I recommend that you start with the HIV infected vegetarians. Really, though, you need to think about what "lower rung of the food chain" means in the context of humans. Are you implying that becoming a vegetarian means that we're starting to be eaten by other animals? How does that work, exactly? I'm not trying to take you too literally, but really, you walked into that one. To the other responder, I agree: you can laugh at the irony without laughing at the person, you're right. I guess, as a vegan, I'm getting a little touchy about this. I really think that people make fun of vegetarians & vegans because a lot of them are "holier-than-thou". But, really, I get a lot more flack from meat eaters now as a vegan than I EVER got when I ate meat from vegetarians. You should be on the receiving end of some of the looks I get just because I opt out of eating meat, which affects absolutely no one but myself. I don't preach or advocate veganism (well, at least without someone asking me about whether they should become vegan), and don't expect other people to change their lifestyles in any way. But, if I tell some people I'm vegan, they seem to think I'm the anti-christ. Which, maybe I am. :) Matthew Klahn Software Architect, CodeTek Studios, Inc. On Jan 9, 2004, at 15:12 , John Almasi wrote: > Mad Cow Disease tears it. As a dedicated omnivore I > must ask that the "plan" be moved into the next phase. > Begin eating the vegetarians now! We can no longer > wait for the long term evolutionary consequences of > voluntarily placing oneself on a lower rung of the > food chain to manifest. We, the meat-eaters, must act > to ensure a stable food supply. > > Cheers, > John > --- lazarus <lazarus33pjf at cox.net> wrote: >> On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 12:11:35 -0600, you wrote: >> >>> Derrill 'Kisc' Guilbert >> <lister at insaneninjahero.com> writes: >>> >>>> The only way you're going to catch BSE is if you >> eat an infected cow's >>>> brain. Beef is perfectly safe. >>> >>> Or spinal cord. >>> >>> Automated stripping of meat from the spine often >> gets bits of the >>> nerves, too. I would regard any ground beef >> product as a potential >>> vector. >>> >>> Inspectors reports say they often find bits of CNS >> tissue on solid >>> cuts of meat, too. >>> >>> You may remember that over 100 people in Britain >> *did* catch vCJD, >>> without straightforwardly eating a cow's brain. >> >> But there is a possibility of the prions beings >> transmitted all sorts >> of ways, including, bizarrely enough, through >> vegetables, if the >> fertilization process is done (im)properly. >> >> This is still a seriously fuzzy issue, and I'd >> prefer to see a lot >> more research and a lot less panic. As it is, we >> have the Vegans on >> one side screaming "We told you so!" and claiming >> the very smell of >> meat will kill, and on the other side is the Beef >> Council claiming >> that raw meat is the healthiest thing in the world. >> (The previous >> sentence contained hyperbole, obviously.) >> >> It really doesn't help that the USDA's Chief of >> Staff is a former >> lobbyist for the beef industry, I think. >> >> >> -- >> >> laz >> >> I am the Dread Pirate Roberts #23546. >> Ask me about franchise opportunities! > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes > http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus > -- Matthew S. Klahn Software Architect, CodeTek Studios, Inc. http://www.codetek.com