OK, I’ll admit it, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) makes me crazy. They ride their high horse (probably not, because it would hurt the horse) with how they protect 
animals from badly behaving humans. To set the record straight, I like animals. I used to have two cats and my wife has a dog that I’ve adopted. Animals should be respected, yet not equated with human beings.
So in this week’s Time magazine, I was amused by an interview with Ingrid Newkirk who is the president and co-founder of PETA. Let’s take a look at a few of her answers to reader questions:
Q: Is there a simple, everyday way people can help animals? James Dodds, KATONAH, N.Y.
A: … if you just change to one vegetarian day a week, that’s a wonderful step that will save animal lives. It means you have chosen something kind instead of something cruel.
So which animals do you chose not to eat? Eat the bigger ones because they are more dangerous? Or eat the smaller ones because they take less time to cook? Which is less cruel?
Q: Have any of your campaigns been counterproductive? Max Wilson, SEATTLE
A: …Some may have caused many of our members to leave us, and they may have caused people to dislike us, but we’re not here to win a popularity contest. We’re here to get people to find out the facts about how animals suffer.
Let me get this straight, you’re an organization that is trying to create positive public opinion in order to attract supporters. And the results you get are that “many members” leave, people “dislike” you, and you’re not popular. Sounds like a winning public relations campaign.
Here’s the laugh for me. Organizations need to avoid having a self-righteous attitude when it comes to standing up for their cause. Sure there are many causes they everyone cannot agree with. However, when by your own admission you see bad blood flowing, then maybe it’s time to call home the dogs (as long as you don’t eat them).
P.S. In the process of looking at Google images for something related to PETA, it returned a whole bunch of nude human figures (pornography for some). PETA is animal friendly, not family friendly.
