By Mike Barnett
You might be a redneck if your dinner ever mooed, oinked or clucked. That’s a new twist as animal activists continue to use cruelty in animals in Texas and other states as a reason for you to quit eating meat.
I never heard Jeff Foxworthy use that line. But it’s a sentiment expressed by Bryan Monell, an activist who has frequently obtained illicit employment at farms and research facilities in order to obtain undercover video footage. He mocked the work of both farmers and researchers, as reported by the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a non-profit group who communicates the important role livestock agriculture plays in our nation’s economy.
"These people are rednecks and we are superior," he reportedly said at the recent Animal Rights 2010 conference. I’ll take it for granted that he means meat eaters as well.
So just call me Bubba and give me a bucket of KFC. If eating meat makes a redneck, certify me. I guess I’ll be a card-carrying member of Rednecks ‘R’ Us. And I’ll be joined by the 97 percent of all Americans who love meat.
Monell’s statement speaks volumes of the attitude prevalent in the animal rights activist movement. If you eat meat or raise livestock, you are inferior to Monell and friends. They perceive meat lovers to be one or several steps down the social, economic and intellectual ladders in their elitist worlds.
It would be easy to say these animal rights activists are on the far edge of sanity and dismiss their thoughts as rants from the vegan crowd. That’s what agriculture has always done. To a large extent we continue to do so. And it’s put livestock agriculture in a tenuous situation. Referendums which restrict livestock production practices and are backed by the animal rights crowd have been passed in California and several other states.
These animal rights activists are gaining traction. Cruelty to animals in Texas and other states is a mask for their true intentions. They want everyone to quit eating meat. They are serious. And agriculture must take them seriously.
Here’s a list of some of the other quotes that came out of the Animal Rights 2010 Conference and the Humane Society of the United States-hosted Taking Action for Animals, two of the nation's largest animal rights events, both held in July. The list was compiled by the Animal Agriculture Alliance.
• “Owning animals is the equivalent of slavery.”—Hope Bohenic, In Defense of Animals, AR 2010
• “I have no problem with breaking and entering, destroying labs, burning buildings and busting open cages.”—Camille Hankins, Win Animals Rights and spokesperson for Animal Liberation Front, AR 2010
• “The dog they walked last night is no different than the pig they ate for breakfast.”—Jerry Cesak, Radio Personality and Proponent of HSUS ‘Yes on Prop 2’ Campaign, TAFA
• "Any state with an initiative process is on our radar." –Jennifer Hillman, Humane Society of the United States, TAFA
Folks, let me repeat: it’s not about animal welfare. True intentions were best expressed by Gene Bauer of Farm Sanctuary, who made the following statement at the TAFA meeting: “I dream of a vegan world—that’s where I want everything to go."
Mr. Monell and all of your friends: My neck may be red according to your definition. But so is my meat. If you want to be a vegan, that’s fine with me. But don’t try to force your values upon me and my fellow Americans.
So praise the Lord and pass the pork chops. If eating meat defines who I am, then I’m proud to be a redneck!
Visit the Texas Farm Bureau website at www.txfb.org.
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