The Cyberactivist

Today many people will gather together in celebration of the Prince of Peace. That's a good thing, as Jesus preached about love, compassion, and other wonderful things during his short life. It doesn't really matter what religion someone is to recognize that this was a very kind and compassionate person who cared for all life, especially the poor and oppressed.

I truly wonder what he would think about the way this day is celebrated now....

I think he would be horrified. When you truly give it some thought, I would think that you would have to agree. Be honest now. Do you really think he would approve of all of this suffering and death in celebration of him?????? Really???

As I have thought about what I would write this morning, I have also done a little of my regular surfing to read some of what some friends of mine have had to say on the matter. I will list those below, but first I would like to give some thoughts of my own, which can also be found at this link, complete with pictures of what it is you support and therefore condone, when you buy eggs. Join in the discussion if you like, but at the very least please make this a happy, cruelty-free Easter. Wouldn't the Prince of Peace want it that way? Wouldn't he want this day celebrated with love and compassion and joy rather than torture, death, and suffering???

This is but an excerpt of what I wrote in that discussion there, with some small changes made to change it from a discussion in my group to a post on this blog.

You see, on Easter, we do not use real eggs. We use plastic ones. This is a much happier way to spend Easter than using the "products" of a poor, tortured battery hen, with her toes clipped, her beak cut off, her feathers falling out, her feet hurting from standing on thin wire cage floors, covered in the waste of those above her, spending her life cranking out eggs every 22 hours, only to end up roughly shackled, throat slit (if she is lucky and isn't scalded alive, or worse - I read of a new device the other day that just comes out to the egg farm whereby they simply drop the "spent" hens in it and they are ground up into feed for others!), and a bunch of little bits in someone's chicken soup or a pot pie. Using eggs from one of those poor hens isn't really celebrating the hope and rebirth the holiday is supposed to be about, now is it?????

People need to be reminded now and then what it is they are supporting when they go to the store and buy eggs and dairy. Raising your own chickens or buying some eggs from someone you know well that treats their chickens properly and lovingly and doesn't throw them in the pot when they are not "productive" anymore is one thing, but supporting government-approved factory farming of battery chicken eggs is another. It's abusive and certainly not in the spirit of the holiday of Easter.

And, before anyone asks about free-range. Let me just get that out there, too. They are really no better off, and sometimes even worse. As nice as it may be for them to at least be able to walk around and flap their wings, they are also down in amongst the waste of all those thousands of other birds. They don't get to go outside in the grass, as you may think. The regulations only require "some access" to the outdoors, and it doesn't even have to be available all the time. It isn't in the winter, for instance, and most hens never even find that tiny door leading out into a tiny gravel yard. COK and others have investigated this situation thoroughly, and I have personally talked with those that have seen these operations all over the country. Ammonia burns are common, and they are still mutilated and end up as soup. Not to mention the murder of the male baby chicks, who aren't "useful" to the industry, and who are thrown away, literally.

No, if you want to use eggs for Easter and really don't want to use plastic ones, wanting the "real" thing, better find a neighbor or something and go check it out for yourself. Otherwise, how do you know what you are supporting?

Let Easter be a time of hope for everyone, regardless of species. And, let's all pledge to take a moment this morning to stop and pause for a moment in silence to acknowledge all of the suffering that is bound up in this holiday of hope and rebirth on Easter morning. Let's give these poor laboring hens just a moment of our time and reflect on what Easter means to them.

For another great perspective on Easter, check out what my friend and co-host of my groups had to say this morning here.

And there is another great piece written by a personal friend and fellow blogger named Gary over at Animal Writings.

As a part of that post he wrote he also gives another link to what he wrote last Easter that is worth mentioning.

And, last of all, I direct your attention to a great Easter e-card that I sent out to many friends and family alike. I also sent it to Gary, who also posted it on his site. I now do the same, hoping you will share it with others as well. Enjoy!