According to John Lane of PETH: People for the Ethical Treatment of Hops, hop plants form communities and emotional attachments, so harvesting living hops is an act of cruelty. I'd like to think this is a joke, but if green nutjobs think animals have rights, is thinking the same about plants too much of a stretch? Put down that beer... the plant police are coming! Expect a "protected" species bill from Barbara Bonkers any day now... and millions of starving greenies around the world as they exercise their "compassion."