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Sheila Pell
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David Dodd
David Dodd
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Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
That is the age-old argument that since animals cannot <i>tell</i> us, with any clarity, that they do not want to be slaughtered, then we (as the smart humans we are) are bound by some invisible moral variable to protect them from it. I see that as a leap of faith. All creatures have a survival instinct, even plants. I'm pretty clear, myself, on the difference between a survival instinct and some sort of injustice that humans may or may not be doing to whatever sort of dignity that one feels an animal deserves. We all draw lines in the sand that way. Some cultures eat dog, and I'm okay with whatever lines they've drawn, I just don't see the point in eating dog as the animal is far more useful as either a pet or a worker or perhaps both. Here's an example of emotional response from myself: some cultures eat primates. I couldn't do that. But I <i>know</i> this is an emotional response to primates appearing human.
— December 31, 2011 3:01 a.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
I think it is perfectly reasonable that some people are bothered by the slaughter of anything, even fish. But it is interpreted through an emotional response, not a logical conclusion reached by sorting out which living things <i>deserve</i> to be slaughtered and which living things do not by means of studying how an animal might react to the presence of humans, or whether dissecting their brains reveals any similarity to humans. In other words, were humans to sort through which animals should or should not be eaten by order of intellect, then we would certainly eat horses and not cows. Cows are smarter. Vegetarianism is a choice. And, according to several studies I have read it is a very wise and healthy choice. And if such a practice is based on a dislike for the slaughtering of animals, or simply because one chooses that lifestyle based on scientifically researched nutritional data, it shouldn't matter. But if one claims that eating animals is <i>wrong</i>, then that should be based on something other than the emotional response from the concept of slaughter. There is no other way of eating a plate of bacon and eggs that would avoid the slaughtering of the pig and the theft of shelled chicken embryos.
— December 31, 2011 2:45 a.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
And historically, there is a lot of evidence of cannibalism. Seems inconceivable in terms of what we have come to expect from Western Civilization, but obviously - for whatever reason, maybe cooked human flesh is tasty or perhaps it was purely a spiritual ritual - this occurred in several cultures. The difference now is that in all societies and cultures that I'm aware of, this practice is not legal and is considered immoral.
— December 30, 2011 11:19 p.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
A pig cannot love me, you or anyone else. You may certainly enjoy your own slotting amongst living things in terms of that which you find to be inedible and that which you find to be edible. Likewise with how you are emotionally attached to some living things and unemotionally attached to others. That is up to you. I won't argue with for your reasons for it because it's an option you have. But consider this: The animals you claim that can "love" have no such option. They do not choose to eat what they eat because of the same reasons that you do. The pigs drink the blood of their fallen comrade, for example. Animals are incapable of love. They can display empathy, sympathy, sorrow, and even guilt. But not love. Plants, by the way, also show empathy, sympathy and sorrow, and perhaps even guilt although science has yet to waste their time studying that. A pig could not have loved me any more than could a plant or a tree.
— December 30, 2011 11:13 p.m.
The Stock Market Roller Coaster
On the major tracks, races are seldom rigged. Exceptions are trainers that give horses illegal supplements. It happens at times. Savvy players learn to use that as a variable in such instances, or else not to bet races where such suspected trainers enter a horse. I would say this: there is more transparency on a big race track than in the markets. I would also say that anyone who devotes a mountain of their time studying the markets will be able to overcome the shenanigans. I think this is even more easy at the track. In a capitalist society, everything is rigged to some point. I think some economists would be better off with a degree in sociology. It is simple, for example, to understand Keynes' theory of consumption or even Friedman's permanent income hypothesis, but both equations rely on human behavior. And neither effectively address profit in terms of a range, or perhaps a playground for such behavior. Simplified, supply and demand doesn't affect either the consumer nor the vendor in theory except as a balanced transaction, but in practice we tend to want to be both successful consumers and successful vendors. This human nature of ours will inevitably lead to some sketchy practices on both sides, regardless of how strictly any entity should try and control it. Critics of Hayek will point to Canada and claim that their robust economy and lack of bank failures is due to strict control and regulation. I'm not convinced that's the case. Rather, Canadian bankers and investors could simply be smarter and more practical than their American counterparts. There are simply not enough variables for the intangible attributes of human behavior.
— December 30, 2011 5:41 p.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
I find it entirely amusing that most people think nothing of killing, gutting, scaling, and fileting a fish; yet, they are "bothered" by the killing and butchering of a pig. All lateral references to quotes about pork from the film "Pulp Fiction" aside, no tasty thing in life is enjoyed without sacrifice of some sort. The butcher knows this. The pig does not.
— December 30, 2011 5:17 p.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
Visiting a slaughterhouse of any type might be quite a disturbing sight, this is true, but it is also based on our misconceptions and confusion over the difference between brutality and necessity. However, if there was a way to simply inject an animal with some form of deadly venom (deadly for the animal and harmless to the eventual consumer), then animals would all be slaughtered in such a manner. Not out of compassion for the animal, but out of economic considerations. Hank's confusing attempt at rationalization aside, were we entirely a compassionate human being then neither would we eat plants. In order to consume anything, compassion is not, or should not be, any sort of a variable in that equation.
— December 30, 2011 5:06 p.m.
The Stock Market Roller Coaster
The trading history is beyond my pay grade, but I have always considered any market investment a gamble. One reason why Don and me are at odds on economics; while we can agree on the results, we don't always agree on the cause. Don wants investments protected and I have insisted that Reagan's economic allies were at fault for not entirely disconnecting the government from all investment. Radical differences. I have maintained for years that if the Fed was abolished long ago we wouldn't be seeing this crisis as sharply as we are currently living through it. I'll stick to the ponies. At least I know what the take-out is. With the government involved in whatever investment I make, I never know how deeply they are willing to prop up the book maker as opposed to the punter.
— December 30, 2011 3:45 a.m.
DEA Warns of New Hits Against Border Agents
It isn't just that Border Agents aren't adequately armed. They aren't adequately trained, either.
— December 28, 2011 7:33 a.m.
The Stock Market Roller Coaster
Jeff's wife died of cancer a short time back. Your statement about his late wife is hateful. If all you can do is to personally attack people in that manner, then you need to seek some help.
— December 27, 2011 6:58 a.m.
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Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
That is the age-old argument that since animals cannot <i>tell</i> us, with any clarity, that they do not want to be slaughtered, then we (as the smart humans we are) are bound by some invisible moral variable to protect them from it. I see that as a leap of faith. All creatures have a survival instinct, even plants. I'm pretty clear, myself, on the difference between a survival instinct and some sort of injustice that humans may or may not be doing to whatever sort of dignity that one feels an animal deserves. We all draw lines in the sand that way. Some cultures eat dog, and I'm okay with whatever lines they've drawn, I just don't see the point in eating dog as the animal is far more useful as either a pet or a worker or perhaps both. Here's an example of emotional response from myself: some cultures eat primates. I couldn't do that. But I <i>know</i> this is an emotional response to primates appearing human.— December 31, 2011 3:01 a.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
I think it is perfectly reasonable that some people are bothered by the slaughter of anything, even fish. But it is interpreted through an emotional response, not a logical conclusion reached by sorting out which living things <i>deserve</i> to be slaughtered and which living things do not by means of studying how an animal might react to the presence of humans, or whether dissecting their brains reveals any similarity to humans. In other words, were humans to sort through which animals should or should not be eaten by order of intellect, then we would certainly eat horses and not cows. Cows are smarter. Vegetarianism is a choice. And, according to several studies I have read it is a very wise and healthy choice. And if such a practice is based on a dislike for the slaughtering of animals, or simply because one chooses that lifestyle based on scientifically researched nutritional data, it shouldn't matter. But if one claims that eating animals is <i>wrong</i>, then that should be based on something other than the emotional response from the concept of slaughter. There is no other way of eating a plate of bacon and eggs that would avoid the slaughtering of the pig and the theft of shelled chicken embryos.— December 31, 2011 2:45 a.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
And historically, there is a lot of evidence of cannibalism. Seems inconceivable in terms of what we have come to expect from Western Civilization, but obviously - for whatever reason, maybe cooked human flesh is tasty or perhaps it was purely a spiritual ritual - this occurred in several cultures. The difference now is that in all societies and cultures that I'm aware of, this practice is not legal and is considered immoral.— December 30, 2011 11:19 p.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
A pig cannot love me, you or anyone else. You may certainly enjoy your own slotting amongst living things in terms of that which you find to be inedible and that which you find to be edible. Likewise with how you are emotionally attached to some living things and unemotionally attached to others. That is up to you. I won't argue with for your reasons for it because it's an option you have. But consider this: The animals you claim that can "love" have no such option. They do not choose to eat what they eat because of the same reasons that you do. The pigs drink the blood of their fallen comrade, for example. Animals are incapable of love. They can display empathy, sympathy, sorrow, and even guilt. But not love. Plants, by the way, also show empathy, sympathy and sorrow, and perhaps even guilt although science has yet to waste their time studying that. A pig could not have loved me any more than could a plant or a tree.— December 30, 2011 11:13 p.m.
The Stock Market Roller Coaster
On the major tracks, races are seldom rigged. Exceptions are trainers that give horses illegal supplements. It happens at times. Savvy players learn to use that as a variable in such instances, or else not to bet races where such suspected trainers enter a horse. I would say this: there is more transparency on a big race track than in the markets. I would also say that anyone who devotes a mountain of their time studying the markets will be able to overcome the shenanigans. I think this is even more easy at the track. In a capitalist society, everything is rigged to some point. I think some economists would be better off with a degree in sociology. It is simple, for example, to understand Keynes' theory of consumption or even Friedman's permanent income hypothesis, but both equations rely on human behavior. And neither effectively address profit in terms of a range, or perhaps a playground for such behavior. Simplified, supply and demand doesn't affect either the consumer nor the vendor in theory except as a balanced transaction, but in practice we tend to want to be both successful consumers and successful vendors. This human nature of ours will inevitably lead to some sketchy practices on both sides, regardless of how strictly any entity should try and control it. Critics of Hayek will point to Canada and claim that their robust economy and lack of bank failures is due to strict control and regulation. I'm not convinced that's the case. Rather, Canadian bankers and investors could simply be smarter and more practical than their American counterparts. There are simply not enough variables for the intangible attributes of human behavior.— December 30, 2011 5:41 p.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
I find it entirely amusing that most people think nothing of killing, gutting, scaling, and fileting a fish; yet, they are "bothered" by the killing and butchering of a pig. All lateral references to quotes about pork from the film "Pulp Fiction" aside, no tasty thing in life is enjoyed without sacrifice of some sort. The butcher knows this. The pig does not.— December 30, 2011 5:17 p.m.
Doing the Deed on a Pig Farm
Visiting a slaughterhouse of any type might be quite a disturbing sight, this is true, but it is also based on our misconceptions and confusion over the difference between brutality and necessity. However, if there was a way to simply inject an animal with some form of deadly venom (deadly for the animal and harmless to the eventual consumer), then animals would all be slaughtered in such a manner. Not out of compassion for the animal, but out of economic considerations. Hank's confusing attempt at rationalization aside, were we entirely a compassionate human being then neither would we eat plants. In order to consume anything, compassion is not, or should not be, any sort of a variable in that equation.— December 30, 2011 5:06 p.m.
The Stock Market Roller Coaster
The trading history is beyond my pay grade, but I have always considered any market investment a gamble. One reason why Don and me are at odds on economics; while we can agree on the results, we don't always agree on the cause. Don wants investments protected and I have insisted that Reagan's economic allies were at fault for not entirely disconnecting the government from all investment. Radical differences. I have maintained for years that if the Fed was abolished long ago we wouldn't be seeing this crisis as sharply as we are currently living through it. I'll stick to the ponies. At least I know what the take-out is. With the government involved in whatever investment I make, I never know how deeply they are willing to prop up the book maker as opposed to the punter.— December 30, 2011 3:45 a.m.
DEA Warns of New Hits Against Border Agents
It isn't just that Border Agents aren't adequately armed. They aren't adequately trained, either.— December 28, 2011 7:33 a.m.
The Stock Market Roller Coaster
Jeff's wife died of cancer a short time back. Your statement about his late wife is hateful. If all you can do is to personally attack people in that manner, then you need to seek some help.— December 27, 2011 6:58 a.m.