What I'm Missing to Write To You

My MuNu ancestor Victor, sent me this. I was not aware! Were I so inclined I could forego my salad (in progress) and head 5 miles down the road to witness this incident myself!

St. Louis — With their nude bodies covered in "blood" to depict the plight of animals skinned alive for their fur, PETA members will hold a "die-in" and lie silently in a pile outside a local J.Crew store on Tuesday. Other participants will hold giant posters that read, "J.Crew’s Fur Has a Face." PETA has learned that the clothing retailer is selling items made with the skins of foxes, rabbits, coyotes, and minks this fall after previously and repeatedly pledging to PETA that it would not sell fur

Hmm, rabbits. You can eat those. No problems with rabbit fur. The news release goes on to say "Millions of foxes, raccoons, rabbits, and other animals are also raised for fur every year in China, where not a single law protects animals. PETA has obtained undercover video footage that shows fur farmers in China swinging raccoon dogs and foxes by their hind legs and smashing their heads into the ground—breaking the animals’ necks or backs but leaving them panting, blinking, and conscious as they are skinned alive. "

PETA must be unaware of the cruelties perpetuated upon some humans in China; obviously if that were not so, it would point out such things as well. Because people are animals, too.

hln

PETA Package

I haven't posted about PETA in quite some time, so I have quite an arsenal today. Steve of Ad Rants has two of them, and it just keeps going from there.

I'll highlight one from Ad Rants. Painted Cows become billboards.

Golden Palace, that purveyor of online gambling and supreme stunt advertiser, has dyed several Florida county cows with with its name. And to stave off PETA, they dyed "Go Veg" on the side of one of the cows.

This clearly signifies it's time for Wendy's to resurrect "Where's the beef?"

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Benneton cannot escape PETA in Australia. The topic? Sheep torture. The picture's priceless. More naked people in paint. This time, solids. I'd imagine that's a quicker paint job.

Oh, wait, where was I? The Australian Wool Growers Association signed a deal with PETA that'll end a 10-year PETA boycott. Which probably means another industry is about to get bombarded. At issue is the practice of mulesing, which I had never heard of. Gory photos will give you a different picture than Wikipedia, which states that there's no effect on underlying muscle tissue. I'm assuming that's when the practice is done right.

Lambs are normally mulesed a few weeks after birth. After the operation, which takes one to two minutes, the lambs continue to behave normally. Because it is a skin snip, there is little blood loss from the cut other than a minor ooozing on the edges of the cut skin. Lambs rarely die or become ill after mulesing.

Lambs are mulesed onto clean pasture. The ewes and suckling lambs receive minimal disturbance until all wounds are completely healed (about 4 weeks). Observation is generally only at a distance.

Mulesing should be completed well before the flystrike season or else chemical protection should be provided to reduce risk to the lambs and ewes.

What else does Wikipedia have to say?

A viable alternative to mulesing has to ensure the health and well being of the lamb (many alternatives have proved to have disastrous side effects). It also has to be safe for the people carrying it out, and leave no residues in the meat or on the fleece. It certainly has to cause no more pain than mulesing and to be acceptable to the farming community both ethically and financially.

Non-surgical alternatives to mulesing currently being researched include topical protein-based treatments, selective breeding, organic insecticides and biological control of blowflies.

Merino sheep live productive lives of around eight(8) years. That means any mulesing alternatives need to be tested for a minimum of eight years to ensure the safety of the sheep and of the people who have to come in contact with whatever is used. So far, no alternative method has proved satisfactory and acceptable.

Breeding alternatives are very slow, even if GMO techniques were allowed (which is unlikely).

The eradication of the strike fly is not a viable alternative. Banning wool production would remove one of the most ecologically friendly agricultural systems for much of Australia. Farmers are currently trying to reduce the use of chemical protection in the interests of the ecology of wool processing countries

PETA's page. I could spend about 6 posts poking fun at the language of this one, even breaking out the Persuasive Attack and Defense course book.

Sheep farmers have reason to fear. Baaaaad.

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Finally, remember, Being Boiled Hurts. Ow.

hln

The PETA Holiday Ornament

Hey, everybody, look! It's the PETA Holiday Ornament. Make sure to reserve yours now (before PETA decides that the depiction of the bunny is cruel).

And if that doesn't do it for you, there's the PETA Playing Cards (I wonder if those come for software solitaire sets).

And, finally, for your children. Remember, Sadie, Fish are FRIENDS, not food.

hln

No Fresh Catch

Alaska - discourage fishing, says PETA. The chinook are precious.

It's more of the same. If you've seen it here before, you've seen it. These are complex and intelligent organisms, very social, says PETA.

According to PETA, emerging evidence about the cognitive abilities of fish - including their ability to feel pain - is paving the way for society to consider "hooking fish through the mouth and ripping them out of their natural environments with the same revulsion that we feel about cruelty to dogs or cats. Imagine hooking a dog or a cat through the mouth with a large hook and dragging them behind your car," Robertson said in her letter.

Kudos to Mark Stopha, the salmon troller who had an appropriate response.

"I only catch the stupid ones," Stopha said. "I wouldn't be able to catch the smart ones, anyway."

"I'm trying to weed out the gene pool," he added.

Yum, salmon.

hln

More on PETA and KFC

The authorities are in the building!

Finger Dissin’ Good: Hip-Hop Vs KFC

Hip-hop heavyweights including the Beastie Boys and Def Jam impresario Russell Simmons are threatening a campaign to urge fans to boycott KFC over their “grossly inhumane” slaughter practices.

Simmons has called slaughter practices used by the fast-food chain's suppliers "grossly inhumane" and has filmed a commercial showing some of the very worst abuses chickens undergo before they are served to customers.

Expect slaughter that doesn't kill soon! The hip-hop culture could really dig that. Da chikin rap. Yo.

I want to see the commercial. I'm sending the pic to James for a caption contest. We shall see. (It'd be better with a beak).

hln

No Brain No Pain?

The title comes from Hans as the QOTD. It originally belongs to a fellow named Mike Loughlin. The debate today is whether lobsters feel pain. Nordic folk say, no.

PORTLAND, Maine - A new study out of Norway concludes that it's unlikely lobsters feel pain, stirring up a long-simmering debate over whether Maine's most valuable seafood suffers when it's being cooked.

Animal activists for years have claimed that lobsters feel excruciating agony when they are cooked, and that dropping one in a pot of boiling water is tantamount to torture.

And what do I have to say about this?

1) Doesn't matter - I couldn't boil a lobster, pain or no. I'd feel guilty.
2) So the squealing is just for show?
3) Egad, I'm not bashing PETA on this one. I'd best do that in another post.

hln

Animal! Animal!

Dennis Rodman wants to be Pamela Anderson. Or something. He posed nude for PETA.

Rodman, 43, who has sported hair in a rainbow of colors and once appeared at a New York bookstore to sign autographs in a wedding dress, said he gained "a totally different perspective" after watching a PETA video.

"I'm not ashamed to show my body," he added.

What does that have to do with anything? Even more fur, er, fun is a related story. Mercedes offers a non-leather seat option. Why? Because PETA says thousands of cows are slaughtered each year for leather car seats and interiors. Apparently PETA's unfamiliar with the concept of steak. And burgers.

hln

PETA Profile

Haven't blogged about PETA in a while, so here you go.

Bruce "Sit Ubu Sit, Good Dog" Friedrich takes his game to reality TV - Showtime to be exact.

Friedrich has been selected to appear this summer on "American Candidate," a Showtime reality series in which competitors will tackle a series of challenges to demonstrate what goes into the making of a presidential candidate.

"I do appreciate the opportunity to be a face for animal rights, a face for PETA and a face for compassion for all animals," said Friedrich, the man behind such PETA stunts as passing out "Unhappy Meals" to children to try to get McDonald's to improve living conditions for its chickens.

Eat a drumstick for our pal, Bruce, will ya? A trip to KFC is in order. Bruce promises that this show, unlike the rest of reality TV, will raise "important issues."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

So sorry I missed this - I could've brought back digital pictures!

St. Louis — Holding signs that read, "The Colonel’s Secret Recipe: Live Scalding, Painful Debeaking, Crippled Chickens," and displaying an assembly line of "chickens" with "blood" dripping from their slit throats, members of PETA will protest the abusive treatment of animals by KFC suppliers at a local KFC restaurant. The protest is part of an international campaign launched by PETA after years of failed negotiations with KFC’s parent corporation, Yum! Brands:

A bucket o' fun, for sure. (Not exactly big news in the area...didn't find a single mention of it on stltoday.com)

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Hans - you up for this? PETA's GoVeg.com is looking for the Sexiest Vegetarians. I won't tell them you occasionally indulge on fish and shellfish. It can be your secret...between you and the Internet.

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Brian Carnell of AnimalRights.net smacks down PETA for its children outreach tactics.

That's enough PETA for a night. I'll be sure to tell you when they send me another nickel.

hln

Sneaky PETA

The original animal wackos are at it again.

Taking a page out of an old high school yearbook trick, an official with an animal rights organization successfully placed a hidden message in a brick on the grounds of the San Diego Padres new stadium, Petco Park.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a 12-word statement engraved in an 8-by-8 inch brick -- the commemorative bricks were offered by the Padres as part of a permanent display surrounding the team's new $411 million stadium.

The message reads, "Break Open Your Cold Ones! Toast The Padres! Enjoy This Championship Organization!" The first letter of every word spells "BOYCOTT PETCO."

I'm pretty sure PetCo isn't a seller of cats and dogs but is rather an "adopter," sponsoring events to help shelters get their animals noticed when people are in animal moods. Nothing on the website leads me to believe otherwise.

PETA, which objects to the sale of animals altogether, has targeted PETCO for months, written letters to Padres executives in hopes that they would cancel the naming rights agreement. They have also sent out monthly casualty reports citing animal deaths in PETCO stores to company officials.

PETCO officials contend that they have investigated some of the reports submitted by PETA and most, they say, are mischaracterizations. Since 1965, PETCO has adopted more than one million animals and over the past five years has given a total of $18 million to 1,900 animal shelters, according to Cowan.

Adopted or sold? And what are "mischaracterizations?" When is death not a death? Come on Cowan - be clear! I'll see if I can find more tonight.

hln

PETA, Thy Enemy

Frank J. gives you the rundown on PETA!

I've been waiting for this day for a long time.

* In a battle between Aquaman and PETA, Aquaman would be fined for disturbing the peace of fish. Unable to pay the fine, Aquaman would have to serve jail time, and you know someone like him just isn't going to last in jail. Poor Aquaman.

So true! Silly humans - fish are for eating by other fish.

hln

PETA - It's What's For Dinner

This is a public service announcement to remind you that "Nothing could be bloodier than KFC’s buckets of fried chicken corpses."

That's right, nothing. A blood bank? No, sir. Atrocities committed on human beings because of terrorism, the Holocaust? PETA says no. Nothing.

Actually, I would rather remind you that KFC is kind enough to wash the blood off of the dead chickens delivered to its restaurants. KFC employees are instructed to also cook the chicken before selling it to customers.

But, see, if you order a two-piece original recipe dinner, you're all right. That's not bloody because it doesn't come in a bucket.

Just watch those calories. Or, you could adopt the surest approach so as to know you're not offending PETA: stop eating.

hln

I'll Buy That For a Dollar - Your Name That Is

The grand master Chaz at Dustbury reports something I missed.

Last week, PETA offered twenty grand worth of soy products or something to the folks in Slaughterville, Oklahoma, in the hopes of persuading the town to change its name to "Veggieville".

There's more to it, and I don't want to steal his thunder, so do visit.

Can I get some Soy Crisps for changing my middle name to Cat? That's what I want to know. I guess Louise doesn't imply pain/death to animals, though, and I'm outta luck. So perhaps I have to change it to get it changed again?

I guess I have to settle for nickels (made 15 cents of PETA so far!) and address labels I can use for their humor value...sorta like paying bills in February with leftover Christmas stamps; it amuses me.

hln

Eat Chicken Day

Yes, on Saturday, the BBC reported that Thailand was holding National Eat Chicken Day.

Thousands watched as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra fried chicken near the Grand Palace in the capital.

His aim, he said, was to tell the world that Thais have confidence in home-reared chicken.

Health experts say eating chicken meat and eggs is safe providing they are thoroughly cooked.

"I don't care if people love or hate me, but I ask that you love the country," the prime minister said in his radio address to the nation .

"If you don't eat chicken, people can't sell chickens, and they will lose their jobs. Everyone will have problems."

PETA's response, er responses.

hln

PETA's Sittin' in the Dunk Tank

Have a softball or three.

Signed.



hln

PETA Pirouette

Well, a week late, but here it is - the PETA round-up that can be known only as the PETA Pirouette. At this time, I'd like to thank PETA for the fodder.

Colorado Conservative notes that PETA has a beef with beef.com, er, or had.

The man we know as Trey Givens plays possum with PETA. The Patriette weighs in on this one, too.

Kevin at Eckernet notes that PETA has a strategy of trying to "piss off they very people they are trying to convince." (Thanks, Harvey).

And, speaking of Harvey, he shows us some PETA blood money.

Phillip Coons has a whole PETAphile page. Geez. I feel small time now. Thanks, LeeAnn.

From April of 2003, our PETA'd friends offer to cough up 15k for Hamburg to rename itself to Veggieburg.

From November of 2002, something that sums it all up very nicely. And the author named his blog lawroark, so you have to visit.

But PETA takes the most ridiculous approach to trying to advance its arguments. It seems to intentionally try to alienate anyone who might be inclined to be the least bit interested in their views.

Terrorism and turkey. Aren't you sad you missed that one when it was "news"?

Shark Blog in October of 2003 posts Miss Kitty. The caption on this is that it's actually a "costume." I beg to differ. Naked woman in paint is just naked woman in paint. Didn't Wizbang! use this as a caption contest?

HD blog, which I've never seen before now, articulates PETA's stance on animal research. Animal testing bad, human disease...[baffled PETA members].

Terrorism, pork, and a PETA logo. Can't miss.

PETA and graphic comic books. Yawn.

On PETA and Clay Aiken. PETA actually amuses me here. Neuter.

Foxhunting in Ol' Virginny has an animal rights page. The Principles of the Page section. Animal Rights isn't the same as animal welfare. Yes, no kidding.

Blackfive puts Ashanti and Pamela Anderson in a cage match.

There's also a very nice snark by homicidalManiak.

Given that my dive into Biblical history hasn't reached what I would call scholarly proportions yet it is quite possible that I missed the entire Book of PETA in the New Testament. Or maybe it's one of the non-canonical texts that has been garnering so much attention lately. In any case I have yet to run across what could be considered the "lost" beatitude:

Blessed are the members of PETA; for multiplying two fishes to feed thousands is hard work and their abstinence decreases my workload.

And then PETA gets religious! Yes, the Virgin Mary is not exempt from PETA advertising.

From July of 2003, we learn that not much donated money actually goes to our friends the animals. Shocking!

And, ah, yes, more on the Nutcracker incident. And more.

Ugh, a PETA fanatic named Heather.

From November of 2002, the infamous smashing windows quote from PETA's own Bruce Friedrich.

From Rob's Blog we learn what we already know: people ARE more important than animals.

And, finally, this one is NOT safe for work. I bring you pics of naked PETAites and, um, a "news" article proclaiming certain catty comments. Oh, dear, I think I have porn on my computer now. I'd better reply to all that spam I get sent telling me I can shamelessly remove it without my spouse finding out. So, honey, stop reading a paragraph ago, please. (Thank you to erosblog).

Much of actual work for gleaning these posts was done by Tony of Oriental Redneck.

Any PETA post would be incomplete without mentioning the Meatriarchy.

UPDATE:

Found two more on lunch browsing. First, Kevin at Wizbang! notes that PETA's hunting Hillary. And, Steve at AdRants highlights PETA's anti-rodeo ad. Yeehaw.

hln

Beef with PETA

I had hoped to have the big collection of PETA links ready to go this weekend. Life interferred. I should have it up for you mid week, perhaps Tuesday. I'll work on it bit by bit.

In the meantime, see any more PETA posts, send 'em my way! angelweaving@hotmail.com.

hln

Massachusetts Dose of PETA

I thought I'd feed you some local news this evening.

Animal rights advocates will single out small children at performances of "The Nutcracker'' in the next few weeks by handing out fliers saying "Your Mommy Kills Animals'' to youngsters whose mothers are wearing fur.

Yes, involve those children. And in the dark, it'll be really obvious, obviously, which is real and which is fake fur. This just in from the Boston Herald.

The fliers include a color drawing of a woman plunging a large bloody knife into the belly of a terrified rabbit. The fliers urge kids to "ask your mommy how many dead animals she killed to make her fur clothes.

"And the sooner she stops wearing fur, the sooner the animals will be safe. Until then, keep your doggie or kitty friends away from mommy - she's an animal killer.''

First, idiots, you can't kill dead animals. That's like performing a post-mortem health examination. "Nurse, how's the dead rabbit doing?" "Still dead, doctor." Five minutes later "still dead." Second, PETA, pipe down. What is this target-the-kids racket? How low can you sink? If you've been reading me for any length of time, you know my beef with PETA is that now animal welfare folks (like me) are perceived as loony as PETA whackjobs. Yeah, great.

A child psychologist interviewed offered a nice rational attack.

"It's using children in the worst possible way,'' she said. "If (the activists) want to legitimately work to protect animals from destruction for fashion, they have every right to. But to do so by targeting children and making them feel their mothers are murderers is absolutely unconscionable.''

Yeah, yawn - same vein as this. PETA! It's everywhere.

hln

What Round Is This Anyway?

The headline is "Pam wants to talk chicken but KFC won’t bite"

Good for KFC. Pamela Anderson as a chicken expert? Please!

“Pam Anderson has been trying to meet with Novak because she cares passionately about the well-being of chickens,” says a source. “Pam objects to things like how KFC scalds live chickens to de-feather them, but Novak won’t even take her calls.” Now, Anderson, an active member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, will call for a boycott of KFC on her weekly radio show.

Whoa, whackjob! Slow down. It's the suppliers you're after, no? Why WOULD Novak take her call? You think he's somehow buried the cluephone in the glove compartment? I'm pretty sure he threw it out his car window the minute he saw the caller ID.

Because of the stalemate, says the source, PETA is stepping up its war with KFC. “If they won’t meet with us, we’re taking our case to the children.” The source says that PETA will start handing out what they’re calling “Buckets of Blood” in front KFC outlets across the country. “They’ll look like KFC’s buckets of chicken, and will contain things like mutilated, gory chickens,” says the source. “We gave kids ‘Unhappy Meals’ at McDonald’s and Burger King crowns with animals impaled on the points when they wouldn’t meet with us. After those kids started screaming, both McDonald’s and Burger King got reasonable.”

I thought the left opposed marketing to children.

I can't wait for the pictures.

hln

PETA Post

Not my writing today. I found two linkworthy PETA items, though, so here you go.

1) Doggie immobilization.
2) PWEETA (thanks to Little Tiny Lies).

hln

Look out Copland - You're Next

Okay, so Aaron Copland's dead. But he wrote this lovely little catching piece called Rodeo. PETA would have us change its name. For, you see, it's asking exactly that of the town of Rodeo in Contra Costa County.

PETA has sought politically correct titles before. The group recently asked officials in Hamburg, Germany, to consider the name "Veggieburg," Franzetta said. And, to no avail, they suggested Fishkill, N.Y. try on "Fishsave" for size.

As for challenging more cattle-inspired locations, Rodeo Drive in Southern California could be next.

"That would be a great candidate down the road," Franzetta said. "It's definitely a possibility."

I'll save you further details; they're in the article. Rather, let us all HELP PETA in designating all of things the nation should change to become more "animal friendly" in PC terms. Like...

Someone call Crayola; salmon's no color.

What else would you rename?

hln

Milk and Jail

Helllllllo PETA. What now, you ask?

Vegan means NO milk, no? And since when has PETA carried about your waistline. Tsk tsk.

The lobbying group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed an official complaint with the Florida Department of Education (news - web sites) on Monday demanding that it stop the sale of "unhealthy" chocolate, strawberry and other flavored milks in high school vending machines.

"Flavored milk drinks contain more fat, sugar, cholesterol, and calories than even soft drinks do," the complaint says. "Dairy representatives should be in jail for foisting this high-fat, high-sugar toilet water on the nation's children," said Bruce Friedrich, director of vegan outreach for Washington, D.C.-based PETA.

Bruce wears it as cologne, all while yapping about "the children."

Yahoo's snippet extends into the full story, where the Herald milks it for all it's got.

In Miami-Dade, the complaint got instant action. Penny Parham, in charge of school lunches, drove to a high school, checked a milk vending machine and discovered it was selling the exact, 460-calorie Nesquick chocolate milk product referred to in the PETA complaint. ''It's coming out immediately,'' she said. ``This isn't the right way to fight obesity.''

Okay, 460 calories is a bit much. What's that equivalent to, you ask? Oh, about a 32 oz soda, weighing in at about 416 calories. What's the soda give you? Nada. The milk? A bunch of calcium and Vitamin D. Not exactly a wash.

But that nasty word, OBESITY. There it is. Everyone cringe.

Here's what it's really about. Remember that other word: vegan.

PETA attorney Matthew Penzer said Monday's Florida complaint is the opening salvo in efforts to counter dairy industry vending machine programs in several states.

This isn't about weight. Who believes that it is? Who gives PETA credibility in this regard. It's shameful.

PETA's complaint also says serving milk violates Florida laws that require schools to ``efficiently and faithfully teach kindness to animals.''

Look out, Pizza Hut. You serve pizza. With cheese. Vegans unite, for there is no food chain, and I didn't just watch my cats yesterday attempt to eviscerate a moth for their own amusement before devouring said insect. No. Food chain? Doesn't exist.

hln

Buck buck buck BWACK!

We've all read the news. Pamela Anderson...KFC. Yawn.

But Hans sent me this, so let's all go stare at Pamela's fake boobage for a bit and discuss amongst ourselves.

Pamela Anderson has joined the ranks of celebrities who are urging the public to boycott KFC because of the supposedly uncivilized manner in which the handle breasts...um...chicken. Anderson says, "If people knew how KFC treats chickens, they'd never eat another drumstick." Maybe she meant breasts but that's besides the point because this article is supposed to be about breasts...I mean chicken, not breasts. Hard to concentrate here.

Funny, and a good take on the issue. I should've guessed that the material for fake boobs came from the same body's grey matter. All I can think is, wow, how can she run? But she has "friends." Friends at PETA. And when the time is right, they'll send a pulse to Agent Anderson that all is again right in the world and she can go back to studying drumsticks and keeping her mouth shut.

Soon, please. (I notice PETA didn't dispatch her to David Novak's neighbors and church. Yet.)

hln

Quickly Found PETA Post

So, I hit the Center for Consumer Freedom, as I often do, and, there it was, gleaming, screaming, teeming with shouts for my attention:

PETA's Latest Excuse For Funding Terrorists

Ooh, promising.

In 2002 the Center for Consumer Freedom first revealed that PETA had donated $1,500 of tax-exempt funds to the FBI-labeled terrorist Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Now, in a story about recent ELF arsons, the Associated Press has published the eighth in a series of different explanations PETA has offered for this misguided (and possibly illegal) cash grant.

Yesterday's AP story notes: "PETA said the money was used to send two people to Washington to testify at a congressional hearing on behalf of an ELF spokesman." Funny -- PETA officials never mentioned this in 2002, when they offered the following explanations:

The post goes on to list prior excuses.

For some reason, I'm thinking of Masterpiece Theatre, complete with Pachelbel's Canon - too slowly done to promote some director's idea of dramatic emphasis. "And tonight, on PETA Theatre, we present the EIGHTH and final excuse..." You can hear it, can't you?

Oh, the drama. Tune in next week for the encore, where we hear our beloved Bruce Friedrich crying amidst young chickens slated for YOUR dinner plates. "Oh, chickens, whatever will we do? Our non-profit status is sure to vanish!"

Cut, and that's a wrap.

Chicken. No mayo.

hln

PETA Post

Amazing. I actually agree with PETA on this one (and its methods aren't even over the top here). Too many healthy animals are euthanized because there are too many companion animals available and not all are able to be cared for by humans. So, I disagree with the sale of animals by pet stores. I won't even go into puppy mills. I am and always have been one bleeding-heart animal lover.

But back on topic. PETA put out a press release on September 17, 2003 that targets PETCO and prompts it to halt the sale of live animals.

This is part of a series of protests taking place outside PETCO stores across the country, all designed to give consumers the full story about the "pet"-shop chain—lawsuits, suffering animals, and angry customers. The activists will also be encouraging PETCO employees to blow the whistle on cruelty. PETA is offering up to $1000 for information leading to a cruelty-to-animals conviction for the chain.

Date: Saturday, September 20
Time: 12 noon-2 p.m.
Place: 13750 E. Mississippi Ave.

According to Forbes magazine, PETCO "has been embroiled in at least four recent court-related matters … charging animal cruelty or neglect." The city of San Francisco has filed a lawsuit to bar PETCO from selling animals there because of "the cruelty and pattern of brazen violations … [that] continued over three years." After years of receiving a never-ending stream of customer complaints—including reports of sick and injured animals who were left to die in their cages or placed in freezers to die, enclosures caked with feces, a lack of veterinary care, severely stressed animals’ cannibalizing each other, and staff members untrained in basic animal care—PETA has launched a national campaign against PETCO aimed at getting the chain to stop selling live animals and carry only animal supplies.

Earlier this month, PETA, a PETCO shareholder, took its case directly to PETCO’s shareholders and board of directors. PETA filed a shareholder resolution calling on the chain store to stop selling birds, reptiles, fish, and other small and vulnerable animals—which, according to PETCO CEO Brian Devine, makes up less than 5 percent of the chain’s annual revenues—and urging PETCO to focus instead on selling companion-animal food, supplies, and services and expanding adoption programs.

And, because this is PETA, the issue will get some exposure.

hln

Free the Chickens (PETA Post)

Via The Center for Consumer Freedom, I found this article.

Kweisi Mfume, president and chief executive of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has signed a letter in support of an animal rights group's campaign against Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Norfolk, Va.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a low-budget group that often seeks high-profile supporters to spread its message, posted the letter on its Web site this week to add weight to its three-year battle.

The one-page letter, dated Sept. 10 and written on NAACP letterhead stationery, is addressed to David Novak, chairman and chief executive officer of Yum! Brands Inc., which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands. It asks the company to require its suppliers to employ more humane methods in breeding and slaughtering chickens.

Uh, okay.

Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! responded to the PETA campaign with a release that said: "KFC is committed to the well-being and humane treatment of chickens and we require all of our suppliers to follow welfare guidelines developed by us with leading experts on our Animal Welfare Advisory Council."

The fast-food chain, which has a large presence in black neighborhoods, also points out on its Web site that it was named one of Fortune magazine's "50 best companies for minorities."

Mfume's support for PETA, while limited to a five-paragraph letter, raised eyebrows among some NAACP observers.

Ronald Walters, director of the University of Maryland's African American Leadership Institute, said he was not sure how much more Mfume could do before being criticized by NAACP membership for diverting focus from people.

He said involvement might be warranted if the criticism targeted labor practices or marketing to blacks, who make up a disproportionate number of fast food customers and workers. The letter, however, could have some impact.

Lovely. Now chickens are an issue of race. I like Consumer Freedom's take on it.

Doesn't the NAACP have better things to do than educating Americans that, yes, chickens expire in the making of two-piece dinners?

Breast and a leg or a wing and a thigh, biscuit, cole slaw, and a little tub o' mashed potatoes.

hln

PETA Party

I found this on Consumer Freedom.

Ha ha ha ha. What if you threw a party, and nobody showed up? Guess this is that. What'd PETA have to say?

U.S. Marine Cpl. Ravi Chand, who just returned from his tour of duty in Iraq, has rejoined his old "unit" at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but he’s not through fighting the war on terror just yet. Cpl. Chand, who saw combat in Iraq and stuck to his pure vegetarian diet throughout the war, will lead a demonstration in front of the White House, highlighted by PETA members dressed as an oversized knife and fork and holding signs reading, "President Bush: Found Your WMD—Meat’s the Biggest Killer of All," to make the point that eating meat kills far more Americans each year than war or other weapons, in addition to terrorizing and killing billions of animals.

In my mind: "What?" says Cpl. Chand, "What's a vulture? What are lions, tigers, and bears, oh my? Animals wouldn't...kill each other, would they?" Hey, dude. You know what I have to say? Food chain. F-O-O-D C-H-A-I-N.

hln

PETA suing you today? PETA harassing you tomorrow

PETA suing you today? PETA harassing you tomorrow

Wow, no one saw the PETA post coming today, eh? Hah.

Yum! Brands caved. Yes, that's right. KFC gave in to the harassment, which bodes well for PETA and its nutbars everywhere. There's no room for debate and disagreement - only discord and celebrity-backed over-the-top obnoxious campaigns that malign facts everywhere, regardless of any veracity in PETA's claims.

I've posted on this before, not the lawsuit specifically, but of PETA's KFC badgering. So what's new here?

PETA's suit, targeting KFC's Web site and consumer hotline, claimed KFC disseminated false information. According to PETA, KFC agreed to remove certain claims from its Web site and from the script that customer-service operators use when consumers called with concerns or questions.

KFC phone operators will now say: "KFC disagrees with PETA's claims. KFC believes that animals should be treated humanely. For this reason, KFC has established animal welfare guidelines for vendors who supply KFC restaurants with chicken," according to Yum documents provided to PETA.

Earlier, PETA said, the company told callers that PETA's claims are "untrue," and that chickens raised for KFC suffer no pain or injuries.

Okay, KFC. I agree that was just a small change, but what you have set now is a precedent. PETA. Will. Not. Stop. The next attack will be some permutation of this one; perhaps the thinktank that fosters PETA's "outreach" will deliver something with more glitz next time. Chrissy Hynde may haunt every store in the US soon. "Gonna make you notice." Paul McCartney can sing "Freedom" to the chickens. Say, you know, there was a skit on Saturday Night Live that basically covered this topic - it was a show opener back in the early 90's, my college days. A bunch of celebrities got together and cut a single much like "We are the World" to benefit the free-range chickens. Lyrics from said work include

raise your hands, raise your voice, give the vegans another choice

And...

Mister Farmer, take that feed
To the chicken's throa-oat.
To the chicken's throa-oat!
Let's build a world
where cages don't exist.
Tell the children
To tell the world
To tell the chickens that we are on our way!

(Courtesy of a good soul at Bully Magazine)

Yep, really. I through my extensive Google research have discovered that this very skit is on the Saturday Night Live: 25 Years of Music Performances and Sketches, Disk 4. And now I want it, of course.

Ahem. <seriousAgain>Remember, though, the single point of the winding post: There's no room for KFC in a vegan world.</seriousAgain>

hln

The PETA Post!

Long have they lain dormant! But, again, today, PETA manages to make the news in the US.

PETA's back, and it's in your face. Well, it is if you're David Novak, CEO of KFC. What follows seems almost like a surreal bad dream, where your friend Tonya takes you to Denny's, but there's no non-smoking section, and they won't serve you pizza in a timely fashion, and you throw a frenzied tantrum rivalling that of a two-year-old child? Oh, that was Tuesday's dream. This is the PETA post, which goes a little something like this (line borrowed from my esteemed spouse.).

PETA Gets Personal in Campaign Against KFC.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is getting personal in its campaign to force fast-food chain KFC, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., to raise the living and dying conditions of the chickens it sells.

PETA, known for its relentless and celebrity-heavy campaigns, has begun sending volunteers to meet with Chief Executive David Novak's neighbors, pastor, country club, even the manager at his local Italian restaurant.

The group sent Steve Gross, a management consultant and conflict resolution expert, to Yum's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky about a week ago to canvas the neighborhoods where Novak and Cheryl Bachelder, KFC's president, live.

"While PETA continues to push for a vegetarian world, most people disagree," said Yum spokesman Jonathan Blum. "We have no comment on PETA's misinformation campaign."

Cha-ching! Score one tongue-in-cheek point for Blum.

Can you imagine? I mean, ding dong, doorbell. Who's there? Oh, a national obnoxious organization that just wants a few minutes of your time to blackball your neighbor. Lovely. What would I do? Invite them in and offer hamburger, I think.

PETA says it will target Novak, Bachelder and KFC until the fast food chain forces reforms from its chicken suppliers.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney (news) ran a full-page ad on behalf of PETA in the Louisville Courier-Journal in July, with an open letter asking Novak to improve conditions for the chickens used at KFC. Rap music producer and nascent political force Russell Simmons, called for a KFC boycott earlier this month, also on behalf of PETA.

Paul, be quiet and pay more attention to your new wife.

Simmons? Hmm. Kinda like me looking for my Instalanche. Hey, world! Notice me! I'll ally myself with something that gets my name in the papers. Cough. [Clears throat].

I know. As a PETA post goes, this one's kinda lame. Just like the group.

hln

PETA Post!

Robert Prather from The Mind of Man found it before I did. And this time it's serious instead of merely ludicrous.

Quoting Robert:

Earth Liberation Front Bankrolled by PETA
I've never been a fan of PETA (see here, here, here and here) and their support for ELF, a group of domestic terrorists, won't improve my opinion of them.

The Earth Liberation Front is already considered the foremost domestic terrorist group (see here also) and a quick glance at their website will show why.

If PETA's support is verified and holds up in court, they should lose their tax-exempt status, at a minimum. If their support can be shown to contribute to acts of terror, they should be prosecuted.

I don't have his links embedded, so you should go and visit for the whole picture. Also, here's Robert's link to the original article.

hln

Tim Blair Can Have the PETA Post

Tim Blair Can Have the PETA Post

Paul McCartney has joined the PETA onslaught on KFC! I got no fewer than three Yahoo alerts on this yesterday but still didn't deem it worthy of blog note.

I like Tim Blair's take on it, though, so I'll share that.

hln

PETA PETA PETA (pander pander pander)

I have no fewer than THREE things to post about PETA today. I've been getting behind, you see.

1) First, I visted Boycott Hollywood today, and, much to my delight, there was a PETA-applicable post. In PETA Goes to the Movies, Reilly writes about Legally Blonde 2 (a movie I will not see) and Reese Witherspoon's character's interaction with the organization.

As he's discussing this, he's offering his own commentary. My favorite is a quote that Reilly lifted from Frontpage Magazine.

If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from pain and suffering at our hands, then of course we're going to be blowing things up and smashing windows." Such violence, he adds, is "a great way to bring about animal liberation. I think it's perfectly appropriate for people to take bricks and toss them through the windows."

This is PETA's director Bruce Friedrich speaking. He's throwing the bricks through windows so the animals don't have to. And, if plantlife is threatened, the most logical next step would be sabotaging water fountains on streets that begin with the letter "R," right? I mean, however did I miss Friedrich's leap of logic there. Of course! Perhaps I need to enroll in a remedial logic program.

2) I'm actually surprised PETA isn't smashing windows over this article about Alec Baldwin and his "Meet your Meat" video. There's a rather sizeable error. Bad Baldwin.

In a letter to journalists, Baldwin said the film "documents the routine and horrific abuses that animals raised and killed for food endure and makes the case for Americans to adopt a vegetarian diet and enact humane legislation to weed out the worst abuses."

Um, Alec. It's VEGAN, not vegetarian. PETA doesn't endorse your three-egg omelet with cheese.

3) And, finally, I'll let this one speak for itself. A woman changed her named to GoVeg.com.

hln

Chrissy Hynde? Who's That? On

On Thursday in Paris, in what can only be a publicity stunt or another manifestation of public idiocity, Pretenders' lead singer Chrissy Hynde got cozy with PETA in Paris (how...trendy).

PARIS, France (AP) -- Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders joined animal activists in a loud protest outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in central Paris.

...

Hynde and a dozen others, including leaders of the animal rights group PETA, were briefly detained by police after blocking traffic Wednesday on a main boulevard and smearing red paint across the restaurant's window to symbolize the blood of dead chickens.

"The protest won't end here," said the 51-year-old pop singer, who was scheduled to perform Friday in a pop music festival in western France. "Even if I shout for two hours I can assure you, I'll still have a voice for the concert."

And we care? Pleh. Protest some more, and land yourself back on the chain gang.

hln

More PETA and KFC, courtesy

Of course, since I wrote about this, when I found the NRO article (Friday's - I missed it then because I was ill) entitled PETA-Fried, well, I felt I had to share.

My favorite spots?

Bachelder "jumped on the corporate jet and flew to PETA's hometown of Norfolk," PETA's website crowed, acquiescing to five of PETA's eight demands. According to the organization's victory report, among other matters, Bachelder pledged to install cameras in all of KFC's 29 slaughterhouses by the end of next year, with a plan to audit the tapes monthly. KFC also agreed 1) to ensure that its suppliers would add stimulation devices to the perches in the chicken sheds; 2) to move quickly to kill chickens in electric stun baths rather than merely immobilizing them; 3) to implement humane mechanized chicken-gathering systems; and 4) to provide increased space for chicken housing. KFC promised to report back to PETA on a regular basis to verify its compliance.

In return, PETA didn't have to agree to do much of anything. The anti-KFC campaign would continue, though with a 60-day suspension. PETA would not picket the 2003 annual shareholder meeting. It agreed to modify its website assertions about KFC, and suspended "all planned billboards." And it promised not to undertake further "step-ups" in the anti-KFC campaign for 60 days — meaning that it would be at least 61 days before protesters returned to picket Bachelder's home.

The promised reforms may all be fine, appropriate, and humane changes in the raising and slaughter of chickens. Indeed, it is an important human obligation to treat food animals properly and to kill them as humanely as is practicable. But it shouldn't take pressure from fanatics for corporate executives to do the right thing. Indeed, acting under such pressure merely adds to the power of animal-rights liberationists, making them an ever-greater threat to the legitimate use of animals.

If KFC thought that it had bought peace and security from PETA by so clearly and publicly caving in to the organization's threats and intimidation, it didn't know its enemy. I use the word enemy in its literal sense. PETA's goal is not to reform KFC's practices. It isn't ultimately seeking a universal standard for humane treatment of chickens by food producers. These goals are mere tactical efforts on the way to PETA's ultimate goal: driving KFC — and all other meat-serving fast-food restaurants — out of business.

Yes, indeed. PETA does think we should all be vegans. You can have my butter (on the rare occasions I choose to partake of it) when you <cliche>pry it from my cold, dead hands</cliche>.

And...

When I first read this, I almost spat out my morning coffee. PETA ideologues believe that killing animals for food is the moral equivalent of genocide. Indeed, PETA minions have for several months traveled the country promoting vegetarianism on college campuses in the "Holocaust on Your Plate" campaign. Holocaust on Your Plate explicitly equates animal husbandry and meat-eating with the death camps and the genocide of Jews in the Holocaust. To illustrate its thesis, PETA crassly juxtaposes photographs of a pile of dead pigs with a pile of the bodies of dead concentration-camp inmates and claims that "the leather sofa and handbag are the modern equivalent of the lampshades made from the skins of the people killed in the death camps."

It must be understood that PETA-type fanatics do not see Holocaust on Your Plate as hyperbole or metaphor. For them, it is a literal truth. Down to the bone marrow in their vegan bones, they believe that KFC's cooking of chickens is morally equivalent to SS guards' herding of Auschwitz inmates into the showers. One can only imagine the future potential for demagogic advertisements should KFC's suppliers begin the gas slaughter of birds.

The whole thing is really good, though, so if you get a chance, please check it out. I've said time and again that these PETA folks make animal activism into a sad, scary joke, but, as you can see, they get "results." Radicals.

hln

KFC, Jason Alexander, Cruelty, PETA, and That Google Search "kfc tortures chickens"

Wow, how's that for an intro? I got the aforementioned hit yesterday afternoon at about 3:40 CST. Sorry I took so long to put up something relevant.

First, we have KFC's Animal (read: chicken - because mashed potatoes and biscuits aren't fauna) Welfare Policy.

Then, we have PETA and its lawsuit and a website dubbed KFC Cruelty.

And, because it wasn't interesting enough as it was, we have PETA nudging Jason Alexander out of his spokesperson role.

I bet all these things were what you were looking for, dude.

Now, what's the deal here? (Jason, you can go home now. Thanks. We're done discussing you). PETA, please sit in the corner and don't speak until addressed.

Let us drill down into KFC's website to the Poultry Welfare Guidelines (An Overview). This is obviously marketingspeak, as the "welfare" of the animal when it is delivered to KFC is, well, moot. But, the bit where it says it audits its suppliers, okay, I'll take heed now and pay attention to the presentation (below).

1. General
Supplier must have a documented program for animal welfare including a designated program leader, formal employee training, and a system of regular self-audits and recordkeeping. Corrective action for violations must be clearly stated and effective.

Birds arriving at the plant must be clean and in good health. If audit reveals dirty or sick birds, corrective action at the grow-out house must be taken.

2. Raising
KFC prohibits its suppliers from using growth-promoting substances, and requires its suppliers to raise birds in clean chicken houses with appropriate space and proper ventilation.

KFC prohibits suppliers from de-beaking any poultry that will be sold in our restaurants.

3. Catching
Birds arriving at the plant must be free of injury. KFC requires suppliers to implement an incentive program that rewards catching crews for minimizing injury if audit reveals that birds are being injured during the catching process.

4. Transport
Transport crates must be in good repair - i.e. no crate damage that would allow injury to birds or allow crates to accidentally open. Transport crates must not be over-filled and enough space must be provided to allow all birds to lie down.

5. Holding
Birds held in storage sheds must be provided adequate ventilation and climate control (fans/curtains).

6. Stunning
Stunning equipment must be maintained to ensure all birds are unconscious prior to slaughter, and the time between stunning and slaughter must be limited to ensure that no bird regains consciousness prior to slaughter.

7. Humane Slaughter
State of the art slaughter equipment must be properly maintained to ensure all birds are slaughtered quickly and without pain.

Okay - seven habits for highly effective bird growing and slaughter. And what does PETA have to say about this?

(From KFC Cruelty site

- A fisk of a fisk)

What follows are actual quotes from KFC.com, as displayed on January 1, 2003, shown in italics, coupled with PETA’s responses.

Animal Treatment: Yum! Brands believes treating animals with care and respect is a key part of our quality assurance efforts. This means animals should be free from mistreatment at all times—from how they are raised and cared for to how they’re transported and processed. Our goal is to ensure an environment that’s free from cruelty, abuse and neglect.

We challenge anyone to review the treatment of chickens that PETA is addressing, none of which can be denied by KFC, and suggest that KFC is not cruel to chickens. From hatching to slaughter, KFC’s chickens endure lives of unmitigated misery.

The science is totally clear on all the issues that PETA has raised; not only is Yum! ignoring the latest research on gas killing of chickens, broiler breeders, and the other issues that we raise, it has also done absolutely nothing to improve the lives of any other animals who are killed for its restaurants (e.g., fish for Long John Silver, or cattle, pigs, and dairy cows for Taco Bell, A&W, and Pizza Hut). As the most glaring example from among many, the latest research is clear on gestation crates, which were recently banned by voter initiative in Florida because of their excessive cruelty, yet Yum! does nothing about them.

Okay. Hello? Weren't we talking about KFC and its suppliers? I'm certain we were. (Checking website name...yep!). And those "many examples" of which you spoke - show me. Defend, justify, and explain.

Furthermore, cruelty to animals can be more subtle than overtly violent abuse. Denying animals the opportunity to act according to their natures can be even more cruel than harming them physically, and KFC denies chickens almost every natural desire and need—from foraging to dustbathing to forming reasonable social hierarchies (pecking orders).

Hmm - again, I thought we had issues with the suppliers. I assure you, there are not chickens running around Yum!'s corporate offices, and the only chickens to arrive through the store doors are quite assuredly dead, at which time they no longer have social hierarchies.

Partnership: Yum! Brands partners with experts on our Animal Welfare Council and our suppliers to implement humane procedures/guidelines and to audit our suppliers to ensure the guidelines are being met.

We challenge Yum! to name one—just one—procedure or guideline that it has implemented for the humane treatment of animals on farms or during transport. Animals spend the majority of their lives on farms, yet Yum! has not done a single thing to address the treatment of animals in that area. Yum!’s supposed “guidelines” address only the slaughterhouse, and even there they are woefully inadequate. The birds are dumped from crates, often breaking limbs, and their injured legs are snapped painfully into metal shackles. Animal welfare experts are in agreement that chickens are often conscious throughout the slaughter process, resulting in the tremendous suffering of millions from being shocked by machinery, having their throats cut, and being scalded alive. Yet Yum!’s guidelines protect birds from none of these abuses, and Yum! refuses to adopt the gas killing of birds, which would eliminate them all.

You know, I acutally asked a coworker how chickens are humanely killed on farms, and he said, "you wring their necks." Now, I'll argue that a slaughterhouse is most likely the saddest place in this country. I still don't see any direct examples of when these horrible injustices were perpetrated on birds 277 and 293. Where's the evidence, PETA?

More than half of all chickens killed for KFC are consumed outside of the United States, yet KFC has not said a single thing about applying any animal welfare standards outside the U.S., despite the implication that its standards apply to all suppliers. Yum! also claims that its suppliers are being audited, but we ask whether a single audit has ever resulted in disciplinary action. If not, might the reason be that Yum!’s “standards” are, in fact, simply the same abusive status quo that has been in existence for years?

EVIDENCE! Please! I want to believe you - my bleeding-heart animal-loving self (yeah, I have some liberal components to my conservative nature) wants to believe that if an organization is going to claim outrage, it can logically back its claims. Sigh - mere rhetoric and a wimpy challenge.

Performance Quantification & Follow-up: Yum! Brands’ animal welfare guidelines are specific and quantifiable. Yum! Brands measures performance against these guidelines through audits of our suppliers and ensures that all purchasing strategies are aligned with our commitment to animal welfare.

If Yum! has “specific and quantifiable” guidelines, then why has no one ever seen them? This is Yum!’s most clearly duplicitous claim. Without written copies of these guidelines available to the public, how can Yum! expect anyone to believe that they exist? And again, what supplier has ever been sanctioned for violations?

Yeah, I know that tactic - it's called instill doubt with big, sweeping, general accusations.

To assist us in [our] effort, Yum! Brands formed the Yum! Brands Animal Welfare Advisory Council, which consists of highly regarded experts in the field. The Council provides us with advice and recommendations based on key data and scientific research. It has been a key factor in formulating Yum! Brands animal welfare program. Members of our Council include: • Dr. Temple Grandin, Colorado State University • Dr. Ian Duncan, Dept. of Animal & Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Ontario • Dr. Joy Mench, Director of the Center for Animal Welfare, U. of Cal., Davis • Adele Douglass, Ex. Dir., Farm Animal Services, American Humane Association • Dr. Bruce Webster, The University of Georgia • Ellis Brunton, Senior VP of Science & Regulatory Affairs, Tyson Foods • Dr. Jim Ayres, Director of Research & Quality Assurance, Goldkist, Inc

It is true that KFC has hired some people that PETA suggested, specifically Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Joy Mench, and Dr. Ian Duncan, as well as farmed-animal expert Adele Douglass, for its animal welfare panel. But even as Dr. Mench writes papers on the suffering of broiler breeders, KFC does nothing; even as Dr. Duncan discusses the inherent abuse of present slaughter methods, KFC does nothing, and so on. In two years, the panel has held three conference calls—not because the animal welfare panelists are unwilling to improve bird welfare, but more likely because KFC and the industry panelists are not willing.

Ellis Brunton and. Jim Ayres work for the exploiters, not the reformers. One naysayer on any committee can slow or totally stifle progress. The inclusion on the panel of representatives of the chicken-killing industry—the very industry that has claimed, always, that no reform is required—shows that KFC’s efforts are not likely to move quickly or effectively. This has been borne out by 21 months of work resulting in less progress for chickens than has been achieved by McDonald’s, Burger King, or Wendy’s and no progress on decreasing suffering for any other animal.

More broad bushstrokes and naming names. I mean, come on, PETA, Yum! supplied the names for you, so don't hoot and holler that you actually got some objective evidence in a paragraph of your diatribe. Again, disappointing set of paragraphs if one is looking to substantiate a claim.

Yum! Brands Animal Welfare Progress: Established the Yum! Brands Animal Welfare Advisory Council to help formalize our animal welfare program. The Council, which consists of leading scientists and academics in the field of animal welfare, works with Yum! Brands and its suppliers to ensure our practices are aligned with the latest research and thinking in the field of animal welfare.

As discussed above, the science is totally clear on all the issues that PETA has raised; not only is Yum! ignoring the latest research on gas killing of chickens, broiler breeders, and the other issues that we have addressed, it has also done nothing to improve the lives of fish for Long John Silver or cattle, pigs, and dairy cows for Taco Bell, A&W, and Pizza Hut. As the most glaring example, the latest research is clear on gestation crates, which were recently banned by voter initiative in Florida because of their excessive cruelty, yet Yum! does nothing about them. The company is ignoring, rather than aligning its practices with, the latest research and thinking in the field of animal welfare.

Damn! There it is again! Reductio ad absurdum! Were we not discussing chicken? The perils of copy...paste.

It's a lot of blah blah blah from here.

I'm certain PETA has some valid claims - after all, in the scheme of things, mass produced dinner animals probably have short, rotten, painful lives. It's too bad PETA can't synthesize the reality from the rhetoric into a stronger argument that rational America could digest and perhaps rally behind.

Incidentally, and off topic, I took a graduate class in Persuasive Attack and Defense. What we have here is PETA issuing a kategoria, an attack. Theoretically, if this attack actually damages KFC's reputation (in the company's eyes), what will take place next is the Image Restoration stage, strategies of which include denial, evading responsibility, reducing offensiveness, corrective action, and mortification (asking for forgiveness), or any mixture of these. KFC can also attack its accuser, shift the blame, focus on other issues, or redefine the attack. Glad I kept Dr. Benoit's book, Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies for handy reference in times like these. (And, of course, I'm horribly oversimplifying).

hln