Re: "Jakarta dog meat ban sparks debate", (World, Nov 27). Yes, if an animal is infected with rabies or any other disease, it is probably better not to eat its meat, however tasty, albeit recognising that the starving might reasonably have different priorities. This is true whether the animal is a dog, a cow, a cat, a pig, a chicken, or another of our animal relatives.
To get specific, if a particular dog or cat is as disease free as the cows and pigs and chickens we happily pay others to slaughter on our orders, normally for no better reason than to enjoy their tasty flesh, then there is no good reason for treating that cat or dog's flesh any differently to the way we deal with pork, beef, and chicken, or duck. This is especially the case for dogs and cats bred not to be pets but to be steaks or casseroles.
Conversely, their loving owners would justly object if a pet cow or chicken or lamb were turned by an illegal immigrant from Alpha Centauri, or a hungry native-born neighbour in Springfield, into something Michelin-worthy. Turning cherished pets into snacks should be banned, but this is a different issue from health concerns.
I can think of no argument that warrants banning dog or cat meat that does not apply with equal force to cows, pigs, chickens, lambs, ducks, and our other fellow animals that we humans traditionally gobble down with gusto, for example, at Thanksgiving, Christmas or every day.
The law can and should ban the breeding and consumption of sick animals just as it should ban cruelty in the production of any animal flesh or products for human consumption.
Speciesism does not provide just grounds for treating dog meat differently from beef.
Felix Qui
When data speaks
Re: "Parroting lies", (PostBag, Nov 28).
Michael Setter, in his letter "Parroting lies" from Nov 28, is yet again guilty of the very accusation he is making. Tidal gauges measure relative sea levels to fixed land positions and have shown constant and increasing rises in sea level.
This is confirmed by satellite altimetry across all oceans and seas.
Increases are now over 4mm per year, caused by thermal expansion as oceans get hotter and by melting ice.
That 4mm may not sound like a lot, but cumulatively it will have a very significant impact. Perhaps it's time for conspiracy theorists to give it a rest for a while.
Paul Sumner
