And its Jaclyn. No biggies, no one gets it right the first time...d'oh...
The book portion was not intended just for you, but I wanted to make clear why I thought the way I do about animal behavior and animal ethics. It's easy to say 'I feel this is wrong' or 'But I like the status quo' but its harder to sit there and read and learn and let that change the way you think.
About the mentally disabled arguement -- be it Down's Syndrome or 'Cry of the Cat' or whatever the genenic or physical damage done to an individual, he or she is still garenteed three basic rights in our Constitution -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You admit animals and humans are not equal. That we agree on. Animals do not get rights they get respect. I do not see raising an animal on native land with regular checks by a professional veterinarian and eventually used for human consumption suffering. Its repsonsible animal industry at work.
As far as pig-dog relations...don't forget, that's only here in this country. Some places, pigs are unfit for food, and in some places, dogs are eaten. Early man domesticated dogs to protect and aid in hunting. Pigs were domesticated for meat. That's where the difference lies. Rabbits weren't seen as pets until monks that kept them as meat began letting them run around.
