J u s t ice De n i e d
We destroy rabbits as vermin, demonise thereassess our role on Earth and our attitude to
foxes who predate upon them and huntthe planet and the living creatures who share
them too, even though it is now illegal. We it with us. When a calf is prodded and
gas badgers because they might have TB,dragged into the killing pen – wide-eyed and
trap and kill rooks because we don’t liketerrified, with the stench of blood and death
their habits, do anything we like to rats in his nostrils – and the captive bolt shatters
and mice, and shoot pigeons in their tens his forehead, there is no compassion. When
of thousands. the slaughterer’s hand grabs the muzzle of a
lamb to stifle her bleating and applies the
We determine which animals we will eat knife to her throat, there is no compassion.
and deny them everything; we determineAnd without compassion there is little hope
which will be labelled vermin and try to for any of us.
annihilate them; we allow others the
comfort of our homes. We have ben betrayed by leaders who
refuse to jeopardise their own power base
Across the globe we chase whales andby acknowledging that humankind’s
destroy them for cultural reasons; we killactivities are desperately destructive and
dolphins and seals because they dare to eatunsustainable. The political parties that
the same food as us; and there is hardly a have held power have bent the kne to
species which will not be exterminated if powerful loby groups while destroying
their interests and ours collide.democratic bodies such as trade unions
that represent ordinary
we as individuals can
people. We have now
take meaningful
arived at a point where
our very existence is
action right no
threatened by masive
global corporations who
It seems we are incapable of understandingdemand subservience from governments
that every living creature has its part to playwho willingly give it.
in maintaining the glorious fabric of our
wonderful world. We pretend that only weOf course, the eventual solutions to the
can maintain the balance by determiningproblems which beset our world will have to
what shall live and what shall die. It seemsbe political but we as individuals can take
we never stop and look around us to witnessmeaningful action right now, without
the appalling mess we have made – all byanyone’s say so, simply by changing our diet.
deluding ourselves that we know what we
are doing when the evidence screams in Make no mistake, becoming a vegetarian, or
contradiction.better still a vegan, is an important act.
Instantly, you are no longer a part of this
None of the animals which we slaughter, insanity. You are no longer responsible for
even those we demonise as vermin, pose anymost of the daily cruelties handed out to
threat to the survival of the planet. It is notfarmed animals. You are taking the first step
they which threaten its existence but us. Inin allowing the planet to heal itself but it is
this maniacal juggling act we have begun tomuch more than that. It is a political act and
drop the balls. a clear expression of a belief that is a
different way of doing things, a different
The only hope we have is to fundamentallykind of world – a better world.
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