Sorry, man. I like animals and all, but those PETA people scare me. [gulp!] Saying we should care more for animals is fine, but putting animal life on a level with human life [which is precisely what many of these activists are doing] has been the source of many unhappy philosophical debates going back past the Greeks. Fact is, an argument like that does more damage to society than can be compensated for by projected positive returns. If you want to build a credible base of information [which I sense you are trying very hard to do], steer clear of the fringe. There are plenty of good reasons people become vegans other than worn-out and indefensible philosophical arguments about the hierarchy of nature.