Ravanne, I could not disagree with you more re: your comment about vets understanding the nutritional needs of animals. Many of us are distrusting of vets because of our experiences. We didn't just fabricate the distrust. In my own case, an experience with an animal hospital where the vets (supposedly "specialists") were incompetent, unkind and interested only in profit was my catalyst to look for something different for my cats. The mere fact that vets who know nothing about raw food diets are against them, and the fact that many vets continue to ignore the anecdotal evidence is further proof of their ignorance. Perhaps the problem stems from the fact that there is no instruction about raw food in vet schools, so the ignorance is perpetuated.

Thank you, Jeffrey, Zanna, Kzunell - it is absolutely possible to affordably feed pets a raw food diet and not be rich (despite what Bagheera25 thinks.) I didn't know I was rich, so thank you for telling me that. And thanks also for explanation on median. Perhaps the bacteria from feeding our pets raw food is decimating our brain cells? Actually, I have figured out how to feed my cats raw food without going into debt. I bike to work, grow a lot of my own food and I live in the metro Washington, DC area, so I don't have acres of farmland. I also barter with local farmers at the farmers markets. It takes some imagination but it's absolutely possible to make this happen.

We probably have met - I used to volunteer with Washington Animal Rescue League, but was unable to continue because I wanted to take every cat home with me. Both of our cats are strays who found us literally 2 days after we moved into our house. In fact, I can't even drive by Petsmart on adoption days (ooooh, I can't wait to see what LMAO does with that one! C'mon LMAO, give it your best shot and see what gratuitous insults you can come up with for people like myself) Right now, the best I can contribute are donations to organizations like WARL and Alley Cat Allies though.

I applaud you for taking the stand you've taken and hope you continue to keep the faith. The interference of the USDA extends as well to dairy farming. For example, it's become very hard to find raw milk and many small farms producing raw milk have been driven under by regulation and sanctions. No matter that the hormones and antibiotics in regular milk might be more harmful over the long term. Given the inherent conflict of interest within the FDA, it's not surprising that we're seeing dangerous, if not fatal, side effects of drugs that are approved by the FDA. The FDA seems so intent on policing vitamins and minerals, despite the fact that emergency rooms aren't filled with people suffering from an OD of echinacea or vitamin C.

thank goodness for partners like Jack - he makes sure that we labor and employment lawyers will have a steady source of income through his poor judgment and then we provide sexual harassment prevention training programs which keeps our HR people employed.

I admire the LW and I too agree with Cary re: wanting to be around people who tell the truth. It's definitely lightened my pool of friends, but I live what I think is a more authentic life with stronger friendships. I'm a 47 year old lesbian and for me, the ageing process has been extremely kind to me, particularly after I turned a corner when I hit 40 - I honestly don't know how it happened, but I became more comfortable in my own skin. I've lived in several countries and I finally acknowledged that I'm a fish out of water no matter where I live and instead of being embarrassed about it, I started to explore that. Yes, I'm the woman at the garden center on a Saturday morning, with the bed hair, purple pants caked with mud, and poppy seeds between her teeth because I wanted to get there to buy catgrass as soon as the store opened. In my own experience, my life has gotten richer, and physically I'm healthier now than I've ever been. I've finally gotten to the point of understanding and dealing with a sugar addiction I've had all my life. I also believe that my cats have contributed enormously to the quality of my life. I didn't plan on having cats. Before my partner and I moved in together, she was doing a lot of travelling and asked if she could leave her cats with me for a week and in spite of myself, I fell in love with them. They have opened my heart and taught me unconditional love. Perhaps it is they who have shown me how to be comfortable in my own skin.

Now you know it's just a matter of time before El Presidente confers a Congressional Medal of Freedom on Cheney for being a hero. Heck, you just never know when a quail might turn out to be a threat to our way of life. Hmm, I wonder if the situation was reversed and Whittington had shot Cheney?