quote:
Originally posted by Cowgirl Jack:
Question for you, Matt. Great reforms in this country have been made before where injustice had been prior. As someone in England during the US colonial period if there would be a revolution. Ask someone in, say, antebellum America if they thought slavery would be abolished. The point is, I don't see my goals as impossible. I look at past conlficts and find hope. My question is this -- if, be it through regularion and reform, or by me assuming a dictatorship over the country for two weeks to do some cleaning (and really find out where those tax dollars go), my goals became law, and my reforms would come to pass, would that settle everything in your book? You seem to worry about animal suffering, and my way brings it to near zero. So, if you remove the suffering out of the steak, does that make okay?
First off, just let me say that I am against dictatorships 100%. I'm a free will/freedom of choice guy all the way.

But IF huge and sweeping factory farm reform became federal law across the board that greatly reduced suffering for "food animals" I think that would be absolutely wonderful. Does "taking the suffering out of the steak make it okay", though? No. Not in my book it doesn't. A GIGANTIC improvement, yes--- but never "okay" from a moral/ethical standpoint. If humans actually NEEDED to ingest animal flesh or wear leather or fur in order to thrive then that would be a completely different story, but we don't. But like I've already said, I'm a realist: I know that animals will ALWAYS be slaughtered for food and clothing, so any method that helps to reduce their suffering is a very good and noble thing.