I’m driving home when I see a turtle on its back in the middle of the road.  First thought: poor turtle.  Second thought: maybe it’s not dead.  Being on it’s back like that is unusual for turtle roadkill.  So I look for a good spot and turn around.  I go back and except for being on it’s back the turtle looks no worse for wear.  Traffic isn’t bad, but I’m not running across a 4-lane highway to put it on the other side.  Besides, I don’t know which way it was traveling in the first place.  So I put it in the back of my pickup and head home.  Maybe releasing it on my little plot of land isn’t the best idea, but it’s better than getting squished by a car.

Both my brother and my brother-in-law are avid hunters.  I appreciate that they eat what they kill, but why kill in the first place? Why take a life when you don’t have to? It’s easy to bring death, but try bringing life one of these days.

For the time being, I still eat meat.  But I do my best to get local, pasture-raised meat because I want the animal to have lived a good life.  I don’t want its death to be the best thing that ever happened to it.

I don’t have any remorse about eating meat per se.  Everything that lives must die. Our “social contract” with livestock is this: We will protect you from predators and disease.  We will make sure you’re comfortable and not have to risk a brutal, short life. Your death will be quick, painless and unexpected. In return, we will take your freedom and kill you at a time that’s convenient for us.

Except agri-business has fucked that all up.  Now, humans are the purveyors of misery, when we were supposed to be the caretakers.