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Recent campaigns for greater fuel efficiency have been based on the questions, "What would Jesus drive?" and "What would Moses drive?" Because people consider Jesus and Moses as idyllic people with the very best intent for humanity, it's useful to think about how we should conduct our lives based on how they conducted theirs. Hence, it might be helpful to consider "What would Moses eat today?" since many Americans are plagued with terrible diets and eating habits.

Here are some reasons for believing that Moses would have a plant-based diet:

• Moses was chosen for leadership because of his compassionate treatment of the animals in his care when he was a shepherd. However, today farmed animals are raised on "factory farms" where they live in cramped, confined spaces, and are often mutilated, and denied fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any enjoyment of life, before they are slaughtered and eaten.
• Moses was very concerned about the health and well-being of the Israelites. Countless nutritional studies have linked animal-based diets to heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases.
• Moses frequently faced complaints because of insufficient drinking water. An animal-based diet today requires about 14 times the amount of water, primarily for irrigating crops for livestock, than a plant-based diet does.
• Moses transmitted laws mandating proper treatment of the environment and prohibiting the destruction of fruit-bearing trees, even in wartime. Animal-centered diets contribute substantially to soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats, global warming, and other environmental damage.
• Moses was very concerned about the welfare of each person, including the stranger. Animal-centered diets currently involve over 70% of the grain grown in the United States being fed to animals destined for slaughter while a billion of the world's people are underfed and malnourished, and an estimated 20 million people worldwide die because of hunger and its effects each year. It takes up to 16 pounds of grain in a feedlot to produce one pound of beef.
• Moses saw how the miraculously provided manna sustained the Israelites in good health during their 40 years in the wilderness. Today people can similarly thrive on tasty, nutritious non-animal foods.

In view of important Jewish mandates conveyed by Moses, to preserve human health, attend to the welfare of animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, help feed hungry people, contrasted with the harm that animal-centered diets do in each of these areas, I believe that Moses would be a vegan today. Jews (and others) who take Moses's life and Jewish teachings seriously should consider eliminating or sharply reducing their consumption of animal products.

One could say "dayenu" (it would be enough) after any argument above, because each one points to a serious conflict between Jewish values and current practice that should impel Jews to move toward a plant-based diet. Combined, they make a compelling case for the Jewish community to address these issues.

MAD COW DISEASE/MAD PEOPLE DISEASE

As you point out, in your thoughtful editorial, "Canada's mad cow," the Canadian incident spotlights how our lack of records, and inability to readily acquire them, is a serious gap in our ability to protect ourselves from an outbreak of "mad cow disease." However, I believe that far greater threats are associated with what, with some writer's license, I call "Mad People's Disease" (MPD).

MPD enables many intelligent people to be greatly concerned about eating meat after one "mad cow" is found in Canada, while they ignore the many scientific studies that link heart disease, stroke, many types of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases, as well as various digestive problems to animal-based diets

MPD enables otherwise compassionate people to ignore the fact that ten billion animals in the U.S. alone are raised for food annually under cruel conditions, in crowded, confined spaces, where they are denied fresh air, exercise, and any natural existence.

MPD enables people normally concerned about the well being of their fellow human beings to disregard the fact that 70 percent of the grain grown in the United States and over one-third of the grain grown worldwide is fed to animals destined for slaughter, as an estimated twenty million of the world's people die annually because of hunger and its effects.

MPD enables people who are concerned with the sustainability of the planet to ignore the significant contributions of animal-based agriculture to air, water, and land pollution, species extinction, destruction of tropical rain forests and other precious habitats, shortages of water and other resources, global climate change, and many other threats.

I urge the Advance to do a tremendous public service by using your excellent reporters and editors to help make Staten Islanders aware of the urgency of a switch toward plant-based diets for our personal health and that of our imperiled planet, and thereby to help reduce "Mad People Disease."

GLOBAL WARMING

The unprecedented heat wave afflicting much of Europe, as covered in many of your recent articles, should be a wake up call for all of humanity! The warmest decade in recorded history was the1990s, and the present decade may be even warmer., as 2001 and 2002 were the second and third warmest years in recorded history.

There is a growing scientific consensus that global climate change is real and that human activities are a major contributor. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a U. N. administered body composed of leading climate scientists from more than 100 nations, has projected that the world's average temperature will increase from 2.5 to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the next hundred years. Since an increase of only about one degree Fahrenheit in the past 100 years has resulted in record breaking temperatures, droughts, increasing frequency and severity of storms, melting of glaciers and polar ice caps, bleaching of coral reefs, and many other indicators of global warming, it is essential that steps to combat global climate change become a societal imperative. Our religious institutions, for example, should make the healing and repair of our imperiled planet a central focus.

Reducing greenhouse emissions can improve our economy, as the reductions can be based on such strategies as improving energy efficiency, shifting to renewable energy sources, improving mass transit, preserving and planting forests, and encouraging people to shift to plant-based diets (feeding almost 50 billion farmed animals as well as 6.3 billion people, contributes substantially to global warming). Such approaches have the added benefits of reducing air and water pollution, creating jobs, and reducing expenditures for energy. Hence, we have little to lose and very much to gain by adopting these
strategies.

PROMOTING VEGETARIANISM

I wish to commend you for Sharon Lerner's comprehensive article, "Risky Chickens," which indicates that 70 percent of all the antibiotics produced in the U.S. are routinely fed to farmed animals to fatten them up quicker, and this has resulted in rising antibiotic resistance to many human diseases. This is just one of many reasons why concerned people should seriously consider switching to plant-based diets. Please consider:

1) Concerned about health? Animal-based diets have been strongly linked to many degenerative diseases, including heart problems, strokes, and various types of cancer.

2) Concerned about the proper treatment of animals? Almost 10 billion farmed animals are killed for their flesh annually in the United States after suffering horribly in confined spaces where they are denied fresh air, exercise, or any fulfillment of their basic needs.

3) Concerned about the environment? The production of meat is a major contributor to soil depletion and erosion, extensive pesticide use, air and water pollution, and the rapid destruction of tropical rain forests and other ecosystems.

4) Concerned about global warming? The production of animal products contributes substantially to the 4 major greenhouse gases.

5) Concerned about world hunger? Over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million people die annually due to hunger and its effects. The U. S. is also the world's a major importer of beef and fish, and these imports are generally from countries where people are starving.

6) Concerned about resource scarcities? A meat-based diet requires up to 20 times more land and 14 times more water and energy than a vegetarian diet. Non-vegetarian diets also require vast amounts of pesticides, chemical fertilizer, and other resources.

7) Concerned about peace? Flesh-centered diets, by wasting land and other valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that frequently lead to instability and war.

8) Concerned about religious values? Vegetarian diets are most consistent with religious mandates to act with compassion toward animals, preserve human health, help hungry people, protect the environment, conserve resources, and pursue peace and nonviolence

9) Concerned about convenient, tasty meals? There are many delicious vegetarian dishes that don't involve extensive preparation or the fat, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics associated with meat.

So, for our health, for defenseless animals, for millions of starving people, for our earth and its resources, and for a more peaceful, just, and harmonious world, let's go vegetarian.

CHALLENGING RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WHO EAT MEAT

I wish to commend you for featuring Jim Mason's comprehensive and thoughtful cover article, "Eden Restored: Will religions embrace animal rights and vegetarianism?" As his article illustrates, there has been an explosion of vegetarian-related activity in religious communities recently. This is not surprising when one considers the many contradictions between basic religious teachings and the realities of modern livestock agriculture and the consumption of meat:

1) While religion stresses compassion for animals, animals are raised for food today on "factory farms" under cruel conditions, where they are denied fresh air, space to move easily, and any emotional stimulation.

2) While religion teaches that people be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, animal-centered diets have been linked to heart disease, several forms of cancer, strokes, and other degenerative diseases.

3) While religion emphasizes sharing with hungry people, 70% of the grain
grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, as an estimated 20 million people die annually because of hunger and its effects.

4) While religion teaches that "the earth is the Lord's" and that people are to be partners with G-d in preserving the world and seeing that the earth's resources are properly used, animal-based diets require the wasteful use of food, land, water, energy, and other resources, and contributes substantially to soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats, and potential global warming.

I believe that we should respectfully ask people who take religious values seriously: in view of strong religious mandates to be compassionate to animals, preserve health, help feed hungry people, protect the environment, conserve resources, and seek and pursue peace, and the very negative effects animal-centered diets have in each of these areas, shouldn't you seriously consider switching to a vegetarian diet?

WHY JEWS SHOULD BE VEGETARIANS

I was pleased to see the articles on "Religion and Vegetarianism" in the February/March issue. I believe that vegetarians should try to start respectful dialogues in religious communities about our diets, because there are major inconsistencies between basic religious values and the realities of modern livestock agriculture and the consumption of meat. The following points are presented based on Jewish teachings, but they can easily be adapted to other religious perspectives:

1) While Judaism mandates that people be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, animal-centered diets have been linked to heart disease, several forms of cancer, stroke, and other degenerative diseases.

2) While Judaism stresses that people are to share their bread with hungry people, 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, as 20 million people die annually because of hunger and its effects.

3) While Judaism teaches that "the earth is the Lord`s" and that people are to be partners with G-d in preserving the world and seeing that the earth`s resources are properly used, animal-based diets require the wasteful use of food, land, water, energy, and other resources, and contribute substantially to soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats, and potential global warming.

4) While Judaism emphasizes compassion for animals, animals are raised for food today under cruel conditions, in crowded cells, where they are denied fresh air, exercise, and any emotional stimulation.

5) While Judaism stresses that people must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that eventually lead to instability and war.

In summary, in view of strong Jewish mandates to preserve health, help feed the hungry, protect the environment, conserve resources, be compassionate to animals, and seek and pursue peace, and the very negative effects animal-centered diets have in each of these areas, I hope that Jews and others who take religious values seriously will seriously consider switching to vegetarian diets?

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