Posted on 09/24/2004 10:14:41 AM PDT by RetroSexual
Sir Paul McCartney has urged California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to ban the French delicacy foie gras.
The former Beatle appealed to Mr Schwarzenegger in a letter to make California the first state to ban the pate made from geese and duck livers.
Other stars, including Martin Sheen, Kim Basinger and Chrissie Hynde, also urged him to approve a bill to outlaw the sale and production of foie gras
Foie Gras is made by force-feeding the birds to expand their livers.
Sir Paul was asked to write the letter by animal rights group Viva!-USA.
He said: "As you probably know, the public has clearly demonstrated that it supports a ban on this inhumane practice.
"There is clearly nothing humane about mechanically inducing disease in a bird by forcing a pipe down its throat and making it consume such an abnormal quantity of food that its liver expands many times its normal size."
Last month, California's state legislature approved a bill that would outlaw the sale and production of foie gras.
'Cruelty'
The bill is now sitting on Mr Schwarzenegger's desk awaiting his assent.
Sir Paul added: "I feel sure that your natural feelings of compassion will encourage you to sign this basic humane bill into law."
In a separate letter, celebrities including Casey Affleck, Ally Sheedy and Christina Applegate, also urged him to enact the bill.
"It is wrong to subject animals to this kind of cruelty to produce a luxury food item," they said.
Well, if that's true, then nobody would be eating this stuff, therefore it wouldn't be profitable to produce it. Problem solved without government intervention.
If there is a Scottish Games/Gatheirng in your area, go. They have vendors there selling authentic British products. Good stuff like HP Sauce, which is awesome on fries.
Just curious.
Do you eat only free range chicken? What about those chickens that never see the light of day, and live solely in a crowded smelly coop? Shouldn't that torturous inhumane practice stop as well?
Sir John, Sir Elton. They grind out knighthoods like the U.S. Mint coins pennies.
What a twit.
They are retired Islamic beheaders.
This is not being "treated properly" by the standards of a good society. Unhealthy cramped conditions for chickens have already been pinpointed for the spread of "bird flu" in Asia.
Engage your compassion. If you don't have any for the lesser creatures (uh, products) of this planet, then you still have a long way to go. I wish you luck in your journey.
I think I mentioned a strange craving for veal parmesan...
Thankfully, ther's a place that does a GREAT veal aprmesan sub near where I live. :)
It does sound gross. I have a hard time with this stuff. I've seen some shows on TV about how it is made, and it is just yucky.
I'm all for meat, but I'm not sure about this one. However, I'll just exercise my right not to eat it.
Huh? I thought it was an ingredient in Beef Wellington.....
Yep. Most people in this country have never even heard of foie gras, let alone eaten it. It's a French delicacy, for goodness sakes!
"Mr. Ginor, whose operation produces duck foie gras, presents the process of force feeding as neither painful nor distressing to the ducks. As proof, he adds that "when a person comes to feed them, they come to the feeders." These birds don't like people and usually avoid humans, or worse yet, act aggressively toward them. In his excellent article on Foie Gras from duck and goose in Southwest France, in the Fall 1998 issue of the Art of Eating Edward Behr, concurs, noting that the birds grow accustomed to the feeder during the fattening and neither shy away much nor resist. The feeding tube stays in the bird's neck for about ten seconds. (Mr. Ginor says it's one and one half seconds.) Ducks naturally swallow grit and stones. The esophagus of a duck is lined with fibrous protein cells that resemble bristles and does not bear comparison to that of a human. The activists attempts at anthropomorphism are understandable when the intent is propaganda, not enlightenment. In Behr's words, "a stressed or hurt bird won't eat and digest well or produce a foie gras." Behr's article also cites a section of the forthcoming Foie Gras . . . A Passion as source for some interesting history about the production of foie gras.
The triumph of ignorance, and censorship by intimidation are offensive. When I received an e-mail from a representative of John Wiley & Sons, asking if I might be interested in reviewing Ginor's new book on this site, I was most receptive. "
- found on google - another perspective - not written by the radical vegan & PETA propagandists
"Mr. Ginor, whose operation produces duck foie gras, presents the process of force feeding as neither painful nor distressing to the ducks. As proof, he adds that "when a person comes to feed them, they come to the feeders." These birds don't like people and usually avoid humans, or worse yet, act aggressively toward them. In his excellent article on Foie Gras from duck and goose in Southwest France, in the Fall 1998 issue of the Art of Eating Edward Behr, concurs, noting that the birds grow accustomed to the feeder during the fattening and neither shy away much nor resist. The feeding tube stays in the bird's neck for about ten seconds. (Mr. Ginor says it's one and one half seconds.) Ducks naturally swallow grit and stones. The esophagus of a duck is lined with fibrous protein cells that resemble bristles and does not bear comparison to that of a human. The activists attempts at anthropomorphism are understandable when the intent is propaganda, not enlightenment. In Behr's words, "a stressed or hurt bird won't eat and digest well or produce a foie gras." Behr's article also cites a section of the forthcoming Foie Gras . . . A Passion as source for some interesting history about the production of foie gras.
The triumph of ignorance, and censorship by intimidation are offensive. When I received an e-mail from a representative of John Wiley & Sons, asking if I might be interested in reviewing Ginor's new book on this site, I was most receptive. "
- found on google - another perspective - not written by the radical vegan & PETA propagandists
Hmm ... so if I adopt dogs from the pound and set them on fire because it amuses me, that's ok because the dogs are my property?
If this is your philosophy, there's not much else I can say ...
Oh, yeah, there's an unbiased source ...
I think I remember that they served foie gras at that exclusive Kerry fundraiser out on Long Island a couple months ago. You know, the one where it rained and the A list got their thousand-dollar shoes muddy.
About a year ago, The Food Channel went to a Foie Gras farm and the geese rallied around the feeder guy, waiting their turn for their 1 second meal. It's really no different than what I do to give my dog his meds only it looked like the geese were having a lot more fun. Anyway, I found this so-called force feeding to be a pleasant and appreciated revelation.
I'm sure Ted Kennedy will have something to say about this.
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Starving a veal calf of iron to keep it deliberately anemic is inhumane.
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In precisely what way? Sickness? Nope. That would ruin the meat. Anemia isn't harmful unless it goes on for a long time. In calves being raised for veal, they aren't alive long enough to suffer ill effects. It would ruin the meat. Try again.
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Starving chickens for two weeks so that their feathers fall off to get one more batch of eggs out of them is inhumane.
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When chickens stop laying, they are sold for meat. Chickens who have been starved until their feathers fall off don't provide good quality meat. You've fallen for a lie.
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Force feeding ducks to abnormally enlarge their livers is inhumane.
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Torturous force feeding would ruin the liver's quality as meat. You've fallen for another lie.
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Engage your compassion.
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My compassion is just fine and in its proper place, complementing my reason, not replacing it.
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