Life Changing Film!

The documentary Food Inc, by filmaker Robert Kenner takes a hard look at the food we are eating, where it is coming from and the politics behind the food industry. Let me tell you people, this film is shocking and at least for me LIFE CHANGING! There are so many reasons why you NEED to watch this film. Ignorance is not bliss. There were some very shocking things about bacteria such as ecoli and salmonella in the meat products you are eating and the SHOCKING origins of ecoli. They also tried to uncover the corruption in the beurocratic and political arenas that are supposed to be protecting us such as the FDA, and the USDA. However for me, these were not the things that have changed my views on the meats and animal products I will be buying.
Now, I am not a crazy 'animal rights' type person. I believe that God gave us animals as food, but in saying that I also believe that God gave us dominion over the animals and therefore we are responsible for how these animals are being treated. In watching this film I saw chickens who were so fat (pumped up with homones, to make them bigger, faster, because we all love those big, white meat, boneless skinless chicken breasts) that they can not support the weight of their own legs, and either don't move or have broken legs. The chickens never even see the light of day. Cattle that are sick, because they are being fed corn instead of grass. Cows that never see a pasture and stand ankle deep in their manure, until they are loaded into a truck to be slaughtered. I just don't think that we are being responsible stewards of what God has given us to take care of.
Last Saturday night we had a mouse in our gargage and I set a trap to get it. On Sunday morning, the kids were anxious to see if we had caught the mouse. Now I did not really want the kids to see the dead mouse, but they were insistent and I decided to let them have a peak anyway, and then we would talk about it. Sure enough we went out to the garage, and in our trap was a little, dead mouse. It brought up some really great conversation between Brooklyn and I about how God gave us authority over the animals, but that also means that we are responsible to take care of them. She wanted to know why I killed the mouse and I told her because the little mouse already knew how to get into our garage and the last mouse found it's way into the house, and that they will chew holes in the wall and poop on stuff. This satisfied her curiosity. But while watching this documentary about where our food is coming from I was reminded of my conversation with Brooklyn and what it means for us to have authority over the animals.
I felt horrible for the way our food industry is handling the animals, and feel like it is irresponsible and immoral to support these practices. I have always known that organic meats are a better choice for the health of my family, and when on sale I would buy them. Most of the time, however I would make a choice in favor of my budget and but the cheaper meats, but I can't do that anymore.

I feel morally compelled to vote with my dollar, and back-up what I believe about our responsibilty to the creatures God placed us over, and only buy organic, free range, grown the way God intended meats. It's going to be a hard road sometimes, Organic meat is Expensive, but that's the beauty of our wonderful capitalistic society. We have a choice to vote with our dollar, and the larger demand that there is for chicken and beef raised the way God intended, the industry will follow suit and things can change. But as long as people keep demanding, giant hormone filled, grown in 48 days by genetic engineering instead of 5 months, boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.99 a lb, there will never be any change in the industry. Even if only to model to my children that we are responsible for the choices we make, and that choosing to do the right thing IS important.