feathers

don't decompose. At least not quickly. Why? I have no idea.

That's among the many things I learned on tuesday at an industrial chicken house that my Environmental Science Lab toured.

It was so sad. 20,000 birds packed together into a big, long, dark house. It looked like the floor was covered in thousands of moving little pillows, as far as you could see. The only daylight came in from the very end, where the fans were.

Basically, corporations like Tyson and Simmons supply the birds and the feed. The worker has to supply everything else- the houses (which are crazy expensive: the ones Simmons requires its producers to construct cost between $350-400,000.), the watering system, lighting, and waste disposal (which is why our class visited- to learn about their chicken litter compost system.) And then the manual labor on top of that. So small farms do all the work, are told when and how to raise their birds, all for the promise of having a guaranteed buyer. Whatever company supplies them always buys back the birds- for at least 4 cents per chicken, and as much as 6.5 cents.

What's really messed up is the way the payment system is set up. As a small producer, it's actually better for you if your neighbors do poorly. You get paid more per bird if your neighbors birds are sickly or something. Either you all do well and you all get paid a lower price, or someone gets a little more and everyone else gets screwed over. Way to encourage people, Corporate Poultry. Way to go.

By my calculations, if they turn 7 flocks (of about 80,000 birds each [!!!]), an operation this size can earn, at best, $28,000. That's raw profit. So now consider the astronomical upfront investment these people must make and try to pay off with this kind of measly income... It's sick. It's hurting hard-working people and innocent animals. The only one coming out on top is the corporation. But once you buy all that equipment, what other choice do you have?

Of course,"You don't do this kind of work to get rich," the manager/operator of this farm informed us. He told us you do it because you enjoy it.

Enjoy penning hens up so that they can barely move around? So that they cannot do any natural things chickens are meant to do? Enjoy having to deprive them of sunlight because it will make them "too aggressive"? God forbid they get restless in there.

I just don't understand. I don't understand why people put up with this. I don't understand how people find any fulfillment in raising animals like this. It doesn't make sense economically, morally, or environmentally.

When I asked about the chickens receiving sunlight, the guy went on a long talk about a lot of things. He told me that there are animal abuse inspectors who come around every year. But here's the kicker! So the animal agents call up the company, at a 'random' time, and tell them, "We need to come inspect your chickens. Take us to one of your producers. Your pick!" So which farm do you think Tyson is going to choose, the one who abuses their chickens, or the one who doesn't? As long as they take them to one of their farms, then they all get cleared for the whole year. Makes a lot of sense, huh?

I've never been so thankful that I choose not to contribute to that system of consumption.

So I've been trying to finish this post since Tuesday. I've been busy. I'm not as angry as I was that day. I'm still just as adamant about how idiotic the system is, but I've been having much better days since.

For example:

It's been beautifully rainy! My family bonded with Banah's yesterday at her Eid celebration, and we watched Little Mosque on the Prairie (oh yes. It exists. You can thank Canada). I bought "528 Cute Animal Stickers", completely intact, for a whopping 75 cents today from potter's house. Pete and I spent all of Sunday night and Labor Day together, with movies, the Clothesline Fair, free stuff and the christening of my adorable picnic basket. I saw Smash Mouth and spent three hours lawling all over the Taco Bell last night. Kelly and Michelle and I baked cookies and watched a chick flick together tonight, and I'm so pleased, because I love both of them so much and I'm glad they got to be friends. There's no such thing as a non-precious elementary school child, and I got to be reminded of that on Friday morning. I've been bonding with some absolutely wonderful people lately. I took Breana and Holly on a tour of Fayetteville today, with the Farmer's Market, the Ozark Harvest Food Festival, OMNI gardening, Potter's House Thrift, Cheap Thrills, and Chanting for Peace.

Which I have to elaborate on. About 40 of us sat in a big circle in St. Paul's Episcopal this afternoon. I was very impressed by the representation. We all listened to blessings, prayers and songs from Muslims, Jews, Unitarians, Quakers, Methodists, the Zen Center, a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, and more that I'm forgetting. It was absolutely beautiful. Everyone, in whatever language and whatever way, was saying the same thing: harmony. I can't think of a better way to commemorate September 11th. At the end, we all stood up and held hands to sing "Let There Be Peace of Earth" (which, as a song, sounded terrible, but I think it was made better by that). And then we all enjoyed DELICIOUS brown people food. I could eat tazhiki sauce till kingdom come.

I feel so at peace with the world right now. My spirit is renewed. I'm going to go to a Tibetan meditation meeting tomorrow morning and then TLC Board and then the HPER with Chelsea and eat dinner with my family and maybe I'll fit some homework in there too.

Thank you, world, for being so beautiful.