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Next thing you know, there will be a band of PETA fanatics at Preakness trying to steal a few seconds of fame to show thier displeasure for horse racing. It is note worthy cause, but I think PETA overstepps thier bounds at ever media driven turn.
team2pass,
I think you've hit on what is wrong with PETA. It seems to be the same type of people who call soldiers "baby killers" that are the ones from PETA who are always in the spotlight. In the Michael Vick case, there was a tremendous opportunity to really educate the public and actually draw people to their cause, but instead, they always go to such extremes that they alienate the majority.
I'm very particular about the care of my animals. For example, I had a cat who was not expected to survive to five weeks of age. Over the course of his fifteen year life, he was my best buddy-- and his vet bills were in the neighborhood of $8000.00 (probably more.) Yet, because I ride horses and grew up on a small cattle ranch and eat beef, many PETA members would label me as an animal abuser. Ironic, because the rule of the household here has always been that the animals are cared for before the people are.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. No one can disagree that animals should be treated "ethically." I think "humane" would have been a better and more appropriate word, but I'm sure that for the founders of the organization, PHTA didn't have the same 'ring' to it.
In the case of horse racing, this a good time to have discussion about what to do to make the sport as safe as possible. It's no different than adding safety measures to sports in which humans are the stars For example, in the past several years, NASCAR has added head and neck restraints, SAFER barriers, and reconfigured the entire car. I believe that there are measures that can be taken which will improve the safety of horse racing as well. This is the time for thoughtful, objective, and intelligent discussion. But, IMO, anyone who is currently just screaming "horse killers" at the top of their lungs has little or no capacity for a mature conversation, and is not worthy of my or anyone else's time.
--Cat
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