Written by PETA
Earlier this week, we told you the cautionary tale of a pork rind–munching trucker who nearly choked to death. Now we turn your attention to a report about a man who, after shooting and butchering a domestic pig, took a bullet himself after his dog stepped on the loaded rifle that the man had placed on the front seat of his pickup truck. The man is expected make a full recovery.
So here's some food for thought: If pig-eaters aren't concerned that their habit is cruel to animals. and dangerous to their own health and the environment, will the increasing threat of cosmic justice convince them to drop the chops? Your thoughts?
Written by Karin Bennett
Show me a bag of pork rinds and two things will happen. First, images like this and that will race through my mind. Then I'll get choked up.
The revolting* "snack" made a truck driver named Edward Sutherland get choked up too—only his reaction was apparently not prompted by thoughts of what animals endured before they went down his gullet. Mr. Sutherland lost control of his rig, which careened across the interstate, jackknifed, and landed in a ditch.
The truck did not hit any other vehicles, and Mr. Sutherland walked away with minor injuries—and a citation for driving with his wheels off the road. Had I been the cop at the scene, I might have let him go with a warning—to eat only Pirate's Booty. How would you complete the following: "____—now that vegan snack is the ticket!"
*If you know any people who don't think that eating fried pigskin is revolting, they just might after you show them this video of how it's made.
We send our condolences today to Joyce Brabner, the widow of underground comic book genius Harvey Pekar, who recently died. We remember the days when Joyce visited our office in sparkly Wizard of Oz Dorothy slippers and colored ankle socks. She is a socially astute fighter for animal rights who created the classic Animal Rights Comics. The two-issue set of comic books is based on PETA's precedent-setting "Silver Spring monkeys" case, which resulted in the first arrest and criminal conviction of an animal experimenter in the U.S. on charges of cruelty to animals, the first confiscation of abused animals from a laboratory, and the first U.S. Supreme Court victory for animals in laboratories. Joyce recognized it as a landmark case—one that led to countless other undercover investigations—and so she decided to memorialize it.
If anyone out there has copies of the now out-of-print comics, please let us know. We have a set in our archives, but it would be nice to know that there are more copies in circulation. If there's enough interest, perhaps one day they will be reprinted. Joyce, from our hearts to yours, we wish you the best.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Believe me, if anyone can appreciate the thrill of the hunt, c'est moi. Seriously, I can spend hours in a Goodwill store, tracking rare vintage vinyl and bagging unique treasures.
But if you want a surefire way to ruffle my feathers, show me a man with a gun setting out with his canine buddy to maim and kill ducks. Now tell me that said dog shot the hunter in his back, sending him to the hospital—which is what happened to one California man this weekend—and I can't help but hope that the hunter, once he recovers, will have a change of heart and find a more constructive way to spend his weekends.
Scotland is a land of mysteries. Does Nessie exist? Do bagpipe players really go "commando" under their kilts? And are the forces of "cosmic justice" at work, protecting the country's harassed, maimed, and hunted animals? That last one was recently answered: Sometimes.
Today's installment of "Payback Is Hell" was made possible by hunters, a dog, and a gun. The Mirror reports that two Scottish hunters who were shooting geese were themselves left bloodied and injured after their dog stepped on an unattended shotgun. Unable to duck for cover, each man was shot in his leg; one also took a hit in his hand.
The lesson here is no mystery. Always choose to be kind, not cruel, to animals.
Today, I sing the praises of the Internet. Not for e-mail—which is handy, yes—but all that Viagra spam irks me. (Hello? It's called "Veggie Viagra"). Or online games (like I need another addiction. The real reason I love the Internet so much is because now my "cosmic justice file" has grown exponentially and now comes with an international flavor.
Let's have a looksie at some of my faves, shall we?
Now, tell which of the above is your favorite example of cosmic justice.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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