Hi Susan, et al; <snip> I suspect many people, though, would take issue with the characterization of NAIA as "moderate and saner." Did you bother to look at their "Affiliates and Friends" page? Some company here I would not care to keep...a lot of the polar extreme to PETA. <snip>
Did I *bother* to look at their affiliates? Interesting way to ask... Yes indeedy, I stand by my statement that the NAIA is a more sane and moderate organization, and am a bit puzzled by the suggestion that any of their affiliates could be labeled as "polar extreme" in any measure! They are middle of the road, certainly not extreme by any stretch of the imagination. The polar extreme of PETA might be the man that advocates buying dogs at the pound and butchering them for family meals (anyone remember his "how-to" website??), not organizations that encourage humane treatment of animals - even if those animals are responding to human desires and not necessarily to their own. Of course, as a human I am an omnivore so I do eat meat, and I do wear animal products (leather, fur). I used to hunt with my Labradors (while the birds might've preferred not to be chased and/or shot they did taste good, and the dogs LOVED field work). I used to ride horses - occasionally forcing them to jump over a gate (fence) that they might not've preferred to do if left to their own devices. I have watched rodeos (where I overheard several cowboys and the clown talking about how much fun a particular bull had after one 'ride'! Call it anthropomorphizing if you will, but I agree that animals have emotions, and I could believe that some rodeo bulls enjoy their 'job'. I suppose it might take someone that knew cattle to see or appreciate that, tho'!). I do fervently believe in the (humane) use of animals in scientific research (where would we be without them? Stumped or decades behind our present knowledge, to be sure), and I OWN several dogs, birds, and fish that probably would prefer to be in my care rather than the wilds.. But while I'm a moderate in most opinions, I believe that - as we're on the top of the proverbial food chain - that we will write the rules, and some animals are subject to our wills. I don't consider it extreme. And if we are going to be entertained by animals, or using them in research, or using them to cover ground chasing cattle that we'll eventually eat.... well, we should be humane and responsible. Those affiliates do just that. Not extreme by any measure. But back to the article by the NAIA... I was impressed with the careful almost-neutrality of the article. It was as much an "FYI" as a possible warning for the future. It certainly wasn't a frenzied, frantic, or overly emotional article as many of the PETA/AR type articles are; definitely not trying to incite emotional over-reaction. That the facts were presented in such a manner gave rise to thoughts, and gave a gentle warning that people should be concerned over the possibility that there could be unscrupulous people in some of these poorer countries that might eventually realize that there is profit to be made at the expense of the generous (and gullible??) Americans. Maybe these are not the profits some puppy millers realize, but for a poor country a few dollars per dog would certainly be worth breeding "Stray A" to "Stray B" to sell puppies to these dog brokers taking dogs INTO the U.S.A.'s shelters.. Scary thoughts. If "we" are doing so well in educating people about spaying and neutering, that's a very good thing; but if there are puppies needing homes (brought in from the nebulous 'elsewhere'), is that 'robbing' a deserving and well-bred purebred of a home? By bringing animals IN to the country are we skewing the already oft-misreported statistics on just how many animals are euthenized or needing homes? Could they be inadvertently adding to the pet over-population? I probably wouldn't have an objection to transporting animals from one state to another for adoption, but to bring them from another country? That's a bit scary to me! Could we end up encouraging breeding? Brings up all sorts of questions in my hyper-active mind! With those questions hanging in the air I'm going to end this so I can do some Mommy-abuse and get the teenaged daughter to clean her room. Hmmm, or do I have it backwards? Am *I* the one being abused?? <G> Cheers, Sandra S. L. Reiley-Lince * [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dark Star Cavaliers - they'll drive you happy! http://www.DarkStarFamily.com/Cavaliers.htm ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
