On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 07:07:47 -0400 Amadeus Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Whomever you unspecifically want to address with your word "THEY"... > I am vegetarian and I have *no* intention to put any force on anyone > on "OUR" ideas. I beg your pardon Amadeus. I was refering to the organized "animal rights" movement in the US, as well as the large proportion of vegetarians who masquerade as impartial medical and nutritional experts. Their political intentions have recently become obvious (mainly through the efforts of PeTA, and militant creeps like Dean Ornish), but I believe that the entire "low fat" movement of recent decades has been hugely influenced by commited (but more politically savvy) vegetarians. This is the same movement that has set THREE ounces (85g) as a healthy "serving" of meat, and fostered the idea that the human body NEEDS carbohydrates as "fuel." Of course, this all goes back much further than this recent history. As Ray has often pointed out, much of our current "common wisdom" about nutrition comes fairly directly from the questionable theories of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, and his vegetarian mentors... I know that you believe that you have a scientific basis for your personal practices. Even though I don't agree with you, I would not try to influence government or medical authorities to limit or inhibit your right to follow your own beliefs. I don't know what the political climate about this is in Germany, but in the US, it's shaping up into a major battle, which has been in the making for many years. If there was not already such a solid foundadtion of belief in the "evils" of meat and fat, and the "purity and goodness" of veggies and soy products, the current efforts of the militant vegetarian movement would simply be laughable. But the official brainwashing has been so subtle and persistant, that many of their underlying myths have been uncritically accepted as fact. One small example of this is a current television advertisement (for a health insurance company, I think), which features a nutritionist cheerfully telling us that red meat can be a healthy "ALTERNATIVE" food... ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.