My phone interview with Anai Rhoads

With all this mad cow and mad that I had to write about it to clear my aching head. One side is telling you to eat the meat while the other is endorsing veganism and laughing in the face of the eat meaters.

Long story short, I tracked down the Vegan guru herself - Anai Rhoads. What would a Vegan say about all this mad cow insanity? Check it out for yourself...

Nigel Chow: Are you surprised that the British mad cow disease has reached our fine soil?

Anai Rhoads: Although England was the first country to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases (BSE) I wouldn't technically call it "British". Only the slang "mad cow" is.

No, I am not very surprised at the discovery. There was a proposed rule released in the Federal Register on 21 January 2003 where the USDA committed to using livestock that had been killed while carrying malignant lymphomas, gangrene and even hepatitis. Its fairly easy to see how lackadaisical ethics result in the situation we are now facing. The This was preventable. The USDA, and other careless cohorts, injudiciously put many lives on the line.

Nigel Chow: Do you feel a sense of vindication now that mad cow has hit home?

Anai Rhoads: Not at all. I cannot speak for other Vegans out there, but for myself I can only say that I am disappointed and terribly concerned. I think some organizations may take this as an opportunity to rub it in by saying 'we told you so' or may use the national concern as a means to recruit new Vegetarians or Vegans. I would like to hope that their dedication to compassionate living extends to the welfare of humans as well.

Nigel Chow: I noticed in the article called Meat Industry in a State of Uncertainty dated December 24, 2003, that you did not mention Veganism at all. As a Vegan expert, do you think this was a poor choice to not speak up for animals given the article was about mad cow?

Anai Rhoads: I don't think I made a poor choice by unequivocally voiding mention of animal rights in my article. When I cover a news story, I try not to offer my own speculation but instead focus on information the reader should be aware of. In this particular case, strictly speaking on mad cow, I felt it was enough for the readers to know the dangers of meat consumption. I think ranting about animal rights all of the time sets Vegans back. There is a time and place for everything.

That was the only admissible "lion's share" I could detail. If anyone has interviewed other Vegans, add your comments!