Well, Ray, now I understand the story in _Neanderguy_ about getting
kicked out of the bookstore. I appreciate your taking the time to
notice my introduction, even if you had no words of welcome and
sounded kind of judgmental and overbearing in your advice. I'm sure
it's a hard-won understanding you are sharing, and I feel the world is
better for your dispelling some of the silliness (orthorexia
nervosa)about food. I know you've helped me. Thank you.
I can see that if I am to be a true red-blooded meat eater I may have
to struggle for a place at the table here, as opposed to the  welcome
given at dadamo.com to type O reforming vegetarians like me. I say
reforming because I ate some meat yesterday for the first time in 4
years. Turkey sausage; organic, free range. Darn tasty; the fat was
sweet and very satisfying. No indigestion as I had been told to
expect;  cleared up my chronic semi-diarrhea instantly. My
understanding may take longer.
Being vegetarian has been a source of real satisfaction for me as I
tried to live up to an ideal of nonviolence and harmony in my life.
Since discovering that some of my health problems are due to following
bad advice ("don't eat meat"), you'll have to forgive me for remaining
skeptical about some of your reasoning, even if I agree with
yourconclusions.
> 1.  Nothing hurts like extinction.  Without the meat industry,billions
> of animals would be out of a job (and their lives).
True, a managed resource has a better chance of surviving. But it's
beside my point. My first reason for not eating animals is the
suffering of individual animals, not an abstract view by  species. As
a meatarian I  can't help but associate the beautiful animals I've
known with  those personalities I must kill to eat. If my real concern
was their overall survival, I'd join Ducks Unlimited or insist on
sustainably produced meat, not necessarily eat vegetarian.
> ... the vast majority of wild herbavors (most in their first year) are
> killed by wild predators, a process that is much more cruel than any
> found in commercial meat production.
True and irrelevant again. The issue is human behavior (mine), not
that of animals.
> 2.  Being squeamish will prevent you from enjoying one of the biggest
> joys in life - reproduction.
I didn't say I was squeamish about sex, or ask for advice about it. I
was speaking of my diet. There might be more vegetarians (it's a
healthy diet for some blood types) if everyone worked a shift in a
slaughterhouse every so  often. Like jury duty. I know plenty of
people , mostly women, who eat meat, and  are deeply distressed at
seeing an animal hit by a car. How many of those meatarians would work
in an abbattoir if that was the only way they could eat meat?
You sound like a great Dad. They say in psychological profiles of high
performers that they have parents like you (dynamic, supportive, with
plenty of interesting hobbies of your own), so I'm not surprised your
kid is so smart, no matter what he eats.




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