Jon Katz has a thought provoking piece on how the U.S. v. Stevens case should make us consider our position on eating animals.
I wish for Stevens to be an opportunity not only to celebrate and strengthen the First Amendment, but also for people to re-examine their relationship with and treatment of all animals, both of different species and their own species. Human rights violations continue running too rampant worldwide. Too many people accept violence and the threat of violence as normal for controlling others, for flexing muscle, and for carrying out their daily activities. The human-on-human violence and threats of violence include parents who hit their children lightly or more brutally, police and soldiers who lose a sense of self control over their power to arrest and shoot, governments that mass arms and soldiers, street criminals, and the list goes on.
Physical violence is not the only blight on society. To be sure, a lack of general compassion towards all causes much harm in society, and too often leads to physical violence. (source)
My food consumption is one of my admitted hypocrisies. While I agree with everything Katz has to say about this subject, I simply love eating animals. Even veal and foie gras. I don’t see changing that (but never say never). Nevertheless, I do think the argument is compelling. Believe it or not, I consciously try to be more compassionate every day. I think that Jon makes a very strong, if not indisputable, point.
Nevertheless, I will eat a Ribeye tonight and foie gras every time I see it on the menu. Meh… nobody said I was the buddha.
For a contrary perspective, there is always the ever-entertaining Maddox.
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The Legal Satyricon 
i don’t think eating in an ethical, compassionate way requires one to stop loving eating animals. it doesn’t have to be an absolute. if americans simply ate 10% less meat, the effects would be profound.
Some animals are so annoying or potentially dangerous, it is entirely right to eat them. I would include poisonous snakes, large aggressive dogs, and deer and elk (which cause random carnage on the nation’s highways by running in front of cars at night, and are “vermin of the forests” in my view).
They should all be treated humanely and with respect, until the point at which they are euthanized. But since we take such elaborate steps to protect ourselves from other potentially life threatening human beings, it’s odd to exempt animals.
Mark- Here’s my reply I sent Scott Greenfield’s blog, responding to his comments on your above-posted blog entry. Jon
Hi, Scott- Thanks for commenting on my vegan posting. Here are a few points:
– It is important for us to point out injustices in society — e.g., meat-eating — whether or not we advocate laws to cure the particular injustice. For instance, as much as I decry the libel laws as incompatible with the First Amendment, I still speak out about people who are reckless with the truth to the harm of others’ reputations and well being.
– Humans can survive just fine as ovo-lacto vegetarians, and as vegans.
-Humans are not designed to require meat, even though many crave it (which often passes the longer one remains a vegetarian). For instance, humans are the only animals that dress and cook animals, rather than just eating them as is, blood, guts and all.
– Unlike carnivorous non-human animals, humans do not salivate upon seeing their animal prey alive.
– Humans’ intestines are very long, which is not suitable to good health, versus the other meat-eating animals with short intestines. The long intestines contribute heavily to colon cancer in meat eaters.Of course, heavy meat-eating increases risks of other cancers, heart disease, impotence (from poor blood circulation), and my health insurance rates from the eating behavior of meat eaters.
– For those who will continue eating meat, fish and fowl, they can reduce the rampant suffering of the slaughtered animals by doing the slaughtering themselves. Do not expect animals to be raised, transported, and slaughtered humanely, if such a thing exists. PETA has documented — with undercover video — severe mistreatment of animals by their slaughterers, who often are suffering themselves from working with death the entire workday, and who often start skinning and dressing animals while they still are conscious, because time is money.
– Do not expect that fish and land animals slaughtered abroad for hamburger, crab cakes and other items are raised and killed with the same animal protection laws and oversight as in the U.S.
– If you think fish-eating is more humane than eating land animals, think again about fish gasping to breathe once removed from the water, and being scaled alive (which is apparently common in Chinese markets and Chinese restaurants, for ease of scaling or for the palate, just as many believe it is easier to pluck a chicken it remains alive).
– Centuries of millions of vegetarian Indian Hindus have demonstrated that people can be healthy vegetarians.
– When you eat meat, you turn your body into a grave for the animals you eat, if not also as a receptacle for the suffering and fear of the animals you eat and of the animals’ slaughterers.
– Non-human animals may not be advanced enough to choose healthy alternatives to eating meat, fish and fowl. Humans are able to do so.
Thanks for listening. Jon