Consider food animals' suffering

As we busily prepare for joyful and peaceful holidays, I hope we could take a few minutes to think of the suffering we spare ourselves the sight of.

Just because cruelty is kept from our sight doesn't make it go away; doesn't make it less painful for the victims. If animals could talk, they would ask us to allow them joy and peace. They would ask for our help to end their needless suffering and death.

Turkeys, like other animals unfortunate enough to be labeled food, experience fear and pain.

Performed without anesthetics, turkeys have their toe tips amputated and portions of their beaks removed through a painful process called debeaking. These common practices are used to mitigate damage from the fighting that inevitably results where birds are crammed into warehouses.

Most of the 46 million turkeys who are killed in the U.S. every year for Thanksgiving spend their short lives stressed and frustrated, able to express almost none of their natural behaviors. They won't experience simple pleasures nature intended like roosting, scavenging in the grass, exploring outdoors and living in peace.

You can veganize your favorite recipes simply by replacing animal-based ingredients with vegan products. See www.CompassionateHolidays.com.

MICHELLE SETARO

Modesto