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The conversation about killing chickens strikes a deep chord in me--especially the call from the father who had 7 & 9 year-olds.   As a child, we lived in the country and raised chickens and other animals as pets and for food. Whenever it came time for slaughtering however, I was always horrified to see our animals die, and in fact all 4 of us kids would sit around the dinner table not touching the meat.  My dad eventually gave up on trying to raise animals for meat for this reason, and in fact I credit these experiences with my own becoming a vegetarian at age 17, which is a path I have followed ever since.  My reasoning was then--and remains-- that I will not pay others to kill animals when I myself will not.  IF I were starving, I would eat animals, but the reality is that I am able to fulfill my nutritional needs with vegetables, fruits, and dairy products including eggs.  My own 9 year-old son is free to experiment with eating meat or not, we do not buy or cook meat in our house but will allow him to explore in restaurants or with friends.  I feel deeply for children who are faced with this dilemma but are not allowed a voice in the matter.

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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Dear Emily & David,

As Australian physician & activist Dr. Helen Caldicott has pointed out for decades in her passionate lectures opposing nuclear power generation: "There is really no such thing as 'nuclear energy.'   All the power plants do is BOIL WATER--and this is a VERY dangerous way to boil water!"

Speaking as one of the activists myself who marched against Trojan--and who will march again in the future--I beg you to please make this point clearly at least once in your discussion today.

I'm dismayed at how many times I've listened to discussions where everyone seems to be operating on the erroneous assumption that somehow the nuclear process is itself generating electricity in a highly efficient way--which is completely false.

Thank you for journalistic due diligence in this!

Victor Cummings, Portland Teacher

victor100@comcast.net

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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