Being truly thankful means being grateful for what we have, while exercising compassion for others who are suffering. In this case, it’s the turkeys who die by the millions for this holiday (and year-round).

One way to make a difference this Thanksgiving is to eat something other than turkey, and convince others to as well. Another is to participate in Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt-A-Turkey Project, which allows anyone to financially sponsor turkeys rescued from factory farms who now live at their shelters in California and New York. You can then visit and get to know your feathered friend in a safe, supportive environment. Adoptions also make great holiday gifts. See the adoptable turkeys, get animal-free holiday recipes, and learn more about factory farming at www.adoptaturkey.org.

You talk about exercising compassion for others who are suffering? How about, instead of giving your money to some hippies to "adopt" or sponsor a turkey, you send your money to one of the many charities for starving people around the world. While you're worrying about turkeys, 15 million children are dying each year from hunger. This problem is not limited to so-called "third world" countries. One in eight, or 12.5% of children under 12 go to bed hungry every night in the U.S.

I hope every single person who is "sponsoring" a turkey goes to bed feeling like an ass every night knowing that, for your one-time $25 turkey sponsoring fee, you could have provided at least 5 meals to hungry children.

Oh by the way, if you want to actually "adopt" a turkey from adoptaturkey.org, you actually have to take home at least 2, and you have to - get this - be a vegetarian.

Get your fucking priorities straight.

I do donate on a monthly basis by credit-card-auto-charge to help feed hungry children around the world. I probably would not adopt a turkey. This old world, however, is a sad, sad place for most of God's creatures. Therefore, I do find it comforting that someone has some compassion for one of the world's creatures -- even the least of them. If someone has compassion for turkeys, it makes my world a little brighter.

If this Adopt a Turkey thing takes off, Butterball will have to ramp up production.

Brilliant!

Got a twenty pounder this year. Looks like I'll be adopting turkey sandwiches for days.

We could actually end world hunger just by not eating meat. It's hugely inefficient to feed and eat animals. Some 70% of America's grain is fed to animals.

I hope every single person who is eating a turkey goes to bed feeling like an ass every night knowing that, for your one turkey-based meal, you could have provided at least 10 meals to hungry children.

Also, as long as you are being so by the dollar, your monthly internet fee could be feeding lots of people too. You should do us all a favor and start getting your priorities straight.

Careyagimon:

We could actually end world hunger just by not eating meat. It's hugely inefficient to feed and eat animals. Some 70% of America's grain is fed to animals.

Actually no, but nice try. The major reason for hunger today is not a shortage of food, but an inability to pay for it. Also, much of the grain fed to animals is not the same type of corn people can eat.

And I fail to see how my monthly internet fee has anything to do with world hunger. Save a turkey vs. save a hungry child. See how they're related? Get internet access vs. save a hungry child. See how they're not related? The point is, if you're going to worry about the suffering of creatures on this planet, I don't think turkeys are where we need to start.

I don't see how adopting turkeys would help.

Would the turkeys be better off under you care? What would you do with them?

Turkeys are a food source, obviously. Nothing wrong with that.

The only thing objectionable about making it an industry is that the turkeys suffer a lot before they get turned into meat. They are commodified. Just think if we were to be a food source for some other species and treated the same way.

It's better to slaughter the turkey yourself before you serve it. The act of engaging in the kill would be a great lesson in the Circle of Life, just like Disney taught us. There's more honor in it, especially if you say an animistic prayer thanking the animal for giving its life to sustain your own.

The turkey is a magnificient animal. They are extremely protective of their young and go to great lengths in rearing them. To slaughter and hunt them is an enormous crime against nature. To think that humans expend more energy and compassion on their young is assanine. Humans are the ones that should be breed and slaughtered as a food source. Only the human race has reproduced to the brink of ehaustation of the food and oxygen supply of the planet. The turkey, if left alone, would be living in peace in a would devoid of assholes and their firearms. Starving kids......their parents should have thought ahead before humping their brains out. Simple as that! If you people worry about all the lost "children" in the world.....go to school....earn some some money....and adopt all those fu@ks and leave the rest of the planet's organisms alone. Learn to make a salad and knock off with the flesh eating.

But wait... how can we be sure that plants--fruits and veggies--don't suffer when we eat them?

"Humans are the ones that should be breed and slaughtered as a food source. "

Um, sir, are you by chance from our species? If so, it's amazing how you have not offered yourself as a Thanksgiving entree.

"The turkey, if left alone, would be living in peace in a would devoid of assholes and their firearms."

And a world with better TV shows and Internet content.

Eating meat does not necessarily make you an idiot and a hater. Even Christ was the Lamb of God... God approves of carnivores.

Im very thankful for Thanksgiving and people like Butterball, who work their butts off just like me, to provide me with a bird for dinner. Instead of sending your money off to some farm in California, buy some pet toys and take them to your local Humane Society where you can interact with people that are truly thankful to have someone who cares. Better yet, if you have children or grandchildren, take them with you and let them play with puppies or kittens. The days of throwing money away to strange charities is coming to a quick end with a tanking economy. Save your money and go wash a dog.

I love the way turkeys taste, especially the young ones. I love the way guns go bang, especially the big ones. I love humping, especially if the woman has 3 or 4 already. I love salad, especially when eating turkey, shooting guns, driving my big gas guzzling truck, and humping my white trash meat eating mother of 4 neighbor.

RamilDG - nearsandiego is probably a troll.

nearsandiego - In the off chance that you are serious (you do claim to be from California, after all), a logical argument is clearly going to have no effect on you so here, this is for you.

"One way to make a difference this Thanksgiving is to eat something other than turkey, and convince others to as well."

Perfect! Lamb is always yummy! Oh... you meant vegetables - but that's just cruel. After all, plants are friends, not food. :)

To nearsandiego - I like your passion and you made me laugh today (I am sure that was not your intention). I see your point and it is a valid one. We humans sure are messing up this planet. If it helps, my grandparents had six granddaughters and I am the only one of the six who had children -- two (I feel a little guilty about it bringing two more humans into this overcrowded planet, but they have turned out to be great contributors to society. Also one of the two has also decided to have no children.) Stay passionate. We need people like you.

The inability to pay for food is caused largely by meat eating. 750 million tons of grain are fed to livestock per year. Supply v. Demand. It would take about 40 million tons to end the worst hunger in the world. Right now, you are saying "Hey, me eating this steak is more important than 10 other people having a meal."

The land used to grow feed can just as easily be used for any other type of grain. It's just that there's more profit in feeding US animals than feeding hungry people. Even at a loss of 50% of productivity, that would still be a net gain of 500% more food.

Here, I'll spoon-feed the internet fee joke for you. Monthly internet fee = money spent on a luxury = money you could be spending on a charity = you not being on the internet!

Should we also ignore gay rights, racism and AIDS funding until they represent the largest population of sufferers? Since when is it ignoble to give a voice to the unrepresented?