Howard Lyman is an ex top rancher and knows how the industry works,
the foods it uses, and how it lies.
His exposure of the industry is invaluable.


http://www.vegparadise.com/24carrot31.html

Vegetarians in Paradise proudly presents its 24 Carrot Award to
Howard Lyman for educating the public on the dangers of Mad Cow
Disease and for promoting a vegan diet in his llectures, in his book
Mad Cowboy,and on these web sites: madcowboy.com, Voice for a Viable
Future and EarthSave.

Howard has worn many hats in his life. He has been a cattle rancher
who has become a vegan. He has run for Congress. He has served as
president of the International Vegetarian Union, and now heads
EarthSave. He is a best-selling author and a lecturer.

His cowboy hat was almost shot from his head after his appearance on
the Oprah Winfrey Show when he described the dangers of mad cow
disease and the possibility of it being in our food supply. When
Oprah announced she would never eat another hamburger, his life
changed.

Her announcement brought an armed possee of Texas ranchers who
lassoed Howard and Oprah and dragged them into court for violating
the state's food disparagement law. Howard and Oprah won that court
case which is now pending appeal by the Texas cattle ranchers.

We decided to organize our friendly posse to track Howard down and
have him stand still long enough for an interview that we could share
with our readers.

What follows are the questions asked by Vegetarians in Paradise (VIP)
and the answers by Howard Lyman (HL)

VIP: How long were you vegetarian before becoming vegan? How long
have you been a vegan? What foods were the most difficult to give up?

HL: I was a vegetarian one year before I became vegan. I have been
vegan now going on 10 years. Dairy products were the most difficult
to give up.

VIP:What personal health benefits have you derived since you have
been a vegan?

HL: Health benefits I have derived: I have lost weight. My blood
pressure has gone from sky high to normal and my cholesterol has gone
from 300 to 135.

Howard Lyman VIP: In your book you say you traveled about 100,000
miles a year. Are you still keeping that pace? How many weeks a year
are you on the road giving speeches? Approximately how many speeches
have you given during the last year? Do you treat yourself to a
vacation?

HL: I have slowed down in my travel. This summer my wife and I
actually took a month off and vacationed. I still travel 30 to 40
weeks a year, and it is not unusual to do several events a day.

VIP: Does your family follow your vegan lifestyle?

HL: My wife is also vegan. Several members of our family are
vegetarian, and we seem to add a few more each year.

VIP: Have you made any appearances overseas? How does the vegan
movement overseas compare to the movement in the U.S?

HL: I have traveled to England, Holland, Scotland, Italy, and there
is a much stronger vegetarian movement than vegan there. In the US I
believe the strongest movement is towards a vegan lifestyle.

VIP: How has your appearance on Oprah's show changed your life? What
is the status of legal suits brought against you by the Texas cattle
people?

HL: My appearance on the Oprah Show moved me from being an unknown
farm boy to a semi-celebrity. Today we are waiting on the Judge in
Amarillo, Texas to determine how much of our legal expenses the first
group of plaintiffs are liable for. There is also a second suit that
was filed in state court that we have moved to federal court, and
that group of cattlemen has appealed to the judge to move it back to
state court. We are waiting on her ruling at this time.

VIP: Congratulations, we understand that Mad Cowboy has become a best
seller? Are there plans for a paperback edition? Are you thinking
about writing another book?

HL: Mad Cowboy is now in its second printing (hardcover), and it is
scheduled to be released in paperback in August 2001. I am thinking
about another book, but at this time it is just a thought.

VIP: Tell us about the most challenging audience you faced?

HL: The most challenging audience was at Utah State University where
several hundred irate cattlemen showed up. The university hired armed
uniformed security to protect me and prior to my talk, a VP of the
University told the audience the school did not agree with anything I
had to say. When she came down off the platform, I asked her how she
could say that not knowing what I was about to say. She responded,
"It was the safest thing to do." The talk lasted almost four hours,
and the last cattleman before he left, said , "I have to give you a
lot of credit. You've got a lot more guts than I've got." I believe
it was the first time that anyone had ever shared the truth with
those cattlemen.

VIP: What do you think it would take to convince more people to adopt
a vegetarian lifestyle?

HL: The facts about the health, environmental and animal costs
associated with a meat-based diet would change most people to
consider a vegetarian diet if they knew those facts. I believe the
majority of Americans will adopt a plant-based diet in my lifetime.

VIP: You ran for political office in 1982 in Montana. Wbat would
persuade you to run for office again?

HL: My wife told me that if I would ever again run for political
office, I would need a new wife. This is a cost I am unwilling to
bear at this time!

VIP: What individuals have affected your life, and in what areas have
they influenced your thinking?

HL: The individual that most affected my thinking has been Gandhi.
His approach to reverence for all life has been the most far-reaching
teaching that has changed my life.

VIP: What are your duties as president of EarthSave? How do you
juggle your organizational duties with your busy speaking
engagements?

Mad Cowboy HL: I travel to EarthSave Chapters and encourage the local
groups to become part of the solution and not part of the problem.
When I travel and speak, I always encourage people to join local
groups and share part of the burden of saving our species.

VIP: In what other organizations are you currently active?

HL: I currently support the groups, FARM, PETA, PCRM, OCA, Farm
Sanctuary, and many other groups who are doing this type of work.

VIP: You speak so "fondly" of your "dear" mother-in-law. How is she?
Has she ever heard one of your speeches? What is your relationship
really like?

HL: My mother-in-law is alive and well. She has never heard one of my
speeches but has watched a video that I made when I referred to her.
We are communicating well although not often.

VIP: Tell us a little bit about how you spend your leisure time?

HL: My favorite pastime is reading and spending time with my family.

VIP: What do you predict for the future of the vegetarian movement?
Where do you see your role?

HL: I believe the vegetarian movement, which at this time encompasses
the majority of the people alive on the planet today, will continue
to grow. I see my role as that of a motivator to the young activists
in the first world.

VIP: Is there anything you would like our readers to know about you
that we haven't touched on?

HL: I believe for the human species to survive on the Planet Earth,
we must adopt a plant-based diet in this generation. Our future and
the future of our children and grandchildren rests in the hands of
the vegetarian activists today. No one can do it all, but we all can
do something. We must get involved before it is too late.

Our review of Mad Cowboycan be found at
http://vegparadise.com/vegreading7.html