PETA kills animals - Page 2

PETA members also have discussion forums, and they have similar opinions and comments about us.

If a superior being from another planet were to observe each of us cussing about the other, s/he may not be that impressed with the integrity of our convictions and the soundness of our arguments.  I must admit that the style and tone of the two discussions are remarkably similar.  We shout "whack job!" and they shout "abuser!". In fact, I recently wrote on a PETA forum that "all meat eaters and dog breeders are not evil -- and unless vegan activiists face up to that, they will never be very persuasive."  My comment was deleted!

That said, I could be pissed off, but I must adhere to my own advice and try to understand them better.

I suspect that the most reflective among us can see some merit to many of their positions.  (For example, many of the animals they put down are indeed in a horrible state. And surely some animal rights protection is a good thing -- even if it restricts, as it definitionally must -- the rights of people vis-a-vis animals.)  

I suspect that the most reflective among them can see some merit to many of our positions.  (No one could sensibly argue that one should eliminate private ownership of animals overnight, and it is hardly reasonable to even aim at such a goal if it is meant in its most extreme form.  And the religion they make of spaying and neutering leads to draconian actions, such as pediatric castrations.) 

Unfortunately, in both camps, the reflective people tend to have minority voices.

I know that in my case I often find myself driving to and from state parks and forests with my dogs, reveling in our relationship, only to be brought up short by the horrific sight of dogs tied to trees or to crappy old dog houses, neglected, abused, treated as unfeeling and without needs.  At those moments I do ask myself: if a superior being asked me to make the decision, would I be willing to give up my beloved dogs if all of these abused creatures could be freed from their miserable lives?  That is, would I press that metaphorical button and end both the good and the bad?  I am well aware that many of you agree with me that the thought of pressing that button is horrible.  I am not asking if it would be easy; I am asking if it would be ethical.

Each of us has our own private answer to that one, and I don't think we will find an answer by logical proof, much less by recourse to angry divisive talk.  It follows from a deeply personal conviction about the value of the suffering of all those distant creatures and how it trades off with the value of the great happiness we and our well kept pooches enjoy.  Non disputandum ethos est (to paraphrase).

None of that is to deny that Shelley is very funny!   I am in complete agreement that dog company is better than a lot of human company on most days.  My dogs are NEVER drunk. 

"Primordial soup"!?

I very much like that subtle reference to the evolution of our consciousness!

Sadly, whatever their critical role, PETA may well have overstayed their usefulness as a gadfly if they are really putting 95%+ of their received dogs to sleep.

I am myself not sure of the facts.