Andy Lamey
Ottawa, Ontario
I was disappointed that Reason, the magazine celebrating the noble concepts of "free minds and free markets," would publish an article celebrating exploitation, misrepresenting animal rights supporters, and making light of the suffering of other beings.
Neil Steinberg brushes aside the suffering of tens of billions of animals killed annually on factory farms in an attempt to classify animal rights activists as nuts who receive a big grin from "Mother Earth" every time they eat a soy burger. The truth is that ethical vegans choose not to consume animal products because they do not want to support actions that cause suffering. They put aside some minor pleasures to make the world a more compassionate place. What part of that suggests a "disdain for people"?
Steinberg thinks animals should be treated decently and eaten guiltlessly, and then deludes himself into thinking that the animals aren't really suffering at all. But the way animals are treated on factory farms is anything but decent -- it's downright sickening.
Veal calves are separated from their mothers only days after birth and chained in tiny, dark crates. When they are finally slaughtered at about 16 weeks old, they are often too sick or crippled to walk. This is a very far cry from life in a field.
Freedom-loving individuals should try to spread liberty as far and as wide as possible. To deny certain sentient beings liberty while granting it to others is narrow-minded and hypocritical. Animal rights and libertarianism are harmonious causes. Libertarianism and exploitation are not.
Josh Corn
State College, PA
Injustice by Default
Congratulations on Matt Welch's article "Injustice by Default" (February). Welch's article was well-written but missed a larger point: What business does government have in the alimony and support collection business? Should government be administering domestic relations at all? We suggest it was a better world for everybody (except feminists) when churches administered domestic relations, when women weren't encouraged by discriminatory government policies to evict husbands regardless of fault or to breed children without husbands.
Without government involvement, more fathers -- married and unmarried -- would have custody or at least liberal visitation, practically eliminating the need for welfare, government involvement, and all those bureaucrats. Arguably, children would be better off both economically and socially. And we welcome the argument.
Richard Doyle
President, Men's Defense Association
Forest Lake, MN
Matt Welch fails to mention the greatest outrage of all: It is hypocritical of the government to guarantee a woman's right to an abortion while forcing a man to pay child support against his will. As Karen DeCrow, former president of the National Organization for Women, said, "If women have the right to choose if they become parents, men have that right, too."
Paternity suits should be abolished. Every argument in favor of them is a mirror image of an argument against legalized abortion. Compare: "If men don't want to support their offspring, they should use condoms" with "If women can use the pill, why do they need a right to an abortion?" And when so-called deadbeat dads are labeled irresponsible, it mirrors the anti-abortionists' stereotype of women who want abortions as irresponsible sluts.
Brian Sorgatz
Sacramento, CA
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time.
nfl jerseys|11.8.10 @ 3:27AM|#
btrh