Peta petition

[Bruce14]

"Anti-PETA petition off to a quick start

The Center for Consumer Freedom has launched an online petition asking the United States Treasury Department to cancel the tax-exempt status currently extended to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and its affiliated organizations. According to the center, PETA has donated over $150,000 to criminal activists — including those jailed for arson, burglary and even attempted murder, and $1,500 to the North American Earth Liberation Front, a criminal organization that the FBI classifies as "domestic terrorists."
The petition notes that PETA collected over $17 million in 2002, avoiding over $3 million in federal income taxes.
"PETA's tax-exempt status was granted by the U.S. government on the basis of the group's willingness to conduct itself in a lawful fashion," the center notes. The online petition gathered over 10,000 signatures during the first week."

For more information or to view the petition, go to
www.consumerfreedom.com/petaPetition.cfm

[cowman]

Now I'm not here to defend PETA! But I will note other groups that have charity status have donated money to organizations that were "criminal" and never been banned from charitable status. One would be the World council of Churches? Sent money to the ANC and rebel groups in the overthrow of Mozambique? How many hundreds of thousands killed there? My parents had a foster child who was ****d and butchered by the "liberators" in Mozambique!
I imagine PETA just loves the publicity and debate this petition will bring? And I very much doubt it will be banned...too many high profile people support it.

[Bruce14]

We don't have to look outside Canada to find abuses by a couple of mainstream churches.

As far as PETA, I think you are more accepting of their tactics than most producers but we don't all agree on everything. If PETA ever did loose their tax free status a lot of their celebrity support would move on to where it might do some good such as third world countries or helping misguided youth in N.America where their music, etc. has a huge following.

[cakadu]

Slightly related to this is the fact that groups like PETA are buying up shares in food companies so that they can have get enough shares to bring about a shareholder resolution. In fact, according to a CNN report they are ensuring that they have the minimum number of shares to bring about a resolution plus 50% more.

In many cases shareholder resolutions do not work, but what the worry amounts to is the fact that PETA will generate a lot of negative publicity and right now neither the industry nor producers need any more of that.

The other thing that concerns me is the fact that there are "eco-terrorism" schools being taught all over the globe and we don't appear to be doing too much about these guys. Granted, they are the extremists, but they are the ones that get all the press which is again something we don't need.

What ends up happening is that the general public is bombarded by these negative messages and publicity and the truth gets lost.

[cowman]

Linda: The problem that I see with basically banning PETA is who might be next? Free speech goes beyond what the majority might accept?
If PETA is saying things that are untrue then the affected groups can challenge them in court? And if they are breaking the law then it is up to our judicial system to charge them with a crime?
Just because I might not agree with someones philosophy doesn't mean they can't express their beliefs? And quite frankly we do need someone asking questions about how animals are treated? Whether that is PETA or the SPCA or whoever? I like to think most people who own animals treat them in a decent way, but we all know there are people who shouldn't be allowed to own even a goldfish! And some of the methods of raising our meat really should be questioned as to how "ethical" it is?

[Bruce14]

Cowman: "The problem that I see with basically banning PETA is who might be next? Free speech goes beyond what the majority might accept?"

The topic is about removing PETA's tax-free status not freedom of speech.


"Whether that is PETA or the SPCA or whoever?"

I don't think the PETA/SPCA comparison is valid as I don't reacall a SPCA spokesperson saying as PETA did that it would not be a tragedy at all if Foot&Mouth Disease was introduced to the North American livestock industry as it would eliminate all of the factory farms and meat and milk is not needed for human consumption. If you don't believe PETA or some of the other more radical "animal rights" groups would do this, think again.

To get a better understanding of what PETA stands for, here is the gospel according to Dan Matthews,PETA Director of Media Relations yesterday on the Fox News Channel's "Your World with Neil Cavuto."


"CAVUTO: Where do you draw a line between [raising animals for food] and animals that are used in research, for either cancer or multiple sclerosis or things like that?
PETA: The fact is that none of this research is necessary.

CAVUTO: How do you know, are you a doctor?

PETA: I'm not a doctor, no.

CAVUTO: How do you know?

PETA: We have been researching cancer for decades, using animal experiments. Do we have a cure for cancer? Of course we don't.

CAVUTO: Do we have treatments for cancer? Of course we do.

PETA: But in the 21st century, don't we have technologies that can get us past this? There's is no need to be slicing these animals open --

CAVUTO: Dan, would you be open to trying some of these experimental drugs on a rat before your mom?

PETA: It doesn't work like that, Neil. It is not a fair comparison. The fact is --

CAVUTO: It would be for me, Dan. I'd like to try it out on a rat before giving it to a loved one."

As producers none of us wants to ever see an animal needlessly suffer. The vast majority of us go to great lengths and even risk personal safety to provide comfort and ensure the well being of our livestock. To confuse PETA with some of the groups that actually do care about animal welfare is a mistake.

[cakadu]

Quite true, Cowman, everyone has a right to their opinion, even fringe and minority groups like PETA. People can choose whether or not to listen to them and beleive or not believe in their message.

The very fact that PETA would rather the animals get Foot and Mouth disease rather than have them used for food speaks volumes about them. Letting the animals suffer with a debilitating illness like FMD is not ethical treatment of them - in fact, it is just the opposite. Agreed the illness is most times not fatal, but what livestock producer would want to see the animals suffering that kind of pain?

What I object to is the fact that it is these fringe groups that are dictating how I as a livestock producer should be treating my animals. I am all for treating them humanely and like StrawBoss and many of the rest of you am out there in less than ideal conditions making sure that they have dry bedding and lots of feed.

What also gets me is these same people will be out there promoting animal welfare while at the same time wearing leather shoes, coats, purses, make-up, hair products and such. There are often meat scares where these fringe groups will intentionally contaminate meat (or even threaten too) - is something like that the right thing to do?

We would not have made the advances in medicine that we have today had we had to wait for testing on humans. I do not condone the mistreatment of animals - no matter what the purpose of having them is. These same activists benefit from the activities that have gone on in the past.

The bottom line is that they can do or say whatever they want for themselves - they do not have the right to force it on you and me.

[cowman]

Well the way I see PETA is as a sort of benign bunch of wackos but I might be mistaken? Instead of taking away their tax exempt status maybe the government could just tell them who they could give money too? If we basically outlaw them by taking away their tax status who knows what might happen to them? How many of them might be pushed into the real wild world of crazies? How many dollars might then flow to the extremists?
Personally it doesn't offend me when PETA says factory farming is wrong and evil. Or that it is wrong to trap animals by the leg and let them die a horrible death.
Now what does offend me is when people burn down auction marts and laboratories and threaten human life! But I don't think that is PETA, or am I mistaken?

[Bruce14]

Cowman, now I know why you and I don't see eye to eye on PETA. I THINK you see them as a bunch of do-gooders that just perform media stunts.

My view is that they are a very well funded organization that collects tax free money to help fund terrorist groups.

"Research into PETA's IRS filings shows that the group has funneled over $150,000 of its tax-exempt money to criminals affiliated with the terrorist Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF). PETA's shameful history includes a $1,500 check written directly to the ELF, and a $70,400 gift to convicted arsonist Rodney Coronado, who spent 57 months in federal prison for firebombing a Michigan State University research lab.

ALF and ELF crimes have become so rampant that the FBI has labeled the groups a "serious domestic terror threat," and has been forced to devote precious counter-terrorism resources to their investigation."


I don't appreciate leg hold traps being used either but understand this, when PETA talks of "factory farms" they are not only speaking of veal operations, dairies or sows in farrowing crates. They also include feedlots and any kind of confinement we do on our own farms.

In their opinion, cattle are supposed to roam the pasture for tourists to wave at and never be harvested, milked or handled except when they are scratched on the head.

[cowman]

Well I did not know that PETA was giving money to the crazies, but why couldn't the government just tell them you can't give money to these criminals? I believe they've done this with some of the muslim charities...outlawed some groups that you can't donate money to? Probably should do it to some Christian charities also?
I don't think any government has declared PETA a terrorist group, have they?
Outlawing or banning charities is something that should be carefully weighed. Why who knows where it might lead...they just might ban the Anglicans or the Lutherans next?