| Hypocrisy?
Apparently, the group that, in its own words, "works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns" to promote animal rights, has members that like to go around and tell people that their animals will be given a nice new home… while in reality killing the animals as soon as they're in a van and out of sight.
What drives me nuts is that PETA seems to advocate the euthanasia of unwanted pets. It's ridiculous because the position is contrary to PETA’s goal of total animal rights... which have to include the right of each animal to live. It isn't just the few members that do crazy things (read ^), it's the organization that's promoting it! Last year, they euthanized 86.3% of the 2640 companion animals… pets… they took in at their Norfolk, VA, headquarters; a mere 361 (13.7%) were lucky enough to find homes. On the other hand, the Norfolk SPCA, located just down the road, could find homes for 73% of the animals that it took in.
PETA says, "You are free to believe whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt others."
Their website FAQ says:
“Don’t animal rights activists commit ‘terrorist’ acts?”
The animal rights movement is nonviolent. One of the central beliefs shared by most animal rights activists is the belief that we should not harm any animal—human or otherwise. However, all large movements have factions that believe in the use of force. <--- OK, that’s a good thing…
“How can you justify the millions of dollars of property damage caused by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)?”
Throughout history, some people have felt the need to break the law to fight injustice. The Underground Railroad and the French Resistance are examples of movements in which people broke the law in order to answer to a higher morality. The ALF, which is simply the name adopted by people who act illegally in behalf of animal rights, breaks inanimate objects such as stereotaxic devices and decapitators in order to save lives. ALF members burn empty buildings in which animals are tortured and killed. ALF “raids” have given us proof of horrific cruelty that would not have otherwise been discovered or believed and have resulted in criminal charges’ being filed against laboratories for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Often, ALF raids have been followed by widespread scientific condemnation of the practices occurring in the targeted labs, and some abusive laboratories have been permanently shut down as a result.<-- So hurting others, not necessarily physically, is acceptable when you’re raiding a lab that uses animal testing?
On the PETA website IamsCruelty.com, where they allege that abuses take place at many locations owned by the pet food maker Iams, there is a question that says aren’t you against all animal testing, even for human medical research? The first line of their reply is: "Animal testing has never been a necessary, safe, or effective way to conduct medical research." So apparently, the creation of an effective polio vaccine in the 1940s was ineffective because it used animals? I don't have polio, do you? How about people with diabetes? Much of the progress in treating diabetes came from animal research. I wonder if any PETA members would be willing to undergo testing in place of the animals they so desire to protect?
“Physicians” Committee for Responsible Medicine (my quotes): this misleadingly named group is next. It’s an animal rights group that disguises itself as a medical charity.
Worthy goal, unworthy tactics. Damn those animal rights EXTREMISTS!
Links:
Organizations:
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
http://www.peta.org/about/faq.asp
News:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/1-06232005-506411.html
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=ourWorldNews&storyid=2005-07-12T130813Z_01_N11493910_RTRIDST_0_LIFESTYLE-LIFE-PETA-DC.XML
Editorials:
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/oped_detail.cfm/oped/325
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/07-05/07-17-05/e08sp423.htm
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