Happy Thanksgiving from The "V" Word

Celebration for the Turkeys at Farm Sanctuary

"Studies have shown the mortality rate to be as high as 75 percent during the first weeks of a turkey's life. Birds that survive this critical time typically live a year or two. Some birds make it three years or longer. Turkeys have been known to live 10 years or longer, but those old-timers were certainly exceptions." - Huntingnet.com

Point of View by Shel Silverstein

Thanksgiving dinner’s sad and thankless
Christmas dinner’s dark ...and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey’s point of view.

Sunday dinner isn’t sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.

Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
‘Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner’s point of view.

‎"Whatever meaning we attribute to Thanksgiving is most certainly not lost – in fact it is enhanced -- by creating food-based rituals that affirm rather than take life; that demonstrate compassion, connection, and empathy; and that affirm that neither our values nor an animal need be sacrificed in order to celebrate this harvest holiday." -- Colleen Patrick Godreau
 
 

 
I hate that Thanksgiving is called "Turkey Day." Why not call it "45 Million Turkeys Get Murdered Day?" That would be more honest. If this holiday is really about giving thanks and being grateful, we should be celebrating the gift of life, not taking it away. -Rhea Parsons

"Ponder these facts. More than 45 million turkeys are killed every thanksgiving. More than 300 million are killed annually. Before they are mercilessly slaughtered they are kept in the most inhumane conditions, in tiny battery cages, a house of horrors, where they are cramped together so tightly they can't move or get away from one another. As a result there are numerous fights among normally peaceful individuals and they suffer from massive injuries and a variety of diseases." - Marc Bekoff

Beatrice

This is Beatrice, one of the turkeys I fed at ThanksLiving. Now I sponsor her at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. If you think turkeys are just "dumb" birds, look at her - cuddling, snuggling, reveling in safety, love and affection. She was supposed to be someone's dinner just like the MILLIONS of turkeys who will be killed this Thanksgiving. She deserves to live. They ALL do. Please don't eat a turkey this holiday ♥
 

Real men are kind to animals. ALL animals, not just cats and dogs. This Thanksgiving, give thanks for a dinner table free from pain, exploitation and death. Let's celebrate life. ALL life ♥

“Now, I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you anymore.” - Franz Kafka

"Animals are not asked for their permission to take their own bodies' products, their freedom or their lives. We teach our children not to ever take something that doesn't belong to them without asking first. Such a simple rule filled with so much respect and acknowledgement of the other. That is Veganism." - Rhea Parsons

The "V" Word wishes everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving filled with peace, love and compassion for all.

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.