As long as PETA executes homeless cats and dogs, praises slaughterhouse designer Temple Grandin, and promotes the “humane” enslavement and murder of animals in the meat, dairy and egg industries, animals will never be free. PETA's murderous behavior, endless compromises, and myopic tactics are detrimental to the animals, and the movement that seeks to liberate them from human bondage.
PETA's founder Ingrid Newkirk, a documented serial killer of homeless animals, literally goes out of her way to trap healthy cats in Norfolk, Virginia. The feral cats are then brought to a shed located behind its headquarters, and killed. While I was living in Norfolk in 2002, a few of the sane PETA employees told me that a representative from the nursing home next door had recently inquired why employees were taking caged cats into the shed but coming out with empty cages. BUSTED! Instead of changing her evil ways, which also proves she is addicted to killing, Newkirk ordered her crew to cover the cages with blankets so no one could see there were cats inside. As for murdering dogs, a few years ago PETA convinced a few animal shelters to call them when their cages were full and lethal injections were imminent. After promising to find the animals a home, PETA picked up the dogs and then executed them in the van as they drove back to Norfolk. A surveillance camera caught the employees dumping the dead bodies in a trash bin at a nearby grocery store.
Newkirk has maniacally deified herself the supreme arbiter of life and death, and convinced her clique that all homeless cats and dogs should be murdered. In fact, she told a very close friend of mine who used to work at PETA that if she could, she would kill ALL the animals in the world! She rationalizes this psychosis by claiming that killing animals prevents them from suffering in the future. Well, I think everyone understands that corpses can't suffer in the future. But why would anyone want to kill victims instead of victimizers? I don't mind using radical tactics to end a massacre (see my essays Empathy, Education, and Violence, and More Problems with Pacifism), but I would never think of harming the victims! Moreover, why doesn't Newkirk care about the cats suffering in a cage on their way to PETA's death shed? What about the dogs suffering in PETA's death van when they figured out they were about to be killed? It's crazy to murder homeless animals—or all the animals in the world—by preemptively assuming that one day they might suffer, or believing that they suffer without human companionship. If this movement rightfully condemns the meat, dairy, egg, vivisection, hunting and clothing industries for killing animals, then this movement must condemn PETA for executing homeless cats and dogs, and its sick love affair with slaughterhouse architect Grandin.
Truthfully, there's no difference between Newkirk and any other killer of animals. They all prey on innocent beings, and rationalize the homicidal acts with diabolical excuses. Newkirk has turned PETA into an efficient animal-killing machine mirroring the companies she claims to despise. Furthermore, under Newkirk's guidance, she has single-handedly turned the animal emancipation movement into a mockery with exploitative naked and semi-naked women campaigns, and ineffective cartoon-costumed protests. When rational vegans condemn PETA's irrational approach, Newkirk dupes everyone with trite lines about "animals suffering without PETA's existence" or "animals suffering from infighting in the movement". Those diversionary comments only allow PETA to continue on its course of destruction.
For the record, PETA performs some good work once in a while. Then again, serial killer Ted Bundy volunteered for a suicide hotline before and during his killing spree. He saved the lives of many people. Does that mean we're supposed to forget about the ones he murdered? The little good that PETA does with its undercover investigations shouldn't convince anyone that PETA is a positive force for change. Doing some good while intentionally doing bad is neither acceptable nor beneficial. You can make mistakes along the way, and rectify them as soon as possible. Any well-meaning individual might bring circus placards to the vivisection protest, misspell someone's name in an op-ed piece, or realize they should be focusing on education-based activism rather than lobbying crooked politicians. But killing homeless animals isn't a mistake. It's murder!
Speaking of lobbying, PETA and the Humane Society of the United States' obsession with this is backwards. They defend this strategy by citing the value of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 19th Amendment that gave some women the right to vote. But they're too stupid to understand that it was the culmination of thousands of violent and nonviolent protests, countless acts of civil disobedience, and massive marches that created widespread support for the laws—NOT to be passed—BUT enforced. Putting laws on the books before society understands the immorality of speciesism will NOT bring animals closer to freedom.
Concerning the HOMELESS ANIMAL SITUATION—which Newkirk uses as an excuse to kill dogs and cats—fortunately there is a SOLUTION. Besides trapping, spaying, neutering and releasing as many animals as possible, the folks who run the 'kill' and 'no-kill' shelter systems need to become relentlessly proactive with adoptions. Two of my favorite activist moments happened when I wanted to prove how easy it was to find homes for dogs.
In 2001, while I was living in California, a friend who runs a rescue group was promised a $5,000 donation if she found homes for the donor's two dogs. I told my friend that I would solve the problem in a few hours. She said I was crazy, and would never be successful. I wrote "Please Give These Dogs a Home" on a placard and took the dogs to the corner of Wilshire and Doheny Avenue in Beverly Hills. In 47 minutes, 27 cars stopped to inquire about the dogs. Why 27? Because I interviewed people on the street instead of waiting for them to go out of their way to help. The 12th car had newlyweds who were on the way to their new house. They got the first dog. The 27th car got the second one. When I told my friend about the adoptions, she freaked out and accused me giving the dogs away to anyone. I said, "Are you fucking kidding me? Who do you think you're talking to? Do you really think I would put an animal in harm's way?" I got the names and phone numbers of both adoptees because I knew she would want to contact them to conduct follow-up interviews. She stormed into her office, made the calls and came back with a huge grin on her face. She said they were the nicest people she ever talked to. I said, "NO SHIT!"
Then, a few years later when I was back in Michigan, a friend found a 6-month-old pit bull who was pretty frenetic. I agreed to foster him for a few weeks. But his nonstop playing drove me crazy. The Dream Cruise, the world's largest classic car parade with over one million attendees, was taking place on Woodward Avenue. I lived in an apartment 50 feet from the main drag. I made the same sign that I did in California. In 13 minutes seven people stopped to inquire. The seventh person was a guy with five drunk friends. Initially, I wasn't thrilled with him, especially when his friends yelled to "keep moving". My opinion quickly changed when he told his friends to get lost because his "Doberman needed a buddy". He sat down on the sidewalk and started playing with the puppy. I questioned him about his job, inquired about his house, and so on. I told him I would need to check out his place before agreeing to the adoption. He said, "Let's go right now, please. I want this dog." He even called his girlfriend and told her to meet him there. We jumped into our vehicles and I followed him to his place. He had a wonderful little home, and the dogs got along perfectly so I left the pit bull there.
Instead of murdering animals in the back room, so-called “shelters” and “humane societies” need to find busy street corners, shopping malls, and huge public events, and stand there with the homeless animals until they're adopted. Interview people on the street instead of waiting for them to come to the shelter. Proper behavior needs to be forced upon the masses. Relying on people to do good things on their own is a recipe for disaster.
The sickest part of it all is that Newkirk is not only a proven animal killer, she's proud and defiant about it! Even the politicians at Veg News Magazine wrote a startling comment regarding one of her recent books. They said the book had good ideas for activists except for the part where she urged people to always carry euthanasia drugs with them in case they had to kill stray animals!
Nathan Winograd, who authored another detailed piece about PETA's animal-killing ways, also provides valuable information about the insanity of the $155-million-a-year, anti-vegan, anti-animal-liberation organization known as the Humane Society of the United States. PETA, for the record, brings in around $25 million a year! As for other multi-million-dollar animal corporations, such as Farm Sanctuary, refrain from donating to them. Even though they unequivocally support animal liberation, millionaires don't need financial assistance. Always donate to small, grassroots groups, such as SASHA Farm Animal Sanctuary.
The photo of PETA's killing shed, and the undercover video at the top of this page, are courtesy of Nathan J. Winograd, and are licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution.