I am fascinated with day time talk shows lately and how much they are bringing to light the farm animal atrocities that happen every second of every day.

Ellen recently had PCRM's head honcho talking about ways to eat more healthily - he's totally vegan though so I am sure he turned some people off. Then Ellen had Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the Humane Society on a few weeks ago talking about the same type of things. I LOVE IT!

I recorded Oprah yesterday because she was talking about "Where food comes from" - I thought this was the best show out of the 3 though because she opened with a dude who wrote a column for the NY Times saying that he eats meat and loves it but he also respects where meat comes from having grown up on a farm. He stated that he only supported companies that treated animals humanely. I think this is the best offense in trying to get people to change, because once someone comes across as a veg head people tend to tune them out, ya know? I know you all know... people think vegetarians want the world to be vegetarian, and while that might be true for some, well - let's just say that Oprah did the show VERY well.

Oprah had the crates shown that Prop 2 (legislation that would phase out gestation crates for pigs and battery cages for hens and crates for veal calves) is going after in CA. They showed the tiny confinement quarters pigs, veal calves and chickens spend their life in. These crates are so tiny that the animals can not stretch or turn around EVER in their lives. She had regular (factory) farmers on along with organic farmers. It was very interesting to hear the factory farmers justifying their trade - saying if they let pigs and chickens have space to turn around or spread their wings they would lose money. It's all about the almighty dollar peeps. Wayne Pacelle was also on this show and did a wonderful job of disputing the factory farmers CRAP. The organic farmers also did a wonderful job of disputing it because they were PROOF that farms that let animals have some natural freedoms can and do thrive.

The people against Prop 2 were talking about how it would drive them out of business and how imports were going to take over because people want cheap products. While I do believe this will happen to some extent for a short time, I also see the greater good in that this legislation will go on to other states meaning the possibility for US HUMANE FARMING, like they already are doing in Europe, which I really do think we could all agree on... well, most of us anyways. People just don't realize what they are supporting.

I remember when the Humane Society jumped on this Farm Animal Humane Treatment train. I was soooo excited! You didn't hear much about it before - I knew about it but people in general had no idea that Old McDonald's farm was no longer even remotely close to the norm for food supplies.

I am all for educating the public on this matter. If you know the dealio and still choose to buy meat and eggs from such atrocious places, that's your moral choice... At least you know there are other choices out there...

Also noted was the price of "organic" meat and cage free eggs (calling meat organic still floors me, to me organic means natural, from the earth) and how some people can't afford them. It was noted that once consumer demand goes up, there will be more competition, and prices will go down.

Ah, DARE TO DREAM! I thank Oprah and Ellen for taking the time in their shows to try to educate the public on such IMPORTANT matters!