Vegetarian Star

So let’s play a little game. How many animals go into a 4 ounce hamburger? Four, eight, 10, 12? Sorry, game over. It’s more like 200-1,000! Yes, we know this makes you want to vomit, but there’s nothing like hearing the truth from someone who’s walked the line.

Howard Lyman is an animal rights advocate who grew up farming, became a factory farmer himself, then did a complete 180 and became vegetarian.  He’s also the author of the book “Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat.” You may remember his name being dropped in 1996 when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. He and O said some pretty bad stuff about meat. They both were sued by The National Cattleman’s Beef Association and both (obviously) got off the hook.

After finishing college, he turned his small family owned organic farm into a factory one with over 30 employees and 7,000 cattle (which, according to the stats above, all 7,000 of those cows could easily be mixed in with only a measly seven Happy Meals. McYuck!)

It took an illness, paralysis, and lying in a hospital bed for him to fully think about the implications of what he was doing. He thinks the world needs to get more into organic farming, and everyone, regardless of what’s on their plate, must realize the impact of how diet, farming, and the treatment of animals effects the earth.

“We don’t all have to agree on the diet we choose, but we have to agree that this planet is the only one we have. We need to think about where we’re going and we need to do it in this generation.”

via The Orion
Photo: jeckman on Flickr

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015
• Morrissey Adds Vegan Touch To First In-Person Interview In Decade On “Larry King Now” (Video)