The word ethical should not appear in their name
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Do you have a pet peeve, something that somebody does that just drives you crazy ?
Well, mine is hypocrisy. I can't stand somebody who takes a stand against something, then turns around and does the same thing. And I am not talking about politicians this time.
No, this time it is the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an organization I loath. And here's why.
Right now there is a police officer in Rogers in hot water because he used his Taser on a cow. And if that isn't stupid enough, it was videotaped.
Well, PETA found out and sent a letter to the chief of police wanting some kind of action taken against the officer.
One might say," OK, that's all fine and dandy. After all, doesn't PETA stand for the humane treatment of animals and protect them from cruelty by humans ?"
Well, perhaps that is what those inside the organization would like you to think they are all about, but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.
Take for example an incident that occurred in North Carolina in 2005. A van registered to the Norfolk, Va., office of PETA, and occupied by two PETA employees, was stopped in Hertford County in northeast North Carolina. Inside, authorities discovered the carcasses of 10 dogs and three cats. A subsequent investigation would reveal that the pair, Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook, had already dumped 18 other dead animals into a trash bin behind a grocery store in Ahoskie, N. C., a city in Hertford County.
In all, police said they suspected the pair in the deaths of as many as 80 animals found in trash bins over a period of four weeks.
Investigators said that Hinkle and Cook were traveling to North Carolina from Virginia and visiting veterinarians'offices and animal shelters. There they would tell workers they wanted to help them find homes for strays and unwanted cats and dogs. The workers, according to stories published in the local media, were glad to oblige.
However, once they had those animals in their possession, investigators said Hinkle and Cook killed them by lethal injection.
The two PETA workers were later indicted by a grand jury on more than 30 animal cruelty felonies each. They also were charged with eight counts each of illegal disposal of dead animals and one count
Even though the drugs they used to kill the animals were a controlled substance, and PETA wasn't licensed to have them in North Carolina, no drug possession charges were ever filed.
If the killing of the dogs and cats wasn't bad enough, what's worse is apparently it was standard operating procedure for PETA.
According to an article published June 18, 2005, in Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot newspaper, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk was quoted as saying very few of the animals the group collects are put up for adoption; they are usually taken to the Norfolk office and euthanized. She said they were doing "society's dirty work," and they don't shy away from it.
Well, the pair in this case had a preliminary hearing and a few more appearances in court before a trial began. When it was all said and done, the two were found guilty of - are you ready for this - littering.
Yes, their culpability in the deaths of some 80 dogs and cats was nothing more than littering, just as if you took this newspaper you are reading and threw it on the ground outside your home.
If that isn't bad enough, their lawyer - don't get me started on the sleaze factor of some attorneys - filed an appeal saying that placing discarded material in a trash bin is not littering.
So, there you have it. PETA wanted some sort of punishment for the Rogers police officer who shot the cow with the stun gun. And it appears they were successful.
As far as I know, the cow lived. But how about those 80 dogs and cats in North Carolina ?
Ethical ? I don't think so, at least not based on any definition of the word I have seen.
*** Grant is the managing editor of The Weekly Vista. He has two decades of experience having worked in Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.
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