When Linda Brown sold US vice president Joe Biden a German shepherd puppy she was beset by animal rights activists who claimed that Biden, Linda and their ilk (those whose who perpetrate the breeding of new, live dogs) are directly responsible for the killing of shelter animals.
Regardless of the fact that there is NO LOGIC to this argument, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) went on, apparently, to persecute the poor woman (Biden was first forgiven and then lauded after he undertook to adopt a dog from shelter, as soon as the story became a scandal) for four months after the sale.
State dog wardens repeatedly showed up at Linda’s kennel for inspections, citing her “for a piece of kibble on the floor and five strands of dog hair.” She told Chester County’s Daily Local News that “they took a picture of that, they walked around, snapped pictures and don’t tell you why.” Although she was not convicted on a single charge, her legal fees for the hearings have come to $4,000 so far.
In their campaign against Linda, PETA apparently paid to air their adopt-never-buy ad “Buy One, Get One Killed”. It is a stupid commercial, steeped in the manipulation and over-simplification of reality of the most squalid of shock tactics. It would be interesting to find out if the video managed to change attitudes at all.
I think when it comes to this issue PETA is demented. Their forgiveness of Biden was more than creepy. On their website they expounded on how they “even sent Biden presents in honor of the good news, including a doggy gift bag, spay-neuter certificates, and promises of more goodies to come when the new pup arrived. We hope he’ll stay true to his word and make some pup lucky!”
A campaign to save animals in animal shelters is not a bad thing. This is not what I am saying. Some of PETA’s work to highlight general cruelty to and abuse of animals, both domestically and commercially is important. One may even generally delight in the demolition of holy cows (Figuratively! Of course!) and taboos in the fight to drive the message home. When it comes to the mass production of animals-as-food, nauseating atrocities are committed on an on-going basis. These must be exposed and legislation implemented to prevent further abuse.
Eric Schlossler’s “Fast Food Nation” explains how the fast food industry in the US uses its economic clout to influence (or prevent) regulation of it in Congress. All round, the business is devoid of ethics, morality and, it would seem, the necessary hygiene.
But PETA’s “radical chic”, inspired by their founder, Ingrid Newkirk, seem to demand that animal rights take precedence over those of humans. Violence and intimidation are not good tactics to employ when one wants to make the world a better place: one in which respect for each other and animals and the environment is an operating principle rather than an ideal.
Linda Brown has been investigated, scorned and her life has been threatened. She is not guilty of cruelty to animals. People who abandon animals and treat them badly, are guilty. PETA’s “Buy One, Get One Killed” is as crazy a notion as saying that people should adopt the homeless children of the world before having their own… or else.
Honestly. Just who do these people think they are?
Betty Noire 