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Prairie Ramblings JESUS A VEGETARIAN?
By Tracy Sayler Through the press you're familiar with some of the wacky stunts that PETA But have you ever communicated personally with a PETA person? Me either, until recently. I got an e-mail out of the blue from Bruce Friedrich, PETA's "vegetarian campaign coordinator." He had seen one of my earlier columns (I take an editorial swipe at them every now and then). We went back and forth by e-mail a bit, and it's kind of interesting, including the fact that PETA and wheat producers actually are aligned on one issue: Opposition to fad protein diets that discourage carbohydrate (and thus grains) consumption. So below is our exchange, edited for clarity and copy space considerations: First e-mail message from PETA rep: Tracy, thanks for the vote of confidence in your column. I am always available to chat with you, should PETA's perspective on something interest you. BTW, in the coming year, I'll be bringing Jesus to Fargo (N.D.) to denounce eating meat. Let me know if you would like a heads up. Yours, Bruce. My e-mail response: So where did you see the column? Where are you headquartered? What are your duties as "vegetarian campaign coordinator?" What do you think of this fad diet craze that stresses proteins? "Bringing Jesus to Fargo to denounce eating meat" Hmmm, that should be interesting. Tell me more, and I do want a heads up. Call me when you and Jesus get here, perhaps we can get together and "shoot the bull," so to speak. There's a new (steak house) in town I haven't been to yet that we can try. Of course, I'll buy. Best regards, Tracy. E-mail message from PETA rep: Hi Tracy, I liked you column. Of course, I disagree with your premise, as you would expect. The fact is that science backs up vegetarianism, and the
only two diet programs that have reversed heart disease (biggest killer in the U.S. by far) are vegetarian. The Am. Dietetic Association, AMA, Am.
Cancer Soc., AHA, etc., all endorse vegetarianism. Re: seeing your article, PETA has a clipping service, and your column came through and wound up
on my desk. Usually, I don't monitor clippings, but yours was forwarded to me. PETA has its HQ in Norfolk, Virginia. We moved from Rockville, Maryland, in July 1996. As PETA's veg. campaign coordinator, I organize
demonstrations, talk with the press, and attempt to come up with new ideas for promoting vegetarianism and keep veg in the mainstream consciousness
(see the Web sites for what I'm talking about). I also write and maintain our veg. Web sites Re: the Atkins and other protein diets,
Jesus will be on tour this year, denouncing eating meat at meat restaurants. He will travel the Bible Belt first, in April (the 2 weeks leading to Easter). I
would be delighted to have dinner with you, and if you give me your number, I'll call you when I come into town. Bruce. My e-mail response: Bruce, I think the key to life can be found, ironically enough, on the back of a liquor bottle—"Enjoy in moderation." Eating all meats, fats, and proteins
and cutting out grains, fruits and vegetables is not healthy (The protein fad diet craze is where you and I have common ground. It's wrong. Among those I write for are wheat grower groups. Well, per capita flour
consumption has fallen in the past year, in part due to the fad diets. Americans should be eating 6 to 11 servings of grains per day, the base of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, while the average American eats less than 5).
Indeed, a diet with too much saturated fat is not healthy. For one, it will lead to heart disease, as you point out. However, to completely eliminate meat from our diets would also be unhealthy. Again, moderation.
I find it interesting that you would say science supports your assertions (which I do not believe, because humans by nature are omnivorous, and always will be. If you are a rational person, deep down, you cannot
disagree with that) since your organization's tactics are rarely science based, but rather, rely on emotionalism and outrageousness. To say that ADA, AMA, ACS, AHA—all respected organizations in this
country—endorse vegetarianism is a half-truth (which I suspect you realize as well). This is supported by a call I made to the (American Cancer Society). The
ACS representative I talked with echoed what I wrote earlier. The ACS recommends a diet that stresses grains, fruits, and vegetables and limits saturated fat, which would include meat. So in a way they support
vegetarianism, but she also quickly pointed out that the ACS does not oppose meat consumption. I'm sure a call to the other organizations you mentioned would yield similar results.
I don't begrudge people for not wanting to eat meat. It's a free country. What I do not care for are people and organizations that try to impose their
views on others, especially with extremist tactics such as yours. Regards, Tracy. E-mail message from PETA rep: Thanks Tracy, we have some common ground. Of course it's not the case that all meat eaters will suffer, healthwise, for including meat in their diets. It
is also not the case that all smokers will suffer for their smoking. Moderation re: meat and/or cigarettes is better than gluttony, but elimination is best.
It is just absurd to say that "to completely eliminate meat from our diets would also be unhealthy." In fact, ALL of the organizations I mentioned,
although they do not say that eating meat is necessarily bad and going to kill you, do say that a vegetarian diet is BETTER than a meat diet, and even
that veg. can be an effective part of a plan to battle cancer, heart disease, obesity, and so on. A few clips from our forthcoming
Facts are facts: A vegetarian diet is the BEST diet for human health, and is the only diet that expresses compassion for animals. I do look forward to discussing this with you in person. Yours, Bruce. My e-mail response: You raise a good point in that not ALL things are good in moderation. I agree with you that it's healthier to be a nonsmoker than a "moderate" smoker. But nutritionally speaking, I still say, and the vast majority of Americans, lawmakers, and health experts would also say, that meat has a place in our diets—in moderation. As I mentioned before, the human race is omnivorous. Always was, always will be, and your group will never change that. Obviously, you and I can email until we're blue in the face but we'll never change each other's convictions on this subject, so we'll have to respectfully agree to disagree. Regards, Tracy. PS—Email me before you travel to Fargo. I'll call you to arrange a time and place. Just promise no pie in the face. E-mail message from PETA rep: We only pie celebrities and big wigs, Tracy, not journalists. I will email when I'm en route (Summer or Fall).
Thank God I'm not a big wig. I'll let you know what happens if my "PETA pal" and I ever get to that steak house. Meanwhile, you might want to
keep an eye out for their actor portraying "Jesus" in steak houses near you. For entertainment, you might also want to check out PETA's home web page,
(The views in this column are those of the author, and not of Prairie Grains or the associations that publish it. The author encourages suggestions and input from readers, which may be emailed to |
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pulls (like the pied rodeo queen at the National Finals Rodeo, which I thought was kind of mean) and some of
the celebrity eccentrics affiliated with the group, such as singer k.d. Lang and former Beatle Paul McCartney, who coincidentally is singing "Rocky Raccoon" over my radio as I'm writing this.