Could the 13th Am. prohibit the factory farming of animals? (and offense)

[MARK STEIN]

Involuntary servitude suggests that there can be voluntary servitude, which makes it harder to apply to animals.  Also, involuntary servitude is more tied to the 13th Amendment's exception for criminal convictions, which once again makes it harder to apply to animals.  

Mark


"Barksdale, Yvette" <7barksda at jmls.edu> wrote: ( yes this really is the last one - and I think this also addresses  points raised in other posts as well - this time I rechecked before I posted [ smile]  - although some more may of come in already) -  
 
ok - Eugene, I would agree with you here [ see eugene's post below] , except for the fact that the law already was that all people were free, unless they were African-American.  So the only remaining issue was whether African-American people had the same right not to be a slave as other people.  
 
Perhaps I would have felt more comfortable with Mark's argument if it had been phrased as a "anti-forced labor" or "anti- involuntary confinement" argument (which is what the 13th Amendment now means) than as an "anti-slavery" argument. {and I am more convinced of this now by both marks (graber and stein's) responses}  
 
Wnile all of these terms (including the prohibition against literal slavery) are now universal values, only the term "slave" is a racialized term - and yet that was the analogy that was made - thus implying that the analogy is animal to slave - not animal to person.
 
Finally,  Eugene, as to your belief my true intent was really to shush Mark Stein - not so.  I never ever said that Mark should not have submitted his post. I certainly do not  believe that anyone on this list should censor arguments because of fear of a negative reaction (personal attacks of course would be different - but nobody does those.)   Nor do i believe that Mark should simply abandon the argument post haste - just that he should think about the racial implications of it. 
 
But, once the arguments are made, other people get to respond. And, this free flow helps the poster.  I would think that anyone who is thinking about an argument and asking for comments  would want to know  that people might think the argument was racist.  
 
ciao,
 
yb
 

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