I Won, I Won

I entered a blog contest thingie, from a very nice blog, and won a copy of this exciting new book, which I think is going to be a good 'un. As someone who has had cows in my kitchen...or at least a string of winter-born calves that needed warming...and raised chickies in the house in an aquarium with a heat lamp, at least until they got some feathers...and had goatlings under the wood stove...and a horse on the back porch...don't worry, he only stepped his front feet on, to beg for bread.....this book resonates with me. Big time.

I just can't wait to read it to grandbabies.

On the other hand, the whole industry lost and lost big with the latest anti-ag video released by the organization-that-shall-not-be-named that keeps sneaking into culprit farms and standing by watching egregious stuff going on, while filming same. 

Carrie Mess wrote an outstanding blog post, explaining some of the things that sometimes happen on farms, that might look bad to the uninformed, but are really best practice when things go wrong. And I can assure you if you have animals things will go wrong.

She also gave a TV interview that was equally well done, telling the farmer side of the story, briefly and convincingly.

Meanwhile, I did not watch the whole abuse video, only saw the excerpts on Carrie's interview. I can't watch that stuff. Sorry, but it genuinely makes me sick to my stomach and my skin crawls. I want to make it stop. I need to make it stop.

How could anyone be that cruel? And how in God's great name could anyone stand by watching, camera in hand, and not STOP the abuse!?! Intervene in any way possible. Take the stick out of the hands of the damned jerks pounding on the poor cows? 

Call the owner, or the boss or the shift supervisor? Call the police NOW, not months later? The men doing the beating should be tried and punished. So should the cameraman.