I had lived in Chattanooga about five years when Randy showed up. He came from Alabama, didn't have a banjo, but we had mutual friends. The other phone techs were distrustful at first and thought he was a management spy sent to infiltrate the fine, dues paying, hard working union they belonged to. In truth he was just a little quirky and, therefore, suspect.

He eventually grew on everyone and became popular. When he left for Jacksonville, they threw him a great going away party at Hooters. Or maybe everyone was looking for an excuse to enjoy that fine establishment's specialties; beer, breasts, and thighs.

Randy's quirkiness manifested itself in two areas. He was a skydiver. He tried to get me to jump with him. I went up in the planes and developed an interest in flying but was never able to accept the idea of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

His other quirk was meat. He refused to eat any dead animal, not because it was bad for him, but because he felt the animals were being mistreated in slaughterhouses. He was the first person I encountered who held that conviction.

Since he didn't cook, most of his meals were either fast food or delivered. He really liked Steak Out, the well known delivery place that was just starting up back then. The only items he would order were salads and baked potato, but it seemed to me he was still supporting the killing of unhappy animals by giving Steak Out money. I also wondered why he didn't feel that killing potatoes and lettuce was just as barbaric.

PETA, my favorite wacko, extreme animal rights organization, has a similar blind spot. These folks spend time, effort, and money on schemes to bring the plight of oppressed animals to light. Although many of PETA's efforts are misguided and seem aimed at nothing more than publicity, my main beef with them is their unwillingness to crusade for the rights of plants.

I read once Peter Fonda refused to eat carrots because he felt he was hurting them. I sympathize. If we refuse to eat animals because of their feelings, shouldn't we at least consider plants the same way?

We might not understand their lifestyle like we do dolphins, chickens, and penguins, but if they are living things, shouldn't we treat them with the same respect as the members of the animal kingdom? Switzerland thinks so.

A decade ago the Swiss government asked a panel of lawyers, geneticists, philosophers, and theologians to determine the dignity of plants. The Gene Technology Act became law, mostly to prevent genetic engineering. Recently, an amendment was added declaring vegetation has innate value, and it is morally wrong to partake in such activities as "decapitation of wildflowers without rational reason."

So now we have to decide. Do we treat all living things as sacred, regardless of life form, or do we stay at the top of the food chain. Must humanity only consume foods created from non- living organisms; chemical based energy mix, potted meat food product, and McDonald's hamburgers, or do we continue to eat whatever we want?

It is time to choose once and for all.