Our Colleges and Universities

The children are our future.
Teach them well
and they will lead the way...

If you've read past articles here, you know I've criticized academia for clinging to the unprovable and indefensible idea that animals are not conscious. Now from the Associated Press and the USDA comes proof that Tufts University puts that idea into action.

The USDA, as part of its duties in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, found that the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine regularly castrates animals without any use of anesthesia. This is standard operating procedure on their teaching farm.

Now get this: Gail Golab, Director of the Animal Welfare Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association tried to come up with excuses for this inexcusable behavior. She tried to question whether anesthesia is effective. She tried to create doubts that the anesthesia would still be present in the farm animal's flesh when it is eaten.

But a reporter at The Examiner apparently knows more about this subject than the American Veterinary Medical Association, noting that 7 years ago a veterinarian at Kansas State University demonstrated the safety, ease, speed, and cheapness of using a volatile (read: won't remain in the animal's system) liquid as an anesthesia agent.

Tufts University also tried to squirm out of the charge by saying that farm animals are excluded from the Animal Welfare Act. Fortunately, the USDA didn't buy that, since the animals here are used for teaching students the proper way to handle animals.

Unfortunately, the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine continues to castrate animals without any anesthesia. They get around the law by not allowing students do it now.

The following video is satire. (I hope.) Like any good satire, it makes its point in a way you'll remember.