Yeah, even I agree with that, and I can't stand those self-righteous asses at PETA.

No sentient being deserves to be treated cruelly, and I don't differentiate between cuddly kittens and ugly cows. But there is a bit of a hierarchy here between animals and humans.

For instance, if animal testing can help us find a cure for cancer, then I'm in favor of it. (I am not in favor of animal testing for shampoos and deoderants.)

The key is that you don't have to eat meat. Just by refusing to eat meat, you can do something about animal cruelty. And it's something that will also in the long run save you money and make you healthier.

The only reason not to so is that you just don't really care that much about animal cruelty.

(EDIT: I just thought of my own semi-hypocricy, but I'm not sure what the solution is. You see, I buy meat for my cats, who are, of course carnivores and would not be healthy if I tried to feed them a vegetarian diet. Much of that meat in cans is probably just as badly treated as any meat that becomes a McDonald's hamburger. I guess in the long run it comes down to "you do as much as you can to help the problem, but there are no absolutes in the world...")

You make a good point. But who do we hold responsible for these extinct or endangered species? Us or a few of us. I'm sure i didn't order a thai white tiger fur rug for my living room.

Microorganisms dominate this planet, and the ones that cause us to sicken and die are referred to as germs and viruses. A lot of these diseases live inside of other animals. Many people use to die from a lot of these diseases. But now we have all sorts of cures for diseases. We have vaccinations now not only in our respective countries but also in poorer nations.

The reason why humans supersede animals is our brains are more powerful. There are a few animals who have more powerful brains but they are limited. An art farm, is a best an ant could do.

Over the last few years, humans have done just as much "good" for animals as they have done "harm". In fact, animal rights did not exist until only recently. People who encourage the use of fur as a fashion statement are now looked down upon. Animals actually have certain "rights" now. You could argue dogs in the Western World have more "rights" than human beings in China.

I hate dogs for lots of reasons. I also hate human for numerous reasons as well. Why on earth people pay thousands of dollars to send their pets on a weekend retreat instead of giving that money to the poor is beyond me. I think a lot of people agree with me here.

PETA makes me laugh.

Good for the people who take a stand. But you ignore the fact that these humans are protecting the animals from other humans so if humans did not exist in the first place there wouldn't be a need to protect them from such things as hunting for coats/purses/clothing, etc.

Ant farms are amazing. I'm sure other species would not think of much of our accomplishments, our architecture and such either. Why would they.

You have to admit that they're very effective. That's an impressive percentage. Way more so than the American justice system.

Pink sheepish over boycott call

US pop singer Pink has backed down from her call to boycott Australian wool over animal cruelty claims, admitting she failed to fully research the issue.

The singer, who has sold about 200,000 tickets for dozens of shows in her upcoming April tour of Australia, appeared in an animal rights group video last year branding the practice of sheep mulesing "sadistic".

But today, Pink admitted she was misinformed about the issue and had failed to do enough research.

"I probably could have done a lot more research on my own," she told the Nine Network.

"That's the lesson I'm taking from this.

"My message was, in my mind, boycott animal cruelty - not an entire industry, not Australia, obviously, because it's my favourite country.

"Then going back, I was speaking without thinking and I actually did say ban Australia, which is bullshit. It's not something that I can agree with."

Pink made the video as part of the US-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) three-year campaign to end mulesing.

The animal husbandry practice involves cutting skin folds from sheeps' backsides to protect them against fly strike.

The wool industry has agreed to phase out mulesing by 2010 while research continues into alternatives - a fact Pink said PETA never revealed to her.

"Again, that's something I should have researched on my own. I take full responsibility for not being 100 per cent prepared and researched," she said.

"I have nothing against farmers. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, I don't want to hurt anyone, I just want the animals to hurt less."

She said she was prepared to meet farmers and industry representatives during her April tour.

"I don't want to watch a sheep being cut with no anaesthesia, that's not going to change my mind, but I'm definitely open minded to the debate," she said.

PETA brushed off Pink's backflip and said she continued to condemn mulesing.

"The fact remains that if the industry employed the responsible practices used by many farmers in Australia, which they could and should do tomorrow, this campaign would be over," vice president of campaigns Dan Mathews said.

PETA's campaign has hurt the Australian wool industry, with some American and British clothing retailers agreeing to the boycott.

But many big retailers, including Italian clothing giant Benetton, have refused to back the campaign.

AAP

You have to admit that they're very effective. That's an impressive percentage. Way more so than the American justice system.

still they're fucking idiots.

It's better to be a sheep than to speak up for abused sheep!

No, they are idiots because they don't practice what they preach in that they take in animals and then euthenize them, they want to ban all animal testing including testing that helps fight against cancer and AIDS and other deadly diseases, they want to close down all zoos even when many zoos are helping to preserve and save endangered species, and they think that they can get people to agree with their positions by throwing red paint on their fur coats, yelling at them, and being as obnoxious as possible. Yeah, that always helps people see the logic of your argument.

q.v.: the demonization by the corporate media, I mentioned previously, and it's repetition by uninformed forum participants...