22 April 2007 Issue - Christian Vegetarian Association Update Newsletters


	Update Newsletters

Update Newsletters
22 April 2007 Issue

1. New CVA Podcast

2. Looking for CVA Members

3. Farm Sanctuary Job Opening

4. CVA at SoulFest 07 in NH 8/1-4

5. Veg. Dog and Cat Food

6. Christianity and Violence: Liberal versus Conservative, part 1

1. New CVA Podcast
Thanks to Chris and Kathy for the latest podcast, to be found at: http://mediablog.ilaugh.com/lifeafterdeath/media/folder/
slideshow.html?id=24482&media_file_id=103580

Contents: A great interview with Andy Glick of Meat Free Zone (www.meatfreezone.org); movie reviews; Bible Study segment; "Is Soy-Based Food Causing Homosexuality?"; and more.

2. Looking for CVA Members
The following people are seeking to make contact with local CVA members for fellowship, which may include socializing, activism, and prayer sessions:

AL Decatur Ginger

CA Huntington Beach Pamela

CA Lake Forest Valerie

CA Los Angeles

CA Oakland Rebecca

CA Pasedena Jeannie and John

CA San Mateo Pamela

CA Santa Barbara/LA area Marina

CA Vallejo Judy

CO Longmont area Sara orangeport@yahoo.com

DC Washington Jennifer

DE Newark Maureen

FL Cooper City Gail

FL Ocala Erika

FL Sarasota Julie

GA Lawrenceville Lorena

ND Fargo Alice

NH Bartlett Laura

IL Chicago Deborah

IN Westfield Angie

MA Malden Cleve

MA Somerville Joyce

MO Hazelwood Wendy

MO Kansas City Dani

NY Roslyn Christine

OH Cleveland Steve

OH Hudson Louis

OH Painesville Debi

OH Troy Sue

OH Willoughby Beth

OH Willoughby Bridget

PA Bethlehem Hannah

PA Erie Alka

PA Johnstown Michelle

PA Pottstown-Reading area Georgia

PA New Freedom Kevin

PA Philadelphia Leila

PA State College Karen

RI Providence Ed

SC Gaston Jessica

SC Spartanburg Lucas

SC West Columbia Patricia

SC West Columbia Michael

TN Knoxville Tristan

TN Memphis Vaughan

TX Dallas/Ft Worth Margaret

TX Fort Worth Jennifer

TX Houston Joy

VA Big Stone Gap Christopher ("Tab")

VA Falls Church Margaret

WA Auburn Linda

WA Seattle Carol g

WI Milwaukee Mike

WV Huntington Ann

New England Tracie

Newfoundland St. John's Lauren

Ontario Ottawa Anne

Ontario Mississuaga Eric

Southerland, NSE, Australia Brenda

Leicester, England Kathryn

UK Brian

3. Farm Sanctuary Job Opening
Farm Sanctuary is currently accepting resumes for the position of Campaign Director. The Campaign Director will be responsible for designing and coordinating campaign department initiatives that advance Farm Sanctuary's mission in the areas of legislative, ballot initiative, corporate, consumer, prosecutorial, and litigation-based campaigns. Position will also coordinate research and investigative efforts, oversee campaign department staff and consultants, and serve as organization spokesperson on campaign related outreach. Candidates must have experience running progressive, issue oriented, grass-roots and national campaigns, proven track record in advocacy, knowledge of animal protection movement, management experience and openness to the vegan ethic. This position reports to the President of the organization; position location is flexible and can be discussed during interview process.

For detailed job description and information on applying visit http://www.farmsanctuary.org/join/cam_director.htm

Application deadline is May 4, 2007

4. CVA at SoulFest 07 in NH 8/1-4
The CVA plans to table at this event, and we need volunteers. We are offering reduced-cost tickets to volunteers. Contact Lorena for details.

5. Veg. Dog and Cat food
Christine writes: I used to feed my dog Nature's Recipe Vegetarian/Allergy formula (pink label), but my cats wouldn't touch it. They love the Evangers though. http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/20101.html

6. Christianity and Violence
[This series reflects my views and not "official" CVA positions. It is being archived at http://www.christianveg.org/violence_view.htm.]

Liberal versus Conservative, part 1

Ron Liefer, M.D. has offered helpful insights into what distinguishes liberals from conservatives.¹ He thinks they differ fundamentally in what they regard as the source of human suffering. Liberals believe that people are basically quite good and that suffering is primarily due to insensitive or abusive social or legal institutions, such as the structure of the government, civil laws, and social customs. If harmful institutions could be reformed or eliminated, people would be much happier. In contrast, conservatives see human suffering as rooted in individual human failings, such as laziness or moral turpitude. They endorse existing institutions as necessary for peace, order, and societal well-being, particularly when these institutions protect society from the malevolence of morally depraved individuals.

Liberals have objected that unbridled laissez-faire market economies facilitate discrimination against minorities and women, engender great disparities of wealth, and leave animals, children, and the environment vulnerable to abuse. Liberals have typically favored laws to protect vulnerable individuals. Conservatives have asserted that laissez-faire market economies are very efficient at resource distribution and are morally just because they reward hard work, risk-taking, and creativity. Conservatives have claimed that many regulatory laws are unnecessary and harmful.

According to mimetic theory, both the liberal and conservative views are narrow and flawed. The conservative position, which points to individual failings as the cause of suffering, readily lends itself to scapegoating. It can be tempting to regard poverty as a sign of poor character, but it is unreasonable to hold that everyone has roughly equal innate abilities, home environments, and educational opportunities.

Liberals generally believe that institutions have been constructed to protect privilege, but few liberals regard all institutions as grounded in the scapegoating process. Because liberals tend to believe that social institutions, once cleansed of their most noxious elements, can work toward the social good, they tend to favor reforming institutions rather than eliminating them altogether. Radical leftists often aim to abolish a broad range of institutions altogether, but radicals (other than Jesus) generally do not have a program to reconstitute social institutions in ways that eliminate scapegoating. Instead, (if successful in destroying the institutions they despise) they initially tend to scapegoat the former scapegoaters, and later often themselves become the powers and principalities that scapegoat weak and vulnerable individuals, just like their predecessors.

Next week, we will look further into how liberal and conservative views relate to mimetic theory and the scapegoating process.

1. Leifer, Ron. The Happiness Project. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 1997.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

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