No More Bull.

I have read this book three times, and each time I
go through it I become even more amazed at the words
within. Startled. Shocked. Betrayed. Disappointed
that no one had previously published many of these
things that I trust you will soon come face to face
with. I wish that I had written "No More Bull."

There are primarily three ways of purchasing a book.

First, there is the golden opportunity of listening
to an author's lecture and being inspired to buy a
copy of his book and then return home with your signed
copy. I've seen Howard Lyman in action, and I can assure
you that after each one of his talks there are long lines
of people wishing to chat and purchase his words of
wisdom in written form.

Second, there are online sites such as Amazon.com which
one visits after reading or hearing one or more positive
book reviews or word of mouth recommendations.

Third, there is the book store. Perhaps this is the
best non-pressure opportunity to purchase any book.
The prospective purchaser scans shelves and is first
attracted by a cover, then skims through the contents,
then thumbs through the chapters, reading a passage
or two, skimming from front to back.

Forgive me---there is a fourth way. Receiving a book
as a birthday or holiday present, but that's a gift
you'll soon be giving after reading the following.
Let's return to the bookstore for the rest of this
column. By reading a few paragraphs, you'll want to
read more, so I've lifted some of Howard's wisdom,
word for word from his text:

Page 5

"I grew up outside of Great Falls, Montana, as a fourth-
generation dairy farmer and cattle rancher. It was a way
of life that I believed in deeply, as did my whole family.
We worked hard and did our small part to help provid
America with high-quality beef and fresh, rich dairy
products.

I ran the Lyman Ranch until I was forty-five. My learning
curve may have been a little slow, but I eventually learned
the crucial lesson that impels me to write this book: the
'wholesome' meat and dairy products that I was in the
business of selling to the public were in fact poisons.

I can guarantee you that if you knew as much as I do about
what goes into creating meat and dairy in America today--if
you could see behind the walls that those who practice
large-scale animal agriculture in this country seek to keep
in place--your diet would resemble my own. Vegan."

Page 9:

"As a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in April 1996, I tried
to warn consumers of the very real risk that Mad Cow disease
would come to America. For my trouble, I wound up, along with
Oprah and her production company, Harpo Productions, sued by
a group of Texas cattlemen for the preposterous crime of 'Food
Disparagement'."

Page 28:

"Otto von Bismarck once compared politics and sausage this way:

"Neither should be viewed in the making."

As a former cattle rancher, feedlot operator, congressional
candidate, and Washington lobbyist, I've had an insider's view
at the creation of both politics and sausage. And ugly and
depressing as the spectacle may sometimes appear. Trust me when
I tell you that you're a whole lot better off watching even the
sleaziest politicians at work than watching cows get ground into
sausage."

Page 41:

"Never will you read a story about chicken helping you prevent
one disease or another. Not a single news item will appear
anywhere about chuck steak or meatballs aiding any of your organs
to function. Roast beef offers no benefit that any scientist can
find (and don't think that the meat industry hasn't been paying
them to look). Pastrami and salami and hot dogs and sausage do not
assist the human body in any single way--and, remember, the surfeit
of animal protein they provide serves as a breeding ground for
cancer. There are no auspicious health bulletins about pork or
venison or buffalo or ostrich or duck or rabbit (unless you count
the pathetic sales pitches that one may be less fatty or harmful
than the other). The only medical reports that you will hear about
animal foods concern their dangers."

Page 61:

"Now, I've yet to see a study done on vegetarian exercise habits.
I have no reason to believe that vegetarians jog any more than
meat eaters. All I know is, we're less likely to drop dead of a
heart attack when we do. To state the obvious: vegetarians live
longer than meat eaters simply and solely because we do not consume
the filthy, fatty, disease-ridden, decaying flesh of animals.
(Forgive me for being so blunt, but there is no such thing as a
clean, lean form of meat, and no other honest way to describe
meat--even if you buy it 'organic,' or blessed by rabbis, or hunt
it down yourself.) Vegans live longer still because we avoid as
well the fatty, hormone-rich, cholesterol-ridden by-products of the
lactation of other major mammals...Simple as that, my friends."

Page 79:

"We should look to ourselves. For those who are still merely
vegetarian and not yet vegan, I ask, what in heaven's name are
you waiting for? If you are trying to avoid the health pitfalls
of eating carcasses--high fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
content; lack of fiber; deficiency of vitamins and enzymes;
abundance of stored toxins--well, then take a good look at the
dairy you are eating. Dairy is basically liquid meat without
the iron."

If one really wanted to be precise about things, Howard Lyman
technically should have been called America's first Notmilkman.
I've taken the title instead, thanks to enormous inspiration
and encouragement from Howard Lyman, undoubtedly America's
first Mad Cowboy. Take it from me, friends. His book is
no bull!

To purchase one or more copies of "No More Bull" go to:

http://madcowboy.com/02_VVFprods.002.html

Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com