather than need
Surely ranks amongst the most callous of acts, and only to negative consequences can lead.
Meantime, farming's the most unproductive usage of land, and the good food they’re fed, such a waste,
Let alone the medical and scientific evidence why flesh food should never be embraced.
Hence why many shun flesh, not fooled by propaganda coming from those with a vested interest,
Nor that advice coming from many who're well-meaning, who, certainly in this case, don’t know what’s best.
Well, it’s your choice,
But as for me, I’m a vegetarian, as petting and devouring doesn’t gel with me,
It akin to betrayal, and I don’t wish to align myself with a predatory act, frankly.
The truth is, we’re either looking for better ways or not, improving things or just worsening things,
And hardly pursuing a better path by eating anything that has paws, hoofs, fins, scales or wings.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
20. Something Just Doesn't Gel
You’re a good person, aren’t you, yet, something just doesn’t gel,
'Cause you’ve a creature on your plate that somebody chose to kill.
I can’t get my head around how someone as nice as you,
Can dine upon a creature that also lived and breathed too.
I’m not out to condemn you. I’m simply baffled, you see,
'Cause though you’re very loving, here you act indifferently.
It’s not as though you need to, 'cause alternatives exist,
So please tell me why it is that meat’s on your shopping list?
I find it quite ironic how people who’re loving and kind,
Can devour some poor creature without it troubling their mind.
After all, they are creatures — yes, living breathing things, that
These very caring people eat and enjoy as they chat.
Yes, while their pets sitting there — one that they dote on, caress —
They chew on a carcass they’ve perhaps asked God to bless.
On the one hand they love creatures, on the other they eat them,
Hence it’s not surprising that such inconsistency some condemn.
Good people eating creatures just does not sit right with me,
Nor the fact that some turn their home into a butchery.
Tell me, how can anyone some poor creature kill and eat,
And then say, that people and creatures you should not mistreat?
It seems hypocritical saying do not hurt or kill,
And at the same time, killing and eating creatures as well.
What signals is such sending those children that such folk raise,
And much more so, if for that meat, they thank and their God praise?
A graveyard for carcasses? No, not my tummy, thank you,
Plus there are alternatives much healthier to pursue.
But tell me, how could I be loving, yet, creatures kill and eat?
No, I’m a creature too, so another I won’t mistreat.
By Lance Landall
No, I won’t eat anything with a face, nor killing embrace.
Irony and hunting.
21. Toxic Adrenaline
It’s really quite ironic, how many people who love their pet
A buzz from killing innocent creatures incredulously get.
Yes, isn’t it ironic, how many people who love their pet
Can kill a creature just for sport, and some warped satisfaction get?
“But we are eating what we kill,” you will often hear these folk say,
When, not one single creature, did they have any need to so slay.
So tell me, why do those who've no need, act in such a mindless way,
Just callously killing creatures that do not have a choice or say?
And it’s also quite ironic, how many people who're pro-life
Can happily kill creatures for sport, or condone this wrong that’s rife.
Yes, isn’t it ironic, how some folk who wouldn’t harm their pet
Can happily cook their prize and very excited by that get?
How can anyone justify killing a creature just for sport?
Why is it that so many people such barbarity support?
Why do some people love their guns, and the death that their bullets bring,
And from where does this sickening desire unfortunately spring?
Any person who fosters in a child this same desire to kill,
Is fostering a pleasure that could one day bring them grief and ill,
For when someone enjoys killing, there is a sickness deep within,
Given that killing for pleasure has evil as its origin.
Yes, it seems inevitable, that once there’s a taste for killing,
Someone, somewhere, sometime, somehow, some human blood will be spilling.
Thus, parents should be careful, lest a very unwise seed they sow,
For once a malignant seed is sown, who knows what in time will show?
No, one shouldn’t enjoy killing, and doubly so, where there’s no need,
Like killing some poor creature for sport, or for monetary greed.
So, please do not take up such killing if you’ve not done so before,
And if you already have, PLEASE, don’t go doing it anymore.
By Lance Landall
Irony and health.
22. Appealing To Logic
If you have a knowledge of the human anatomy,
You’ll know that we’re not designed to eat meat, but why would we?
Aside from us being herbivores, why eat second-hand food,
And why indulge in a practice that’s cruel, bloody and crude?
Body parts on our plate? Just the thought’s repugnant, isn’t it?
And somehow, with refinement, such just doesn’t seem to fit.
And nor with the likes of compassion, tenderness and love,
But hey, fancy eating birds, then for peace, using a dove.
“Stop the violence!” folk shout, while on the other hand they kill,
And their tummies with those creatures ironically fill.
“Come on little Johnny, eat up now,” many parents say,
Pointing to rotting food, flesh that’s in a state of decay.
Yes, it doesn’t make sense, it’s acting illogically,
And it’s also an environmental absurdity.
We’re better off going green — vegetables, nuts, grains, fruit —
And given that where there’s illness, meat’s often at the root.
Don’t believe it? Well, I can assure you there’s proof out there,
And that the evidence is graphic, thundering and clear.
There is no mistaking that when meat is part of our diet
It harms us, hurries death, whether we roast, boil or fry it.
Contrary to what we’re told, we simply do not need it,
And in fact, the meat consumer is less healthy, less fit.
Nutrition wise, meats not required, nor those byproducts too,
That inside our arteries create sludge, and stick like glue.
Yes, it’s very clear that humans were never meant to eat
A creature's unhealthy by-products, and nor their flesh, meat.
But why go eating creatures when there isn’t a need to,
Taking life — a barbaric act — then hey, let’s go to the zoo.
By Lance Landall
Nature's food.
23. Yum, Yum
I’m so in love with vegetables which also seem to fancy me,
'Cause together we work well repelling what acts injuriously.
But I am also in love with fruit and all those yummy nuts and grains,
'Cause once they’re inside my body, balance, harmony and good health reigns.
Oh yes please, give me such food any day, be it cooked or dished up raw,
'Cause such food is tailor-made for me given that I’m a herbivore.
And then when I have had my fill, I will toil in my garden as well,
'Cause there’s nothing like a little exercise to stimulate each cell.
By Lance Landall
Hunting.
24. A Hunter's Poem
by Lemuel T. Ward
(1896-1984)
A hunter shot at a flock of geese
That flew within his reach.
Two were stopped in their rapid flight
And fell on the sandy beach.
The male bird lay at the water’s edge
And just before he died
He faintly called to his wounded mate
And she dragged herself to his side.
She bent her head and crooned to him
In a way distressed and wild
Caressing her one and only mate
As a mother would a child.
Then covering him with her broken wing
And gasping with failing breath
She laid her head against his breast
A feeble honk . . . then death.
This story is true though crudely told,
I was the man in this case.
I stood knee deep in snow and cold
And the hot tears burned my face.
I buried the birds in the sand where they lay
Wrapped in my hunting coat
And I threw my gun and belt in the bay
When I crossed in the open boat.
Hunters will call me a right poor sport
And scoff at the thing I did.
But that day something broke in my heart
And shoot again? God forbid!
25. Stop Eating Us!
I would like you to imagine that all the creatures on this earth
Had gathered at a meeting and were protesting for all they’re worth.
And that with their banners held high, were hollering their discontent,
Which I duly recorded, and here — with much sympathy — present.
-------------------------------------
“It’s high time that humans were put on trial for crimes against our kind,
For they've a history of butchery and callousness, I remind.
The proof? Just look at their shop shelves, in their fridges and freezers too,
For they’re bulging with body parts that they boil, roast and barbeque.
Yes, that’s your brothers and sisters, and your mums and dads, don’t forget,
With the exception of course of those ones that they take as their pet,
For on the one hand they pamper and take us to a pet boutique,
And on the other, they slaughter us, and then gorge on us all week.
They also fatten us with food that many of their own kind need,
And then when we are looking healthy, they slay us — betrayal indeed!
What gets to us is, they have their own food — veggies, grains, nuts and fruit,
So why polish us off? After all, they do have a substitute.
But oh no, it’s us that they want, for they’ve a taste for flesh and blood,
Hence why we're destined for a bullet, and a quick violent club.
Or death by whatever other means they very cruelly enlist,
Like a nasty slash across the throat, or a sudden wrenching twist.
And then they talk about love with our bodies sitting on their plate,
And groan over all the violence — yet, over us salivate.
They deplore wanton killing, and yet, stab us with their knife and fork,
And the very next day, with a loaded gun, more poor creatures stalk.
Yes, they cut us into pieces, treating us as if we’re just meat,
When we're living creatures also, and not food for humans to eat.
They’ve perverted their taste buds, and have justified killing as well,
All in order to devour us, when with them too, we’re meant to dwell.”
By Lance Landall
26. Yes, It's Time
It’s time that every thinking man and woman shunned the callous act of eating flesh, and all the reasons why,
For what reasons could possibly be valid, and what sound person such barbarity would want to justify?
And to think that such cruelty is carried out when there is other food available and far more healthy,
Which surely speaks of some kind of criminality, for a creature’s a creature and thus deserves mercy.
Oh, how folk love those things that harm them, and flesh food certainly does, for inside us such wasn’t meant to be,
It riddled with the unseen, and therefore is far from clean, regardless of its type or pampered history.
And we, clearly herbivores by intention, and why I’ve sought to mention, that eating flesh is plain folly,
And why those who’re eating such are dropping like flies or are suffering from some undiagnosed misery.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
27. A Two-faced Approach
Take some animals and call them pets, and people love them to bits, even pine over their sad departure,
But take some animals and call them livestock, and people happily eat them, think nothing of their slaughter.
Yes, though pets and livestock are one and the same — in other words, living creatures — they’re viewed quite differently,
Somewhat like only valuing certain humans, the others dispensable, though part of humanity.
Well, such thinking and behaviour isn’t for me, for there’s something about this scene that refuses to gel,
And rather, hollers hypocrisy and inconsistency, and lays the foundation for many an ill.
For choosing to eat one and kill another, has a terribly schizophrenic ring (no slur intended),
And why in my mind, such a seemingly two-faced approach to the animal kingdom should now be ended.
By Lance Landall
Flesh food.
28. Meat? No Thanks
I’m a vegetarian because I believe that being so is wise,
Given that meat consumption (over the years) has seen ill health rise.
And therefore, I thought that via this poem I would mention a few facts
That partly led to my decision, and that my decision backs.
To begin:
The dental structures of humanity possess certain features
That convey beyond a doubt that we are herbivorous creatures.
We’re unlike the carnivore who seeks out and then attacks their prey,
Tearing their victim to pieces with those sharp fangs that they display.
Human intestines are very long, thus giving time to extract
All those nutrients found in plant foods (which our hungry enzymes attack).
A carnivore's intestines are short, allowing quick expulsion
Of decomposing, putrefying flesh; which fills one with revulsion.
Flesh-eating animals far more hydrochloric acid secrete,
Which readily breaks down flesh, which is the regular food they eat.
Such acid we secrete far less — therefore, taking longer to digest
This flesh food never meant for us, and via which, trouble we ingest.
Any animal that is killed while it’s in a state of fear,
Will flood its system with adrenalin, which the meat-eater will share.
This strong stimulating agent, a person's blood pressure can raise,
And when our blood pressure's raised, such invariably with our health plays.
When one eats an animal, they’re also eating its urine too,
Which is trapped in the creature's kidneys, for kidneys such passes through.
You see, when an animal is killed, their waste is halted in its track,
Which, via the likes of kidney pies, one’s body will badly attack.
By the way, it isn't just those kidneys that harbour toxic waste,
For each animal’s body with urea is generously laced.
Urea, my dear friend, is the halfway stage from waste becoming urine;
A very toxic energy waste I wouldn’t want added to mine.
Meat owes much of its flavour to this toxic waste that's produced
By muscles that (when activated) cause such waste to take up roost.
Thus, urea, uric acid, and urine are poisons to avoid,
Otherwise, given time, friend, you will see your health being destroyed.
In the liver or the fatty tissue of those creatures that folk eat,
Are many harmful elements, far too many to here repeat.
Therefore, meat-eaters eat in minutes what’s collected over years,
Which is why (sooner or later) ill-health painfully appears.
So many diseases are transmitted from animal to man,
Which a lack of care and hygiene can epidemically fan.
BSE (also known as mad cow disease) and the swine and bird flu
Are warnings that all should be heeding lest worse scenarios brew.
Animals and animal products are clearly making folk sick,
Hence why a non-flesh (and vegan) diet is a better one to pick.
Why invite high blood pressure, arthritis, and atherosclerosis,
Or gallstones, heart disease, cancer or osteoporosis?
Yes, I’m a vegetarian, and have been so for many years,
Despite receiving some opposition, some pressure, or some jeers.
For I have seen so many people whose great love for meat has led
To many years of misery and their last days spent in a bed.
By Lance Landall
Flesh food.
29. Addicted?
I can’t help feeling that many are addicted to meat,
Hence why this injurious food they’re continuing to eat.
And why they’re sometimes hostile to those who’re saying, “Refrain,”
Embracing instead the meat industry’s misleading campaign.
The proof? When forced to go without their meat, they find it hard,
Like smokers who cigarettes and smoking try to discard.
They still hanker for their meat, and over its loss complain,
Which, in my eyes, reveals how hard they find it to refrain.
You see, they’ve acquired a taste for meat, which has taken hold,
A habit, perhaps addiction, unwilling to be controlled.
One that attempts to justify a need for meat — a lie,
'Cause meat isn’t needed — plus, it kisses good health goodbye.
Yes, old habits die hard, but as they say, “No pain, no gain,”
’Though in this case, breaking such a habit, frees one from pain,
For there’s evidence that shouts that flesh food isn’t healthy,
And that it’s flesh food’s worst properties that make it tasty.
Well, tasty to some, that is, who seem held within its grip,
And who via their strong resistance an addiction let slip.
Well, so it seems, for if it weren’t so, they’d hardly act as they do,
But rather, weigh the evidence, and then what’s best pursue.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
30. Love Them, Eat Them
Please don’t tell me you love creatures if you eat them, 'cause surely those who truly love creatures wouldn’t,
Let alone the fact that if you've absolutely no reason to, one could therefore say you shouldn’t.
And no, we don’t need meat in our diet, such simply a perpetuated myth, an advertising ploy,
'Cause not only has it been proven that we don’t need meat, but that one’s very health meat will destroy.
And likewise, please don’t speak of your love for humanity if you’re prepared to take somebody’s life,
Or, for that matter (when it comes down to your fellowman), indulge in violence, abuse or strife.
'Cause just like saying you love creatures, yet eat them, such surely amounts to an untruth, hypocrisy,
Not that I’m implying intentional wrong on your part, but that one can’t escape the irony.
And the reason why is, because you’re saying one thing and doing another, something that won't gel,
'Cause such behaviour's quite the opposite to what you’re saying, and is sure to shout that all’s not well.
What we say is either correct or it’s not, and if it’s not, then we have actually misled,
And this, knowingly or not, but what must kids think if they’re told to love creatures and yet such are fed?
Such is somewhat like trying to legitimise stealing from the rich to give to the poor, which we can’t,
'Cause stealing's wrong full stop, and why saying we’re not thieves whilst stealing will clearly show that honest we aren’t.
Hence that hole in the “I love creatures" statement when such is accompanied by the eating of them,
And an even bigger hole appears when at the same time, untruths and hypocrisy such condemn.
By Lance Landall
31. Poles Apart
To take the life of something that has feelings, seems so wrong to me,
And creatures do have feelings, often acting affectionately.
They interact with each other, and with us, intelligently,
And clearly display an array of emotions, spontaneity.
To take a creature’s life just for the sake of appetite, pleasure,
Must surely, in some way, the content of one’s heart and mind measure.
After all, humans have the ability to reason, think things through,
And therefore, one would assume the more humane thing would choose to do.
It seems rather bizarre to me how humans dote over their pets,
Then shoot, skin, and gut other creatures; hook, spear, and catch fish in nets.
Surely in the minds of the young especially, such doesn’t gel,
And more so when we’re saying to them, “Don’t act violently, don’t kill.”
Given that other food sources are available; adequate too,
Why would anyone such a cruel and retrograde thing think to do?
It’s hardly enlightened behaviour — rather, such hardens the heart,
And as far as love, kindness and compassion go, it’s poles apart.
Yes, better the home where no flesh is eaten.
By Lance Landall
Irony.
32. What's Good For The Goose...
When tigers kill a human, and enjoy their new found meal,
Humans react with horror, and disgust do not conceal.
And yet, they themselves, happily kill and devour creatures,
Which has me wondering what their children such teaches.
Why’s it abhorrent when creatures kill and devour us, yet,
Not so, when we kill and eat them (secondhand nutrients get)?
After all, flesh is flesh, life is life, and killing’s unjust,
And surely a crime, given, flesh eating is not a must.
Acquiring a taste for dead creatures, who suffer from ill health too,
Seems not just barbarous, but desire that has gone askew.
For who would risk devouring what might injure or destroy,
And aid and abet those factories that killers employ?
Aren’t we acting like tigers, killing and eating flesh food,
And aren’t we more the villains, when such food we could exclude?
Surely it’s no less abhorrent tigers dining on us,
Yet, when they do, knowing no better, listen to all the fuss!
By Lance Landall
Christian content or degree.
33. Pets In Heaven
Will our pets go to Heaven? And if we're not there, will they be?
Are there good and bad creatures? Would they be judged accordingly?
Well, one thing is clear, creatures aren’t humans, so let’s start there:
When Scripture speaks of the saved, creatures aren't mentioned anywhere.
Yes, in a sense they are like us, 'cause they live and breathe also,
But to say that they are saved too, is to state what we don’t know.
Christ came to save you and I, thus dying for humanity,
And hence why Scripture says humans leave Earth for the heavenly.
So, we shouldn’t say pets go to Heaven, such but speculation,
Purely and simply someone’s personal interpretation.
We can’t compare creatures with humans, 'cause they’re simply creatures,
And thus clearly not human, despite their similar features.
Now, if we came from monkeys, one might speculate such is so,
Thus saying that pets as well as owners up to Heaven go.
But God’s Word tells us clearly that we do not come from monkeys,
So let’s be careful what we say, lest He who knows, we displease.
There’s simply no evidence supporting the personal view
That our pets will go to Heaven, and enjoy Paradise too.
Such an interpretation is based on error, I believe,
And biblically unsound — yet, clever enough to deceive.
And as I mentioned earlier, what the Word of God does say
Is that humans will be saved; if they repent and God obey.
It does not say that creatures, or our pets too, receive God’s grace,
But instead says that Jesus came to rescue the human race.
And there is something else too that the Bible does not convey,
And that is, that there’re creatures in Heaven blissfully at play.
What it does convey is a renewed Earth, a wolf and lamb at peace,
Which reveals that in the renewed Earth, bloodshed and cruelty will cease.
Will we see our pets again? Personally, I wouldn't know,
God's Word not saying so — and in fact, it appears as if no.
Only God knows the answer, so we will have to wait and see,
And one soon day we will know, if we follow Him faithfully.
But our primary concern's people — that is, saving the lost,
And that’s Christ’s main concern also, more so, hence why He met that cost.
And so, each Christian should focus on people also, more so,
And thus not get hung up on whether pets to Heaven go.
If we focus on people, our pets won’t be such a concern,
We leaving them in God’s hands, shelving questions ’till His return.
And meantime, we’ll treat our pets with care, enjoy their company,
Thanking God for their presence, even if it’s temporary.
By Lance Landall
This very old poem was upgraded on 21 April 2023.
Caged creatures.
34. Sympathy
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
(1872-1906)
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!
ARTICLES
Say "No" To Flesh Food
We don't like to be confined or caged, yet we confine and cage creatures for the sake of our appetite.
We don't like to suffer physically or emotionally, yet we cause creatures to suffer physically and emotionally for our own gratification.
We condemn cruelty, yet we indulge in one of the cruelest practices on earth, and happily partake of its fruitage.
We condemn violence, yet we turn a blind eye to the violence involved in the production of flesh-food.
We condemn murder, yet we take the life of creatures against their will.
We condemn human predators who stalk, trap, and attack their prey, yet we've classed stalking, trapping, and attacking creatures as a sport.
We condemn cannibalism, yet we indulge in what is effectively only one step away from such given that creatures live and breathe like us, also have a body and a face, and feel emotion and pain.
We condemn evil regimes and dictators who oppress and persecute, yet we exercise a selfish and unfair control over creatures that we subject to inhumane treatment.
We despise those who attempt to profit from the misfortunes of others, yet we happily eat, drink, and wear what comes from the misfortunes of animals whose misfortunes we're responsible for.
We condemn what was perpetrated via the Nazi concentration camps, yet we act in a way that's akin to what went on in such by holding creatures prisoner under dreadful conditions; cramming them into trucks and carting them off to slaughterhouses; exterminating them en mass; tossing them into both home and commercial ovens, using their skin and bones (and so on) for whatever, and even experimenting on them. As if that's not enough, we snatch calves from their mothers a few days after they're born, and keep the mother lactating.
We condemn greed, yet we plunder creatures recklessly, and gorge on them unnecessarily and overindulgently.
We condemn coldness and indifference, yet we display such when it comes to pursuing a flesh-food diet.
We condemn hypocrisy, yet we display such by example when we raise our children to respect life yet don't show respect for it ourselves by slitting, gutting, and quartering creatures that on the one hand we pamper and on the other hand kill. As if that's not enough, we take our children hunting; teach them how to kill too; and thereby create in them the same perverted addiction and pleasure.
We condemn the abusing of the environment, yet we turn a blind eye to the serious and widespread damage that flesh-food production does to the environment.
We condemn child abuse, yet before children are old enough to make an informed decision, we force flesh-food upon them telling them that it's good for them whilst depriving them of evidence to the contrary.
We preach love and compassion, yet we show neither when we kill and eat creatures simply to satisfy a conditioned appetite.
We promote human rights, yet we grant no rights to those creatures we're butchering and devouring.
We like to think that we're civilized, refined, enlightened, and on a higher plane, yet we indulge in a barbaric, unintelligent, destructive, and unhealthy practice -- the dismembered evidence macabrely hanging from hooks in shop windows, filling our fridges, freezers, and also staring at us from our glossy recipe books. Is it any wonder there's animal abuse?
We like to think that we're sophisticated, talented, creative, and discerning, yet we have taken grossness to new heights via our flesh-food culinary expertise which causes our corrupted palates to salivate in anticipation of roasted, boiled, stewed, grilled, or fried flesh-food (flesh and blood).
We know by the medical and scientific evidence that we're naturally herbivores, yet we insist on acting as if we're carnivores even though our system is not designed for flesh-food, hence the ill-health we can and do suffer from as a consequence.
We condemn double standards, yet who wants to do the killing, gutting, and quartering of creatures themselves? If all had to do it themselves, flesh food consumption would drop drastically. Along with this, we condemn those who kill and eat their pet cat or dog, yet we don't necessarily blink an eye if someone kills and eats their pet lamb. Aren't they both creatures?
Lastly, we condemn bigotry, yet we ridicule vegetarians and vegans -- who, by the way, harm no one, seek to protect all forms of life, are scientifically and medically up with the play, and whose stance could save millions who're currently starving and dying -- that is, if the world planted crops rather than creating paddocks and building slaughter houses.
So, what's our problem?
Say "No" To Killing Animals For Sport
Such is a senseless and unnecessary taking of life.
It decreases one’s sensitivity and compassion, thus hardening the heart.
It decreases respect for all living things.
It’s actually only one step away from killing humans, thus making the taking of someone’s life more possible due to the numbing of certain sensibilities.
It glorifies violence and killing.
It's participating in cruelty.
It creates a love for weaponry, lines the pockets of those who produce weaponry.
It generates pleasure from an act that should only repel.
It requires the stealth and cunning that’s associated with evil and predators.
It assaults the lives of a creature’s partner and family.
It creates further fear of humanity in the animal kingdom.
It unnecessarily risks the lives of those in the near vicinity.
It has a negative influence and is particularly damaging to young minds.
It treats creatures as if they're mere objects, things, chattels, property, accords them no rights.
Say "No" To Vivisection
Vivisection is inhumane, barbaric, immoral and unethical.
Vivisection is the torturing of an innocent creature, the deliberate inflicting of pain and prolonging of suffering.
Because of our ability to feel pain or be frightened, and our ability to remember the past and anticipate the future, we don't subject human beings to harmful experimental practices. Therefore, the same should hold true regarding creatures who share these same psychological properties.
Contrary to the propaganda that is fed to the public by vested interests, who have much to gain financially, animal research has not, can not, and will not, save human lives because information cannot be extrapolated from one species to another. To put it another way, human medicine cannot be based on veterinary medicine.
Because animals are different to humans, experimental results on animals frequently mislead medicine and seriously hamper medical progress.
Things tested on animals and considered as safe for humans have lead to terrible consequences — two terrible glaring examples being Thalidomide and Clioquinol. However, aside from these two worst type examples, every year millions of people are being hospitalised (and thousands are dieing) due to things that were tested on animals and considered as safe for humanity. Therefore, not only is vivisection dangerous, and we, the real guinea pigs, but it results in the pointless and unnecessary suffering and death of millions of creatures each year.
The approving of vivisection provides fertile breeding ground for acts of gross injustice against our own kind such as those evils that were perpetrated by Nazi doctors.
Vivisection is a destructive pseudo-science.
Vivisection diverts resources from effective research, and ensures a criminal waste of money.
Vivisection perverts the characters of those involved in such cruelty.
Vivisection is the acceptance of the unacceptable under the guise of some so-called good.
(The above vivisection facts were drawn from various sources)
Spare The Creatures
When I was a young boy, I was given a pet budgie that remained in the usual little cage for the rest of his life, just hopping between his perch and the cage floor. However (though I can't remember how often), he was allowed out of his cage to fly about the lounge when we were watching TV in the evening. In this respect, my budgie was amongst the privileged few.
I've since had cause to reflect on all this, and no longer will keep a creature so cruelly imprisoned.
What are we teaching our children, when, for the sake of our own selfish gratification (for what else can it be), we treat creatures so insensitively that were meant to endlessly fly or roam — that is, be free like us?
What a dreadful life, day after miserable day, year after miserable year, stuck in a tiny cage, while we enjoy being able to get out and about. And so it is for those poor rabbits or guinea pigs that spend their lives in a small cage also, and that often suffer from cold draughts, little or too much sunshine, and that are almost scared to death by those feline or canine noses that press up against the wire netting, those poking sticks or fingers, and various common noises. And then there are those caged circus animals, or those cruelly confined chickens, pigs and cows, the latter simply in order to please a conditioned appetite.
Oh dear, what we put creatures through, simply for our thoughtless and selfish pleasure, like those who leave their dog or dogs confined to a small laundry all day while they're at work, and such made worse when these people are working overtime or whatever.
How would we like to be confined to a small compartment (bathroom perhaps) for the rest of our life, and if we're very lucky, being let out for a little spell each day? Yes, it all sounds a bit like death row to me.
