[Nakota]

Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people are growing up on farms and the type of farm where you grow your own food and raise, kill and process your own meat are becoming even more rare. More is the pity. I think the nation loses part of it's soul when most of the population is estranged from the land.

[PackerBoy]

I think you said what I was thinking, but more eloquently than I could have said it.

Whether it is a pity, I suppose, is debatable -- although I agree with you. But the reality is that we modern, urban types have no concept for what grime and gore it takes to bring that lovely and scrumptious Surf 'N' Turf dinner to the restaurant table -- and we SHOULD know about it. Just as we should know what it takes in terms of material and labor to make that pair of $150 tennis shoes.

This kind of brings up the shuttle Columbia. If everyone undestood just how tough it is to make a spacecraft and just how dangerous space travel really is, they might be slower to jump to hasty conclusions about the cause of the problem and the quick solution.

Now, whoever thought there would be a PETA connection to the shuttle disaster.