Got a Butterball turkey for Thanksgiving? You're eating halal

drip...drip...drip

I called Linda (she would not give me her name or extension number at Butterball because she doesn't want to get a lot of phone calls personally) at Butterball and she told me repeatedly that the turkeys are not conscious when the cutting of the trachea, the esophagus, and the jugular vein take place, but that the animals are rendered completely unconscious before any cutting takes place. I pointed out that this is not acceptable for "halal" certification but she did not agree that the animals needed to be conscious when slaughtered to be designated halal. She said that "a tape is played" containing the offending words during the process. When I asked her why this is done, she said that they recently started shipping turkey to the Middle East and that this is being done for their muslim consumers overseas. When I pointed out that the US is their major market and that we should not be subject to the dictates of a minority religion in our food choices, she agreed.

Please call 1-800-BUTTERBALL and register complaints! Let's tie up their phone lines and disrupt their holiday Customer Service.

Halal creatures are alive while their blood flows from their body.

UK schoolchildren are FORCED to eat only bled-to-death-in-agony meat.

There is only 1 "moral evil" allowed in Western Civilization: "islamophobia."

Hey Dowse, what did your screen name used to be? Why did you change it? Were you banned?

The stealth 'normalisation' of halal-slaughtered meat to become the unlabelled norm - and, for that matter, for halal-certified food products of any kind, to become the unlabelled norm - is happening in Australia as well.

Barnabas Fund has had a 'all halal ought to be labelled' 'consumer choice!!' campaign going, not only in the UK but elsewhere, for some time.

The fledgling counter-jihad group in Australia, The Q Society, are also tackling the issue.

it isn't just an 'animal cruelty' issue.

The *real* kicker is that to be certified halal, a business must **pay money** periodically to a Muslim entity which will 'inspect' and issue the certification. (Can anybody find out just how much such certification can cost a business?)

The 'inspection and certification' thing seemingly can't just happen once; it has to be repeated at intervals, just so's the Muslims can be **suuure** that that product really is halal. And that all adds to the cost of production..which is then passed on to the consumer.

Nice little earner for the Muslim 'certifiers'; a way of siphoning off, into the pockets of the ummah, a percentage of all the profits from the food industry (and not only food, cosmetics and such are also 'certified' halal...).

I don't know how much it costs...but it means that a tiny percentage of the price of any item that has been certified halal flows into the pockets of the Ummah, and who knows where it goes from there...Jihad? Da'wa? Very likely.

And there is an additional problem.

As regards meat products, since really strict halal requirements insist on Muslims doing the slaughtering, Muslims can end up gaining a monopoly on butchering and processing of all non-pork meats. In Uganda, under the Islamophile Idi Amin, Muslims ended up monopolising the meat industry...and that in a majority-Christian country; so far as I know, they still hold that monopoly.

When halal meat becomes the norm, the default option, Muslims can potentially end up running the whole thing, from the killing floor to the butcher's shop; and non-Muslim abattoir owners, non-Muslim slaughterers and butchers, end up being squeezed out of the business.

E mail sent.

"Many Christians, Hindus or Sikhs and Jews find it offensive to eat meat slaughtered according to Islamic ritual"

Probably, but I'm a Christian, too, and this whole thing reminds me of Paul talking about eating meat sacrificed to idols. The idols themselves (meaning Allah in this case) do not exist, so meat's meat.

All the more reason to buy a local farm raised turkey....

Never again a Butterball for me.

Where's PETA on this? Or are they just counting sheep?

Yes, Paul said the choice of whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols belongs with the conscience of each believer. I choose not to.

I called Butterball and spoke to someone in the public relations department. She confirmed that "some" of the whole turkeys were halal. I then asked her if the halal turkeys were labeled as such, or if they would be in the future so that consumers could make an informed choice. The woman started stammering but finally managed to say that their products were labeled IAW USDA regulations. I didn't find this answer satisfactory at all since it did not answer the question I was asking. I kept repeating the question and she kept stuttering back the same response. I finally told her that I would interpret her response as "no" (that Butterball was not and had no intention of ever voluntarily labeling their products plainly). I asked her to tell her bosses that I would never again purchase Butterball products.

She seemed quite happy with my decision.

I encourage all JW readers to do the same. Let's see if we can't just make her so delighted that she winds up getting laid off due to a consumer boycott.

Clearly, Butterball seems to prefer doing business with muslim countries.

My next phone call was to my US Senator's office to explain halal slaughter to his aide and to submit a request that the Senator introduce legislation requiring food products be clearly labeled if they are prepared according to the dietary sanctions of any religion. I told the aide that after fighting in Iraq, I'd be damned if I sat around on American Thanksgiving and was forced to eat halal turkey.

On the way home from work I went to my favorite grocery store and spoke to the manager. I relayed my conversation with Butterball's PR dept, explained halal slaughter and asked that he immediately post a sign warning consumers that all the Butterball whole turkeys are probably halal. I asked him to relay this to his corporate headquarters so they could verify it. I made it quite clear that I would never be buying any Butterball products again.

For Thanksgiving, Annie et al might be eating steak or ham. Or we might be eating venison. Or we might be eating wild turkey (and perhaps drinking some Wild Turkey, too). Or we might be eating squirrel. Or we might eat some tasty catfish.

One thing I can guarantee.....we will not be eating Butterball products!

What is the difference between Halal slaughter and Kosher slaughter?

There are a lot of myths about shechitah (kosher slaughter) and the following articles might clear them up:

(Dr. Temple Grandin is a professor at Colorado State University.)

http://www.grandin.com/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechita

what if we don't want a kosher or a halal but prefer eating foods that are prayed over by the Hindu Gods idols? or otherwise known as prasad. Will US US food manufacturers want certify all foods as prasad?

At a meeting with the Rabbis of France, Brice Hortefeux assured the assembly that:

http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/le_ministre/interventions/fetes-tishri4948/view

"Aujourd’hui, alors qu’un vote au Parlement européen pourrait remettre ce travail en question en imposant un étiquetage discriminant pour l’abattage rituel, nous restons particulièrement vigilants. Vous pouvez compter sur ma mobilisation et celle des députés français au Parlement européen pour que le projet n’aboutisse pas."

"Today,as the the European Parliament could reassess the discrimatory labelling for ritual slaughter, we remain particularly vigilant. You may count on my actions and those of French Member of Parliamentent at the European Parliament that this project will not come to fruition".

The mandatory labelling of Halal and Kosher foods is therefore officially considered discrimatary.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, who for many years have compained for end of ritual slaughter without firstly stunning the animal placed posters all over France.

http://www.fdesouche.com/201579-abattage-rituel-l%E2%80%99ue-vote-l%E2%80%99etiquetage-%C2%AB-abattus-sans-etourdissement-%C2%BB/comment-page-5

If you are a Christian, in the Bible it says not to eat anything offered up to a false God. So if you eat meat that is killed by a muslim and and is prayed over by a muslim to their false god allah then you are doing what the Bible tells you not to do. If they didn't tell you how it was killed you would never know or taste a difference in the meat. If you really want meat your way then use a local butcher or company that will do it your way. But if you buy a Butterball turkey after you know how and by whom it is killed then you are going against the scriptures.
As for using different meat for Thanksgiving or Christmas use a HAM as muslims don't use that animal. But as using a Wild Turkey, I might not be eating one but might be drinking one..To each his own. If you love muslims then eat a Butterball Turkey. I won't.

Halal food and finance are sharia stepping stones to enable the west to gradually accept more islamification.

I object to food slaughtered inhumanely, for which I have to pay a religious tax, and I object even more that I have no choice in the matter. Ritually slaughtered food ends up everywhere, but there is no justification for insisting that halal food be clearly labelled as such but to exempt other religions exempt from this obligation. Any law that applied only to islamic food would last only as long as weekend, when the law courts reopen.

The French Rabbis understand this dilemma and this is why they find common ground with the Paris Mosque when they claim that forcible labelling is discrimatory.

I only buy from a local butcher and ask him him every time in front of other customers if he can assure me that the meat has been stunned before it was killed.

Knowing that a cow can take ten minutes to bleed to death, while its cries can be heard elsewhere in the abbatoir is too cruel to imagine and I doubt that God would want his creatures to suffer such a fate.

Please note that a animal that was severly stressed at the time of death releases toxins that spoil the taste of the meat.

If ever you have a chance to meet an organic meat farmer, you will note the degree of care he has for his animals and he will often know and visit regularly the abatoir where the animals are killed.

The ritual slaughter of animals issue mainly applies factory meat production where the chances are that animal has suffered its entire life. If most are not fussy about the hormone and gmo intake of the poor animal, it's doubtful whether the ritual slaughter aspect will bother the average consumer much.

No thanks, my Thanksgiving dinner is catered.

I have already done my due diligence on you and know all about you, where you live and work, and what your . . . ahem, "qualifications" are. Funny, you call yourself a "University Professor" (let's make sure to capitalize that) but I can find no record of a PhD or JD in the USA, some thing required for professorship in an accredited university - although not in Mexico, I am sure. Having taught at the university level myself in this country, I know exactly what your "game" is, Horsefeathers.

BTW, as an English teacher, I wouldn't expect errors from you.

any more - not anymore

I am no more obsessed with you than I am with any other turd.

You seem to have delusions of grandeur and it smells of BS, that's all. You have an MA in English from NYU-AL and you teach English to Mexican undergrads in Hermosillo. How hard is that? I taught Spanish to American undergrads IN THE USA.

As far as being racist, I've lived, worked and studied in Mexico myself - I EVEN MARRIED A MEXICAN.

I'm done with you. Your puffed-up sense of superiority is cruising for a takedown. I hope some good old boys take care of it. Nasty area you've chosen for your family.

OH, and I'm not your "buddy".

Whiny-whiny-na-na. You big-a$$ed baby. You actually THREATENED to perpetrate physical violence on me with some of YOUR Seniors (let's capitalize that as well). You should be banned again.

Go ahead and leave. Do you think Marisol and Robert actually give a flying F what you do? You've already been banned under a different nic but snuck (OK, sneaked) back in. That's not allowed here, you know.

BTW, for an English "teacher", your punctuation sucks. Ever hear of hyper-correction?

Let's write to Butterball and to the EEOC (http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/religion.cfm) regarding Butterball's religious discrimination against non-Muslims. For convenience, the email may be printed and faxed or mailed.

To: Ms. Howze
To: Stephanie Styons, Butterball Corporate, sstyons@merrellgroup.com
Or write to: Butterball Consumer Affairs, PO box 1547, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
To: EEOC (http://www.eeoc.gov/field/index.cfm, Butterball plants in MO, AR, CO, and NC)
EEOC for MO: James R. Neely, Jr., Director, Robert A. Young Federal Building, 1222 Spruce St., Rm 8.100, St. Louis, MO 63103, fax (314) 539-7894
EEOC for AR: Katharine Kores, Director, 1407 Union Avenue, 9th floor, Memphis, TN 38104, fax: 901-544-0111
EEOC for CO: Rayford O. Irvin, Director, 300 North Central Avenue, Suite 690, Phoenix, AZ 85012-2504, fax 602-640-5071
EEOC for NC: Reuben Daniels, Jr., Director, 129 West Trade Street, Suite 400, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202, fax 704-954-6410 and 704-344-6734

Dear Ms. Howze:

I have read your letter (see below) which was in response to an inquiry if Butterball food is halal. You state that your whole turkeys are halal, in fact you state that they are "certified" halal. For food to be halal, it must be prepared by Muslims and not touched by non-Muslims. That would mean that Butterball only hires Muslims to grow, transport, and prepare their food. That would mean that non-Muslims are discriminated against because of their religion

I am forwarding your email to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to be put on file. Then, when a non-Muslim is denied employment and files a complaint with the EEOC, the EEOC will have on file your declaration that only Muslims are hired by Butterball to make Butterball's main foods halal.

Sincerely,

November 14, 2011

Thanks for contacting Butterball. Our whole turkeys are certified halal. However, if you would like to know about any other Butterball products, please email us back as to which products you are interested in using and we can get that information for you.

Again, thanks for your interest in Butterball. We hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely,
Wendy Howze
Consumer Response Representative

Ref: Y453882

Whew . . telling Robert and Marisol is OK. They know me well.

Just don't tell your mommy!

Islamic and Jewish dietary laws of halal and kosher are very similar, dealing with treatment and slaughter of animals. Kosher also does not allow pork, just as Halal does not, but is more restrictive since shellfish, lobster and shrimp are halal but are not kosher. Generally, kosher and halal meat has to go through more inspections to insure the health of the meat.

Most fast food establishment are halal (and often kosher) in order to accommodate Jewish and Muslim customers...that is business. Check under Halal in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, and stop ignorant claims.

Therefore one should not be crying "wolf", when there is no wolf present, and concentrate on real dangers of some Islamic ideas, such as their irrational Jew-hatred, dhimmitude and disdain for life on Earth, which are the roots of terrorism, not halal!

Eventually, to enforce Sharia law, Butterball (and other companies) will ONLY have Muslim butchers to slaughter the animals halal. U.S. citizens (non-Muslims) need to be aware that they can file complaints with the EEOC for religious discrimination (i.e., being fired or not hired because they are non-Muslim butchers) and the EEOC is obliged to investigate. We need to be willing to stand up for our Constitutionally protected rights or they will be taken from us.

And you are a poseur.

Pam also has a discussion about this at Atlas:

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/11/pamela-geller-american-thinker-hapy-halal-thanksgiving.html

Watch out, your mommy will spank you for starting fights!

Isn't there anyone else you can tattle to, to make yourself feel all better?

The next step past bullying is *crying* when you've had your nose bloodied. It could happen.

David

I think CGW read your hint about your previous identity, to mean that *you* were 'Horse'...when in fact I have a pretty fair idea that you're someone who had many a sparring match *with* Horse, and finally got tired of being attacked by him, and of his spamming and jamming of the threads, and went away and only came back here, under a new moniker, when Marisol decided she had had enough of 'Horse' (and of the various subsequent incarnations he attempted) and the jihadwatch comments floor was, once again, a 'Horse-'free zone.

Why don't you come to me, you big - not - man?

Oh wait, I know why.

Your repeated threats to perpetrate physical violence upon me have not gone unnoticed. Marisol is monitoring this thread. Robert is aware that you are here without the benefit of his good grace, having previously been banned and then reinventing yourself.

I have not personally threatened you in any way; I merely speculated and opined upon what I think you deserve. Tisk, tisk . . . your overt hostility and aggression are quite telling. I do believe that I may have struck more than a single nerve.

For an English "teacher", you make at least one mistake per post, either in spelling, grammar or punctuation. I pity the students having their papers corrected by the likes of you!

It's tomato.

Stop foaming at the mouth, you madman.

Perhaps dropping a few more "F bombs" will make you feel better, you uncouth lout.

I don't understand how this is any different than keeping Kosher with a Rabbi blessing the food a la YHVH/EL/Elohim or a Christian praying over the meal before eating it.

I don't have a problem with others' religious dietary restrictions - let's be honest here, this is a method of slaughter, not a restrictive diet such as those with allergies. This isn't religious suppression (or religious cooercion). This is a methodology based on religious guidelines. The only people I would see might have a problem with this would be atheists.

I for one *do* object to animals being conscious when slaughtered in the above-mentioned manner and I would not buy those products. Proper labeling would ensure that I have that choice. The failure to properly label certified-halal products is deceptive marketing.

By that statement, you would also object to the practices at a turkey farm in Alaska since those birds were conscious when slaughtered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_ybEbrQeOA&feature=related

Correct?

Got a Butterball turkey for Thanksgiving? You're eating halal
.............................

This is not only appalling, it is also utterly bizarre. One would assume that the only benefit a company would gain from producing Halal meat would be from reaching the Muslim market—since Halal butchery is otherwise more costly and labor-intensive to practice.

But both in Britain and now in the United States we are finding "stealth Halal" meat, that isn't even labeled as such, which—you would think—defeats the whole purpose.

Times like this I'm especially glad to be a vegetarian. I know that my "Tofurkey" wasn't killed inhumanely nor was it sacrificed to the vile "God" Allah.

Pass the gravy!

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, graven!