You mean I have to get political, and write about cruel farmers?

I wrote in my cartoon blog, Why I Did It, about how I take my canary for a walk these days. He’s near enough to a window to get fresh air, but for him to go outside is nirvana. Can you imagine how the breeze feels against his feathers, ruffling them, tickling his skin?

I’ve had him for 4 years, and now, for the first time ever, he is trying to sing!!

From East Bay Animal Advocates.

Most farm animals will never feel fresh air on their skin, let alone a breeze. That’s farming for you! Yes on Prop 2 would fix this, at least for a few animals. (I wrote about this issue earlier when I criticized the faulty logic of yet another piece in the Times.)

Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society, has been very public about this proposition – I never knew what he looked like until now, handsome fellow!

The greatest nation in the world, with the most innovative farmers, can do better than immobilize animals in severe confinement systems for their entire lives. Family farmers know food quality is enhanced by more humane farming methods, and they know there is a balance between animal care and economics.

…These modest reforms of farm practices won’t be costly to implement. The egg industry’s own California-based economist reports that producing cage-free eggs costs less than one penny per egg more.

The Times doesn’t like this – says it would outsource egg farmers. Well, yeah, if they were little helpless children, and don’t know how to run a business or change the simplest thing, like move one side of a cage. And you knew that George Skelton at the Times was going to be an asshole about this when he starts off in a demeaning way:

The right for egg-laying hens “to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely” in their little cages, to quote from Proposition 2. [My emphasis – DB.]

(And I rarely swear here, so you know I mean it.)

Photo from the excellent and professional Farm Sanctuary.

I couldn’t find anything new in his article worth quoting, but here’s his ending:

The issue of hen confinement should be worked out between farmers, animal rights activists and consumers through the marketplace.

I’m going to ask my wife to buy only eggs from cage-free chickens. Then I’ll probably vote against Proposition 2.

Well, no George, the farmers , animal rights people and consumers have already come up with something: this. LA Animal Watch shows how another Times opinion fails:

A Times editorial today starts by talking about the terrible conditions at current California egg farms, says the animals deserve better, then opines we should vote no on Prop 2.

However, the Times has an excellent article here:

Since there are few veal farmers in California and the state’s largest pork producer has already said it would eliminate small crates, the initiative would mostly affect 19 million laying hens and the egg industry that farms them…The space per bird is slightly smaller than a sheet of letter paper.

When one more farmer whined (and lied) that this would put him out of business,

Paul Shapiro, the Humane Society’s factory farm expert, responded, “Even if such a synchronized ballet of wing-spreading were possible, it’s not required by Proposition 2.”

Hee!

Oprah had a whole program devoted to this, and my favorite part was when a chicken farmer said that if this law passes, all chicken farmers will go out of business, and California will have to import all its eggs from Mexico and China! Boat or plane? I can’t wait to see the packaging on them. I can feel some new cartoons coming on…

The part that I hate the most: this won’t go into effect until 2015. This is TOTAL pandering to those wimpy farmers. Also, I wrote about this issue earlier when I criticized the faulty logic of yet another piece in the Times.