We have so many endangered species in this world, it's scary, and every time
we lose one to extinction, our ecosphere gets shifted.  It may not be
noticeable to us urban dwellers but it's very noticeable to biologists and
ecologists.  (I audited several biology courses when I was in grad school in
preparation for my Physical Anthropology thesis.)  And each time we import a
foreign species into an ecosystem, things go out of whack very fast. I can
give you the example of rabbits in Australia and the snake fish up in
Maryland, and the killer bees and the West Nile-carrying mosquitoes in the
US, as well as kudzu in the American Southeast.  The list goes on and on.

It will take time but eventually the shifts in the food chain will catch up
with us and we'll feel the effects - that is, if we don't nuke ourselves
first our starve ourselves due to famine or lack of drinkable water.  We're
already feeling the effects of salinisation in Israel, Africa and the SW
United States - where we're overirrigating the deserts and the water is
becoming saline.  And that's an ecological disaster.

But when someone likes Peter Singer ignores human rights in favour of animal
rights to the point of illogic, inanity, and silliness, I lose it.  One
example - when a group of animal rightists broke into a lab and released the
lab rats into the wild, I shook my head.  Those rats had never had been
shown how to survive or gather food or keep from being easy prey.  Not to
mention their fur wouldn't camouflage them adequately and thus made them
even easier prey.  So where's the quality of life in that?   Zero. Zip.
Nada.

Kat

----- Original Message -----
From: "Elizabeth H. Thiers" <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.c-palsy
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2002 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: peter singer again


> Pick away Ken, elephants are used for food in Africa.  Tigers are killed
for the Oriental medicinal market (not technical food but, eaten).  Our own
beloved bears are often used for their gall bile for the Chinese medicinal
markets.
> Many of the threaten sea turtles are still eaten in many parts of the
world and used to be a mainstay here in the colonies.  Bison are still
endangered and often eaten still.
> Audobon killed, mounted, and ate many of his beautiful subjects.  A common
practice at the time.
>
> Beth the OT
>
> PS. I think Singers a bit out on the edge also.
> >
> > From: "Barber, Kenneth L." <[log in to unmask]>
>  Subject: Re: peter singer   again
> >
> > okay, you have a right to be in a nit picky mood. what culture eats the
> > tigers, and the elephants?, The last passenger pigeon the world will
ever
> > know died September 1, 1914. notendangered but extinct so who is nit
picking
> > now.
> > did you know that Autoban SHOT a pair just to draw a picture of them?
> >
> > yes, i was really thinking of the fact that if many humans will eat
> > something, someone will raise them.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Elizabeth H. Thiers
> >
> > You mean animals that are raised for food?  Because in tigers are
> > "eaten", elephants are "eaten", passenger pigeons were "eaten", many
> > fish that used to be "eaten" are endangered because they were pushed out
> > by ohter fish that were stocked, salmon runs, cod runs are all crashing,
> > etc
> >
> > Ok, I feel in a nit picky mood today.
> >
> > Beth T the OT