On Factory Farming
Two things struck my "granola conservative" eye today on this topic.

First, a student in my "English Speech" class gave an excellent presentation today on Vegetarianism. He included pictures of the de-beaking of chickens and the mutilation of pigs in factory farms. I was reminded of Matthew Scully, former Bush speechwriter and author of Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy:

Mr. Scully rightly rejects talk of "animal rights," but rather notes that animals have a God-given nature and dignity, both of which are violated by factory farming. Here are some excerpts from his homepage, first answering the question of how we are "abusing dominion, our stewardship over animals":

In the same way that human beings are prone to abusing any other kind of power -- by forgetting that we are not the final authority.The people who run our industrial livestock farms, for example, have lost all regard for animals as such, as beings with needs, natures, and a humble dignity of their own. They treat these creatures like machines and "production units" of man's own making, instead of as living creatures made by God. And you will find a similar arrogance in every other kind of cruelty as well....

An environmentalist can oppose factory farming because it's reckless stewardship. A conservative can oppose factory farming because it is destructive to small farmers and to the decent ethic of husbandry those farmers live by. A religious person can oppose factory farming because it is degrading to both man and animal -- an offense to God.

The second thing that caught my eye was this article that notes a trend in the right direction: Natural Beef Sales Outpace Other Kind.

Serious thought must be given to the consequences of our dependence on factory farming. A very good case for Vegetarianism can be made.