Enewsletter

This issue of Vegan Spam is sponsored by VeganCats.com:

"The brain and spinal cord of the one known “mad cow” in the United States was made into pet food. So are the brains and spinal cords of countless millions of other cows, including downers, each year. And so are the brains and spinal cords of road killed deer and elk, populations that suffer from chronic wasting disease, a related illness. Does your cat or dog have a brain? Then he or she can get mad cow disease. For more details on how you can keep them safe, see vegancats.com."

We Need Your Help!

Thanks to everyone who is making our Winter fundraiser a success! As you can see, we still have a ways to go before reaching our goal and being able to print new runs of Why Vegan and Try Vegetarian. If you haven't donated yet, please do so now!

You can donate here, or send a check to:

Vegan Outreach | P.O. Box 38492 | Pittsburgh, PA 15238-8492

Donate $40 or above for membership listing.
On behalf of the animals -- thanks!!

Adopt a College Rolls On!

Congratulations to everyone on the leaders list -- especially those where the weather isn't good!

Coming Soon: "A Meaningful Life"

A "new" essay from Matt Ball. Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback so far.

Dr. Greger's February Newsletter Available

The Believers

"Few activists get face time with the CEO of the entity they're protesting. Usually, just as in a Michael Moore movie, some faceless corporate flack is dispatched to the picket line outside company headquarters to nod and empathize with the demonstrators and not say anything remotely meaningful - and then make them go away.

"Which makes the story of how Lauren Ornelas, the lone U.S. representative of a British animal rights group, who persuaded the CEO of Whole Foods to go vegan, seem as surreal today as when the two met nearly a year ago. Not only that, but the ensuing online dialogue the 33-year-old Davis resident conducted with CEO John Mackey may someday be seen as helping to inspire industrywide changes in how "farmed" animals are raised."

Valentine Recipes

Chocolate from Vegan Outreach and Compassion over Killing.

When Slaughter Makes Sense

"Killing the animals 'only' to prevent the possible spread of disease is certainly no worse for the individual animals. All of these animals - civet cats, chickens and cows - were destined for dinner tables. Since virtually all of them are intensively farmed and spend their lives confined and crowded in miserable conditions, it is probably kinder to kill them sooner rather than later....

"So what is there to object to about the current large-scale slaughters to prevent disease? Since we are both actively involved with the animal- rights movement, most people would expect us to think of them as atrocities. We are saddened, of course, by the mass killings, but at least there is a valid purpose to them, as they are designed to stop the spread of diseases that could cause many more other deaths."

Clarification

After our mention of the Christian Vegetarian Association's new booklet, Honoring God's Creation, some people wrote to us with displeasure that Vegan Outreach seems to support religion in general and Christianity in particular. This is not the case. VO does not take a stand for or against religion. But, Vegan Outreach does encourage spreading veganism to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or philosophical orientation. Since certain audiences respond best to literature that directly addresses their questions, concerns, and beliefs, it is reasonable for VO to alert its members to the availability of vegetarian literature aimed at Christian, and other, audiences.

As Jack wrote to someone who withdrew their future donations:

I appreciate your support in the past, and I'd like to suggest that you consider who will do the most good with your money. Vegan Outreach can't decide which actions to take based on what each individual donor insists. You might withdraw your support while someone else is donating money because we do address the fact that there are hundreds of millions of Christians in this country who eat meat, use religion as an excuse to do so, and who we need to reach. You would prefer to give your donation to a group that does not support efforts to reach those millions of people? I don't see how that can help the end goal of reducing animal suffering. We have a responsibility to help animals who are going to be eaten by atheists, as well as animals who are going to be eaten by Christians.

Vegan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the suffering of farmed animals by promoting informed, ethical eating. All donations are tax-deductible. Vegan Outreach POB 30865, Tucson, AZ 85751-0865