Interesting debate... personally I would have no problem feeding Mattie
just about anything that she wanted... though I would bet the mouse would
just terrorize her...
 
LOL.
 
Seriously, we have become very far removed from our natural surroundings.
I know that once Y2K hits and we are all living primitive again, I would
not have the foggiest idea how to slaughter my own cow.  I know how to
dress small field game, but if I ever went deer hunting I would need a
mentor.  Most of the people I know think that beef comes from small
styrofoam trays.  Only the select few who think it through know that it
comes from cows.  I had a producer (I workd for a TV news station) run up
one side of me and down the other when I casually mentioned I was going
hunting one weekend.  He was appalled!  Of course his lecture took a bit
longer because he made his points in between mouthfuls of a McDonalds
Quarter Pounder.  Of course they don't call it a Dead Cow Burger, they only
mention beef occasionally, commercial burgers really don't trace back to
their roots very well.  And that response is indicative of my generation...
very few people I work with or know hunt, fish, camp, or otherwise get back
to nature.
 
I can't imagine this debate going on back in Charles Ingall's day!  (You
know, Little House on the Prarie!!) These people that pushed west lived
hand to mouth...the Ingalls were comparable to the Kennedy family the way
they were portrayed.  Most people had a very real fear of starving to
death, they would make use of every bit and part of every animal.  If they
could see the debates today about food they would be amazed!  Just 100
years ago things were so different.
 
So today we are protected from the evils of starvation.  The food industry
does all of the dirty work.  Personally I 'd like to transport all of the
anti-hunting, vegetarian crowd back to say 1840 and let them survive a
winter in rural Kansas.  I promise I'll beam you back before you actually
starve...how long would you last?
 
Of course this makes no sense, because things are today the way they are!
This is true, and today you can get by very well as a vegetarian thanks to
modern vitamins and the availability of fruits, veggies, legumes and
whatnot to make up the difference.  You can live your whole life never
having to hunt or kill an animal.  You can freely voice your opinions,
and you have my permission to voice ANY opinion.  Just please watch out
for hypocricy (remember my burger munching animal activist?) and think
about who your friends are going to be when the commercial food industry
shuts down after the year 2000!  (point of order, I really don't think Y2K
will shut down anything, so you are safe for now) And what does all of this
have to do with ferrets?  Not much, just my own way of saying don't let
sentiment interfere with common sense.  Well, now that I've thrown that
gas on the fire I'm off for a vacation.  See ya'll this weekend!
 
Todd  Collins
and Matilda "pass the kibble please" Ferret
please flame us at [log in to unmask] thanks!
[Posted in FML issue 2754]