1. Activist Feedback
With events being canceled everywhere and with social distancing being the
current imperative, we won’t be doing much leafleting in a while. It’s still
heartening to hear of recent activities. Rick Hershey writes:
On February 29, Chip and I handed out 2765 CVA booklets, mostly to kids at
Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City for Winter Jam. It was pleasantly
warm but very windy, and that made leafleting challenging. We heard from a
few vegans. Several kids asked for a couple extra booklets for family
members that hadn’t received one. It was a friendly and polite crowd, and we
didn’t have any problems with security.
2. Eating Animals Is Killing Us
I’m taking a detour from my series to mention briefly some of the ways in
which the COVID-19 pandemic relates to animal issues. Evidence indicates
that it derived from a live animal market. This is not surprising, since
nearly all pandemics derive from interaction between humans and nonhumans.
Because humans interact with so many different species in order to kill and
eat them, there are many opportunities for infectious organisms to “jump the
species barrier.”
The human taste for flesh and other animal products has exacted a huge toll
on nonhumans. Reminiscent of karma, humans are also suffering. We’re now
experiencing the latest pandemic attributed to killing animals, and others
have included AIDS, bird flu, and swine flu. In addition, the massive use of
antibiotics to enhance growth and to prevent infections in highly crowded,
stressful conditions is generating “super-bugs” – antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, which pose grave threats to human health.
The animals’ revenge also involves the heart disease, cancer, obesity,
diabetes, arthritis, and other health conditions attributable to consuming
animal products. Even those whose hardened hearts have no compassion for
animals would be wise to seek the end of animal exploitation for purely
selfish reasons.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry