In a message dated 2/22/99 2:30:29 AM Central Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:
<<
Forgive me for my ignorance, but I understand that there is supposed to be
constitutional right to free speech in the USA. How does this legislation
sit with this?
Lynton >>
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Lynton:
Read on if you'd like to learn more about the "Mad Cowboy" who went to bat for
all Americans (not to mention the repercussions it would have had worldwide
had "they" lost the suit).
Gerry
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MAD COWBOY, by Howard Lyman with Glen Merze. New York: Simon & Schuster, 223
pages, $23, hardcover. A Review by Gerry Coffey
Howard Lyman is a walkin,’ talkin’ Marlboro Man. Minus a cigarette. And a
horse. Oh, and he no longer has 7,000 head of cattle. He traded them for (his
love of) people. And, since he and TV Talk Show Mogul Oprah Winfrey won the
"Veggie Libel" suit, Lyman’s "ropin’ in" safe-food advocates by the
millions--through Talk Shows and lecture dates all over the country.
The Texas cattlemen’s lawsuit was precipitated by Lyman’s remarks to Oprah’s
20 million viewers that "Mad Cow Disease" could make AIDS look like child’s
play if the American meat industry continued turning cows into cannibals.
The subsequent trial and judge’s "gag rule" tied up more than a year-and-a-
half of Lyman’s life. It prohibited speaking out, limited travel, and severely
crippled his duties as president and spokesperson for the International
Vegetarian Union. It also put him in debt for over a million dollars!
"If they had won," notes Lyman, "it would have jeopardized every American’s
Constitutional Right to Free Speech." Since vindication, Lyman’s been making
up for lost time in places as far flung as Alabama, California, Illinois,
Minnesota and Canada. At last check, he had just caught a 2:45 a.m. "Red-Eye"
flight in order to give the keynote address at the Toronto Vegetarian
Festival.
But hop-scotching across the country, sleeping in a different bed almost
every night for the past ten years, and accepting food wherever it’s offered
("As long as it contains no animal or dairy.".), is taking its toll on the
weather-worn 60 year old.
Doctors told Lyman the foot that was stomped on by a panicky steer some 20
years ago needed attention if he wanted to save it. The dreaded surgery took
place over the Christmas holidays and required about 6 weeks convalescence.
This prohibited Lyman giving the key-note address at the 33rd WORLD VEGETARIAN
CONGRESS in Thailand, January 4, 1999, but now he’s on his feet again,
literally, and raring to go. Good thing, there are now about 5 more lawsuits
being brought against him. Texas cattlemen have long memories and DEEP
pockets.
For those unable to see Lyman in the flesh, his recently released book "Mad
Cowboy" is the next best thing to being there. It captures his unique rapid-
fire and laconic delivery, laced with wit, eye-opening facts and optimism:
"Them that’s got the ‘gold’ make all the rules, but it doesn’t have to be that
way," Lyman advises grassroots supporters. "You people really do have the
power if you’ll learn how to use it."
With the aid of playwright Glen Merzer ("Glen earned every penny!" Lyman
praises. "He followed me night and day for 6 months!") "Mad Cowboy" traces
Lyman from a no-nonsense childhood that introduced him to the milking barn at
age 4, to his rise to cattle baron and large feedlot operator.
Lyman’s rude awakening came when his brother died of dioxin poisoning at age
29, and Lyman himself faced a bout with life-threatening cancer. A death-bed
promise between himself and his God caused him to re-prioritize his life’s
values.
"I thought I was the Donald Trump of Agri-business when I wrote my first
check for a million dollars and it didn’t bounce," mocks Lyman about his
former life. It’s a far-cry from the one he leads today urging the masses to
take action on the desperate need to nurture human, animal and environmental
life rather than destroy it as we are doing.
Lyman’s business and organizational acumen speaks for itself: Representative
for Small Farmers; Congressional Lobbyist (During which time he helped pass
the still controversial National Organic Standards Act); Spokesperson for the
U.S. Humane Society, and Voice For A Viable Future.
"Mad Cowboy" reveals the early experiences that forged the thinking and
convictions that make Lyman the powerful force he is today. It also provides
eye-opening facts about the sorry state of the world’s food supply and
environment, along with a blueprint for change.
Praise for Lyman’s book is lavish:
"I can honestly say that there is not a man on this planet I respect more
than Howard Lyman. I cannot speak highly enough of the man, his work, or his
book. Mad Cowboy is his story, and it is truly one of the most important ones
of this century. Buy ten copies; give them to people you love. This is the
real thing."
--John Robbins, Founder of EarthSave, and author of the Pulitzer Prize
Nominated book: "Diet For A New America.
Note: Lyman makes about 50 cents off each copy sold. Not an easy way to pay
off a million dollar debt,
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