Winifred Sanderson 2020
Hello, my lovelies. I hope that the fall season has fallen gracefully onto your laps. If you're in an area that actually has seasons, please remember that trees shed their leaves so they can stay on the ground and turn into ooey, gooey, delicious, nutritious compost. Every time you rake them up you're taking that five star meal right out from under their limbs. Feel free to quote me the next time your neighbor yells at you for having an "unkempt" lawn.
Here in southern California, the summer is loosening its terrible, sweaty grip on us and you can finally bust out all of those cute outfits that require long sleeves. Don't get too comfortable though, I'm sure we'll get at least one more day of "How is it this hot when three hundred miles north of us there's a blizzard?" weather.
Fall is the best, mostly because we get a whole month of spooky time. Here at Posh Pooch, we love our spook month, because we love all things horror and Halloween--horror movies, (except The Nun,) books, comics, games, TV shows, (especially The Haunting of Hill House,) and just the general style and vibe of October.
Thanksgiving is rad too, but that's another show.
We sincerely hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Dia de los Muertos, Samhain, or whatever name and method you choose to attribute to your spooky holiday. To be frank, I think I speak for the entire staff when I say that Halloween should be a properly recognized month long holiday. A different horror flick, costume, and candy for every day of the month, culminating in a worldwide day of celebration and block partying on the 31st, no matter the financial impact. I want to bring my future children up in a world where Tuesday the is all about The VVitch, Scooby Doo, and Milky Ways leading into Wednesday with Ghost Ship, Sexy Lawn Tools, and gummy sharks.
To my fellow horrorphiles, the season doesn't have to end. The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana always has a great rotating cast of spook movies, both classic and some fun indie stuff, and Netflix has been killing it lately too. There is no shortage of horror on the big and small screen.
There's also no shortage of horror in the factory farming industry. Sorry, but you know I had to do it to you, bring in a bummer topic like this. If you weren't expecting it after this long together, then I'm not sure what to say. I'm not going to deep dive into all the atrocities that happen on factory farms, because today we're going to talk briefly about one way we can make a change, and be a voice for the animals that don't have one.
The midterm elections are only a few days away, and here in our state Proposition 12 is on the ballot for Tuesday. This prop is aimed at setting new housing standards for veal calves, egg-laying hens, and breeding pigs, as well as banning the sale of products from these animals that weren't raised with those new standards. The enforcement of the new laws would come in two stages, starting both in 2020 and 2022.
Here are some quick specs.
If Prop 12 is passed the minimum space for housing would be:
By 2020: Hens- 1 square foot of floor space
Calves- 43 square feet of floor space
Pigs - unchanged
By 2022: Hens- Cage-free housing
Calves- 43 square feet of floor space (same as above)
Pigs - 24 square feet of floor space
Like I said above, the second part of the proposition would ban the sale of eggs and uncooked pork and veal imported from other states and countries where the animal's housing didn't meet our new requirements. The punishment for violating these laws would be a misdemeanor or a fine in civil court, which is probably a slap on the wrist for most of the large farms in the state, but again, that's another show.
Now, 1 square foot of space isn't a whole lot, I know that. I mean, the way we treat these animals, (even with the steps forward we've been taking,) that we use for sustenance is war-crime kind of stuff. If you can handle it I suggest doing some research into exactly what these creatures go through to make it to our table.
You know what? No. Everyone should do that research. Every one of us should pull back that terrible curtain and see how the sausage is made, quite literally. If you have the stomach to eat what they give us, you should have the stomach to see how they are treated.
This proposition isn't a solution, but it's something good. Change happens in small steps, and on Tuesday you can vote to lift our big, American leg and take one of those steps. I hope that California can continue to fight for the rights of these animals and that this just the next push in a series of many. We passed Proposition 2 in 2008 which mandated that the aforementioned animals be given at least enough space to turn around, lie down, stand up, and extend their limbs fully, now it's time for 12 in '18 to keep remedying the injustice we as a species inflict upon the other species around us. Like I said, small changes are better than nothing.
Ugh, I can't even imagine living the entirety of my life in a 5'8"x5'8" cage, let alone be expected to produce eggs at the same time.
The impacts expected if this prop passes are a "small reduction in state government revenues,[...] state oversight costs, [...] and consumer prices likely to increase." In my opinion that no one asked for, I think we absolutely should take a financial hit at the market if it means ethical treatment of the planet and its inhabitants. We're used to everything being so accessible that we forget we have actual impact upon circumstances around us. We're spoiled. We're so far from the production of our food we have no idea of the real costs.
Regardless of how you feel about this proposition or anything happening in this midterm, please go out and vote for what you believe in. It's really important. Like, really.
Alright I'm done. I'm going to go eat a quinoa burger and some beets.
We love you, and especially after tonight's topic, eat less meat.