General Discussion

I grew up eating meat, going to the zoo, dating hunters and using products without considering how they were produced. My sister brought a PETA magazine home from college and I educated myself. I learned that humane slaughter was a myth, that animals are beaten and tortured in their transition from sentient being to carbon monoxide laden slabs on styrofoam. I learned zoos bred animals for a constant supply of crowd-pleasing babies, then sold older, excess animals to horrible roadside zoos or canned hunts where they were nothing more than tame sitting ducks. I learned state game commissions purposely manipulated populations for a constant supply of prey, sometimes killing predators who dared compete with hunters. I learned cosmetics and household products companies tested products on animals for nothing more than liability defense and that animal tests didn't protect humans from anything. I learned male chicks from laying hens were shredded and male calves born to dairy cows stuffed in crates to suffer horribly for tender anemic white flesh.
I compare my animal rights epiphany to my political awakening. I received a history degree knowing very little about the horrors perpetrated by my own country. The Dulles brothers and Kissinger were discussed only in glowing terms. I could not depend on professors or media to expose the truth, I had to try to figure things out for myself.

I urge anyone who cares about animals to look at what PETA does behind the scenes. Go to its website and read about its investigations. Accomplishments are never discussed in mainstream media; only the absurdities are given attention ( I disagree with Peta's PR techniques). Recently, for instance, PETA stopped ridiculous nih funded experiments on baby monkeys where said monkeys were taken from their mothers and isolated to induce stress. This went on for 30 years. It was a boondoggle that finally ended last December.

Chimp research is ending, circuses are eliminating elephant acts, sea world is ending whale breeding....none of this would have been possible without the hard work of those who want to see animals live their lives with dignity.