Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Uh...there is so much to be afraid of with this quote below, from today’s New York Times.

But the other thing I’d like to know is WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO GET IN AN OUTRAGE ABOUT THIS? Because I am outraged about it:

"When you buy a box of Cheerios in New York and one in Champaign, Illinois, you know they are going to be the same. By shortening the genetic pool using clones, you can do a similar thing."

– JON FISHER, president and owner of Prairie State Semen in Illinois, after the F.D.A. declared cloned animals safe for the food supply.

More than ever, I am glad for my vow to keep eco-kosher* and only eat meat from animals that have been organically, sustainably, and humanely raised and slaughtered. Dude there is NO WAY I am touching factory-farmed meat from now on. No freaking way.


* What the heck is "eco-kosher", you ask?
Here's an answer: Most often, it's answered by the ancient Jewish practice of asking another question like, "Are grapes that have been grown by exploiting farmworkers and spraying hazardous pesticides 'kosher' to eat at the Synagogue's next wedding reception?" Or, "Is newsprint made by chopping down an ancient and irreplaceable forest 'kosher' to use for a Jewish newspaper?" These things may clearly be "kosher" according to the traditional Jewish law code, but they may be troubling to us.

I'd answer that eco-kosher is a new and evolving concept combining common sense and compassion with a range of ancient Jewish teachings, including kashrut, caring for the earth (Bal taschit), respecting animals (Tza'ar ba'alei chayim), protecting one's own body (Sh'mirat haguf), not oppressing workers and customers (Oshek), the sharing of food, money and work-time with the poor (Tzedakah) and the Sabbath and Jubilee years of rest for the land and from deliberate economic use of it (Schmitah and yovel). These teachings are being incorporated into a set of simple, daily practices to properly respect the earth, ourselves and all other life.
-- Terry Gips