On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 15:14:02 -0500, Pan Ohco > wrote:

>On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 18:22:29 GMT, "Marcelino"
> wrote:
>
>
>>Please examine what we do to animals on factory farms and in
>>slaughterhouses, denying animals everything that is natural to them
>
>What we do to animals is to restrict their movements. If they were
>thinking beings that might be a problem. But they are not. Other then
>that the human feed & water them and keep them alive longer then if
>they had been in the wild.

Recent research shows that pets (companion animals) *do* have
discernable feelings for their people. While a cow's thoughts may not
be particularly philosophical, I wouldn't regard it as an "unthinking"
animal. There's no particular reason to make any creature's life
miserable. Sensational TV shows that many serial killers began as
children torturing animals. Brrr. As a carnivore, I can't start
viewing every pig as 'Babe' -- at least that is an expression of our
natural sympathy with other living things. And a tendency to
anthropomorphize. One doesn't have to set up retirement homes for old
cattle to still believe food animals should enjoy reasonably "natural"
lives. As should we all.