PETA's silence, hypocrisy

North County Times/The Californian ^ | Wednesday, May 11, 2005 | Rick Reiss

[DogByte6RER]

PETA's silence, hypocrisy

By: RICK REISS - For The Californian

Zoos have always been popular with the public. My family and I are longtime members of the San Diego Zoological Society. A trip to the zoo is the best way to see up close wild and exotic animals from around the world.

In just a day at the zoo, you can see critters from tropical rain forests to African savannas without risking exposure to Third World diseases and genocidal regimes.

While no zoo is perfect, most are nonprofit organizations striving to preserve endangered species through care and captive breeding programs.

The San Diego Zoological Society is the gold standard for the preservation of wildlife worldwide.

Despite this, extremists at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently staged protests against the San Diego Zoological Society. PETA objected to the euthanizing of an elephant that had been transferred from the San Diego Zoo.

Two sidebar questions: Aren't humans part of the animal kingdom? And where were the PETA protesters when Terri Schiavo was "euthanized" through dehydration and starvation?

Anyway, in 2003 the San Diego Zoo transferred several elephants to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. The San Diego-based elephant Wankie was recently transferred from Chicago to a zoo in Salt Lake City and was euthanized due to health problems caused during the transit.

PETA is now demanding the head of Doug Myers, executive director of the San Diego Zoological Society. No doubt this was a tragic aberration and folks like Myers are mortified.

Maybe the zealots at PETA have too much time on their hands, or more likely, they just have misplaced priorities. Why does PETA foam at the mouth over unintended tragedies in our American zoos, yet remain silent at the wholesale government-sanctioned slaughter of African wildlife?

Last month the Marxist dictator Robert Mugabe ordered the slaughter of all big game wildlife on Zimbabwe's animal preserves. Since taking power, Mugabe has seized private farms and instituted Soviet-style land reforms. Once the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe now stands on the brink of mass starvation.

The country of Zimbabwe is now cannibalizing itself. Government directives mandate the widespread slaughter of elephants, giraffes, lions and rhinos. Zimbabwe park rangers and soldiers are carrying out Mugabe's orders.

Several elephants were shot in front of shocked tourists at Lake Kariba. They were later barbecued for Mugabe during a Zimbabwe independence day celebration.

Where is the outrage from PETA? Their silence is deafening.

While PETA demands the firing of Doug Myers, they remain quiet about the bloody dictator Robert Mugabe.

Equally outrageous are reports from the Center for Consumer Freedom that PETA put to death more than 10,000 dogs and cats at its Virginia headquarters. Apparently, it was cheaper to euthanize these former pets so that PETA could afford campaigns comparing your dinner plate to the Holocaust and to fund the domestic terrorist group Earth Liberation Front.

How's that for hypocrisy?

Rick Reiss of Temecula is a regular columnist for the Californian. E-mail: RickReiss6@netscape.net.

[DogByte6RER]

FYI...

For more of the lowdown on PETA go to:

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

http://www.animalscam.com/references/peta_elf1.cfm

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/2801

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/1309

For addtional news about Robert Mugabe's reign of terror in Zimbabwe, here are some references:

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=428282005

http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=14293&catcode=13

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27551

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=632434

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10122602

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=143&art_id=vn20050427081741901C306673

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4494245.stm

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/47580.asp

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44071

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0412/p09s01-coop.html

[Mr. Jeeves]

PETA has no real interest in animals. Their goal is the destruction of America.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

Two sidebar questions: Aren't humans part of the animal kingdom? And where were the PETA protesters when Terri Schiavo was "euthanized" through dehydration and starvation?

No we are not "animals" and PETA makes idols out of animals, and puts them above man.

[cyborg]

I sent them a copy of the article and asked them if they plan to address this atrocity. I'm so glad I'm consistent with my beliefs unlike PETA.

[boofus]

PETA and the rest of the enviroterrorists are a band of cowards. They terrorize old women in fur coats and inanimate objects like SUVs for a reason. You never see them harass leather clad Hell's Angels, or vicious African tyrants because they might get their asses handed to them.

[Imaverygooddriver]

That and making money. I`ve had pet dogs and cats all my life and I`ve yet to find one animal hospital run by PETA. Matter of fact I`ve yet to find anything for animals run by PETA. The only thing I`ve ever seen them do is protest and put up signs yet they get millions every year in donations. Where does the money go?

[Toidylop]

I thought PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animal!!! No...

[QueenBee3]

PETA is full of misfits and women with cats. They would never fight real evil like the African dictator, because they are cowards. They instead go after the Doug Meyers in San Diego who has spent his whole life and career caring for and preserving the lives of wild animals. He's an easy target and unlike Mugabe he won't slaughter you for protesting.

[Don Corleone]

P E T A is a COMMUNIST front Organization!!!

[Junior]

We're animals. We're not minerals or, with few exceptions, vegetables.

[cyborg]

A Kenyan freeper mentioned that they showed up with tofu burgers in Nairobi because they hear that NGOs were giving the people meat and milk during the famine. Imagine that.

[madball]

Not true. Quite a few exceptions. After all 48% voted for Kerry.

[traderrob6]

That among other things. Where are they on this???

http://exposingtheleft.blogspot.com/2005/05/study-209-animals-sexually-abused.html

[mvpel]

The money goes to protesting and putting up signs.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

You might be an animal, but I am not.

[Tennessee_Bob]

They terrorize old women in fur coats

I'd like to see them try that with my 5'1", seventy year old mom. If she didn't kill them, dad would get hold of them. He was a Marine in the Korean War - and she's meaner than he is.

[HowardDeanScream08]

Amen to that. Well put.

[Graymatter]

You never see them harass leather clad Hell's Angels

Or the folks who wear this:

Full disclosure: found this pic on ebay under "seller's other items" while looking for an ordinary leather coat. Yes in the month of May. Nothing wrong with that is there? Eh?

[CedarDave]

Last month the Marxist dictator Robert Mugabe ordered the slaughter of all big game wildlife on Zimbabwe's animal preserves. Since taking power, Mugabe has seized private farms and instituted Soviet-style land reforms. Once the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe now stands on the brink of mass starvation.

The country of Zimbabwe is now cannibalizing itself. Government directives mandate the widespread slaughter of elephants, giraffes, lions and rhinos. Zimbabwe park rangers and soldiers are carrying out Mugabe's orders.

Sad...

[B.O. Plenty]

You got that right. If PETA, GreenPeace, et al were legitimate "defenders of the environment and animals" they would go to China, Zimbabwe and other 3rd world places to do their protests. The problem is that if they protesed there, the Red army would deal with them by extreme violence...probably mowing them down with AK47's. So this makes Peta, et al, not merely hyprocrites, but cowards.....proving to all just what they really are.