The Animal Rights movement is doing just that. The other day I was surfing the AR web sites and I was struck by the fact that each and every site had a ‘PETA Kids’, ‘for the children’ or ‘teachers, too’ area. They are obviously created to appeal to young minds and introduce them to the world of the ‘Animal Rights Agenda’. From the more militant groups like PETA and Fund For Animals…FFA…right down to the less controversial…yet no less frightening…site of the Humane Society of the United States…HSUS…they all were reaching out to young minds and offering their version of the way things ought to be!

They offer information on how you can become a vegetarian. Once you’ve opted for that direction… they will help you see to it the school cafeteria is changed to accommodate this new lifestyle. God forbid that ‘tofu burgers’ should be cooked on the same grill as…real beef hamburgers! They also encourage children to speak up and have the cafeteria’s offer more vegan related menus and teach other children the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. When that foothold is established…Classes and class field trips become the next major targets on their agenda. As a child growing up in a big city…I remember how excited I became in anticipation of our school going to the circus or a rodeo. The AR groups encourage these newly emerging ‘vegans’ to speak out against such trips on the grounds that the circus or rodeo is cruel to animals. Students should write letters to the School Board expressing their distaste at such ideas and become more strident student activists…all on behalf of the animals. Biology class is yet another point of contention to the AR groups and while dissection is abhorred…even the keeping of animals for observation is cruel. Fruit fly’s for a genetics project… wrong… Responsible Pet Ownership for a project … wrong… and their list just goes on and on with the real truth of the matter being…nothing related to…(other than passive observance from afar)…animals is acceptable. Is this really what you want your children to learn?

Are you a teacher in need of lesson plans or other teaching aids? The Animal Rights groups have them and they are free! They are professionally done and have well known stars in their videos spouting the AR rhetoric and agenda. Fund For Animals is one of the most chilling organizations that create these aids. They have material that is set to address every level of education from elementary, secondary, and right on through college. Not long ago I ordered the FFA teacher pack. It came with a variety of FFA flyers and order information for their videos…etc. It included 2 editions of their “Animal Free Press” that is targeted towards high school students. The basic information contained in this publication is interesting and correct. Beaver’s are the ‘dam builders’ of the animal world and an integral part of the ecosystem. However…when you get to “Humane Hints From Heidi”…the real intent of the publication becomes crystal clear. Heidi deals with an assortment of conundrums posed by teenagers in dilemma. “Should I wear mascara that is tested on animals?” “How can I wear ‘fake fur’ without having people think I support the killing of animals for a coat?” Heidi is quick to offer AR rhetoric as solutions to these problems and each solution will further bring the newly formed activist deeper into the AR web. I question how many people in this age group devotes a great deal of thought to the ethics of such questions…but would FFA ever stretch the truth? Not more than daily! They also do interviews with the hierarchy of the FFA on issues such as trapping, fishing, and hunting. This group wants an outright ban on all trapping, fishing, and hunting for sport. (Steps 7 and 8 on the Animal Rights Agenda). FFA has also done some very professional anti hunting videos with well-known stars appearing on their behalf. Marv Levy…coach of the Buffalo Bills and Tiffany Amber Thiesson from Beverley Hill’s 90210 collaborate on a video called “What’s Wrong With Hunting?” It claims to ‘debunk’ the myths of hunting. By far their most controversial effort is “Think Like the Animal…Questions to Ask Before You Kill!” It goes on…”Have you ever thought of going hunting? Read this story by an ex hunter and learn what it’s like from the ‘animals point of view!” I do admit I’m a bit unclear on how they were able to interview the animal to form such a conclusion on what it’s like to be hunted. They follow this gem with a 50-page curriculum unit designed for middle and high school teachers. It outlines discussion questions, classroom activity suggestions, work sheets, and a glossary of definitions. Don’t think for a moment that teachers sympathetic to the AR point of view will not take advantage of these free materials. As they say in the movies…”Coming Soon to a school near you!”

The Fund also dabbles in comic books geared for high school students. How about this one…the Internet…Anna Libbiator vs. Carcass Corp.? Follow a zany bunch of teenagers as they take on the meat industry! Another stellar title…A Tail From Outer Space! Follow the perilous adventures of Porcillina Hoggett…a space pig from the planet Gyp…who learns the shocking fate of overpopulated ‘people pets’ and vows to make a difference. There is little doubt that these two comics are aimed at achieving ARA planks numbers 3 and 10…the keywords ‘Meat Industry’ and ‘People Pets’ are unmistakable. Number 3 on the ARAgenda is to “Encourage vegetarianism for ethical, ecological, and healing reasons.”…And number 10 is “Abolish the breeding of all companion animals…including pedigreed or purebred dogs and cats!” It is a proven fact that such information…rightly or wrongly introduced into ‘young skulls full of mush’…will have a significant impact on their learning process. It is the equivalent of ‘Brainwashing 101”…and the AR reasoning comes from a campaign of misinformation designed to impose their tenets on a society where less that 3% are vegetarians and over 50% own pets.

While FFA and HSUS concentrate on education in our elementary and high schools…other groups like PETA, DDAL, and the ALDF…the Animal Legal Defense Fund…are pointing towards the ‘Ivied Halls of higher learning’…Steven Wise of Harvard Law, Gary Francione of Rutgers, and the “AR Guru of the 90’s”…Peter Singer of Princeton…are all teaching the AR philosophy on the College/University level. Steven Wise is the author of “Rattling The Cages” and to no one’s surprise…his book is required reading for his course. It is a view of the AR ‘blueprint’ on how to elevate the rights of animals to equal those of a retarded child and thus create a ‘legal fiction’ that the animal is autonomous and, therefore, a ‘person’ in the eyes of the law and the courts. ALDF has introduced just such a strategy in the “Great Ape Case”, being tried now in the Seattle area. They are arguing ‘personhood’ for the apes themselves. This group is most frightening of all as their battle cry is not…”Burn Baby Burn”…rather “May it please the court?” ALDF now boasts chapters on some of the most prestigious law schools in the country. Harvard, UC Berkley, Stanford, University of Chicago, Northwestern, and NYU…just to name a few. It would seem comment by Gary Francione and Pete Singer is noteworthy at this point. I interject them to show how little they care for the animals themselves…as in ‘animal welfare’… but how intent they are on achieving the goal of ‘animal rights’. Aside from some of Gary’s more comical remarks…like…“If an animal has any rights at all…it’s got the right not to be eaten!”…his most telling statement to this author is the following: “Not only are the philosophies of ‘animal welfare’ and ‘animal rights’ separated by irreconcilable differences…the enactment of animal welfare measures actually impedes the achievement of animal rights. Animal welfare reforms, by their very nature, can only serve to retard the pace that ‘animals rights’ goals can be achieved!” This statement leaves little doubt as to which side of the toast Gary butters his bread. Animal Rights…not Welfare. Pete Singer on the other hand…uses AR for another reason. He is an Australian by birth and a Marxist by choice. His mere presence at Princeton has created a huge stir that continues to this very day. His ideas on ethics are controversial to say the least, but his comment that just amazes me also shows a true apathy…not a concern for the animals. “We are not especially ‘interested in animals’. Neither of us had ever been inordinately fond of dogs, cats, or horses in the way that many other people are. We didn’t ‘love animals’!” So what are you interested in, Pete? I would take you back to the ARA plank number 10…Abolish ALL breeding of companion animals…including pedigreed or purebred dogs and cats. That should leave little doubt in anyone’s mind as to what direction Peter Singer is headed.

Obviously education is a very important part of the AR plan to influence our children’s thoughts and actions. The bandwidth and efforts they devote to insure the replication of new soldiers goes without question of forethought. My question to you is this…”What are you willing to do to see these hopes dashed?” Is it high time for the ‘fancy’ to become involved? I would say YES if you wish to continue breeding and showing your dogs year after year. We must not give them fodder for their fires and therefore, we should be the ‘responsible pet owners’ that allay their implications to the contrary. We must work to see that their ‘campaign of misinformation’ is challenged and brought out into the light of day. We must support the activities of those groups already involved in the ‘good fight’. I want my son and daughter to represent the honesty and the ethics of the ‘Junior Handler’ program…not be turned into ‘sign totin’, tofu lovin’, brainwashed lil’ activists that would turn their parents into the PETA Police for having a ‘pot roast’ for a Sunday dinner. The choice is yours and it doesn’t take much thought to make a selection…but the time to act is NOW!!

The following is a list of groups already fighting for your rights as an animal owner. Time, money, and your support are welcome commodities around their tables. They can also offer YOU some education as to what the AR groups actually have planned for your life in the new millennium. Education works on both sides of any debate…but it’s time YOU listened to the ‘common sense’ approach for a change and took action accordingly. Help these folks out…it will only be beneficial for us all, in the end. 

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