A provocative take on meat-eating from my always-controversial brother...

I just ordered a 20oz rib eye.. Seriously to help keep the cow population in check.

Good to see you doing your part bro.

The problem is there are too many people! We cannot sustain uncontroled reproduction! How many octo-moms is it going to take, before we realize this? ZPG, zero population growth, two parents, two kids. We manage our wildlife based on carry capacity. There is no carry capacity for humans. They breed to stay on public assistance, I have two separate neighbors, that have a baby every five years so they can stay on welfare. It will take a few more generations to really hit, but we are breeding ourselves into oblivion. I know some people will yank the religion card, and say well, "if I have lots of babies, I will be higher in heaven!" I will be dead before this comes to the pinnacle, but our legacy had better do something about it.  I am not just talking about hunting and fishing opportunities lost, but without population control, our only hope is in engineered food.  Think about it.

Montana,

It seems you are saying that our immense global population is the result of people trying to stay on public assistance-- is that the case?

Montana,

It seems you are saying that our immense global population is the result of people trying to stay on public assistance-- is that the case?

I think he was giving an example of one small piece of the puzzle. He also mentioned religion.  There are several sects out there that believe having lots of kids is a duty.

Regardless of the reason, the population can't continue to grow like this without consequences for everyone.  There is always a reason for war.  Money, religion, oil, and coming soon to a continent near you:  FOOD.

Okay let me do some math here (could be scary), if domestic animals conribute 18% of all green house gases, then what do wild animals contribute?  For that matter what do humans cointribute to the green house gas emssions?  Should we ban Chili and beer? How about pickled eggs, or menudo?  I can't takes this guys article with any seriousness as he quotes no scietific research.

Darn Hippies!

Thanks for the article Andrew a few months ago the wife and I watched the Movie "Forks over Knifes" it makes a lot of sense and has drastically changed our diet. Seems as though a lot of diseases feed off the animal proteins that we ingest. I'm not preaching but do suggest that everyone should watch this Movie especially if you or you family have any health issues. I actually miss the cooking more than the eating and it has opened up a whole new world of food. 

http://www.forksoverknives.com/press-kit/

Cutting back is a good idea, at least for me...more fish!!!!!
Of course I would think that its not so much meat that is the issue but, more like all the junk that people consume in mass quantities ( the problem is the Mass Quantities). Most of us eat roughly two to three times as many calories as we burn.
I think obesity is the new "normal"
I think in general people that eat more vegetarian style are much less overweight and not just because of meat but, because they pay attention to what they consume.  Therefore in better health. Carbs can be bad news also.
Fat kills .....not meat. 

I guess I'd call it thought provoking more than anything else

and essentially very true if not totally accurate. 

There's allot of things the current world can't sustain besides just meat production/consumption.

If you want to talk about habitat/ecosystem destruction try looking into palm kernal oil production and it's use in personal products. 

And then there's that really crazy-ass idea of biofuels, worst idea ever.  Yes I'm serious on that one. 

To name a few.

On the other hand this is the world I live in,

Tonite we're BBQing Pork.

Yes....ethanol = garbage. 

Regarding the rest of the facts....I don't discount them but I also factor in that the dollar (or whatever currency) will dictate land use, deforestation, draining of natural water sources.  If the livestock industry dries up and everyone is trippling up on vegies, that land isn't gonna sit fallow or turn into a national park, somebody will turn it into a farm and start a differrent process of destruction, except to grow vegetables.

Well, the point is that if everyone were vegetarian or largely vegetarian, we wouldn't need to use as much land or water to feed everyone. We might even have our salmon back! For the record, I think meat tastes great, but only eat it a dozen or so times a year. Health and environmental factors have been my main influence. Nice to see this has turned into a friendly discussion!

Okay let me do some math here (could be scary), if domestic animals conribute 18% of all green house gases, then what do wild animals contribute?  For that matter what do humans cointribute to the green house gas emssions?  Should we ban Chili and beer? How about pickled eggs, or menudo?  I can't takes this guys article with any seriousness as he quotes no scietific research.

Grain-fed livestock get horrible indigestion which makes them fart like crazy, hence the methane. Wild animals eat food they are meant to eat, which results in far less. Also, the industries surrounding livestock - the corn industry for one - are terribly destructive and wasteful. Nature operates in cycles, circular patterns. Waste gets used by the land, plants, and other animals, while in industrial farms, it's a linear process, with all the waste winding up in poop lagoons, rivers, and eventually the ocean.

Read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Lots of information in there. 

Montana,

It seems you are saying that our immense global population is the result of people trying to stay on public assistance-- is that the case?

I think he was giving an example of one small piece of the puzzle.

Except for the fact that what he posted about lifetime welfare recipients is complete nonsense.

The state cuts families off at 48 mo's, lifetime total...and children born while a family is on aid do not increase grant levels or extend time on aid.  (There are time limits across the country as well but regulations vary by state)

Me thinks his neighbors are fictional so he can prove an invalid point.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Saw a cool video on YouTube recently, can't remember the title, some doctor giving a long lecture on the health benefits of vegetarianism. Jist of it was animal fats are solid at body temp and plant fats are not. The result is clogged arteries which result in strokes, heart attacks, and obesity. Its easy to be complacent and remain comfortable in the bubble that society provides but if you ask questions and you're open to making changes, the answers are obvious. Just like crack meat has addictive properties (in the form of hormones natural and injected) and once you break that addiction you find meat no longer tastes that good.

This hippie has a six pack and a 5 minute static.

Cutting back is a good idea, at least for me...more fish!!!!!
Of course I would think that its not so much meat that is the issue but, more like all the junk that people consume in mass quantities ( the problem is the Mass Quantities). Most of us eat roughly two to three times as many calories as we burn.
I think obesity is the new "normal"
I think in general people that eat more vegetarian style are much less overweight and not just because of meat but, because they pay attention to what they consume.  Therefore in better health. Carbs can be bad news also.
Fat kills .....not meat. 

... we just have to watch out for the type of fish and amount we consume due to rising/high levels of mercury.  Let's not forget the radiated tuna from Japan.....

Thanks for the post Andrew. Very thought provoking stuff that Ally wrote!

Thanks for the post Andrew. Very thought provoking stuff that Ally wrote!

Thanks Jim. He loves to get discussions going!