Editor,
As a former animal control officer in our nation's capital, I dealt with countless cases of heartbreaking cruelty and abuse — but none as violent or horrific as the scenes on PETA's latest undercover video inside agriprocessors, a kosher slaughterhouse ("PETA after kosher slaughterhouses," Dec. 2).
The routine slaughter procedures caught on tape — fully conscious cows having their throats cut and windpipes ripped out, then dumped in a pool of blood where they thrash around in unimaginable agony before finally dying several minutes later — are utterly indefensible. There is no doubt that similar treatment of dogs and cats would warrant felony charges of cruelty to animals.
Thankfully, federal investigators are pursuing this disturbing case, but even if criminal charges are filed against agriprocessors — as they should be — we cannot dismiss our own guilt every time we eat meat, kosher or otherwise. For those of us opposed to cruelty to animals, a vegetarian diet offers a practical and effective way to express our compassion.
Erica Meier
Takoma Park, Md.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.