PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
The folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have once again shown they are one duck liver short of foie gras. Their latest stunt is demanding the suspension of Eight Belles' jockey, who rode his stead to a fantastic second place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Additionally, they want the County Commonwealth Attorney to file charges under the state's cruelty-to-animal statute against the horse's trainer, owner, veterinarian, and jockey. Oh, and they would like the prize money returned, too.
Talk about your publicity hounds. Why do they feel the need to force-feed us this gut-less propaganda? Does it not dawn on them that their brand of extremism simply creates a gag-reflex in middle America that hurts their cause more than it helps? The greedy pig gets nothing.
When will PETA stop horsing around and start focusing on the meatier issues facing us? Fishing for a storyline and creating an unnecessary flap isn't good for the gander.
Their beef centers around the broken ankles suffered by Eight Belles after the race, leading to her being euthanized. Of course, there are some animal rights extremists (are there any other kind?) who believe the horse was running on broken bones during the Derby. Sounds logical enough. After all, everyone knows that having broken ankles in a race actually makes you run faster. I'm just surprised that all the other jockeys didn't crack their horse's bones to achieve the same effect. Instead, they just stuck to cracking their whips.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk stated that Eight Belles was "beaten during the home stretch to push her beyond the physical limits that her trainer and veterinarian should have known about." Granted, who am I to argue with PETA, but several thoughts come to mind. First, how can you push something beyond a "physical limit", since a limit is, by definition, as far as one can go. Secondly, I'm under the impression that training a race horse encompasses one simple tenet: teach it to run as fast as it can until it crosses the finish line. What physical limit are we talking about here? A sprinter runs as fast as he can in the same fashion, pushing himself to the "limit". Since horse aren't trained to dog-it down the stretch, where is the smoking gun here? And thirdly, Ingrid, and I hope you're not cowed by this, you should never end a sentence with a preposition.
But PETA knows there's more than one way to skin a cat. It has resorted to personal attacks, writing on its blog that " while owners may weep their crocodile tears today over Eight Belles' euthanasia, they will be back on the track tomorrow, putting other horses at risk.... it's a dirty business and no better than dog fighting." I guess PETA finds it acceptable to show disdain for the tear ducts of reptiles. And what a low blow toward Eight Belles' owners. All they were trying to do was bring home the bacon.
In fairness to PETA, you have to give them credit for their assessment that horse racing is "no better than dog fighting". After all, the similarities are crystal clear, except the part where one is a sport, and the other is a crime. And the fact that one is based on running a race, while the whole point of the other is a violent death. Got it.
Once and for all, it's time PETA stops its blubbering and quits it's whaling---I mean wailing. Americans are sick of walking on eggshells, fur sure, but as a whole, they do believe there is a rightful place for all of God's creatures. Right next to the mashed potatoes.
It's time PETA gets put out to pasture. Animal crackers anyone?
Chris Freind can be contacted at CF@TheBulletin.us
