Today's column has nothing to do with milk issues, but
during the years of Notmilk advocacy, it's been made clear to me that all
things are connected. Violence to animals, violence to people, abusing
humans, abusing any living creature. It's really all the same.
When innocent people are hurt or die from an act of
violence, or when innocent animals experience the same, that illogical and
irrational action becomes a tragedy of spirit that separates abusers from
the infinite forces which govern us all.
To those who are on the receiving end of injustice and
pain, there is the suffering and indignity of actions which make no sense.
To those of us who have assumed the role of complacent spectator to such
universal suffering, there becomes an obligation to make a phone call or
write an email or stand up and protest that which is clearly wrong.
Professional sports sometimes exist as a microcosm of
life. Cities fight cities and fan(atic)s applaud the actions of their own
warriors.
I grew up as a New York Ranger hockey fan and was lucky
enough to be a season ticket holder (Section 108, row 2, seats 5 and 6)
for twenty years at Madison Square Garden. Hardly a game went by without
hearing this comment from one or more spectators:
"I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."
Yes, hockey is a violent sport, and for the first time in
history, Canada's national game was eliminated for the 2004-2005 season
because of labor disputes between the owners and players.
Sadly, Canada's bloodlust has replaced one sport with
another. We do not play this new sport in America. North of the border,
millions of infants will die violent deaths while the world watches in
relative silence.
I invite you to click on this photo, taken moments before
the splattering of blood sprayed from the head of a newborn infant mammal.
The picture represents the promise of violence, but not the actual act, so
you should not be overly offended:
<http://tinyurl.com/69ovp
>
Here is the "after" photo, and yes, its reproduction here
is intended to offend:
<http://tinyurl.com/7ynma
>
It is not really puppies and kittens who die on
blood-stained Canadian ice, but does it matter what creature suffers that
fate? No living infant deserves such human hatred or indifference. Nature
has designed the face of all infants, so that the basic instinct of any
adult is to nurture and help those soft, cuddly, loveable, innocent
creatures who are now in distress.
See:
<http://www.seashepherd.org/seals/seals.html
>
Who is responsible for the carnage? Is it the men wielding
the clubs, or the women wearing the sealskin coats? Is it the Canadian
bureaucrats who turn deaf ears to the protests, or the majority of people
who choose not to even whisper their displeasure? We all share
responsibility, because these horrendous crimes against nature's creations
continue.
What can you do? What should you do? My answer is,
whatever you think is right. Take this moment to ask yourself, what is the
nature of my religion, or my God, or whatever spirit that will one day
tabulate my own scorecard and assess the things that I did in my lifetime.
Many, myself included, believe that to save just one living creature is to
save the world. What you do today can be self-gratifying, and can make an
enormous difference for those who are unable to speak out against
injustice.
To get VERY MUCH involved:
http://www.protectseals.org
Eyewitness account of seal hunt:
<http://tinyurl.com/5gnyz
>
Have a happy and productive Sunday.
Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com
Go on to Our Very Own
Color by Michelle Rivera
Return to 17 April 2005 Issue
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