Conspiracy Theories

It's all about reducing your load

If you haven't seen Safe, you might be missing my point. The load lightening concept from Safe explains my main reason for becoming and remaining a vegetarian. It's not my only source or influence, but it's so artfully presented that it really make s one think. NO, I'm not trying to trick you on reading some diatribe on why you should be a vegetarian. It just so happens that there are conspiracies everywhere, but food happens to be my pet peeve. Food should be comforting and nour ishing not scary and dangerous. I'm pissed about that, and this page is the product of that anger. If you're interested in Classic Conspiracy Theory, The Smoking Gun is doing some interesting things with the Freedom of Information Act.

Food Safety

If you're interested in food safety, there's a really interesting book out there that's worth reading: Nicols Fox's Spoiled. She's really disgusted by the whole thing, primarly because she really liked meat. It covers a lot of treachery b y the beef industry in particular and how they fix practices that endanger all you omnivores out there.

There are so many arguments in favor of vegetarianism, it's hard to know where to start. First of all, there's the big fallacy of the USDA recommended diet. We've always been taught that protein is vital for growth, but the main proponents of that theory, as it turns out, are the providers of protein, the Roundup Ready Soybeans soybeans. If you have some problem with Greenpeace, here's an article by Joel Bleifuss from In These Times covering the subject. Not even the vegetarians are safe, apparently. Not that we were before, what with stuff like cyclospora out there on supposedly innocent raspberries and basil. It ain't no E.Coli, but it's not fun either.

There have been entire books written about the conspiratorial nature of the relationship between the and the government. In case you're not clear on the fact that I think Monsanto is run by the devil himself, see what a whole bunch of p eople have to say about Aspartame. Sure, it's just bananas and milk: Monsanto says so and the FDA doesn't care. Frankly, I think the stuff tastes terrible, and it gives me a burning sensation in my throat when I consume it. That's a no-win situation there, but hey, the FDA says it's safe, so it must be my imagination. As long as we're on Monsanto, I'll invoke the specter of Times Beach.

What to eat...

When I'm looking for somewhere to go for lunch or dinner, I often check out veg.org. They've got a very good restaurant guide and information about fast food chains. I'd advise going back to the home page too because there is a real wealth of inform ation at this site. They talk about nutrition, pitfalls, tips for beginners, etc. There are all manner of Vegetarian Mailing Lists, and I've got a separate page for recipie links.

It seems that you just can't be enough of a vegetarian enough for some people. My suggestion? Don't worry about it. In the U.S., anyway, it's enough to be any kind of vegetarian. Meat is everywhere, and there are plenty of people who think that *yo u're* the nut if you're suspicious or soft-hearted. Don't let the extremists scare you away either. Everyone has different reasons for becoming a vegetarian, and everyone has their own rationalizations for what they do and do not eat. As far as I'm concerned, you can be a member of the club if you care enough about your own health, animals and/or the environment to quit eating flesh. Your body is YOUR temple.