Why not take a stand by seeking out animal products that are raised in a more humane manner? . . . support small-scale farms?

Excellent point Judy G ! I think the PETA Vegan agenda is out to destroy the open market! Those who push an agenda that eating meat is immoral falls into the hands of the powers that be! I dont give a damn how others choose to live thier lives and I dont want some moral evangelists pushing thier unnatural agenda on me!
PETA for instance tries to stop the shipment of chicks through the mail! This only hurts the small guy the chicken industry can continue in all thier abuses but those small raisers who do raise hens in a kind environment lost the access to an affordable supply of birds !
Microchipping all live stock at a hefty price penalizes the small farmer and hardly puts a dent in the huge agribusiness producers!
PETA and the vegan movement are supported and promoted by the Rockefellers and thier ilk and would have us all eating only that which they produce in thier factories!
Like I said I have nothing against eating a vegan diet but pushing this on others and supporting these extremist groups is playing into the demise of controlling our own food suply!

~Stridar~

While the average American probably does eat too much meat (and badly raised, at that), I'm not convinced that eating none or very little is better for one's health, super. How did you arrive at that idea?

none of the longest lived cultures in the world (okinawa, hunza, etc.) practice, or have ever practiced, vegetarianism. it may be better for some, but certainly not for all.