By now everyone has heard of the estimated 40,000 chickens who were
slaughtered as a KFC promotion as a "gift" from Oprah. How sad that the gift is covered in blood. I wish that she had visited the house of horrors wherechickens are cruelly dispatched before making this giveaway.
(Please note that I used the word "who" above instead of "which" when referringto the chickens. Despite what grammarians have taught us - animals are not things - they are living, breathing individuals who have gender and basicneeds similar to our own).
Oprah certainly doesn't need my endorsement- though I had been one of heradmirers on different levels. I still remember vividly the show in which wasshown a Muslim woman being stoned to death because she was caught inadultery. Buried in the ground with only her head visible, stones were hurledat her head until she expired. Can you feel her pain? I think many of us did.Thank you Oprah for this show which alerted us to how cruelly man can be even to his own.
I was so happy when one of your shows exposed the cruelty of puppy mills. It seems it takes us an awfully long time to get the message through by newsletteror press features, but your national TV exposure certainly brought this horror right into the homes of people who were watching your show. We hope thatthose people we couldn't reach and who had kept on buying puppies from pet shops which were supplied by the puppy mills finally got the message. For 30 years I was aware of this horror. I hope after the show millions more were. Thank you Oprah.
On one show Oprah even had a lovely lady who brought the concept of cleansing our bodies with a vegan diet for a period of time. Of course, we vegans were happythat this idea was at least explored and covered for those who might be receptive to it. Thank you Oprah.
And just recently a program contrasting normal happy raising of chickens, cows,and pigs with the horrors of the CAFOs. We were elated that at last - again a national exposure which we hoped would help to turn things around for the animals or at least plant the seed for the eventual demise of the CAFOs. We thought andhoped that you were with us in our hope for the natural raising of animals, but it seems not in view of the KFC giveaway. There is nothing natural or kind re the
way KFC chickens are raised and slaughtered. But we thank you though for at least airing this much needed view of how farm animals are raised today and how much better they can be raised in a longed for tomorrow.
I believe now that you probably were not moved by the sad pictures of sows enclosed in pens - unable to move - forced to endure the smell of their own excrement. You were probably not moved either by chickens packed into tiny cages even unable to spread their wings as chickens naturally do. By your giveaway, other thousands more chickens will now inhabit the prison cages vacated by those who gave their lives probably in a cruel fashion for your giveaway. Don't take my word. Visit a chicken processing plant and you will be enlightened.
I hope that one day you may rue this decision as had the Ancient Mariner who wantonly killed an albatross. His fellow sailors -so angered by this cruel andunnecessary killing decided to hang the albatross around his neck. Sadly, thesailors die one by one from lack of water in a becalmed sea. Only the Ancient Mariner survives and is finally forgiven when he spies a group of water snakes swimming close to the ship. He now says to the once objects of revulsion: "O Happy living things! No tongue/Their beauty might declare/ A spring of love gushed from my heart/ and I blessed them....."
In his poem -Samuel Coleridge saves the Ancient Mariner who the rest of hislife repeats many times:
He prayeth best, who loveth best
Both men and bird and beast.
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
I will no longer watch Oprah's programs because I cannot supportanyone who I know is either directly or indirectly suportive of animal cruelty. I would have noobjection is she had spent her money to feed the hungry -but clearly hungry people don't need to eat chicken from KFC. I hope many others will also refrain from watching Oprah because we would be sending a message to her that we will stand up for the chickens abused by KFC even if she doesn't.
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