You Can Take The Vegan Out Of Iowa, But You Can't Take The Iowa Out Of The Vegan

From the Quad City Times:

It’s no surprise that Quad-Cities residents are concerned about the welfare of Thanksgiving turkeys (“No turkey? No problem! Vegetarian Thanksgivings are on the rise,” Nov. 15). As a former Iowan, I knew countless families opposed to factory farms due to their poor record with polluting rural communities, putting family farmers out of business and treating their animals inhumanely.

Factory-farmed turkeys are bred to grow so quickly that they suffer from painful health conditions, often dying from complications before even making it to slaughter. The industry has to use artificial insemination for every bird it produces, as factory farm turkeys can not mate on their own due to being bred for unnatural size. Mutilations without anesthesia to the birds’ beaks, toes and skin above their beaks are also common practices.

Consumers interested in more humane holiday fare should visit www.HumaneEating.com.

Alyson Powers, Washington, D.C.

As you might suspect, Alyson Powers and Leana Stormont knew each other at the University of Iowa, forming various Animal Rights groups that attracted a whopping nine members.

These fringe types always complain about factory farming, but as militant vegetarians you don't see them ever promoting the consumption of free range turkey.

Speaking of omnivore behavior, now is the time for everybody to run around dunking frozen turkeys into vats of hot peanut oil for delicious deep-fried goodness in about an hour on Thanksgiving Day. Just be careful with those machines, as this video from Underwriters Laboratories points out.