Comments on: Why not slaughter all the pigs?

By: Thersites

Thersites — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:30:45 +0000

It is industrial animal farming that may have caused this outbreak, not plant farming, ‘though that may lead to disaster too because of the use of similar techniques. We could feed many more people more effectively by not encouraging the consumption of enormous amounts of meat produced by potentially lethal- to humans that is; after all, all farming is lethal to the animals involved- methods that such industrial farming causes. That’s apart from the treatment of animals in such farms. We do need to reduce world population to a level which pre-industrial farming can support, or at least a much lower level than it now is at. Unless we use drastic agreed measures it will come about by mass starvation, mass killing and pandemics anyway.

By: George Carty

George Carty — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:50:29 +0000

Why not call it “Feedlot Flu”? That tips a nod to the way in which industrial farming continues to contribute the development of these viruses.

How do you think industrial farming should be changed so as curb the development of such viruses? Abandoning industrial farming altogether is not an option unless you wish for billions to starve in order to reduce world population to a level which pre-industrial farming can support…

By: sabiwabi

sabiwabi — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:23:27 +0000

This doesn’t happen too often but I have to disagree with you here, Brother. Calling it the Mexican flu IS VERY offensive to Mexicans. Why can’t people just call it H1N1 and get on with it?

Humans and their labels….jeesh.

As to the slaughter of pigs in Egypt, I had to laugh. I’m sure the Muslims were waiting for any excuse to get rid of those pigs. Perfect timing.

By: Yakoub

Yakoub — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:53:13 +0000

Why not call it “Feedlot Flu”? That tips a nod to the way in which industrial farming continues to contribute the development of these viruses.

By: Ahmad

Ahmad — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:36:13 +0000

The Egyptian government should compensate the Christian Copts for slaughtering the pigs. Islamicaly Muslims are not allowed to destroy the livestock of others, even if it is ‘haram’ to Muslims and if done so, should compensate for it. (According to Shaykh Qaradawi).

I think the despotic government of Egypt has done a very stupid and un-Islamic thing. Without checking or testing the pigs, the slaughter further makes the long-standing respectful co-existence in Egypt between Christians and Muslims a more unstable one.

Muslims should not be applauding the Egyptian government, which has committed an injustice against a minority group, which lives under its security.

By: Indigo Jo

Indigo Jo — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:35:45 +0000

It stopped being swine flu when it infected a person and mutated. Swine flu is not new; this version of it is, which is why people get infected out of season and it spreads rapidly, as they don’t have immunity. Mexican flu is more appropriate, because that’s where it originated as a human disease; swine flu is misleading, because after it appeared after that first infection in Mexico, it ceased to have anything to do with pigs in terms of who it infects.

By: Alex Parsons

Alex Parsons — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:22:07 +0000

Hang on, so we don’t call it swine flu because it transmits from human to human, yet it’s ok to call it Mexican flu even though it can transmit without Mexicans present?

It has it’s origin with pigs - it’s swine flu. It follows the naming convention and that’s what everyone calls it anyway - the attempt to rename it only seems to serve the interests of the horrific business practices of the pork industry you mention by giving them some distance.