Ray,

You're probably right that livestock who are treated well by their owners
live better lives than wild animals.  However, factory farms, where most of
our meat is produced, can be positively hellish.  A girl I know, who raises
pigs, recently browsed the Canadian government's official literature for pig
farmers.  The brochures describe common problems, such as when a pig's
intestines fall out of its stomach, or its brains are pushed out of its
skull.  Pigs are usually kept penned up in tiny boxes with no room for
movement.  This ain't vegetarian propaganda.

Cheers,
-- Aaron Wieland

>As someone who observes predation up close on a daily basis, I can tell
>you domestic animals have a very cruelity free existence compared to the
>lives of animals in Nature.  The majority of preditors don't even make to
>reproductive age and the herbavors fare worse.