Well I am a big softie as well and thus my own self could not kill something to eat it, unless perhaps I was starving to death, then sorry bird or phesant or bunny might end up dinner.
But we have meat markets and grocery stores and there are countless numbers of folks that raise animals FOR our eating. Chicken farmers, hog and cattle raisers, turkey raisers, etc. all provide us with meat for our tables if we choose to eat meat and yes these animals were raised *TO* be eaten not spared as pets. That is one reason I myself refused to actually raise animals for food.. I would give them all a pet name and never send them to the slaughter houses. . hense I would make a lousy meat raiser farmer rancher type of person.
Do we HAVE to eat meat, probably not. But there are folks whom rely upon the meat eaters in any given society for their own incomes too. I am not one to put all those folks on some unemployment lines either.
We have always been given a choice even back to biblical times Paul refused to eat pork being of one faith, and yet later on he said to others whom ate pork saying all things in moderation not overdosing, is not a bad thing either, and depending upon whom is raising your meat and processing it and packaging it and shipping it to your local storemarket for us to buy to eat, it is ok to eat it.
Course hubby is a deer hunter. Many a deer hunter type will also say overpopulation of some species is not good, not healthy for them, not healthy for us, that some need to be culled out ie killed to keep their numbers down. One can argue the pros and cons of deer hunting till hell freezes over, but both sides will have valid arguements for and against deer hunting for *meat* on the table.
In the end it is still a personal choice and luckily many people have some freedom of choice in what they do decide to eat..their choices...we should though all keep in mind there are people even in this nation that get very little choices, they are going to bed hungry. The *system* does not help them, or does not know about them, they may have lost their jobs or did not have one for long if a place closed on them esp. some smaller towns and they can not afford relocations or natural disasters tons of things and their kids going to bed tonite hungry...our soft hearts should be also caring about the hungry nation wide and globe wide, they would be greatful for a loaf of homemade warm bread to eat, cans of fruits and veggies, and some would cry even weep to be given a ham or chicken for their christmas but chances are they won't get one..if we do not remember to donate to those whom get very little choices in what they get to eat...because they are going to bed hungry tonite.
Please go donate foods to local food banks, or send the local organisations some rl gp... tis the season and hungry hurts worse feels worse any time of year but even more worse when others are pigging out on holiday foods be these veg. or meat eaters and they're still going to bed hungry this holiday season.
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