Why Must Salt Suffer?

There are people - a surprising number given the views they hold - that support such groups as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). I certainly am in favor of the ethical treatment of animals, but that does not mean that I will not use animals, both living and dead, as necessary to my direct needs. If I required transportation through remote areas and a mule was handy, I would certainly enlist Jack or Jenny's services. If I was hungry in the woods I would think nothing of using a bit of snare wire to capture Br'er Rabbit, or a club to tunk a slow porky. On the other hand, having worked on a hog farm in Manitoba, I would not eat Canadian bacon - each pound of bacon those hogs create is at the expense of enough fine grain to support a family for a month. Ah, but a pig raised in deep straw on scraps from the kitchen is clearly a tender and interesting morsel.

PETA would have you think that as inhabitants of this planet we can avoid killing altogether. I fear that is both illogical and impossible. In one of their campaigns PETA stated:

“Fishing is far from a harmless pastime. That's why we're urging anglers to pitch their poles and enjoy other activities with their kids, such as hiking, camping, or canoeing, instead.” http://www.peta.org/about/hottopic004.asp

And another similar group said:

“Even invertebrates such as insects and earthworms have been shown to possess pain modulators which were commonly thought to exist only in vertebrates such as mammals.” http://www.fishinghurts.com/feat-crabslife1.asp

I would ask the aforementioned caring people - "How can I avoid harming insects, earthworms, and plants (and all those insects dependent upon the plants) when I am hiking?" For, yet another radical group will tell me:

"Travel damage occurs when surface vegetation or communities of organisms are trampled beyond recovery. The resulting barren area leads to soil erosion and the development of undesirable trails.

Vegetation: The resistance of vegetation to trampling varies. Careful decisions must be made when traveling across vegetation. Select areas of durable vegetation, or sparse vegetation that is easily avoided. Dry grasses tend to be resistant to trampling. Wet meadows and other fragile vegetation quickly show the effects of trampling. Trampling ensures new travelers to take the same route and leads to undesirable trail derailment. As a general rule, travelers who must venture off-trail should spread out to avoid creating paths that encourage others to follow. Avoid vegetation whenever possible, especially on steep slopes where the effects of off-trail travel are magnified.

Cryptobiotic crust ("Crypto"): Cryptobiotic crust, found in desert environments, is extremely vulnerable to foot traffic. Cryptobiotic crust consists of tiny communities of organisms that appear as a blackish and irregular raised crust upon the sand. This crust retains moisture in desert climates and provides a protective layer, preventing erosion.

One footstep can destroy "crypto"." http://www.lnt.org/programs/lnt7/durable.html

So, even a seemingly benign exercise like a gladsome walk with your children through bucolic surroundings is potentially damaging "communities of organisms (which) are trampled beyond recovery." Daddy! Stop walking on the planet!!

To all those well-meaning PETA supporters, I leave you with the words of G.K. Chesterton when confronted by the well-meaning vegetarian fringe of his day -- "Why must salt suffer?"