Interesting. Perhaps this is an unfair generalization, but I often run into so-called conservatives who are essentially indifferent to what we once called nature and now call "the environment"...but who are very concerned about the plight of animals, especially pets. I wonder if this citizen uprising in these red states falls into that category.

You may be interested to know that liberals in Congress are not leaders in formulating animal rights legislation. It's about even, between Democrats and Republicans. As a matter of fact, Rick Santorum is a leader in this area.

On the other hand, I find that most people who care about pets do not care about the plight of other animals.

There's allegedly something like 6.5 billion people in the world. Suffice it to say that adequate food is an issue in such a world. Our economy's increasingly shaped by food IMPORTS rather than exports, and 'who's paying whom to deliver what' is part of this whole debate. If you don't like farming practices in america, but nobody knows how they treat their birds in 'foodizuela' or wherever we end up getting our chicken from after the animal rights types successfully argue another american industry out of existence, well...the only net gain will have been for foodistan, not for america.

I think that with our millions upon millions of arable acres that a very strong point can be made in support of vegetarian-style diet changes, en englais increasing the size of the produce dept. at your local market by 100%, and actually extolling the merits of less pre-processed, hormone enhanced garbage, and more of the good old homestyle-grown tomatoes and carrots and corn and fresh lettuce and crisp celery, peanut butter, all that other good stick-to-your-bones nutritious stuff that'll help you live to 90. People are so caught up in all this hi-tech assembly line food production stuff that they miss the basics, like the fact that some people spend more on manicured lawns than other families spend on food for an entire year. That lawn space, by the way, could be your fresh radishes, hell even a couple sunflowers. But, that would be manual labor, of course you could hire Manuel to come do it for you...moral of the story is that technology doesn't improve all things. Thank you.

For a long time, Europe did not have the kind of factory farming that we do, and they did fine. But then the European countries began to emulate the American factory farm model, with its cruelty to animals and toxicity to humans.

Speaking as an "animal rights type" who would like to get rid of all meat-eating but knows that is not going to happen, I think a practical goal--and all major animal rights groups in the country agree--is not to argue another industry out of existence, but to put a stop to the horrific abuses of that industry. Getting rid of slavery did not wipe out the agricultural industry. Getting rid of child labor did not eliminate the manufacturing industry, nor did instituting decent safety standards.

The practices of produce farmers hurt us also, as you point out. Not only is the food filled with pesticides and herbicides, but the nitrogen runoff is extremely harmful. I know--I live in one of the places where it ends up. The argument is that organice or part-organic farming is so expensive, but the argument never mentioned is that with organic or integrated methods, the crop yields are much higher.

I've been wondering about Europe and factory farming. I read somewhere that the French consider our chickens pretty lousy. (Personally, I agree, which is why it's been so easy for me to give up that particular meat.) Are the French and other European countries as heartless as we are when it comes to factory farming? Or do they do some things differently? Thanks...

There was a time when Europeans were shocked by American factory farm practices, but that changed, and they eventually had only to look in their own countries to find some of the same things. The presence of large transnational companies means that American arm practices are taken to other parts of the world.

About a decade ago, however, the EU adopted an "animals as sentient beings" protocol (I know--it sounds so 18th Century), which brought the anti-factory farm movement to the public in a bigger way. There are some impressive anti-factory farm consumer movements in Europe, totally unlike in the U.S. The EU has also banned foie gras, which has France in a rage.

So yes, Europeans, in general, are more aware of the cruelty of factory farming and more active in fighting it.

Having said that, I should add that most of the world's fur farms are in Europe.

What is wrong with people? American corporations and many of our citizens have become whores for the dollar, willing to destroy anything for a buck, Gandhi said something like a"a society is judged by how it treats it's animals" In that case America is hell on earth. Now we treat human beings like that too, I am truly afraid that America is going down a road where the sun never shines and death is the only thing to look forward to. I pray that someone who has true morals runs for President and turns thins country around, since the right wing evangelicals now running the show have proven they have no morals whatsoever even though they keep telling us how morally superior they are and how bad we and the Muslims are. Peace

Perhaps we need to look to the methods that can help increase human awareness of the environment we all depend on to live. I suggest meditation, the only activity to scientifically demonstrate an increase in our awareness. See the works of Ken Wilber and others involved with raising the awareness of the planet. Also, maybe we should start withdrawing our support for large media outlets who don't allow pertinent information to ever get to those who need it most. Let's start a conscious revolution, folks.

What was the first state to band slavery?