COW IS YUMMY!!!
^THAT IS THE ONLY JUSTIFICATION I NEED IN ORDER TO BE A CARNIVORE/OMNIVORE. contrary to your stated opinion celeste humans (homo sapiens) have always depended on meat as part of their diet. (and even further back in prehistory including but not limited to cro-magnon man, neanderthal, homo erectus, etc.) the higher primates, as a general rule, are opportunistic feeders that will eat whatever is presently available. species which rely on a more varied diet have a greater chance at survival than a species which is hampered by strict dietary needs. (ie. koalas live strictly on eucalyptus leaves and would become extinct if there was a blight which killed all eucalyptus) the fruits of evolution will always be to the species that is more flexible in a changing environment. that is why lions are thriving and cheetahs are dying as an example.
that is why i believe it WAS important for early humans to be omnivores. humans no longer adapt to their environment but rather adapt their environment to suit their needs. (probably the best evolutionary adaptation of all)
next on my list is that i don't believe killing is wrong.... yes, that is exactly what i said, there is nothing wrong with killing another creature (including if both necessary and unavoidable, a human). what is more important is the motivation behind the killing and this is what determines the moral implications of the killing. (shooting a dog that is attacking a human is much different morally than torturing a cat to death for pleasure)
also i believe that different species can have a different value placed on their lives. my wife's life has a higher value than the life of my neighbor's dog, which is in turn more highly valued than a rabbit or a stalk of broccoli or all the way down the line to a unicellular protozoan which has almost no value whatsoever to me.
for what its worth i think rich was right in that most of this is just an arbitrary line that everyone must draw for themselves. as everyone of us is different we will ultimately draw our line in a different place whether we are right or wrong and the only "person" qualified to pass judgement on whether you are right or wrong is/could be/might be god whoever/whatever/however you perceive him/her/it/them to be....
SO GO AHEAD DUSTIN AND GAS, WHACK, SUFFOCATE, FREEZE OR OTHERWISE DISPATCH YOUR MICE IN WHATEVER MANNER YOU DEEM APPROPRIATE......enough ramblings from me... have a good one everyone...
---jim
p.s. rich if you ever see a wolf drooling at the sight of my backside while i am bent over admiring some pansies... SHOOT IT PLEASE, then we'll discuss the moral implications of your actions...