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New Year’s resolution; Lester Himber; Beaver County Times; January 4, 2015. This letter appeared on the BCT website on 1/4/15 but did not appear in the print edition until 1/5/15.
Previous letters from Lester and Lorraine Himber on this topic were entitled “Is the blockbuster Noah Pro-Animal?” (no critique), “Extend the message of Dr. King to animals,” “Changes needed to sustain environment,” and “Healthier meals a must.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, particularly those about our health. Although gun violence remains the leading cause of death among young people, our most dangerous weapon is still our fork. Forty-five times as many die of chronic diseases linked to a diet containing animal products, sugar and salt.”
[RWC] As I wrote in my critiques of previous Himber letters, I’ll go out on a limb and guess Mr. Himber would not like readers to know he likely did not write this letter. A quick Google search found this same letter tweaked by different “authors” on thestar.com (Toronto Star), shreveporttimes.com, in the Poughkeepsie Journal, and on many other websites around the country. I did not find the source of the form letter but it’s fair to suspect it came from a vegetarian and/or vegan advocacy group. Media outlets usually don’t like to publish form letters.
As for all pieces, even my own, I recommend you check the facts presented by Mr. Himber.
Here’s a mortality statistic Mr. Himber omitted. Throughout history, all vegetarians and vegans have died. <g>
“Hardly a month goes by without another study linking consumption of animal products with obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. No reputable study has ever shown an opposite result.
“But times are changing. Hundreds of schools, colleges, hospitals and corporate cafeterias have embraced Meatless Monday. According to a Gallup poll, 22% of American consumers are avoiding meat and 12% are avoiding dairy products. Harris Interactive claims that 47% of American consumers are reducing consumption of animal products.
“Accordingly, plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products are growing explosively, propelled by investments from Microsoft, Paypal, and Twitter founders. Fast-food chains like Chipotle, Subway and Taco Bell are rolling out vegan options.
“Let this New Year’s resolution be about exploring the rich variety of plant-based entrees, lunch meats, cheeses, ice creams and milks in our supermarket. The Internet offers tons of recipes and transition tips.”
[RWC] Though readers probably figured it out by now, it’s fairly clear from their letter-copying body of work the Himbers are vegetarians or vegans and want to force their lifestyle choice on others.
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