Friday, March 22, 2013

Rizzo's Ramblings...You can love animals and still eat them.

Yesterday on WAVY TV 10 in Norfolk, Virginia there was a news story about PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). This is not a "new" news story, as a matter of fact, this same story has been being broadcast for years. PETA kills animals. PETA, who is most notorious for its campaigns against fur and fast food franchises does not mind euthanizing animals pets brought to it to be put up for adoption. As a matter of fact, in 2012 alone, over 1600 dogs, cats, and other companion animals were put down. 89.4% of what was brought in to them. To date, almost 30,000 animals have been slaughtered by PETA. With a 36 million dollar a year budget, you would think that they would have a no kill policy. That is not the case. Ingrid Newkirk, the president (and founder) of PETA, is more concerned with the tacky, sexual, and sometimes sickening demonstrations that PETA has become known for. “We could become a no-kill shelter immediately. It means we wouldn't do as much work." This was a direct quote from Ms. Newkirk to The Virginian-Pilot. Ms. Newkirk is so much into off the wall displays against "animal cruelty", that in her last will and testament she has left very specific instructions as to what to do with her body. She wants one of her eyes plucked out, mounted, and delivered to the U.S administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, so that they will always be reminded that PETA is watching them. She wants her flesh to be barbecued to remind people that meat is meat no matter what species it comes from. She wants her skin to be removed and turned into leather products and put on display. This, my friends, is a radical woman. These last wishes would be very noble IF she didn't allow her home base organization to kill rescue animals, most within the first 24 hours of arriving. Please, let me be clear on this. I LOVE animals of all kinds. I believe that some of the living conditions of the animals that we, as a population, use for food are atrocious and should be changed. I am a meat eater. Does that make me callous and uncaring? No. It makes me human. It does not mean that I turn a blind eye to the fact that more and more factory farms are cropping up. These factory farms do not allow the animals enough room to grow, they do not give them a clean living environment which leads to having to give them more antibiotics. These farms have also started using growth hormones so that the "turn over" is quicker, there by making more money. I do not believe this should be the case. I, myself, have helped raised cattle that were going to market to become food for someone's dinner table. My parents had 40 acres of land and about 40 head of cattle. That is an acre per cow. These cattle were allowed to roam as they pleased, they were fed sweet feed and hay in the winter time, and they grazed on clover in the spring and summer. Antibiotics were not administered unless the cow actually needed them, and we would know immediately if they did because we were there every day. I even administered some of the shots myself. Did I, myself, ever eat a cow that I had help raise? No. I don't think I could bring myself to do that. I will also tell you that on market days my mother would be beside herself because she knew where "her babies" were going. She watched every calf on that farm be born. She was invested in their health and well being. She loved them. My mother would go out into the field in the evening and play the truck radio for them. They would all gather around and lie down. To this day, the memory of playing music for her cattle still brings a smile to her face. And she still enjoys a good steak. I have a lot of vegetarian and vegan friends. I think it is excellent. It seems to be a very healthy lifestyle, and if I could learn to like tofu, I might even try it. My point here is, you can love animals and want them to be treated better and still partake in being a carnivore. I think being honest about it would be much better than sending naked celebrities into the street and then secretly murdering those whom you say you are trying to protect. PETA is hypocritical. It is a waste of time and money, and it is ran by crazy fanatics who are in it for the shock value, not the rights of animals. If PETA would stop the crazy antics of trying to protect wharf rats, while killing thousands of dogs and cats and focus on trying to make these factory farms more humane they would garner more support from mainstream people. Although, Ingrid Newkirk, with her radical ideas may not want mainstream support. Perhaps she just likes to cater to the crazies.
Links to information regarding PETA:
Ingrid's will
Yearly PETA kill rate
WAVY TV 10 news story
Pilot online news story December 2012

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