Although I think Cary had some good advice for the letter writer, I have a different take on the matter. Although the truth is harsh, animals kill and eat other living things because they must.

Without meat a carnivore will sicken and die. Although we are not carnivores, scientific evidence suggests that humans do need meat to survive. It is extremely difficult for humans to get the proper nutrition by following a vegan diet.

Malnourishment wreaks havoc with the body, and that includes the brain. Unless the letter writer has been extremely careful, he or she may be suffering from poor nutrition and protein deficiency. This, in turn, could cause emotional instability, anger and irritability of the kind that the writer is attributing to their passion for the cause. Truth to tell, they would probably benefit enormously from including some animal products in their diet.

The fact that animals must consume other life in order to survive is not about morality; it is simply the way animals are made. I do not approve of the way we often mistreat the animals that we eat. As many people do, I try not to think about it too much and I do feel guilty about that. There are two thoughts that assuage my guilt somewhat. First, most of the animals humans eat were raised for that purpose and would never have existed otherwise. Second, there are many animals that would not hesitate to eat me if given the chance. It would be nice if the world were moral and kind and there were no killing, but that simply is not the case.

This vegan wonderfully illustrates the visceral fear and hatred that liberals have toward power. It is a fear that keeps many in our time from growing up. For to fully be an adult requires a much more sophisticated relationship with and understanding of power than, "Ooo! Power bad!!!" As if somehow there could be life without power.

Cary's response is beautiful. There is so much wisdom to be gained in rising above mere ideological consistency.

.....you must end you life, now, because to do anything else--even use a computer to type a stupid letter to Cary--is to take part on so many levels in continuing to kill many, many things just so you can get through the next hour.

So, do me a favor and put me out of your misery. Thanks!

P.S.--Cary, please stop falling for this recent spate of obviously fake letters. They're beginning to sound as formulaic as "Dear Penthouse" letters. Even Dear Abby and Ann Landers knew when their legs were being pulled.

In the form of a juicy hamburger from Mcdonald's.

I agree that this person is suffering from insanity brought on by their brain starving for protein. It's definitely real.

Crying because you see chicken cutlets in the grocery store is a sign of mental illness.

It's interesting, all the extreme vegans I know are all miserably unhappy. How can you be happy when you think you live among billions of heartless murderers?

Also, why is it ok for a lion to kill animals every day for meat (and a lot more painfully than cutting their heads off in a factory I might add!) but not humans? We're animals too!

All I can do is laugh at this complete retard and be happy that he will continue to be tormented by his ridiculous ideology. There is nothing he can do. He should just shoot himself now.

I mean really, even the OTHER insane radicals think this guy is a horrible wet blanket who shouldn't be let out in public! That means he is beyond all help.

Something I find kind of odd about lots of vegans I know is their need to proselytize. I can understand that it's something they feel very strongly about, but I think it's healthier to have a balanced life that isn't so focused on one aspect. Not every battle is yours to fight. If it's causing you to lose friends and become miserable, maybe this is not the life for you. Your lifestyle, which was made for good positive reasons, seems to have become some strange battleground -- a source of constant conflict reaching all aspects of your life. Live your vegan life, be a good example, and support others when they ask for help -- but maybe you should stop preaching.

I think a lot of radicals (be they vegans or say the average liberal Salon reader) could persuade others to their cause with a healthy dose of empathy. People don't want to be pitched another lifestyle all the time. It's annoying -- like a Jehovah's Witness coming to your door every week. Plus if there is this sense of anger associated with the arguments, it will immediately put people on the defensive. They will immediately dismiss anything you say.

Since you're an animal lover, maybe you can try to empathize with meat eaters by just thinking of them as complex carnivorous animals. You probably don't feel too much anger thinking of a cat catching a mouse. Maybe you shouldn't feel anger at human carnivores either. Most do not intend any more malice than the cat. And strident tones aren't going to undo a lifetime of conditioning anyway.

Maybe it's time to hang up the gloves. Stop treating veganism as a fight to be won, and just live your life.

As a vegetarian from Maine who eats lobsters... David Foster Wallace is full of crap (in addition to Infinite Jest, that is). In fact, his assertions about lobsters have been debunked here at Salon.com:

http://www.salon.com/books/int/2004/09/18/lobster/index.html

Personally, I like Thomas Pynchon's take on vegetables, from Mason&Dixon:

"As the Fate of Vegetables is to be eaten,– as success and Reputation in the Vegetable Realm must hence be measured by how many are eaten,– it behooves each kind of Vegetable to look as appetizing as possible, doesn't it, or risk dying where it grew, not to mention having then to lie there, listening to the obloquy and complaint of its neighbors."

Anyway, when I drop a lobster into the pot, or eat over at my lobsterman friend's house, I feel like I'm drinking from the fountain of my own youth, as the lobster is a product of the cold water that I love, and its taste is the sweetness of my memories and the traditions of my neighbors. It makes me feel lucky and thankful, and has nothing to do with power.

but that's an idyllic picture of coastal Maine for you...