30 Apr
The Warped Ethics of PETA
Animal rights are important; animals depend upon us for their care and maintenance. Judaism has taught that animals are not machines; they are sentient beings and the just person “carefully considers the life of his animals!” (Prov. 12:10). The recent story about the “Swine Flu” and the Israeli Haredi politician reminded me of another old news story that occurred while Chairman Yaser Arafat was still alive. If you like sardonic topics, this is definitely another one for the books.
A few years ago, the Palestinian leader ordered his followers to take a live donkey, laden with explosives to be detonated within the vicinity of the Israeli public. After the incident occurred, PETA issued out one of its more memorable platitudes, “At PETA, we strive to end violence every day. As Albert Schweitzer stated, ‘Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.’”
To what extent does this human compassion apply? Well, consider the following letter the president of PETA decided to send (http://www.peta.org/feat/arafat/):
February 3, 2003
Yasser Arafat,
President Palestinian National Authority
Ramallah, West Bank
Palestinian Authority
1 page via facsimile:
972 7 282 2365
Your Excellency:
I am writing from an organization dedicated to fighting animal abuse around the world. We have received many calls and letters from people shocked at the bombing in Jerusalem on January 26 in which a donkey, laden with explosives, was intentionally blown up.
All nations behave abominably in many ways when they are fighting their enemies, and animals are always caught in the crossfire. The U.S. Army abandoned thousands of loyal service dogs in Vietnam. Al-Qaeda and the British government have both used animals in hideously cruel biological weaponry tests. We watched on television as stray cats in your own compound fled as best they could from the Israeli bulldozers. Continue Reading
