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Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

PETA members dress up as KKK

I am not amused.  

Saw this story and it gave me pause over my morning coffee yesterday.

PETA dresses in KKK garb outside Westminster Dog Show


People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals knows how to grab attention. And show off its laundry.

The animal rights group, which every year stages a protest at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, had two of its members dress in Ku Klux Klan garb outside Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Their goal, according to a post on the PETA website, was to draw a parallel between the KKK and the American Kennel Club. “Obviously it’s an uncomfortable comparison,” PETA spokesman Michael McGraw told the Associated Press.

But the AKC is trying to create a “master race” when it comes to pure-bred dogs, he added. “It’s a very apt comparison.”

The group passed out brochures implying the Klan and AKC have the goal of “pure bloodlines” in common.

I own 3 dogs.  All of them are mutts.  I have also owned a Westie, a German Shepherd and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever who were purebred.

For the record, I watch the show at Westminster each year, and have attended dog shows in my area.  My dogs and cats are rescue animals.

But that’s not what distressed me this morning.  As a person who has actually seen the Klan ride as a child, and watched in fear as my dad confronted them armed with a shotgun, I am disgusted that an organization would trivialize the history of the Klan in this country to raise awareness (if that’s what they think they are doing) about animal rights.

From the PETA website:

Want to incite a media circus that almost-but not quite-descends into fisticuffs? Just put on a white sheet outside the AKC’s biggest dog show and let the dog biscuits fall where they may. Check out these photos from the protest at Madison Square Garden:

Photobucket

http://blog.peta.org/archives/…

I will no longer listen to anything they have to say.

The KKK is not a joking matter.

Cross posted at DailyKos


Categories: General.

/ 78 Comments

78 comments

  2. Peter Jukes

    I wrote the book for a stage musical in the 90s, about the Spain under Franco and the life of a matador whose parents had been killed in the civil war. Obviously, the musical had some bullfighting sequences, with the bull played by six flamenco dancers.

    I met with PETA because they threatened to picket the West End theatre on the basis the show glorified bullfighting. I explained that it did not glorify it at all, but made a parallel between the cruelty of the corridor and the savagery of the Civil War and life under Franco. I also explained how, in the denouement, the bull actually wins (and got a song into the bargain).

    The PETA delegation looked mildly pissed off that I was showing both sides of the drama and they never did picket the show. However, two of them, women in the mid 50s, told me during the meeting that they knew people in the ALF (animal liberation front) and that my house could be firebombed.

    I was, and still am, flabbergasted by this threat.

    Humans are animals too. Don’t we have rights as well?  

  3. GrassrootsOrganizer

    I own a purebred dog.  I once owned two.  (Spike and his now deceased bitchfriend)  I’ve also had mutts.  The last dog I brought into the home came from a rescue, all my cats have been strays or from the pound.  

    Even as I write this I wonder why I have to lay out an apology for owning a purebred dog.  No, he did not come from a puppy mill, he came from a established local breeder who impressed me with her care, ethics and responsibility.  

    fact is, Spike was (he’s really getting up there now) the smartest, healthiest, most beautiful animal I’ve ever been around.  He has been a pure joy as a companion.  I believe much of that has to do with breeding.

    Here’s what completely scald me about the entire “animal rights” movement when it comes to dogs and cats.  The most humane thing to do for an old, injured or crippled animal or any neglected, abused unwanted stray is to gently EU THAN IZE IT.  That dog or cat will not be robbed of anything except years of further suffering and confusion, except now at the hands of people who “care”.  An abused animal has learned to fear people and that fear never goes away.  A disabled animal suffers for it’s inability to “keep up with the pack” and the dread inherent in knowing it cannot defend itself.    As long as animal rights activists are out there collecting money for dog hospices and cat farms, I will see them only as misguided kooks with serious transference issues.

    And another thing — with all the human suffering out there, truly, is the fuckng AKC the biggest monster out there?  What kind of warped insular existence has someone led to see a GD dog show as the best place to put their activist energy?  (fer cripes sake..the UN is only a couple stops down on the subway…pick a country)  

    I’m al 100% for fighting against animal cruelty of any kind, unnecessary animal testing and the destruction of habitat and species.  Isn’t there enough of that still out there to keep PETA busy?  

    All that said, I’ve loved my mutts and strays dearly, but I’ll be purchasing pure breds if I can afford it, thank you very damn much.  

  4. sricki

    One of the most idiotic things about PETA is, unless I am mistaken, they think animals ought be able to run around unfettered on the streets — that they should never be captured or caged — which means they would receive no protection from the elements, no vaccines, and no guaranteed meals. Not to mention the fact that they could easily be run over by an assortment of vehicles.

    I love animals, both domestic and wild. I grew up with dogs and my parents have three. I have four cats, and I would have dogs as well were it not for my concern that they would be unhappy in an apartment without a yard. I respect animals. I find them to be more intelligent than a lot of people give them credit for, and domestic cats and dogs tend to be finer judges of character than I. But I still think I am a better judge of what’s “best” for my pets. I do not think dogs should be let loose on the streets or in the woods. I do not think my cats would be better off in an alley or a field than in my home. To believe that animals require no aid from humans strikes me as completely irrational and illogical.

    I think there is something very wrong with most of the members of PETA. There is something wrong with their mentality. And the idea that they could trivialize the violent persecution of African Americans because of a dog show is cold-hearted lunacy. I hope those dumbasses grow up and wake up one day and find themselves embarrassed and ashamed of their actions. Utterly classless.

  5. spacemanspiff

    … but I love cockfights.

    cockfight Pictures, Images and Photos

    I understand why some might be offended by this and even think I’m a bit of a sadist. The fact that its banned in all 50 states makes it clear I’m in the minority here. I don’t want to jack this thread and I know that isn’t what this diary is about (sorry D!). I’ve been going to cockfights as long as I can remember. I’ve been going to “galleras” ( gallo = rooster) all my life. Its a very big part of the culture here.

    I did go to Michael Vick type dog fights when I was younger ( teens) but I thought it was to cruel (not legal here either and not a very big part of the culture). When the Vick allegations surfaced I was disgusted (hypocrite much spiff?).

    Is the difference between dogs fights and rooster fights that big?

    I have no idea where I’m going with this post.

    As far as PETA goes I’ve always thought they are a joke. This just reinforces that perception.

    Loads of typos, sorry about that but can’t seem to shut off the spanish voices in my head today ( it happens!) and I’m to lazy to google.

    p.s. I also enjoy bullfights. I’ve ran with the bulls numerous times in Pamplona before so I guess I gave them a fair shot at revenge (or not).

  6. Hollede

    when I was a VISTA, I would hang with another VISTA worker in Grand Forks. She was working at a battered women’s shelter and hated it. She wanted to work for animal rights and felt what she was doing was pointless.

    I tried talking to her about how improving the lives of people would impact on how animals are treated, but she did not get it. This was before I worked with abused children, but even then I understood that children who are maltreated often mistreat animals. She could have had a direct opportunity to save countless pets from future harm, but could not get past her hatred of humans.

    Work for better lives for humans and the world will get better in many ways (including those of our furry friends).

  7. Michelle

    PETA, like any other activist group, can go too far when it comes to advocating for its causes.  I have often pleaded for moderation when it comes to crazy feminist groups or anti-war groups as well.  Defining the issues carefully and finding the best method possible to persuade others to support those issues is incredibly hard.  PETA went too far with the comparison between the KKK and the AKC.  

    That said, selective breeding is a really big problem.  I recently watched Nature on PBS, which discussed the issues surrounding selective breeding.  I do believe that the AKC should be more responsible with its promotion of breeds and the creation of breed standards.

    As far as other animal rights issues, I have seen the effects of an out of control animal population down here in Texas.  There are dead dogs on the side of the road all the time.  I have seen dogs get run over.  Stray dogs roam all over.  Dog fighting is rampant. And nearly NO ONE down here spays or neuters because dogs are property, and they want their RIGHTS to breed their dogs for puppies to sell for vacations, a new boat, or whatever.  Meanwhile the no kill shelters are constantly full with dogs waiting more than 2 years to be adopted.  The animal control shelter puts dogs down within 72 hours, and thousands are put down every year here in Corpus Christi alone.  I recently picked up a stray who had been tossed out a car window on a main street, and I have been caring for her ever since.

    I also have three greyhounds, and NO, I do NOT support greyhound racing.  That’s another industry that should be shut down.  My dogs have scars all over their bodies, and they have trauma issues.  Greyhounds are juiced with steroids and cocaine to run faster and harder.  And if they don’t perform well, they also are put down…something like 20,000 a year is the estimate.  In Corpus Christi, greyhounds would be taken out back of the racetrack (which was shut down Dec. 2007) and shot dead because it was ‘easier’ than euthanizing.

    So what’s my point?  PETA can be crazy, as can military groups opposing the war in Iraq.  PETA went too far.  They should be scolded, but the underlying issue of selective breeding is a problem.  I would hope that we can see the shock value of what they are trying to do, shame it for being wrong, but not shut off the issues entirely.  I would hate for the reverse to be true, especially when we seem to be recognizing that the method of delivery is awful, but the underlying issues are not irrelevant.

    /steps down from soapbox to hug pup pups and give thanks for her gods 🙂

  8. HappyinVT

    longhaired Dachshunds to be precise.  I was a darn good handler of same.  I never saw anything wrong with it at the time and, with a few caveats, I don’t see anything wrong with it now.

    I haven’t been to a dog show in years but I do know that at the time I got out there were concerns being raised by some participants about how certain breeds were being misbred or mishandles, which encouraged physical abnormalities.  German Shepherds, for instance, were becoming prone to hip dysplesia due to the abnormal stance they are presented in.  Dachshunds were being bred to specific sizes and colors (some are “natural,” some are not).  And, don’t get me started at that idiotic show grooming of poodles with those stupid puffs of fur when everything else is shaved.  I also don’t like the cross-breeding to create new breeds.  What’s that latest thing?  A labradoodle?  What the heck is that?

    Anyway, unfortunately for true animal lovers PETA hurts our credibility by these types of displays.

  9. rfahey22

    I can’t imagine that their sensationalist tactics are effective, yet they’ve been using them for years.  I would actually take issue with the over-breeding of dogs and the creation of designer breeds that is going on (most breeds of dog have in fact been created over the past 300 years through forced breeding for desirable traits, and as a result various breeds present certain health problems as a result of their manipulated DNA).  There probably is a moral argument to be made regarding the creation and maintenance of dog breeds, but clearly this is not the way to go about it.

    Anyway, whenever I see PETA in the news, I always feel like taking a bite out of a giant hamburger.

  10. fogiv

    …but I’m a carnivore by design.  I’m also fond of theatrical protests (e.g. some of those anti-smoking adverts are brill), but this is way over the line.  Way.  Miles over actually.

    What a stupid move.

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