Olive Branch
 

Ok...how to start this? Simply and straightforwardly.

If anyone feels I've attacked them personally, I apologize. I won't apologize for being opinionated, because everyone here is, or we wouldn't be here.

I'm not trying to be offensive, and I'm not trying to piss people off. I'm not trying to be bitchy or caustic. If I have come across that way, I apologize.

The truth is, I really like to debate. I like hearing other people's points of view, even if I don't agree with them. The people I'm used to arguing with argue the same way I do, and it's all in fun. We don't take differing opinions personally, and we don't consider it a negative personality trait if someone vehemently disagrees with us (for instance, I'm pagan, my best friend in the world is christian--we argue about prayer in schools all the time, but we don't try to change one another's mind--we just talk about why we believe in our position, and when it's over, there are no hard feelings).

I seem to provoke a lot of people here, or rub them the wrong way, and for the life of me, I'm really not sure why. Call me dense, but I don't see why the fact that I believe in my opinions very strongly and refuse to change them (I don't just make up opinions-I've arrived at them after much consideration) makes me a bitch. I try not to be mean, or attack anyone personally, or disparage or insult anyone.

I'm a nice person, and I'm easy to get along with. Just because I disagree with someone doesn't mean I have anything against them personally. For instance, In re the death penalty, I'm not trying to CHANGE people's minds. On something like that, there really isn't any way. I'm just posting something that outrages me, and stating my feelings on that subject. I'm not insisting that anyone agree with me, but neither do I feel that I must change my own opinion. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine. But acting as if the fact that I hold such-and-such opinion means that I am somehow flawed is---I just don't get that.

So, in closing, I will say again that I am not intentionally trying to provoke anyone. Unfortunately, I'm not as well-spoken as smoothmoniker (damn, I wish I was!), so if anyone has suggestions as to how I can state my opinions in a non-flame-provokative way, some way I can post differently that won't cause a gang-up, I welcome them. I like most of you, and respect your opinions, whether I agree with you or not. I'd like to keep coming here, and maybe figuring out how to approach my posts differently will facilitate that.

Just state them civilly, please, and don't use this as a way to criticize. I KNOW lots of you don't like me--no need to keep repeating it.

:)
Thanks,

Sidhe

HI. Lady. Hope you didn't think I was snipping at ya. Just wondering how someone could live that close to "N'awlins" And not eat anything that came up? :)

Nah...road kill wouldn't appeal to me even if I weren't a vegetarian *lol* I don't eat pickled pig's feet, ears, lips or tails...*bleeech!* Or pickled anything except pickles...

Not sure which post you were referring to, so I just answered about what most people think we all eat down here...We have, hands-down, the BEST seafood, though. And I have to have my spice. If the boiled crawfish don't make you sniffle and make your lips go numb, there ain't enough seasoning! :)

I guess it was this post http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=165191&postcount=13 Crawfish are pets then the're great? Help me out here.

They're only pets if they escape the purging pot or the bag.

Like I said, I can't purge them. I can't even pick out a lobster. If I know I'm personally responsible for them going into the pot, it bothers me. I HAVE to eat seafood, according to my doctor, but that doesn't mean I have to throw it in the pot. I don't fish, and I don't pick out a live fish to eat. Can't pick out a live lobster...can't toss a live crawfish into the pot....it just bothers me.

Some people may see that as being a hypocrite, but I don't. I was a vegan until my doctor told me that I had to eat seafood to keep my iron up so I wouldn't DIE. I love the animals, cute ones and ugly ones, big ones, little ones, avians, mammals, fish, reptiles, bugs (well, except skeeters, fleas, ticks, noseeums...anything that bites me and carries disease....domestic roaches...bleechh!)...but when it comes to my life versus a shrimp's...well...


Sidhe

BusterB, It's really quite simple. May I explain?

I, too, keep crawfish as pets. I have a special tank that I keep them in for several hours at a time. Drawing below. The special thing about this crawfish tank is that it is self cleaning. Unfortuantely, the cleaning mechanism works really really well so you need to restock the tank with crawfish nearly every damn day.

But, I think you'll agree with me that it is worth the extra effort. ;)

By golly foot, that I can understand. Thanks

There are plenty of vegetable sources of iron. And vitamin C helps Iron to be absorbed 6 time faster. ;)

Yep, but I'd perfer the crawdads. coonass style

yeah, I think your doctor is trying to scare you into eating seafood for some strange reason...He would have been just as accurate in saying "you must eat pistachio nuts everyday and take in plenty of vitamin c"- same result.

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/foo...ition/iron.php

Maybe the Doctor owns a fishing boat. :lol:

Hey, thanks for the links :)

I would see another doctor. Coming from a vegan whose done tons of research on this, I've never seen any scientific evidence that seafood is required for anyone. There's lots of other ways to get iron (green leafy vegetables, etc.). Not telling you what to do of course, but you just may want to look into it with another doc if you're uncomfortable with the whole seafood thing.

Yeah, we think it's fishy. :)