Barb, I just want to say thank you for having the courage to write a letter about something that clearly flies in the face of "conventional" wisdom and obviously brings out some of the worst in other people (as evidenced from the hostility of some of the other bloggers). Although, I have to admit that the first time someone told me that humans shouldn't drink cow's milk, I had a similar knee-jerk reaction to the idea. And why did I react negatively? Because it was a new idea - an idea that challenged my concept of the way that things are "supposed" to be (no doubt a part of some of the reasons for the other bloggers' reactions). And after years of consuming dairy and meat products and being "brainwashed" by the meat and dairy council "that only real people eat meat" etc. etc. no wonder I reacted so negatively. But since that time, I've learned a lot about the man-made cruelty that is inherent within factory farming (and other industries that use animals). This information led me to vegetarianism (I haven't gone vegan) and trying to do what I can to avoid supporting businesses and industries that use animals (I'll admit that I'm not perfect about it). The shame with the other bloggers, is that they seem to be more interested in talking about their "rights" and in being cute and clever or downright nasty because, they don't want to deal with the real issues -- animal cruelty and animal welfare. Clearly their comments are an attempt to diminish the message by demeaning and belittling the messenger rather than dealing with the fact that they are supporting a system that is cruel; perhaps they're afraid that they might actually have to deal with something that is unpleasant or that might spoil their fun.

And the truth is it is only because of the work of so-called "progressives" and "fruit-cakes" that we no longer believe that the earth is at the center of the universe or that the earth is flat; it's only because of the hard work and dedication of "radicals" and the people "who don't have a life" that child labor laws were passed and that women won the right to vote. And like the people who resisted these "radical" and "unconventional" ideas of their day, many of the bloggers of this article seemed to deal with it in the same way - by lashing out and ridiculing it; the truth is I feel "bad for them" (as one blogger said about vegans) for only being able to experience life from inside "the box" that society has created for them.

Progressives preach 'tolerance' don't they.

I guess it only applies to the ideas in which they believe. Not surprising!

Progressives preach 'tolerance' don't they.

I guess it only applies to the ideas in which they believe. Not surprising!

Progressives preach 'tolerance' don't they.

I guess it only applies to the ideas in which they believe. Not surprising!

Progressives preach 'tolerance' don't they.

I guess it only applies to the ideas in which they believe. Not surprising!

For the most part these comments are coming from the redneck population of New Hampshire. I guess they don't have anything better to do. Get a life, rednecks, and learn how to spell.

I do agree with this person that milk is a natural production of the body that is meant to provide short term nutrients that are specific to its breed. In other words, cows create milk to feed their young just as mothers produce milk to feed their babies (for the short term). However, I do thing that this person took a valid argument and chose to use it in an effort to push her own beliefs and stretched it to the point where it became meaningless and dismissable.

In my 25 years of reading the Monitor, I've noticed that the editors seem to enjoy printing letters from the same people with very, very extreme viewpoints. Although I respect the strength of your convictions, I also believe that rabid veganism represents the outer fringes of what is actually sensible.

But, as a society, we need people who have views that are extreme, because that allows the rest of us to figure out where the middle ground is. While most people probably won't listen to you because they think you're a nut, it still makes people think...never a bad thing.

I too and going to go have a glass of milk...maybe some eggs bacon for breakfast, and as I bite into my delicious crunchy bacon, I will take a moment to admire the strength of your convictions.

Now would you please stop breathing. You're warming up Mother Earth for the rest of us, and she's getting quite cranky.
- C. dog e. doG

Another reason not to drink milk and eat beef is global warming. Those cows give off methane when they chew their cud and belch, and nitrous oxide and ammonia when they leave manure all over the barnyard, and have become a major contributor to global warming..

But if you do, wash them down with plenty of milk to get rid of the heinous aftertaste. And for god's sake, immediately floss afterwards to remove the hemp that will inevitably get caught between your teeth.

Now, now kids, let's not gang up on the downtrodden, stray vegan who wandered onto the Monitor. Vegetables have feelings, too, you know (re: the "Silent Scream of the Broccoli", Eule Gibbons, Rodale Press, 1974).

For those who have an interest, check out John Stossel's report on the latest incarnation of human's with too little to do missin' the point: Orthorexia. It isn't just for breakfast anymore. You can obsess about food quality and purity day and night right into your early grave, macrobiotics be damned.

That's why I'm such a big proponent of roadkill; it's already dead and darn tasty. If hit properly by the murder weapon, it can also eviscerate the critter. Time for a random moment in History: before there was PETA, there were PETA's (People Eating Tasty Animals). I, for one, think no animal should go to waste. Among other more disturbing reasons tied up to weird fetish fixations, this is one of the less troubling reasons why I'm so darkly drawn to Sarah Palin. Maybe if I were to follow in her wake, I could gather sufficient carrion to survive from her killing spree castoff's - a liver here, a heart there - as I gaze longingly into her librarian glassed eyes. Be still my heart! Enough, enough.

Remember Roadkill Warriors: thank those who put bounty on your table - it's only good manners and proper hunting etiquette.
- C. dog e. doG

Vegans are just as likely to develop the same illnesses that meat eaters do.

Have you ever seen a vegan that does not look anemic.

I would never suggest that we should control the diet of anyone, but Barb is a little over the top.

She is obviously liberal in her views and worries about dairy cows being "torn from their mothers". Hey Bard, how do you feel about abortion????? Do you have the same compassion for the young ones??

I know and understand democracy is founded on the free exchange of ideas, but you seem to suggest that allowing our children to ingest dairy is tantamount to child abuse. That is ridiculous and patronizing.

I have a few vegan and vegetarian friends, but they're aren't spending their time trying to convert me or scolding me for my eating habits. It was a personal choice for them and not something they feel as though they need to proselytize about. They actually hold a certain disdain for those fanatical vegans who preach "live and let live" for animals, but will go out of their way to criticize a guy for having a burger.

I will eat WHAT I want WHEN I want. I am so sick of these vegans going on a hysterical rant and getting into other people's faces with all their preaching. Pass the milk, burgers, hot dogs and whatever else will drive them over the edge. It's a free country. Oh, and soy milk is horrible tasting. Bleech!

I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian. I eat meat and drink milk. I may disagree with what she says, but relax people! If you want to drink your milk, than do so, but to call this woman a fruitcake or suggest she may lack life in her eyes because she believes differently than you, is pretty petty. Unbelievable how intolerant people are these days to differences or different opinions. By the way, chocolate soy milk isn't too bad!

Vegans bodies lack certain chemicals and vitamins that the body need to survive. If you look at any vegan, you can see the lack of life in their eyes. Besides, I love vegans. More meat for me.

If God didn't want us to eat meat, he wouldn't have made it taste so good. Soy taste like dirt and tofu is just disgusting.

We have chemicals and waste in many of the foods we drink. Alcohol kills the body and the mind, (Government caused) prescription drugs addiction is running rampant, unemployment rate is incredible, we have an idiot running for president and an even bigger idiot running this counrtry. We have who knows what in our drinking water, we're at war with people we can't see. We have diseases running pampant on this planet. Animals are being born with two faces or four legs. Kids are being born with four arms and four legs. Milk, is the least of this world's problems and if milk is that much of an issue for you then I think you need to get a life and look around you. You're whinning about the wrond issue to the wrong people. We're more worried about being able to afford the milk and food on our tables, or the gas to get the said milk.

A study that I read last week stated that soy p[rotein makes men impotent.
progressives are anit-population so I suggest that hemp wearing, Leftists drink as much as they can

way to go Barb, just because you believe animals should not be eaten doesnt mean the rest of us want to drink soy milk and eat tofu. myself I just had a big glass of white milk with my steak and eggs. here is a news flash, cancer is caused by almost everything you come in contact with on a daily basis. maybe the real issue with you is one of breast feeding, it is true that most vegans were never breast fed and developed the condition as a result. I feel bad for you, it must be tough to eat all those suppliments becasue your afraid to eat what is really good for you..

What to choose....what to choose....chocolate or strawberry milk. Decisions! Decisions!