PETA - Practicing Extremist Tactics in America

I love my dogs. I think what Michael Vick did was wrong and that he deserved the punishment he got. I worked as a Veterinary Technician for over 7 years, and a Veterinary Receptionist for 2 years. I consider myself an animal lover, and have even used humane catch and release traps for mice in the past. I catch spiders and put them outside, I stop my car or swerve to miss squirrels when they run across the road. I think there is definitely a need for legislation that provides for more humane treatment of animals within the food industry, the scientific research arena, and for domestic animals. I think some of what PETA is doing is commendable, but they are like all the other public pressure, extremist groups (NRA, Focus on The Family, the Christian Coalition, etc), they take it WAY too far.
Let's look at animal research - I don't like it... wouldn't want to work in a research lab - but I know that humane animal research is important if we are ever going to cure cancer, AIDS, hepatitis C, etc. In the 1920s, research on Insulin therapy in dogs led to the use of Insulin for humans - prior to this, Diabetics usually suffered a great deal and died at a young age. It was animal research studies that helped scientists develop the anti-viral drugs we now have for treating HIV. Because of these drugs, AIDS isn't thought of as a death sentence like it was in the 1980s. It's thought of as a manageable disease now, and people with AIDS are living full lives. It's not pretty but it's vitally important. I mean, if not animals - would PETA rather we use human testing as an alternative? PETA's co-founder Ingrid Newkirk has been quoted as saying that "even if animal research led to a cure for AIDS, we still wouldn't want it."
 I do, however, agree that the animals used for research aren't always treated as humanely as they should be. I still believe that they should be provided clean, adequately sized, humane cages and be fed, watered and cared for while living in the laboratory setting. I believe laboratory testing involving animals should only be done when absolutely necessary, and that it's use be closely monitored and regulated.  I do think animal testing in areas like cosmetics & health and beauty supplies is unnecessary. Animals kept in laboratories and put through uncomfortable and/or painful testing for human vanity doesn't compute with me.
As for the food industry - I do agree that some serious overhauling is needed where the care and treatment of animals is concerned. Factory farming is the number one culprit where cruelty is concerned, and I know that there needs to be some major legislative changes. I get that companies use factory farming rather than traditional agricultural methods to be able offer massive amounts of their product at a cheaper price point - but that doesn't make it right or humane, and I think it needs to be looked at. But unlike PETA, I don't think that non-Vegetarians are cruel, heartless people who don't care about the humane treatment of animals.
I think it's ridiculous that PETA states that insects have feelings and a right to live their lives free of suffering - and that instead of using pesticides to kill roaches in your home, you should use a product that renders them sterile so that they can live out their life without the ability to reproduce, and not suffer at the hands of humans. I think it's ridiculous that PETA is urging the Boy Scouts to cease awarding kids a fishing badge because they feel it is encouraging kids to mistreat animals. I think it's ridiculous that PETA is trying to get laws passed to stop large honey producers from artificially inseminating queen bees because it's "rape".
As with most all extremist groups, PETA has taken things WAY too far, and has endangered the lives of human beings in their quest to further their cause. For example, PETA gave a woman by the name of Fran Stephanie Truitt over $7,000 for her defense. Ms. Truitt was being tried for the attempted murder of the president of a medical research laboratory. PETA also donated over $5,000 to a man by the name of Joshua Harper, an extremist who admits that his ultimate goal is to see the complete collapse of industrial civilization. In 2000, Mr. Harper and his cohorts attacked a group of Native Americans out hunting, by throwing tear gas grenades at them, and spraying them in the face with chemical fire extinguishers. So think about this for a moment... it's cruel to artificially inseminate a bee, but it's perfectly acceptable to maim and/or kill another human being if it furthers your agenda. Yeah, that makes sense.