I love that scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (Buy Direct) where the bride's family learns that the groom is vegetarian, and her aunt replies, "I'll make lamb." It's a situation that is at once familiar, funny and frustrating for vegans and vegetarians. It seems a simple enough concept, but many people are still confused because some self-described vegans and vegetarians eat all kinds of animal products.

And I know that some people like to describe their diets as "semi-vegetarian." But many of us in the animal rights movement wonder, "Is that like a semi-virgin?"

I want people to try vegetarianism and veganism, and if they're not going to go completely vegan, a reduction in their consumption of animal products does benefit the animals, the environment and human health. The benefits are not all-or-nothing. But they shouldn't call themselves "vegan" while they're still eating cheese omelettes. And those who continue eating meat shouldn't call themselves "vegetarian" or even "semi-vegetarian." It's inaccurate and confuses people. There are already too many people wondering whether vegans and vegetarians eat fish.

Why do people call themselves vegan while they continue to eat animal products? I'm sure for some people, it's a misunderstanding of the term. But being vegan is also trendy in some circles. With Stella McCartney and Morrissey teaming up to make vegan shoes, veganism must be fashionable! I'm glad that being vegan is becoming more socially acceptable as people become more aware of the benefits of veganism, but I hope it doesn't lead to more people using the term incorrectly. The last thing I need in my "vegan" dinner is a dead fish.

Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Suggested Reading:

• Types of Vegan, Vegetarian and Pseudo-Vegetarian Diets
  
• What is Veganism?
  
• What's Wrong with Eating Fish?
  
• Go Stella!!!
  
• Smell of Meat Forces Morrissey Off Stage at Coachella
  

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U.S. Bureau of Land Management uses a helicopter to round up wild horses in 2005.

As a result of a lawsuit filed by In Defense of Animals and ecologist Craig Downer, the Bureau of Land Management will delay the wild horse roundup in the Calico Complex Herd Management Area from December 7 to December 28. The Calico Complex lies within the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area in Nevada.

According to IDA, the roundup is illegal because:

The Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act, passed unanimously by Congress in 1971, designated America's wild horses and burros as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West," specifying they "shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death ... [and that] to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of public lands."

The lawsuit also argues that the use of helicopters in a roundup is illegal because they "traumatize, injure and kill" some horses.

To their credit, BLM voluntarily agreed to delay the roundup, to give time for the lawsuit to play out.

BLM claims that the horses must be removed because of concerns about "range deterioration." So what is the solution to range deterioration? Stop allowing private ranchers to graze their livestock on public lands. While tens of millions of cattle and other livestock are allowed to graze on these lands, there are only 37,000 wild horses. Yet the horses are being blamed for the vegetation loss. Leases for livestock grazing are usually for ten years, so grazing plots could be phased out gradually as the leases end.

Many thanks to William Spriggs, Esq. of Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney, for taking this case pro bono for the animals!

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Suggested Reading:

• BLM Removes Thousands of Wild Horses to Make Room for Millions of Cattle
• What's Wrong with Livestock Grazing on Public Lands?
  
• What's Wrong with Grass-Fed Beef?
  

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Rescued turkeys at Farm Sanctuary

Can a rescue be called a rescue if you purchase the animal? What if the animal would have been killed if you did not purchase him or her?

In general, legitimate animal rescuers and sanctuaries do not purchase animals. Purchasing animals supports breeders and supports a system that perpetuates animal breeding, use and suffering. For example, Persians and Friends Rescue "does NOT buy animals from breeders to save their life." Limbe Wildlife Center, which saves primates and other animals from the bushmeat trade in Cameroon, states, "We continually tell people that we do not buy animals, as it will only encourage further hunting." Pet Jamboree, a rescue group in Indiana says, "No, we WILL NOT purchase your litter of animals. We are not brokers. We do not purchase animals for resale."

This principle also applies to rescuing humans. Free the Slaves, an organization that rescues modern-day human slaves explains, "Buying slaves in order to free them encourages trafficking."

That's why I was so disappointed to hear about Karen Dawn, a vegan activist and author, purchasing two live turkeys before they could be slaughtered, and calling it a "rescue." She's not even going to take care of the turkeys herself. The turkeys she purchased last year went to live at Animal Acres. This year's turkeys will go to The Gentle Barn Foundation.

Then how do farmed animals end up at sanctuaries? The vast majority were not purchased by activists or the sanctuaries. They fell off of trucks on the way to slaughter, they were left for dead at stockyards, or they escaped from farms or slaughterhouses. And sometimes, hundreds or thousands of animals are suddenly in need of rescue, like when floodwaters in Iowa destroyed factory farms full of pigs.

Yes, the turkeys Dawn purchased are alive today because of her actions. But I wouldn't call it a rescue. What do you think?

Photo © Doris Lin 2008, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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President Obama "pardoned" a turkey named Courage yesterday at the White House, taking part in an annual tradition that dates back to 1989. Courage will be sent to Disneyland to live out his life - probably a year or so, because turkeys bred for meat are too large to survive much longer. Obama joked about eating turkeys, but I don't find it funny to think about their deaths and their suffering.

Obama also sent out a mass email yesterday that said:

But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love . . . So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.

I look forward to that tomorrow. That day when children will ask why the turkey is the symbol of Thanksgiving, and are told that long ago, people used to eat turkeys on Thanksgiving. Before the world was a more peaceful place.

In the meantime, we still have Fur-Free Friday in the U.S., on the day after Thanksgiving, to raise awareness of the cruelty of fur. Find an event here, and speak out against fur.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

Suggested Links:

• Bush and Palin Pardon Turkeys
  
• Photo Gallery of Rescued Animals at Farm Sanctuary
  
• Is Obama Good for Animals?
  
• How Do You Celebrate Thanksgiving? poll

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