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Fur felt industry vs animal protection issue

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rygd

New in Town
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25
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North carolina
I hate having animals suffer without reason, and would rather my chicken sandwich come from a farm where the chicken was out scratching in the dirt with all the other chickens, but this kind of stuff isn't likely to change, regardless of how much paint is thrown on people in hats (won't they feel stupid if they learn it is wool or synthetic).

Were it not for the animals that have been eaten and worn throughout our existence these people would not be alive to complain about how horrible we are for all of this. Why don't they use blood from slaughter houses? Those delicious cows and pigs and such are already dead and they are not using the blood anymore, and it would make their message a bit more frightening. I really don't understand it, as I don't understand why they have problems with it. I can understand the problem with factory farms, but not the rest. Why is it a problem that animals were killed to make my lunch, but not a problem that trees were killed to make the paper they use to distibute their literature or for their homes, or to make room for the cities they throw paint in and everything else natural that has been consumed or destroyed to make life as it is today.

How about all the pain associated with the cotton industry in the past and even today. I am sure they wear cotton. Maybe even cotton caps. Can I throw human blood at them for that? How about harassing them for everything they purchase that is not American made (not that it is easy to find things that are wholly American anymore). Maybe try to get it into their heads that some of the recreational substances some of them enjoy are supporting groups that are destructive not only to human lives, but their lives and lifestyle, and who knows how many critters.

Of all the things they could be so actively against, there are some that logically make much more sense than going after those who have embraced our spot at the top.
 

Aaron Hats

Vendor
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539
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Does it matter?
My store (and a couple other in our town) have been targeted by a local PETA woman because we sell products made with fur. The local newspaper will print any letter sent to them and this woman regularly submits letters to them. A good thing is that because of one of these letters where we were mentioned I had people come in and want to see what we were about and some became customers. Actually we're due for another mention because one of our window displays is a hunting theme with a stuffed pheasant.

You can believe whatever you want about animal rights, guns, politics, etc but when you try to do harm to my livelihood you've crossed the line. If the woman who wrote these letters about us were to ever step into the store she would be physically removed by me.

Aaron
 

Rooster

Practically Family
Messages
917
Location
Iowa
Reading this animal rights threads always leaves me in the state of sadness. Sadness that urban people have come so far away from the farm they no longer can get a grasp on what animals are really like, instead they insist on giving the beasties human feelings and show remorse over a rabbits death to make a hat.....pretty silly from my point of view.
I grew up on several farms. Mostly large chicken and hog operations. One farm had 13,000 egg layers. 10,000 of them were automated, the other 3,000 were gathered/feed by hand, every day be me and the farmer's son. I much preferred the automated chicken house at the time.;) At the end of the year all 13,000 chicken were put on a truck and headed for Swanson's TV diners for the urbanites to eat. Nobody knew the difference whether the clucker in the aluminum foil was free range or cage grown.
My point being, chickens can't think nor do they have feelings. The free range birds taste better, but the bird it's self is to stupid to know whether it's being mistreated or not and doesn't have an opinion on the subject. I have about 250 chickens free ranging on my farm at the moment and I have as yet not seen a chicken with an idea...... nor any other animal for that matter.
Now, on to rabbits for hats. The carcass is ground into pet food, no waste there.
 

Big Man

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,781
Location
Nebo, NC
Aaron Hats said:
My store (and a couple other in our town) have been targeted by a local PETA woman because we sell products made with fur ...

Actually we're due for another mention because one of our window displays is a hunting theme with a stuffed pheasant ...

You can believe whatever you want about animal rights, guns, politics, etc but when you try to do harm to my livelihood you've crossed the line. If the woman who wrote these letters about us were to ever step into the store she would be physically removed by me.

Aaron

What about using HER for your next window display (stuffed, of course). :D
 

indycop

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,325
Location
Jacksonville, Florida
Aaron Hats said:
My store (and a couple other in our town) have been targeted by a local PETA woman because we sell products made with fur. The local newspaper will print any letter sent to them and this woman regularly submits letters to them. A good thing is that because of one of these letters where we were mentioned I had people come in and want to see what we were about and some became customers. Actually we're due for another mention because one of our window displays is a hunting theme with a stuffed pheasant.

You can believe whatever you want about animal rights, guns, politics, etc but when you try to do harm to my livelihood you've crossed the line. If the woman who wrote these letters about us were to ever step into the store she would be physically removed by me.

Aaron

As is every business owners right !!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap
 

rygd

New in Town
Messages
25
Location
North carolina
Rooster said:
My point being, chickens can't think nor do they have feelings. The free range birds taste better, but the bird it's self is to stupid to know whether it's being mistreated or not and doesn't have an opinion on the subject. I have about 250 chickens free ranging on my farm at the moment and I have as yet not seen a chicken with an idea...... nor any other animal for that matter.
Now, on to rabbits for hats. The carcass is ground into pet food, no waste there.

I don't know if chickens have feelings. I do care, and I know that other non-human animals do seem to show emotions, and I have seen things that would seem to be examples of birds showing emotion. One of these is these is also the reason that they clip the beaks of some chickens in those little cages. I haven't been to a chicken farm in several years (I remember the smell like it was yesterday, though). If I were to find that the critters we grow and harvest were able to feel negative emotions due to their living conditons I would prefer they have nice lives. They will die anyway, but might as well keep 'em happy until then. The thing is, I doubt it is possible, at least as long as we have such a massive population. If we all embraced the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement's philosophy (I don't know much...just read a bit here and there) maybe this wouldn't be such a problem, but, as has even been put into perspective in films such as "Idiocracy", many people have too many children, and often it is those who should not have children. Once most of mankind is living in the same kind of conditions the chickens are living in, I will no longer care that the chickens aren't happy, and the critters that my hats are made of will be far from my mind.

As for other animals, I have seen some damned smart behavior from some. I spend a lot of time around dogs, and some are pretty smart and seem more intelligent than the people who do things in the name of animal rights. I hope my dog would bite one of them for trying to "free" him or otherwise disrupt his way of life. Perhaps he would merely urinate on them, as that is what he does with foolish dogs that are easily excited.

I do care about the animals that die to make my life the way I like it, but I refuse to drop my quality of life so that other animals can be a little happier. There would not likely be enough food or other animal products were we to drastically change the way things are presently done.

As for the rabbits used in hats, I am sure I could use the other parts for stuff if it ever was brought to my attention that they were not being used. What is the process for getting the fur? Is the skin usable afterwards? If so I can use 90-95% of them.
 

Bud-n-Texas

Practically Family
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975
Location
Central Texas (H.O.T.)
Miss Brill said:
Archaic arguement. We do not need to eat or wear animals to survive. This is not the stone age.

You may choose not to and that is your right. This having been said, it is my choice to enjoy what the Lord provided.I have and will continue to do so.

Rooster, I am afraid that those with a PETA state of mind will never grasp the reality of which you speak.
 

rygd

New in Town
Messages
25
Location
North carolina
dr greg said:
I think it all boils down to how the animal is treated before it's killed, if it's had a reasonable life without being locked in a cage it can't turn around in, or had pipes shoved in its guts like the Chinese do to those poor bloody bears, then OK use the byproducts after death, but cruelty to a dumb beast demeans us. And I'm talking here from the point of view of an ex-slaughterman who runs cattle, my animals are treated better than most pets, but off to the killing floor they go when the time comes, and that's that.
As to bunnies, they were a plague in Australia for most of the last 100 years in unimaginable numbers, but recent bio-controls have got the numbers down so that now Akubra has to import rabbit skins!


Bears in China with pipes in their guts? Why, and what are the bears used for? With pets, many people abuse or neglect their pets...or have worthless ones. I have never understood the purpose of having a pocket sized dog. What do they do other than irritate everyone? I have no doubt that most cattle are treated better than most pets, but I have no knowledge, as I have only been around cows at dairy farms. The domesticated life, though, seems far better than life in the wild, and if cows and other such animals were left to fend for themselves, I don't doubt they would quickly become extinct.

I do recall hearing that rabbits in Australia were devestating to the environment, and do find it a bit shocking that Akubra would have to import. Seems to me it would be better to the economy to try to keep the population at a balanced level, if possible. Nothing to great to prevent further environmental imact, but enough that all of the benefits are still there.

I really don't think they want to live, I mean look at what those little bunnies are doing: http://paginas.terra.com.br/arte/ReinodoCaos/bunny/b1.htm
 

rygd

New in Town
Messages
25
Location
North carolina
Miss Brill said:
Archaic arguement. We do not need to eat or wear animals to survive. This is not the stone age.

Perhaps true, however they are a very big part of our lifestyle, and attempting to replace everything they provide for us would be more problematic than it is worth. Plus they taste yummy, and I have yet to find a good alternative to leather footwear, especially againt snakes in the desert.

Bud, where in Texas are you? I used to live in Copperas Cove.
 

Rooster

Practically Family
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917
Location
Iowa
Miss Brill said:
Archaic arguement. We do not need to eat or wear animals to survive. This is not the stone age.
Ok, cool. Let's suppose we all decide we're never again to use animals for food or clothing. With in one week every cow, pig and chicken will become extinct. No farmer is going to feed and raise anything he doesn't have a market for. Congratulations on the extinction of all domestic farm animals.:eusa_clap
 

Miss Brill

One Too Many
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1,199
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on the edge of propriety
Bud-n-Texas said:
You may choose not to and that is your right. This having been said, it is my choice to enjoy what the Lord provided.I have and will continue to do so.

But that doesn't have anything to do with what I said. And religious texts can be used to justify any behavior anyone wishes to engage in, and unless one is willing to admit other religions may have different views, which are as important, I don't think religion is a valid excuse or arguement. I am a Christian & I was not raised to think that God put animals here for us to abuse, exploit, or to profit from. The less pain & suffering I cause, the better I feel. To me that is a Christian way of thinking.
 

Rooster

Practically Family
Messages
917
Location
Iowa
Rooster, I am afraid that those with a PETA state of mind will never grasp the reality of which you speak.
I know Bud, but that doesn't keep me from voicing my opinion on something near and dear to my heart.
 

Miss Brill

One Too Many
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1,199
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Rooster said:
No farmer is going to feed and raise anything he doesn't have a market for. Congratulations on the extinction of all domestic farm animals.:eusa_clap

So you are admitting certain animals still exist only because they are of use to us? They would have died off a thousand years ago had they not been something we could use? If that is true, what does it matter if nature takes its course?
 

Rooster

Practically Family
Messages
917
Location
Iowa
Miss Brill said:
So you are admitting certain animals still exist only because they are of use to us? They would have died off a thousand years ago had they not been something we could use? If that is true, what does it matter if nature takes its course?
We made cows, pigs and chickens you see today with selective breeding. They wouldn't even exist today in modern form if it weren't for man. What does it matter? They are a good food source for one and help keep world starvation at bay. Seems enough reason to keep them around to me.[huh]
 

Miss Brill

One Too Many
Messages
1,199
Location
on the edge of propriety
Rooster said:
We made cows, pigs and chickens you see today with selective breeding. They wouldn't even exist today in modern form if it weren't for man. What does it matter? They are a good food source for one and help keep world starvation at bay. Seems enough reason to keep them around to me.[huh]

Selective breeding is not natural, so how can it be good for the animal, the earth, or for us? Isn't animal farming a major reason for global warming, destruction of forests, and pollution from pesticides? Aren't we killing ourselves because of our dependence on McDonald's? Who has ever starved because they didn't have a cheeseburger? What good does a cheeseburger do you anyway?
 

Dinerman

Super Moderator
Bartender
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10,562
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Bozeman, MT
Just a question.
Do you think all that many people outside the hat wearing community really know that fedoras are made out of fur?
 
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