For what is the cowboy?
He's wild and he's free
Oh, I feel the cowboy
Stirring in me
The cowboy needs spaces
Like an eagle up high
The cowboy wants nothing
'Tween him and the sky.
A campfire in the open
As evening draws nigh
The stars his entertainment
Night sounds his lullaby.
The Meadowlark awakens
With a song so clear and pure
The epitome of nature
That the cowboy calls home.
The early morning breezes
Wipes the dew from the rose.
He saddles up his mustang
And westward he goes.
Now I'm sitting in this folks home
Fading dreams and dignity
But no one takes the cowboy
From out of me.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Why It's Ethical To Eat Meat
This is my entry to the NY Times essay contest "Why It's Ethical To Eat Meat"
Why is it ethical to eat meat? Here is my argument and moral philosophy.
In my view this is simply a First World ethical dilemma brought on by self-righteous do-gooders who have totally lost sense of where we as a human race have come from and how we got here. Perching on their lofty pedestals whilst perusing petty non-issues such as this one, this may well be a case of loving the creature more than the Creator.
Do we honestly believe that the Pilgrims at Plymouth had the same misgivings about eating their freshly bagged Thanksgiving Turkey?
Could it be that those in society who believe in evolution are now experiencing guilt pangs over eating their supposed ancestors?
Do we have a four-compartment large-capacity ruminant stomach that’s optimized and critical for a vegan diet? One that doesn't need to be fortified with protein shakes, vitamins, essential fatty acids, and numerous other supplements?
Sorry about the questions but sometimes we have to look back in order to see ahead.
We, my friends, are at the top of the food chain. And no, we didn't get here by sautéing spinach or by pressure cooking cauliflower. Absolutely not, we got here by devouring protein and nutrient rich meat, fresh and dripping with blood, cooked on a stick while crouching over an open fire, clothed not in leaves of trees or pumpkin shells but in warm hides of animals.
Domesticated livestock are here to serve us just as we are here to conscientiously care for them. They depend on us to protect, care for and feed them. They in return supply us with a vast array of necessities including meat, gelatin, glue, leather (yup, those plush seats in that BMW, those fancy designer shoes, fine seating furniture, and cozy woolen blanket, they all went moo or baa not so very long ago). Amino acids, vitamins, supplements, hormones, countless medical and pharmaceutical products, replacement valves for the human heart, even food for pets come from animals.
They also supply us with milk and eggs which raises the question of ”Is it ethical to eat eggs or drink milk?” When a chicken gets too old to lay eggs or a cow can't produce milk any more, what should be done with them?
Are there Old Birds Homes for aging chickens or Retirement Pastures for elderly cows? And what would be the ethical thing to do with them when they succumb to old age or disease? Will the taxpayer pay for these services?
I almost feel silly defending such a logical argument that is quickly turning from ”Why it's ethical to eat meat?" into ”Is it ethical to stop a beating heart?”
In summary, I do think that it's ethical to eat meat and fully use all byproducts from the said animal, bird, or fish. I also think that it's imperative that we as farmers and livestock owners respect our source of nutrition, clothing and life essentials by implementing the highest standards to house, feed and care for these creatures of God, whose full potentials are only realized once they arrive at the abattoir. And since this is a free country you can choose to chomp your canines into a crispy carrot, but I will use my omnivorously designed dental structure and digestive system to wade into my next flame-broiled New Yorker. Medium Rare, please.
Louie Vetter.
Western Canadian Farmer.
Why is it ethical to eat meat? Here is my argument and moral philosophy.
In my view this is simply a First World ethical dilemma brought on by self-righteous do-gooders who have totally lost sense of where we as a human race have come from and how we got here. Perching on their lofty pedestals whilst perusing petty non-issues such as this one, this may well be a case of loving the creature more than the Creator.
Do we honestly believe that the Pilgrims at Plymouth had the same misgivings about eating their freshly bagged Thanksgiving Turkey?
Could it be that those in society who believe in evolution are now experiencing guilt pangs over eating their supposed ancestors?
Do we have a four-compartment large-capacity ruminant stomach that’s optimized and critical for a vegan diet? One that doesn't need to be fortified with protein shakes, vitamins, essential fatty acids, and numerous other supplements?
Sorry about the questions but sometimes we have to look back in order to see ahead.
We, my friends, are at the top of the food chain. And no, we didn't get here by sautéing spinach or by pressure cooking cauliflower. Absolutely not, we got here by devouring protein and nutrient rich meat, fresh and dripping with blood, cooked on a stick while crouching over an open fire, clothed not in leaves of trees or pumpkin shells but in warm hides of animals.
Domesticated livestock are here to serve us just as we are here to conscientiously care for them. They depend on us to protect, care for and feed them. They in return supply us with a vast array of necessities including meat, gelatin, glue, leather (yup, those plush seats in that BMW, those fancy designer shoes, fine seating furniture, and cozy woolen blanket, they all went moo or baa not so very long ago). Amino acids, vitamins, supplements, hormones, countless medical and pharmaceutical products, replacement valves for the human heart, even food for pets come from animals.
They also supply us with milk and eggs which raises the question of ”Is it ethical to eat eggs or drink milk?” When a chicken gets too old to lay eggs or a cow can't produce milk any more, what should be done with them?
Are there Old Birds Homes for aging chickens or Retirement Pastures for elderly cows? And what would be the ethical thing to do with them when they succumb to old age or disease? Will the taxpayer pay for these services?
I almost feel silly defending such a logical argument that is quickly turning from ”Why it's ethical to eat meat?" into ”Is it ethical to stop a beating heart?”
In summary, I do think that it's ethical to eat meat and fully use all byproducts from the said animal, bird, or fish. I also think that it's imperative that we as farmers and livestock owners respect our source of nutrition, clothing and life essentials by implementing the highest standards to house, feed and care for these creatures of God, whose full potentials are only realized once they arrive at the abattoir. And since this is a free country you can choose to chomp your canines into a crispy carrot, but I will use my omnivorously designed dental structure and digestive system to wade into my next flame-broiled New Yorker. Medium Rare, please.
Louie Vetter.
Western Canadian Farmer.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Why Did Jesus Have To Die?
The simplest answer to this question is also the best one. To pay for our sins.
But, why do our sins need to be paid for? Do they carry such far-reaching consequences?
In society there are laws. There have to be, to protect the innocent and to ensure that everything runs smoothly, orderly, and efficiently. And if those laws are broken then there are consequences and a price has to be paid. Sometimes monetarily, sometimes with community work, sometimes with jail time and sometimes with life itself -- as in the death penalty.
In God's far reaching cosmic society it's no different. He has laws for the universe, stars, galaxies, planets and he has laws for us.
So what happens when we break his divine laws? How do we pay? Well, since we can’t reconcile or 'pay' our offenses directly to God, our debts just keep adding up, driving us further and further away from God, reconciliation and salvation.
We think ”Why can’t God just wave his hand, sweep away our debt and say it’s all good, humans are only poor sinners, they don’t really mean to transgress?"
Well, that argument doesn't work in our legal system and much less can it work in God's. If we break God's divine law there are going to be real and severe consequences, and somebody, somewhere is going to have to pay.
God's laws are absolute and it’s impossible for them to be changed or amended in any way. The only way for our transgressions to be rectified with God is through God himself. To send His only begotten Son down to earth to be born as a human, to live as a human, (with human pains, needs and emotions), and to die as a human, but with one major difference; without a spot or a blemish, that is without sin. Only He who had never sinned was deemed worthy to take on the sins of the world, to carry them to Calvary and there pay for them -- while nailed naked to the cross for all the world to see -- with his suffering, pain, blood and finally, His life.
John 3:16 ”For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
So there we have it, all our sins and transgressions paid for, but only, and only, if we come to Jesus, believe in Him, and hand Him our bill that's owing with all the divine laws we broke. Only then will he give us a receipt that's signed with His own blood saying 'Paid in Full.'
But, why do our sins need to be paid for? Do they carry such far-reaching consequences?
In society there are laws. There have to be, to protect the innocent and to ensure that everything runs smoothly, orderly, and efficiently. And if those laws are broken then there are consequences and a price has to be paid. Sometimes monetarily, sometimes with community work, sometimes with jail time and sometimes with life itself -- as in the death penalty.
In God's far reaching cosmic society it's no different. He has laws for the universe, stars, galaxies, planets and he has laws for us.
So what happens when we break his divine laws? How do we pay? Well, since we can’t reconcile or 'pay' our offenses directly to God, our debts just keep adding up, driving us further and further away from God, reconciliation and salvation.
We think ”Why can’t God just wave his hand, sweep away our debt and say it’s all good, humans are only poor sinners, they don’t really mean to transgress?"
Well, that argument doesn't work in our legal system and much less can it work in God's. If we break God's divine law there are going to be real and severe consequences, and somebody, somewhere is going to have to pay.
God's laws are absolute and it’s impossible for them to be changed or amended in any way. The only way for our transgressions to be rectified with God is through God himself. To send His only begotten Son down to earth to be born as a human, to live as a human, (with human pains, needs and emotions), and to die as a human, but with one major difference; without a spot or a blemish, that is without sin. Only He who had never sinned was deemed worthy to take on the sins of the world, to carry them to Calvary and there pay for them -- while nailed naked to the cross for all the world to see -- with his suffering, pain, blood and finally, His life.
John 3:16 ”For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
So there we have it, all our sins and transgressions paid for, but only, and only, if we come to Jesus, believe in Him, and hand Him our bill that's owing with all the divine laws we broke. Only then will he give us a receipt that's signed with His own blood saying 'Paid in Full.'
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