163. End the suffering; boycott veal

Veal has always tested the ethical boundaries of meat production, so much so that even many adamant meat-eaters will not consume it.

To tell the story once more, veal calves are the product of the dairy industry in which predominantly male calves are raised and slaughtered at a very young age for their meat. These calves are the offspring of dairy cows, which must be continuously bred in order to be lactating (produce milk). While the female calves often become dairy cows themselves, the males are usually destined for a short stay on a veal farm.

What is offensive to many consumers is not just the young age in which the claves are slaughtered (usually 16-20 weeks), but also how they live their short lives. Veal calves can live up to ten weeks of their lives in veal crates so small that they cannot even turn around. One reason this method is imposed is to restrict movement, so that muscle does not develop--keeping the meat tender. Amazingly, much of the public remained unaware of these conditions until the 1980s when pictures first surfaced showing veal calves tethered in crates. This awareness decreased consumption, but did not change the unethical treatment of calves.

In 2009, Ohio voters installed an Ohio Livestock Standards Care Board to "create state standards for the care and well-being of livestock in Ohio." As I have mentioned several times, this is a fallacy and the Board was in fact created to preempt animal welfare groups from setting humane farming standards--securing farming profits based on economical rather than the ethical treatment of farm animals. The plan failed when Ohioans for Humane Farms collected enough signatures to put potential anti-factory farming laws on the ballot. In response, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Ohio Farm Bureau (OFB) settled on a number of standards to be jointly recommended to the Board.

The Board has adhered to all of the recommendations--until now. One of the recommendations made to the Board, and part of the joint agreement, was that veal crates would be banned by 2017. The Board, seemingly influenced by a small number of veal farmers, and despite a large amount of evidence to the contrary, has now provisionally voted 6-5 to ignore the agreement made by the HSUS and OFB and not ban the veal crates. Interestingly, the American Veal Association itself has announced that they plan to phase out the use of crates--recommending that the entire veal industry "convert to group housing methodology" by December 31, 2017. Something smells about this vote, and it is not just the cow dung.

The truth is that many animal advocates were not even incredibly pleased by the original agreement, because it does not help any veal calves born within the next seven years. It's like an agreement to end slavery in five years--it's great that the suffering will end, but what about those suffering now? And, it does not address the short lives of veal calves, or the despicable nature of the dairy industry.

Upon the provisional vote, the public was able to officially comment from March 2 to March 16. The final vote on the measure is scheduled for April 5-and many animal advocates will be making their way down to Columbus to express their displeasure with removing the ban on veal crates--and the disregard of the original agreement. The public can also comment directly to livestockstandardsboard@agri.ohio.gov.

However, the simpler solution-the one that does not involve meandering through the political and corporate backdrop of the Board or that does not rely on influencing an unelected Board who has no accountability to the public--is to simply stop purchasing veal. The public needs again to be made aware of what it is supporting when they purchase veal--because it only exists if we allow it to exist. If there are no consumers, there is no suffering.

162. Tragedy shows good in people

We always hear how precious and fleeting life can be. While clichés run rampant, usually in regards to taking time to enjoy life and not to spend time worrying about the little things, when misfortune happens-the clichés suddenly seem somewhat insightful and not so ambiguous.

On February 8, my family was involved in the house fire that occurred in Sheffield Township. My wife and I purchased the house in 1998 and her family has lived there since then. In the fire, Tom, my brother-in-law died from smoke inhalation and my mother-in-law lost her home. Remarkably, her dog and four cats all survived and are all now snuggly living with my mother.

While we will never know what happened for sure, we believe that the fire started up in Tom's bedroom. Tom then ran downstairs to open the front door for the animals before going back upstairs to try to put out the fire. It's a natural reaction, and a mistake that many people make-one that I would probably make, especially if one of our animals were at risk. Unfortunately, smoke inhalation can be deadly. The fire investigator told us that he has seen people go back into the house for something as insignificant as a cell phone, only to be overcome by smoke.

For us, it was a normal Tuesday. I had just gone through a workout and then went to dinner with my wife. We came home, where I was hurrying to get to my on-line class when we got the message. The rest of the evening was surreal and several times my wife and I had to consider whether this was reality or just a bad dream.

When we arrived at the house, there were several fire departments and their personnel everywhere. The fire had already been put out and Tom had been taken to the hospital-where my mother-in-law was also. We did not know for sure, but all indications were that he did not survive. The Red Cross was on the scene and was very kind in letting us know how they could help. After speaking to the firefighters, who were brave and courteous, we got the dog and one of the cats and headed to the hospital. I'd have to return later in the dark frigid cold to find the other cats.

Unfortunately, the difficulties have not ended for my mother-in-law. On a trip to Aldi's with my mom, she fell on the ice and broke her wrist. Employed as a restaurant server, she cannot work with a broken wrist-and because she would not be able to work for four to six weeks, her employer promptly fired her. And, she's been in the hospital twice this month with pneumonia. In a month, my mother-in-law has lost her son, her house and her job-and nothing but time to sit around thinking about it. Can you imagine?

As a social critic, I often struggle with a world that I think could be much improved. However, my family and I were completely overwhelmed by the support we received from our families, friends and the local community. People donated time, money and food to my mother-in-law, who probably won't be back into her house for at least four months. Friends and family we haven't seen for years, you know, those friends you keep saying you're going to have dinner with, stopped what they were doing and reached out to us. We could not be more thankful.

We'll miss Tom and any number of life quotes seem applicable. We never know what tomorrow will bring. Tragedy can strike anyone on any day. It is important to plan for the future, but we should make a point to enjoy each and every day. It's true we sometimes take life for granted, and get bogged down worrying and arguing about the little things-those things that at the end of the day are meaningless. While some days in our lives will clearly be more important than others, we might want to steer clear of those routine days-the ones that have the potential to turn into years. In that respect, there's nothing wrong with getting an early start on that bucket list-just in case.

161. Politics heading the wrong way

Since sometime in November, around the time when the "tax deal" was made, I began my political vacation. Not so coincidentally timed with the actual holiday season, I needed to take a break. I haven't written a political column or posted a political tweet or Facebook status. I even walked away from email debates with friends. I had had enough.

The tax deal was certainly part of my despair. It has become increasingly obvious that the wealthy will always get what they want. For some reason, the poor and middle classes and those that are supposed to represent them, always cave into the demands, or the whining, of the wealthy. I don't know if it because they think rich people will suddenly start giving their money away or because they don't want to be heavily taxed when they become a multi-millionaire. Either way, they should understand that both scenarios are unlikely.

At least, through it all, President Obama can no longer be called a socialist, because a socialist would never agree to such a disproportionate distribution of wealth. In fact, the extension of tax breaks for the wealthy was a sad endorsement of our capitalistic system-and its excessive rewards. And, understandably for the representatives that voted for it, now that corporations have a free rein to influence elections, what politician would want dance through a minefield of angry rich folks?

But, it's more than the tax cuts. The political rhetoric has become unbearable. From angry conservative name-calling to liberal pompous mockery, both sides have deviated from constructive communication. It's rarely about principle, it's more often about financial interests and winning elections. The rhetoric ranges from the absurd to offensive. And Americans continue to accept it-as either ignorant or indifferent. Instead of standing up and saying "enough with the crazy talk," people dig in, like a cornered animal-defending their views.

Unfortunately, the tragedy in Arizona could not be ignored, and it has dragged my attention back into the political spectrum. Barely after the dust settled, the left pointed to this as an incident of an angry, brainwashed conservative, and the right formulated an array of some of the most ridiculous political spin that I have ever heard. The debate has taken on an oscillating exchange of blame and denial.

And speaking of blame, I do not blame Sarah Palin, this individual obviously had a lot of mental issues, and it seems that he could have targeted the community college that suspended him just as easily as the political meeting. However, Palin needs to realize that her constant references to guns, and reloading, and shooting animals, and placing crosshairs on a map-while it might be metaphoric, or symbolic, or makes her "cool" with the guys- can influence a troubled individual to act dangerously.

Thus, whether or not this incident was politically motivated, it is clear that American politics are moving in the wrong direction. As voters, we can keep voting in and out representatives, but it is futile if the game doesn't change.

I am as passionate as anyone when it comes to the issues that matter most to me, and I may be guilty of emphatically arguing my position at times-but there is a difference between a well-reasoned distinction in opinion and the intent to deceive. I want people to read my argument (Consider this . . .), and then do their own research, ask their own questions, weigh both sides of the issue against their own values and then, and only then, come to a reasoned perspective. If you agree, great, if not, let's talk about it.

However, politicians and political pundits continue to bet on the idea that Americans will react emotionally- based on where they fall on the political spectrum-and not do their own research. Ignorance and indifference are now part of political playbook. People do what they think are supposed to do and believe what they are supposed to believe. Politicians believe they are not going to be re-elected without venomously attacking those on the other side of the aisle; pundits worry that they will not get the ratings they need without testing the emotional boundaries of their viewers.

Above everything else, it might be this appeal to emotion that is responsible for the events in Arizona. Emotion can easily turn into anger and hate, which, when combined with mental illness, can have tragic consequences. Instead of blaming the other side, politicians and pundits need to look in the mirror and take it down a level or two. I read that FOX finally asked their commentators to tone it down in the aftermath of the tragedy-I hope that's true.

Unfortunately, it might get worse before it gets better. On the political horizon is healthcare, and now maybe gun control. These are two topics that, in the past, have proven to be less than rationally considered.

160. Take responsibility for health

The nutrition people say people are not exercising enough; the exercise people say that people are not eating right. Either way, they both agree that what is happening in this country regarding diet, exercise, obesity and sickness is not working.

Simply put, America is the fattest nation on earth.

One consequence of being fat is death by heart disease, cancer and other obesity-related illnesses. Two-thirds of us are overweight; half of us take a prescription pill at least once a week. More than 100 million Americans have high cholesterol. Some scientists believe that our kids might be the first generation not to outlive their parents.

Another consequence is that we spend far more per capita on health care than any other society in the world. We have a health care system that is failing and that is being used as a source of political contention. Some corporations and many small businesses cannot afford to offer their employees reasonable health care; other corporations are making billions in selling the food that makes us sick and the pills we use to treat our sicknesses. Health care costs are growing at an unsustainable rate, costing taxpayers millions.

What if we could reverse this trend-a trend that is projected to see the amount of overweight people in America rise to close to 75 percent by 2020? What if we could prevent heart disease, cancer and diabetes? What if by changing our diet, we could save our companies millions and our country billions in healthcare costs? What if we could be healthier without taking a pill or without asking the government to subsidize our food costs? What if we could be personally responsible for our well-being-making the change ourselves, rather than relying on the government to regulate everything or pharmaceutical companies to develop a magic pill?

Increasingly, scientific evidence says we can, but it takes a personal commitment-changing what we know and believe about our diets. It takes some personal sacrifice, like true patriots, for the betterment of ourselves and our country. It takes some research, some dispelling of myths, and looking past years of brilliant marketing. It's not easy, but it can be done.

There is a growing community of scientists, nutritionist and doctors that are strongly advocating, based on the research, a plant-based diet-that means a diet where all or nearly all of our calories come from whole plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, starches and legumes.

In The China Study, authors and researchers Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas Campbell II found more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease. Their research focused on comparing countries and cultures with their corresponding diets and rates of illness. Campbell found that, "People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease ... People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored."

What they and others also found was when countries and cultures started changing their diets, that is to say started adopting an American diet, they started suffering the consequences. In the documentary "Eating," Mike Anderson subtly notes, "When people start eating like Americans, they start dying like Americans."

A diet of meat and dairy increases the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Total cholesterol levels, one cause of heart disease, are highest in the standard American diet- an average of 210. In comparison, the average total cholesterol level of vegetarians is 161, vegans 133.

It is estimated that 70-80 percent of all cancers are diet and behavior related. Compare breast cancer, which inflicts 22.4 women out of 100,000 in the United States, but only 6.3 in Japan and 4.6 in China. Similar associations are found with other cancers-such as prostate and colon.

In a plant-based diet, you get fiber, cancer fighters, anti-oxidants, low fat, low saturated fat, no cholesterol, low pesticides and no hormones. In a meat and dairy-based diet, you get exactly the opposite.

As for concerns regarding a plant-based diet, unfortunately the information is often financially driven by the meat and dairy industries. We do not need nearly as much protein as we have been led to believe, the World Health Organization states we need 4.5 percent of our calories from protein; the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition only 2.5 %. Billionaire Steve Wynn, who not only became a vegan after watching the video "Eating," but also ordered a copy for each one of his 10,000 employees, called the idea that we needed animal protein one of the biggest conspiracies of non-sense by our government.

Calcium is heavily promoted by the dairy industry, but it is interesting that the countries with the highest rate of calcium consumption (United States, Finland, Sweden and England) also have the highest rates of Osteoporosis. A lack of exercise is more responsible for Osteoporosis than a lack of calcium.

Dr. Campbell wrote, "The science in clear. The results unmistakable. Change your diet and dramatically reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and obesity." What Dr. Campbell is saying is that we need to stop treating illness and start preventing illness.

This change, however, requires more than just voting someone out of office. If Americans changed to a plant-based diet, we would be much healthier, save on healthcare and insurance costs, be able to feed more people, reduce the costs of government subsidies and regulation (make government smaller), reduce the environmental impact of farming, reduce the political influence of health care corporations, and be a little kinder to animals. It would solve so many problems.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, you have to "Be the change you want to see in the world."