Comments on: Why Is Killing So Acceptable? On Levees And Guns…

By: Tomatoes, Salmonella, and Water Pollution

Tomatoes, Salmonella, and Water Pollution — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:58:47 +0000

[...] they kill pigs needlessly. Then they pollute waterways. I’m going out on a limb here, but it sounds like pig farmers [...]

By: Eric Prescott

Eric Prescott — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:26:46 +0000

Thanks for posting this story. I saw it on CNN yesterday and didn’t have the chance to disseminate it or break it down at AAFL. It all comes back to the way humans see nonhumans as disposable things. If these had been children, people would have most certainly gone out of their way to rescue them. Instead, they are the ‘food that got away’. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the CNN story I saw, they kept running away when people approached them. I can’t for the life of me imagine why the might have been scared of humans….

~ Recent blog post: Humane Myth website launched at http://ananimalfriendlylife.com ~

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:14:05 +0000

I can’t help but think that those pigs were the lucky ones – being murdered as they were, somewhat free, beyond the gates of the factory farm. What fate awaited them had they not been washed away by the flood and eventually shot to death?

Isn’t that terrible that I thought that as I read this post. I mean really, what’s wrong with me. Although if we are honest, I think I may be right, unfortunately – it’s not unfortunate for us of course, but for the hundreds of millions of pigs that will never escape the torture of the farm.

~ Recent blog post: More "entertainment" caught on tape. at http://www.not-quiteright.net/tvg ~

By: mindy

mindy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:01:04 +0000

This story is so, so, so upsetting to me. I just think about how scared they must have been in the flooding, and how hard they tried to escape and survive….and then to be shot for no good reason. It’s just awful. Imagine if those had been dogs – people’s pets – they wouldn’t have been shot. AND, if they had been shot, there would have been wild uproar about it, but because they were “just pigs”, it will go unnoticed by most people.

Ugh.

~ Recent blog post: Puppy Mill Rescue at http://creaturetalk.wordpress.com ~

By: Eccentric Vegan

Eccentric Vegan — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:27:18 +0000

Just a few more notes on this subject:

1. The pigs did not need to be killed. They were afraid of humans and did not pose a threat to humans. In fact, all the officers needed to do to get the pigs off the levee was to walk towards the pigs.

2. My analogy about humans who might poke holes in levees was intended to be as close as possible to the real situation: the thought experiment assumes the humans are escaping the floods and swimming for their lives, not just hanging out on top of a levee for the fun of it.

3. Pigs root around and dig things up, sure. But these pigs were not rooting around. They were swimming to safety, trying with all their might to survive the floods.

4. Only anti-animal people would accept a conclusion that the “problem” pigs might pose to levees should be “solved” by guns and violence, without even attempting other methods first.

5. I find it ironic that our society so freely condones unnecessary animal killing and the promotion of violence, yet labels nonviolent animal advocacy “terrorism.”