Global Warming And The Changing Times!

Having recently retired to just outside of Graham, North Carolina, many in the traditional business community are simply not prepared for the influx of people from other areas, as well as the reality of what many portray as global warming. While I am not, myself, a member of such groups as PETA, their article and campaign entitled Offset Al Gore's Eco-Unfriendly Diet, is based upon solid facts that the vast majority of people close their eyes to. And while the price to fill up one's car has many people embracing more eco-friendly means of transportation, the fact that PETA presents in this article remains the truth in the matter:

The following are a few inconvenient truths that the former V.P. ignores:

• A major United Nations study determined that the meat industry generates 40 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, SUVs, ships, and planes in the world combined.

• Researchers at the University of Chicago concluded that going vegan is 50 percent more effective in combating the climate crisis than switching to a hybrid car.

• The official handbook of the Live Earth concerts that Gore helped organize acknowledges that not eating meat is "the single most effective thing" you can do to reduce your climate change impact (emphasis in original).

Since Gore's addiction to meat is apparently stronger than his desire to secure a better future for our planet, we're asking those who recognize that actions speak louder than words to help offset Gore's greenhouse-gas emissions by pledging to go vegetarian for 30 days.

In view of the fact that many schools and organizations have made an ever growing number of people aware of the fact that the greatest impact upon global warming is the diet of each individual person, it would be logical to assume that both government and local businesses would see the handwriting upon the wall, and begin to accommodate the movement towards a greater number of vegetarians. Yet, in practice, we should not assume what would be considered rational, because in the state of North Carolina, the business community is moving in reverse. Since retiring here somewhat over a year ago, it is ever becoming more difficult to be a vegetarian in the state.

When people come to visit me from out of state, I have an ever growing list of food items that they must bring me. And since certain vegetarian items are missing from all the stores, the problem must exist on a distributor level. Which means that it appears to be a single distributor that is stocking the shelves of all the stores -- i.e., Food Lion, Wallmart, Target, Harris Teeter's, Lowe's and Kroger's. While Progresso Foods makes many vegetarian soups, nowhere in the state can you find even a single can of Macaroni & Bean soup. Just after I moved to the state, one of my staples, Franco American mushroom gravy which is vegan, simply disappeared off all the grocery store shelves. When I complained to the various supermarket chains, it was pointed out that they sell Heinz -- but Heinz contains beef fat. While all these food chains carry Franco American brown, chicken and turkey gravies, they have all eliminated the mushroom gravy which is an ingredient in many vegan and vegetarian recipes, and now carry only gravy with beef fat. But what I really found disheartening, was when they removed all the Bertolli frozen pasta dinners that did not contain meat, from ALL the store shelves across the state. Every one of the non-meat Bertolli frozen pasta dinners, is long gone from the shelves, in order to make room for more meat based products. Further, it is becoming more difficult to find all the various MorningStar vegetarian products in the frozen foods section.

If our politicians and leaders were at all serious about the threat of global warming, you would think that they could at least accommodate those people who are willing to make the most individual impact, and embrace the vegetarian diet. North Carolina is known for its Universities and the Research Triangle -- and when you realize that among the more educated, a greater number of people are vegetarians, you would think that the community leaders would want to accommodate this ever growing group of people. Instead of giving tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies, congress should be subsidizing vegetarian foods so that the poor can more easily embrace the vegetarian diet -- doing their part to combat global warming. In view of the fact that it has long been proven that vegetarians have a much lower rate of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure, you would think that those who are singing the tune of universal healthcare, would at least insure that being a vegetarian was easier than it is at present. Perhaps instead of advertizing men singing Viva Viagra on every television channel, if more people understood the cause of their clogged arteries that negatively affect their sex life, as a society we could begin to get back to what is normal and natural. If MorningStar grillers or hot dogs were cheaper than their meat versions, then a greater number of people could afford to buy them -- making an even greater impact of not only reducing the greenhouse gases associated with cows -- but also lowering the impact on our healthcare industry.

As one of the spiritual leaders in the world wide Ebionite Restoration Movement (see http://Ebionite.com ), many other people who are vegetarians for purely spiritual reasons, are beginning to consider migrating to North Carolina. For those of you who don't know what an Ebionite is, the Ebionites of the Nazirene Vow were the first disciples of Jesus, and the spiritual bedrock of the New Covenant teachings. And while all Ebionite Nazirenes were strict vegetarian, it was taught by Jesus that unless a disciple was a vegetarian who was living a Consecrated Life, that it would be impossible to perceive and comprehend the inner spiritual meaning of the scriptures (see http://Ebionite.com/vegetarian.htm ). And thus, this is one of the primary reasons why such groups as the Seventh Day Adventists are vegetarian. And whether they understand it or not, many highly educated and intelligent people naturally migrate to the vegetarian diet that is more accommodating to what is spiritually portrayed as the vibrations of man's higher mind and consciousness. Yet, in many rural areas such as North Carolina, it is becoming ever more difficult to become a vegetarian.

Those leaders in our communities and government who recognize the impact of global warming and universal healthcare -- and recognize the need for diversity and accommodation of people seeking higher consciousness -- must begin to take the issues raised in the above seriously. The fact are that the greatest impact an individual can have, is to embrace a vegetarian and/or vegan lifestyle -- and our political, religious and cultural leaders should insure that this option and transition is as easy as possible. From the perspective of greenhouse gases, every person who successfully migrates to the vegetarian and vegan diet, becomes a living carbon offset for the rest of the population. Therefore, it is in the greatest interest of the rest of the meat eating population, to support those who become vegetarians -- not only in the reduction of greenhouse gases, but also the positive impact on universal healthcare.

Brother of Yeshua/Jesus

http://BrotherOfYeshua.com