Chickens Unite!

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tyson Foods Inc., the largest U.S. meat company, said it will investigate allegations by the animal-welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that chickens were abused and tortured at two of its chicken processing plants. PETA said an undercover investigator for the group had video documentation of workers throwing live chickens, hitting them with fists, and urinating in an area where the live birds were shackled.

"We're committed to proper animal handling in all aspects of our operations and are conducting our own investigation into the claims by PETA, which is well known for its anti-meat agenda," Tyson said in a statement on Thursday.

Chickens are on the headlines today. No. They are not bringing the bird flu again. You might think they are marching, bringing placards demanding fair treatment, as pictured in cartoons and movies. Well, in a way, yes.

When People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) went undercover to Tyson Foods (a major supplier of chicken and other meat in the US), they found out that chickens there were being abused. You heard it right. Abused!

Now that is a story.

I was wondering why PETA would love to castigate the first world countries on their animal treatment policies. I suggest they come to the Philippines or China for this matter.

Filipinos I believe are not really mindful of the feelings of animals to be slaughtered for food. I’ve seen pigs being tied, mouth stuck with a piece of wood to stifle their cries before the final cut in their arteries. I’ve seen water buffalos being struck in the knees, hit with a crowbar in the head before being slit in the neck. The basic premise there is food. To survive. To have something in the stomach. And in the case of the Filipinos, animal rights are not right. I think PETA has a lot of persuasive movements to do in the land of the rising sun.

I used to dress chickens when I was young. The first time I did it, I was actually crying because it was the chicken I loved, I fed, I cared for, everyday. The only abuse I can remember was the slitting of the chicken’s neck while I was holding its wings and feet. The only abuse was psychological in nature, me holding my chicken, dying in my hands. It was me who was abused. But when my father finished cooking my chicken, the love of good food restored my gustatory cravings. And I ate my chicken with much gusto.

And while you are about to enjoy your chicken meal, Tyson Foods Inc. offered a free downloadable booklet “designed to help you discover (or rediscover) the joy and power of saying a word of thanks at mealtime. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the sharing of good food with family and friends.” I am sure PETA would agree on this. Here are the sample graces before meals:

'Round the table peace and joy prevail. May all who share this meal's delight enjoy countless more.

Thank you for the food we eat; Thank you for the friends we meet; Thank you for our work and play; Thank you, God, for a happy day.

God has been gracious to us, thanks and praise be to God He has drowned us in His blessings... There is no God but God Let us eat of His blessings... And remember His presence... And hope for His mercy... There is no God but God Muhammad set His foot (in the world)... And became the Intercessor, The Beloved Friend of Truth There is no God but God O God, our Lord, cause a table to descend unto us from heaven, that the day of its descent may become a festival day unto us; and do you provide food for us, for you are the best Provider.

Cristo, pan de vida, Ven y bendice esta comida. Amen Christ, bread of life, Come and bless this food. Amen

We thank you, loving Father, For all your tender care, For food, and clothes, and shelter, And all your world so fair.

Hail, hail, hail, may happiness come. May food come. May corn come. Just as the farmers work and look forward to the reaping, So may we sit again as we are sitting now. May our enemies turn from us and go... Lord, return among us and be our Guest.

For every cup and plateful, May the Lord make us truly grateful.

Bénedic, Dómine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Chritum Dóminum nostrum. Amen Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen

Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to Thy service. For we ask these things in Thy name. Amen

The Lord is good to me, And so I thank the Lord, For giving me the things I need, The sun and the rain, And the appleseed. The Lord is good to me. (To be sung.)

Good food, Good treats, Good God, Let's eat!

We thank you, Heavenly Father, For all things bright and good, The seedtime and the harvest, Our life, our health, our food.

May these words of praise ask You for food for our offspring, And for ourselves. You are gracious to us.

Thank you for the world so sweet, Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing, Thank you, God, for everything. Amen

Rub-a-dub-dub, Thanks for the grub. Amen

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz. Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth.

May the salt on this table remind us of the wisdom of our Baptism, O Father. May the bread on this table remind us of the sacrifice of the altar. May the food remind us of your Word Incarnate. Amen

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some would eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Our Father, we are mindful of those who have friends but no food...and those who have food but no friends. We thank you this day we have both. Help us to befriend the friendless and to share our substance with those who hunger. Amen - U.S. Coast Guard Chaplain Program

For what we are about to receive, May the Lord make us truly grateful. Amen

Lord, bless our shared meal, a sacrament to our shared unity. - Mount St. Mary's Abbey

This ritual is One. The food is One. We who offer the food are One. The fire of hunger is also One. All action is One. We who understand this are One.

Father, we thank Thee for this food, for health and strength and all things good. May others all these blessings share, and hearts be grateful everywhere.

May the blessing of the five loaves and the two fishes which Jesus divided among the Five Thousand be ours, And may the King who made the division put luck in our food and in our portion. Amen

Good Lord - Bless these sinners as they eat their dinners. Amen

Great God, accept our gratitude, For the great gifts on us bestowed, For rainment, shelter and for food. Great God, our gratitude we bring, Accept our humble offering, For all the gifts on us bestowed, Thy name be evermore adored.

God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. By his hands, we are fed. Let us thank him for our bread. Amen

Now that I am about to eat, O Great Spirit, give my thanks to the beasts and birds whom You have provided for my hunger, and pray deliver my sorrow that living things must make a sacrifice for my comfort and well-being. Let the feather of corn spring up in its time and let it not wither but make full grains for the fires of our cooking pots, now that I am about to eat.

For the blessings you've bestowed upon this home and on this family, For all the days we've had together and all the days to come, For the joys and sorrows that bind us ever closer, For the trials we've overcome, And for teaching us that we can do no great things only small things with great love, Lord, we thank you.

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