Taking a Stand

To be sung to the tune of the chorus of Jethro Tull's "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day-"
Taking a stand
Taking a stand
Taking a stand on the new land with a plan

A couple of work friends asked me to have dinner with them in a restaurant.  Not surprisingly, both of them are meat eaters.  I insisted that they order no meat at the restaurant. 
"That's not fair," my coworker replied to my request.  Your meat eating is not fair to the animals you're eating.  She also said, "You're around people eating meat here."  We were in our workplace's break room. 
"I have to be around it here," I replied.  Because I have to work and make money to support myself.  I don't have to be around shit like that on my free time.
I hardly ever eat out anyway, and that's fine.  I don't enjoy being served by a server who's being fake nice to me in order to get as big a tip as possible: not my idea of a good time.  It ain't cheap, either, and I am.
My coworker thought my request was unreasonable.  So, instead of being at the restaurant with them tonight, I'm alone, writing, and listening to metal.  I don't want to sit at a table with people who are eating meat.  People eating meat and wearing leather offend me.  What's even worse is when it's wasted.  How can I enjoy myself when I'm worried one, or both, of them is going to waste meat?  Throwing meat in the trash is so disrespectful.  The animals who provided that meat suffered in vain whenever that happens: truly heinous.   

Independence Day: a Shitty Day for Animals

I was planning to title this post "Fireworks Should Be Seen: Not Heard," but I changed my mind.  Not being a child, or immature, I don't like fireworks.  I don't like the noise they make.  I heard a lot of loud noise from fireworks yesterday.  There, obviously, will be more tonight, and, in my experience, in the days, weeks, or months to come. 
But, for me, it's just an annoyance.  The sound of fireworks terrifies animals.  There is no doubt that fireworks have been used to injure, torture, and kill animals. 
Then there's the issue of barbeques.  Meat eaters are cavemen and cavewomen anyway, but the summer months are when they show who they really are.  They roast the flesh of murdered animals over an open flame: just like their Neanderthal ancestors probably did.  
Also, this is the day that they hold the famous hot-dog-eating contest on Coney Island, NY.  I heard about it on the radio today as I was driving around after buying vegan food.  It's considered to be so funny.  Those who think it's funny obviously don't give any thought to the animals who suffered before and during their murders to provide that meat.  The winner, if memory serves, ate 70 hot dogs.  I wonder if he (or she) intentionally vomited all that tortured animal flesh after the contest was over.  It seems quite possible.
Today, as I went for a walk, I walked through a park.  A woman was allowing a little girl to constantly chase ducks.  As I walked by, I said, to the woman, "They're not toys for her to play with, you know."  She looked at me.  I kept walking.  I looked back.  It seemed as though she wasn't chasing them anymore. 
Days ago, I saw a woman leave her dog in a (probably) hot car with the windows rolled all the way up.  I had just shopped after a full day of work, so I didn't' want to deal with this stupid bitch, but I did anyway  I followed her into the store.  I was thinking that I needed to keep track of the time the dog was in that car.  She came out again shortly after.  To my amazement, she left the dog in there again with the windows all the way up before heading back toward the store.
"Don't you think you should leave the windows open?" I asked her.
"I'm only going to be a few minutes," she replied.
"But it's hot," I said.  It's true.  It wasn't crazy hot out, but it was in my car.
"I would if I was going to be longer, and the windows are tinted," she replied.
The conversation wasn't going anywhere, so I gave up.  The more I argued with her, the more time that dog would have to spend in the car.  WHY WOUDLN'T YOU OPEN THE WINDOWS ON A HOT DAY FOR YOUR DOG, YOU STUPID BITCH?!
I think I'll be more aggressive in the future.  The thought of an animal dying, while trapped in a hot car, is horrible.  "Open your windows, or I'll smash them!" comes to mind.