Bruce Friedrich

I’m convinced that welfare reforms deserve our support, both because they are better (or at least much less bad) for the animals involved (the Golden Rule), and because they push the envelope, moving us closer to the compassionate world that all animal rights activists are working toward…On the other hand, working toward welfare reforms has the immediate benefit of helping improve animals’ lives today and acts as a crucial stepping stone toward animal liberation.

If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from painand suffering at our hands, then, of course we’re going to be, as amovement, blowing things up and smashing windows … I think it’s a great wayto bring about animal liberation … I think it would be great if all of thefast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks thatfund them exploded tomorrow. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for peopleto take bricks and toss them through the windows … Hallelujah to thepeople who are willing to do it.

Based on my time living with rats and mice in Washington, D.C., I have always assumed that animals will escape such fires, since their senses of smell, wariness of such dangers, and ability to move through almost invisible holes is so impressive, but I think that we should not dismiss the possibility that they, also, will be harmed. These reflections do not, of course, rule out burning meat trucks. And they don’t mean that when the next slaughterhouse or vivisection lab burns down, I will denounce those who carried out the burning, or that I will feel anything other than joy in my heart.

Every time I sit down to eat, I cast my lot: for mercy, against misery; for the oppressed, against the oppressor; and for compassion, against cruelty. There is a lot of suffering in the world, but how much suffering can be addressed with literally no time or effort on our part? We can just stop supporting it, by making different choices.

Remember that as a vegan, you save dozens of animals every year from the horrors of factory farms, which is great. And when you convince one person to also become vegan, in that moment you double your lifetime impact as a vegan! That’s power – and we should use it as effectively as possible. Check out the ‘Be a better advocate’ videos and essays at www.FarmSanctuary.org.