HeatherRose
10-01-04, 05:26 PM
-------------*disclaimer thingy*------------
Due to the 340957430975 requests for the essay to be PMed or emailed to various people, I've talked to Matt_K again and have decided to post it.
Please realize that it is on why PETA should have their tax-exempt status revoked. It is NOT going to show or discuss anything beneficial that PETA does (if anything).
Thanks for everyone's interest...
Heather
-------------*disclaimer thingy*------------
PETA: The Realization of a Worthwhile Crusade Gone Wrong
By: Heather Rose
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is the world’s largest animal rights organization. Their ultimate goal is the complete liberation and freedom of all animals, meaning, of course, no meat, dairy, fur or leather. But it also means no aquariums, dog shows, circuses, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, or animal medical research. PETA is even opposed to seeing-eye dogs. Currently, PETA has tax-exempt status which means that the group has to operate exclusively for charitable purposes. The activities of the organization cannot be illegal or in conflict with legal restrictions. All of the associations’ activities must promote and be related to its main purpose, which PETA states as establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA chooses to establish these rights with methods like violent protests, funding to terrorist organizations (such as the Animal Liberation Front or ALF, an organization considered by the FBI to be one of the largest active domestic terrorist organizations in the United States) and blatant exploitation with lack of compassion. As these previous examples (which are by no means legal or true to their cause) show, PETA is in breach of these restrictions, and therefore their current tax-exempt status should be revoked.
Formerly, PETA protest methods included throwing paint on fur coats, boycotting farmers and fast food restaurants, and attempting to get rid of high school biology dissection lessons. Currently, the protests have escalated to include firebombs, arson, theft, stalking, and assault and death threats. PETA’s advertisements range from comparing chickens to holocaust members, to buying a billboard to state that the little boy who was attacked by a shark a few years ago in Florida ‘had it coming’. PETA relates farmers to serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, and brands parents who feed their children milk and meat as ‘child abusers’. To some extremists, this may all seem good for the cause, until we see where the bulk of PETA’s money actually goes.
The first and foremost reason PETA should lose their tax exempt status is their spending, how they spend money and what they spend it on. Because they are a non-profit organization, their finances are a matter of public record. Generally, PETA makes about 10 million dollars a year. In 1996, $6100 of the 10.9 million dollar budget went towards animal shelter funding. In 1999, $3955 of about 12 million dollars went towards animal shelter funding. That’s about 0.033% - 0.055% of PETA’s annual budget that goes towards saving existing animals in need, providing them care, and finding them good homes. However, in 1995 $40 000 was sent to Rodney Coronado, a convicted arsonist belonging to the ALF. He served a five year prison sentence for an animal activist related bombing at Michigan State University. Just for the record, the Animal Liberation Front’s motto is "if you build it, we’ll burn it." The ELF (Earth Liberation Front, also listed as an active domestic terrorist organization) is the ALF’s sister organization. In 2002 ELF was connected to a fire that destroyed most of a forestry station (because the expansion of said forestry station would result in the loss of wild lynx habitat) and cause over $5 million in damages. An IRS paper trail discovered that PETA donated $1500 to ELF a month preceding the fire. ELF is responsible for two other fires with damages estimated at $12.7 million with much valuable research lost. Together, the ALF and the ELF have cause approximately $43 million in damages since 1996. In addition to this funding, PETA has hired and paid the legal fees of the activists convicted of bombings, arson, and attempted murder. These include $2000 to Dave Wilson (convicted of firebombing a fur company) and $7500 to Fran Trutt (convicted of the attempted murder of a medical executive). PETA’s sympathies for the ALF and ELF actions were apparent in a speech by PETA Vice President Bruce Freidrich, who said, "I think it would be great if all of the fast food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories and the banks that fund them exploded tomorrow."
In addition to funding domestic terrorism, PETA’s information, cause, and activities are riddled with even more hypocrisy and assaults on common decency. As is apparent in the president of PETA’s publically released statement on their own animal euthanasia, "It is a totally rotten business, but sometimes the only kind option for some animals is to put them to sleep forever... it sounds lovely if you're naive. We could become a no-kill shelter immediately. It means we wouldn't do as much work," meaning, it frees up money for more campaigns. PETA euthanizes more often then not when it comes to the animals dropped off at their shelters. In 1999, 63% of the rescued animals were euthanized. By far, however, PETA’s biggest black eye came when it was discovered on a tax form that PETA had spent over $9000 on a walk in freezer. A freezer that costly would be about ten feet by fifteen feet, and a freezer of that size is usually used for housing meat or cadavers. It is assumed that this is where PETA euthanizes the two-thirds of the animals they ‘rescue’ each year, as it is known that they do it at their headquarters. To further their hypocrisy, PETA continuously states that animals are not ours to use for research, no matter how many lives it saves. They’ve said that if the death of one rat would cure all disease, they would be opposed to it still. Yet, a Vice President of PETA uses insulin, which is tested on animals. "I’m an insulin-dependant diabetic. Twice a day I take synthetically manufactured insulin that still contains some animal products [and was medically tested on dogs] and I have no qualms about it...I’m not going to take the chance of killing myself by not taking insulin. I don’t see myself as a hypocrite. I need my life to fight for the rights of animals." Even further PETA claims they don’t exploit or go after children, "Everything We do is based at adults." (PETA President Ingrid Newkirk on CNN, March 21, 2002) while they start a campaign called "Your Mommy Kills Bunnies", where flyers depicting a woman stabbing a rabbit and saying, "ask your mommy how many dead animals she killed to make her clothes...keep your doggie and kitty friends away from mommy - she’s an animal killer," were handed out to children. Bunny rabbits appear to love it when children cry. Later the next year, a further statement was released by a PETA Vice President, saying, "Our campaigns are always geared towards children and they always will be." PETA exploits the sick, suggesting that people who have cancer, allergies, diabetes, are obese, or otherwise chronically ill are in that state due to ingesting meat and dairy. PETA has ties to a pseudo-group of ‘physicians’ called the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. PETA used an affiliate company called the Foundation to Support Animal Protection to give at least $592 000 to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This foundation has the same mailing address as PETA and the co-founders of PETA make up two of the three directors. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has come out with studies that condemn things such as the Atkins Diet and non-vegetarian school lunches, and makes claims such as a vegan diet can prevent diabetes while with all of these ‘studies’ and facts, the group itself admits that 95% of it’s members are not doctors. The group argues against animal testing, saying that testing on animal subjects can interfere with drug development, while the medical profession in general states that without animal testing we would lose 90% of all we’ve achieved in the field of medicine.
Due to all of these factors such as misleading the public, using propaganda and most importantly, funding terrorist activities, PETA is in breach of the requirements for tax exempt status. Their actions and funding are related to broken laws, arson and millions of dollars in unnecessary and violent damages. Their hypocrisy and scare-tactics are going even less and less unnoticed as time goes on, and soon there will be even a stronger motion to have the tax exempt status revoked. Because of where PETA’s funding is foremost distributed, it would be beneficial to have the tax exempt status removed.
Sources:
Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise –
http://www.eskimo.com/~rarnold/
Penn and Teller: Season 2 Episode 1 “PETA” created by Showtime Networks.
The American Physiological Society - Legislative Action Center
http://www.the-aps.org/committees/animal/03report.htm
Consumer Freedom - Activist Cash, PETA financial records.
http://www.activistcash.com/foundation.cfm
http://www.petitiononline.com/rvkptaex/petition.html: tax exempt status definition.
Due to the 340957430975 requests for the essay to be PMed or emailed to various people, I've talked to Matt_K again and have decided to post it.
Please realize that it is on why PETA should have their tax-exempt status revoked. It is NOT going to show or discuss anything beneficial that PETA does (if anything).
Thanks for everyone's interest...
Heather
-------------*disclaimer thingy*------------
PETA: The Realization of a Worthwhile Crusade Gone Wrong
By: Heather Rose
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is the world’s largest animal rights organization. Their ultimate goal is the complete liberation and freedom of all animals, meaning, of course, no meat, dairy, fur or leather. But it also means no aquariums, dog shows, circuses, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, or animal medical research. PETA is even opposed to seeing-eye dogs. Currently, PETA has tax-exempt status which means that the group has to operate exclusively for charitable purposes. The activities of the organization cannot be illegal or in conflict with legal restrictions. All of the associations’ activities must promote and be related to its main purpose, which PETA states as establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA chooses to establish these rights with methods like violent protests, funding to terrorist organizations (such as the Animal Liberation Front or ALF, an organization considered by the FBI to be one of the largest active domestic terrorist organizations in the United States) and blatant exploitation with lack of compassion. As these previous examples (which are by no means legal or true to their cause) show, PETA is in breach of these restrictions, and therefore their current tax-exempt status should be revoked.
Formerly, PETA protest methods included throwing paint on fur coats, boycotting farmers and fast food restaurants, and attempting to get rid of high school biology dissection lessons. Currently, the protests have escalated to include firebombs, arson, theft, stalking, and assault and death threats. PETA’s advertisements range from comparing chickens to holocaust members, to buying a billboard to state that the little boy who was attacked by a shark a few years ago in Florida ‘had it coming’. PETA relates farmers to serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, and brands parents who feed their children milk and meat as ‘child abusers’. To some extremists, this may all seem good for the cause, until we see where the bulk of PETA’s money actually goes.
The first and foremost reason PETA should lose their tax exempt status is their spending, how they spend money and what they spend it on. Because they are a non-profit organization, their finances are a matter of public record. Generally, PETA makes about 10 million dollars a year. In 1996, $6100 of the 10.9 million dollar budget went towards animal shelter funding. In 1999, $3955 of about 12 million dollars went towards animal shelter funding. That’s about 0.033% - 0.055% of PETA’s annual budget that goes towards saving existing animals in need, providing them care, and finding them good homes. However, in 1995 $40 000 was sent to Rodney Coronado, a convicted arsonist belonging to the ALF. He served a five year prison sentence for an animal activist related bombing at Michigan State University. Just for the record, the Animal Liberation Front’s motto is "if you build it, we’ll burn it." The ELF (Earth Liberation Front, also listed as an active domestic terrorist organization) is the ALF’s sister organization. In 2002 ELF was connected to a fire that destroyed most of a forestry station (because the expansion of said forestry station would result in the loss of wild lynx habitat) and cause over $5 million in damages. An IRS paper trail discovered that PETA donated $1500 to ELF a month preceding the fire. ELF is responsible for two other fires with damages estimated at $12.7 million with much valuable research lost. Together, the ALF and the ELF have cause approximately $43 million in damages since 1996. In addition to this funding, PETA has hired and paid the legal fees of the activists convicted of bombings, arson, and attempted murder. These include $2000 to Dave Wilson (convicted of firebombing a fur company) and $7500 to Fran Trutt (convicted of the attempted murder of a medical executive). PETA’s sympathies for the ALF and ELF actions were apparent in a speech by PETA Vice President Bruce Freidrich, who said, "I think it would be great if all of the fast food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories and the banks that fund them exploded tomorrow."
In addition to funding domestic terrorism, PETA’s information, cause, and activities are riddled with even more hypocrisy and assaults on common decency. As is apparent in the president of PETA’s publically released statement on their own animal euthanasia, "It is a totally rotten business, but sometimes the only kind option for some animals is to put them to sleep forever... it sounds lovely if you're naive. We could become a no-kill shelter immediately. It means we wouldn't do as much work," meaning, it frees up money for more campaigns. PETA euthanizes more often then not when it comes to the animals dropped off at their shelters. In 1999, 63% of the rescued animals were euthanized. By far, however, PETA’s biggest black eye came when it was discovered on a tax form that PETA had spent over $9000 on a walk in freezer. A freezer that costly would be about ten feet by fifteen feet, and a freezer of that size is usually used for housing meat or cadavers. It is assumed that this is where PETA euthanizes the two-thirds of the animals they ‘rescue’ each year, as it is known that they do it at their headquarters. To further their hypocrisy, PETA continuously states that animals are not ours to use for research, no matter how many lives it saves. They’ve said that if the death of one rat would cure all disease, they would be opposed to it still. Yet, a Vice President of PETA uses insulin, which is tested on animals. "I’m an insulin-dependant diabetic. Twice a day I take synthetically manufactured insulin that still contains some animal products [and was medically tested on dogs] and I have no qualms about it...I’m not going to take the chance of killing myself by not taking insulin. I don’t see myself as a hypocrite. I need my life to fight for the rights of animals." Even further PETA claims they don’t exploit or go after children, "Everything We do is based at adults." (PETA President Ingrid Newkirk on CNN, March 21, 2002) while they start a campaign called "Your Mommy Kills Bunnies", where flyers depicting a woman stabbing a rabbit and saying, "ask your mommy how many dead animals she killed to make her clothes...keep your doggie and kitty friends away from mommy - she’s an animal killer," were handed out to children. Bunny rabbits appear to love it when children cry. Later the next year, a further statement was released by a PETA Vice President, saying, "Our campaigns are always geared towards children and they always will be." PETA exploits the sick, suggesting that people who have cancer, allergies, diabetes, are obese, or otherwise chronically ill are in that state due to ingesting meat and dairy. PETA has ties to a pseudo-group of ‘physicians’ called the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. PETA used an affiliate company called the Foundation to Support Animal Protection to give at least $592 000 to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This foundation has the same mailing address as PETA and the co-founders of PETA make up two of the three directors. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has come out with studies that condemn things such as the Atkins Diet and non-vegetarian school lunches, and makes claims such as a vegan diet can prevent diabetes while with all of these ‘studies’ and facts, the group itself admits that 95% of it’s members are not doctors. The group argues against animal testing, saying that testing on animal subjects can interfere with drug development, while the medical profession in general states that without animal testing we would lose 90% of all we’ve achieved in the field of medicine.
Due to all of these factors such as misleading the public, using propaganda and most importantly, funding terrorist activities, PETA is in breach of the requirements for tax exempt status. Their actions and funding are related to broken laws, arson and millions of dollars in unnecessary and violent damages. Their hypocrisy and scare-tactics are going even less and less unnoticed as time goes on, and soon there will be even a stronger motion to have the tax exempt status revoked. Because of where PETA’s funding is foremost distributed, it would be beneficial to have the tax exempt status removed.
Sources:
Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise –
http://www.eskimo.com/~rarnold/
Penn and Teller: Season 2 Episode 1 “PETA” created by Showtime Networks.
The American Physiological Society - Legislative Action Center
http://www.the-aps.org/committees/animal/03report.htm
Consumer Freedom - Activist Cash, PETA financial records.
http://www.activistcash.com/foundation.cfm
http://www.petitiononline.com/rvkptaex/petition.html: tax exempt status definition.