TO THE EDITOR
DITCH THE CAGES
LOSE THE PHOTO
Thank you for the 5/18 article covering the
cage-free egg campaign by the UO chapter of
Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
I am writing to voice my support for the UO
Food Services to stop using eggs farmed from
industrial battery cages, and switch to the use of
cage-free eggs.
The idea that what we eat, or are served to
eat, affects the world around us is not radical,
extreme or even particularly unusual. The
European Union has pledged to phase out the
use of eggs from hens kept in battery cages by
2012. Also a number of other universities across
the country have made similar moves, including
the universities of Wisconsin-Madison, New
Hampshire and Iowa, George Washington
University, Dartmouth and MIT. I hope we
could add the UO to that list.
The mission statement of the UO states the
university’s commitment to: “helping the indi-
vidual learn to question critically, think logi-
cally, communicate clearly, act creatively, and
live ethically.” Part of an ethical teaching envi-
ronment is to live yourself by the ethical stan-
dards to which you hold your students. The
suffering experienced by animals, particularly
egg-laying hens, produced by industrial farm-
ing techniques is well documented
(www.hsus.org/farm/resources/research/wel-
fare/egg_industry.html). Part of thinking criti-
cally is to make the logical connection
between what we eat, where it comes from,
and the methods used to produce it.
I would like to see the UO make the ethical
choice to utilize exclusively cage-free eggs.
Timothy Sutton
UO GTF
Smug, coy, trite — BORING. If I want to
encounter this kind of sophomoric self-
indulgence (Living Out, 5/18), I'll go find a
high school newspaper somewhere. I do not
give a shit whether it's Sally's or Wifey's turn
to pick out the video. Please get rid of Ms.
Sheklow — or at least lose the photo of her
self-satisfied simper. Thanks.
Tim Baxter
Eugene
THEY EAT HORSES
I marvel at the duplicity of the American
people who lavish huge financial and emo-
tional capital on injured Kentucky Derby
winner Barbaro, while subsidizing the
abuse and slaughter of billions of horses,
cows, pigs, and other sentient animals for
their dinner table. Although we don’t eat
horses, we slaughtered 88,000 last year for
export to countries that do.
The American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act (HR 503 and S. 1915)
would permanently ban U.S. transport and
slaughter of horses for human consump-
tion. Similar congressional efforts have
been thwarted by the USDA earlier this
year.
It makes no ethical sense to cherish our
horses, dogs, and cats while paying for the
abuse and slaughter of billions of similar
animals that are not part of our family. With
the great abundance of soy-based meat
alternatives in every supermarket, it makes
no practical sense either.
Edward Newland
Eugene
JUNE 1, 2006 7