PETA Pleads to End the Violence in the Middle East

[Dune]

(Stolen from AGW)

From PilotOnline

Arafat gets asinine plea from PETA on intefadeh

The Virginian-Pilot
© February 6, 2003

Every so often, I violate my own policy against giving PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- the publicity it desperately desires and doesn't deserve.
I do this whenever the Norfolk-based animal rights group does something so astonishing, it simply can't be ignored.

This is one of those times.

But our story doesn't begin in Norfolk. It begins in Israel.

On Jan. 26, a bomb exploded on the road between Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion.

As terror attacks go, this one was minor. Most of us didn't hear about it because, with the exception of one bus passenger treated for shock, no one was injured.

Thank God.

Palestinian terrorists delivered the bomb to its destination by donkey. They strapped explosives and a remote device to the animal and detonated the bomb by cell phone as an Israeli bus passed by.

The donkey, of course, was killed.

You know where this is going, don't you?

That's right. PETA, the group that never before expressed concern about the carnage in Israel, is suddenly outraged.

All because a donkey died.

Never mind that, according to the Israeli embassy, which keeps track of such grim statistics, 729 Israelis have perished in terrorist attacks since September 2000.

It took the death of a donkey for PETA to find its voice.

Leave the animals out of it, they cry.

Determined to make Hampton Roads look like a breeding ground for wackos to the rest of the world, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk this week fired off a fax to Yasser Arafat.

She began the letter with a polite salutation: ``Your Excellency.''

I can think of lots of titles for Arafat. Excellency isn't among them.

But I digress.

``. . . We have received many calls and letters from people shocked at the bombing . . . in which a live donkey, laden with explosives, was intentionally blown up.

``All nations behave abominably in many ways when they are fighting their enemies, and animals are always caught in the crossfire. The U.S. Army abandoned thousands of loyal service dogs in Vietnam. (Odd. No mention of our dead soldiers, MIAs, POWs or even loyal South Vietnamese allies who were left behind, but again, I digress.)

``Al-Qaeda and the British government have both used animals in hideously cruel biological weaponry tests.''

Brace yourselves. It gets worse.

``We watched on television as stray cats in your own compound fled as best they could from Israeli bulldozers''

Fleeing cats! PETA confronts the horror of war.

``Animals claim no nation. They are in perpetual involuntary servitude to all humankind, and, although they pose no threat and own no weapons, human beings always win the undeclared war against them. . . .

``If you have the opportunity,'' Newkirk beseeched Arafat, ``will you please add to your burdens my request that you appeal to all those who listen to you to leave the animals out of this conflict?'' In other words, Newkirk seems to be begging the Palestinians not to stop the slaughter, but rather to find a different delivery system for their bombs.

Appalling.

Perhaps Ms. Newkirk would prefer that the Palestinians used suicide bombers instead of burros. Oh, that's right, they usually do.

Lisa Lange, PETA's vice president of communications, told me yesterday that Newkirk's letter was written after their offices had been bombarded with calls from PETA members who had learned of the donkey bomb.

Lange said it's PETA's philosophy that human cruelty often begins with animal cruelty.

The Washington Post this week asked Ms. Newkirk if she had ``considered asking Arafat to persuade those who listen to him to stop blowing up people as well'' as animals.

Her response should be required reading for all would-be members of PETA:

``It's not my business to inject myself into human wars,'' Newkirk told the Post.

How does one respond to such moral ambiguity?


How about a body count of human bodies?

In January 2003 -- the month in which the donkey died -- 21 Israelis and eight foreign nationals were killed by terrorists in Israel, and 127 others were injured.

Yet PETA weeps for the ass.

Radio talk show host Tony Macrini got it right when he remarked recently that ``PETA'' was an acronym for ``People Embarrassing the Tidewater Area.''

One can only hope that Newkirk left off her Norfolk return address on that asinine letter to Arafat.

Reach Kerry at 446-2306 or at kerry.dougherty@att.net

[Airhead]

Dune thinks it's OK to use exploding donkeys to carry out terrorist bombings and I think it's inhumane. On the other hand, "Tripping the Rift" was great, so I owe him for the link.

[GRUNHERZ]

I can just see a Mossad agent with evil burnning in his eyes,  driving a bulldozer, shifting it's gears as the engine growls and tracks rattle - madly chasing after Arafat's house cats.. OMG what imagery.. Wroom Wroom Wrooom!

These PETA people are nuts....

[GRUNHERZ]

http://www.peta.org/feat/arafat/index.html

And it's actually true... OMG

[john9001]

but do the donkeys get 72 virgins when when they blow up infidels??

[Dune]

Originally posted by Airhead
Dune thinks it's OK to use exploding donkeys to carry out terrorist bombings and I think it's inhumane. On the other hand, "Tripping the Rift" was great, so I owe him for the link.

Oh no.  Don't get me wrong.  I'll completely against donkeybombs.  But I'm not sure you could effectively put enough TNT on a cat.  Probably too heavy for the little furball to carry it.  Hmm...Is C4 lighter?  Dunno.

And yes, Tripping the Rift is amazing.  

[Charon]

Oh no. Don't get me wrong. I'll completely against donkeybombs. But I'm not sure you could effectively put enough TNT on a cat. Probably too heavy for the little furball to carry it. Hmm...Is C4 lighter? Dunno.

It would be workable, you just need more cats carrying less explosive each. All you have to do next, is train the cats to carry out their assigned missions

Charon

[lazs2]

yep... but cats can't be trained... dogs however... well... it's been done before... dog bombs that is.
lazs

[midnight Target]

Sharks with Lazer beams!!!!!!!!!

[Greese]

I don't side myself with Peta on anything, really, but I think something is being missed here.

PETA is about animals.  Not people.  I agree, priorities are a bit screwed up, but that is what the organization is about.  Of course they are not going to be making press releases about how war takes a human toll.  It's not their focus.  So to say they complain about the animals affected by war and not mention the human tolls, makes sense.

[StSanta]

Donkeybombs! LOL!

No, it doesn't make sense. An organisation that is upset and deeply disturbed by a donkey being instantly killed in a more humane way than most cattle are slaughtered (suffering wise), yet don't give a rats arse (well, may a rats arse, I should say humans arse) about the fact that humans are being blown to equally small pieces is a messed up organisation.

Their credibility is like half times. You think they've run out, but you take half of half of half of half...

[Greese]

edit-  having a bad day.  Said some things shouldn't have.

I still need a steak.

[GtoRA2]

Litttle donkey pic with a bomb on its back now./.


We could use it for all kinds of fun!

[Greese]

Used to read "Bloom County" a lot (still my favorite comic of all time).

"Rosebud" the basselope was once pictured as the governments new MX Missle delivery vehicle.  I would love to have a jpeg of that comic right now.  Anyone remember that?

[midnight Target]

Berk Breathed

Loved that stuff.