I wonder how many of the dedicated volunteers who helped saving a pelican from the deadly Gulf oil have other birds for dinner or at a local fast-food outlet.

They are not alone. Most people are appalled by the devastation of animal life by the Gulf oil spill, yet subsidize the systematic killing of other animals for their dinner table. They know that meat and dairy harm the environment and their family’s health, but compartmentalize this knowledge when shopping for food.

And it goes beyond dietary flaws. We tolerate the killing of innocent people when our government and media label them terrorists; We ignore the suffering and starvation of a billion people, except when our government and media tell us to care because an earthquake or tsunami has struck.

Our society would benefit greatly from more original thinkers, and our personal diet is a great place to start.

Blaine Hamilton, Buffalo

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