PETA. The Ends Do Not Justify The Means.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has made another huge, ugly, stupid move.

Surprise!

PETA subscribes to a philosophy that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment. That mission statement seems pretty innocuous, but PETA considers keeping pets "human entertainment" and in some cases has euthanized dogs to keep them from becoming "prisoners" in loving homes. To PETA, my well loved, raw fed, bed-sleeping, socialized, regularly exercised, healthy, happy dogs, my cherished family members are abused simply because they "belong" to me. News flash, Skippy, I belong to them!

PETA uses guerrilla tactics to raise awareness. Throwing blood (or red paint) on people wearing fur. "Liberating" animals used for experimentation. Erecting billboards with grotesque images of factory farms. Producing cartoons about fat, acne scarred, inactive kids destroyed by drinking milk. The organization believes in veganism, and whereas Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry, Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products. For health, environmental and ethical reasons, Vegans eschew any and all animal products, but PETA has gone a step further and condemns humans having pets.

True to their revolutionary methods of garnering attention, PETA has launched a new campaign aimed at discouraging pet ownership. "Are Animals the New Slaves?" involves a tour of the United States and features a display in which comparisons are drawn between various human uses of animals, and the suffering endured by black slaves during the Colonial era in North America. The campaign has drawn the ire of the NAACP, much like that of the Anti-Defamation League when PETA ran the "Holocaust on Your Plate" campaign, which drew parallels between the treatment of farm animals confined and slaughtered for food production and the treatment of Jews and other victims of the Holocaust.

Opinions about PETA vary greatly. Its supporters say that the organization has brought greater attention to animal-rights issues, and has encouraged many people to become vegan. They also claim that critics fail to address their fundamental belief that animals deserve moral consideration.

Critics frequently point out that PETA has made financial contributions to "Eco-Terrorist" groups such as the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front. Critics also point to a statement from Alex Pacheco, one of PETA's founders, that "arson, property destruction, burglary, and theft are acceptable crimes when used for the animal cause."

Animal cruelty is a sad fact of life, and society must bring to justice those individuals and companies that treat animals inhumanely, but PETA's insensitive, thoughtless comparison of keeping pets to the brutalization of human beings does nothing to help the cause.

If PETA is looking for attention, they got it, if they are looking for results, they have failed, miserably.