Written by PETA
In fact, there are two Santas! Wearing little red numbers sure to make Old Saint Nick's heart skip a beat—and to make any other dude in the vicinity pretty darn jolly—a pair of PETA's Sexy Santas recently greeted Greenville, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia, grocery shoppers with free soy nog, kisses under the mistletoe, and copies of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit." Their merry mission? To urge shoppers to bring comfort and joy to animals by giving meat, milk, and eggs the old heave-ho-ho-ho this holiday season. After all, it's no "wonderful life" for animals who are raised, abused, and killed for Christmas dinner.
What is wonderful is a little (s)nog under the mistletoe. Just ask this dude:
Written by Amy Elizabeth
Some folks at our PETA headquarters were moved when they read that after spending the last few days packing up bags of food for needy families, a General Motors plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, has shut down, and thousands of workers have lost their jobs. So, we're extending the same offer that we gave to AT&T folks last week—because we still have bonus Tofurkeys left. So, if you're among the first 100 laid-off GM employees to contact us, we'll send you a healthy, hearty Tofurky roast to share with your family this holiday season.
Our best wishes and hopes for a brighter New Year to you and yours.
Written by Sarah King
This morning, PETA's Policy Department received a Scrooge-like phone call from someone purporting to be from Gov. Sarah Palin's office threatening legal action against us if we don't play ball—or, actually, stop playing ball. Why are Ms. Palin's peeps so mad at PETA? Well, if you've played our Holiday Snowball Fight game recently, you may know. The game asks players to pick up a virtual snowball and take aim at 2008's biggest animal foes, from Colonel Sanders to the Trollsen twins to Alaska's own Sarah Palin. But guess what, Sarah? We've checked with our legal team, and they say that it's "protected parody," or "fair game"—so the game stays! After all, we're throwing snowballs, not shoes.
In real life, the moose and other animals Ms. Palin blows to smithereens don't stand a chance. But, hey, our game is virtual and nonviolent. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why Sarah is so mad about the game anyways. Wielding a gun and decked out in a sexy bikini and pageant ribbon, I'd think she'd be quite proud of how PETA's portrayed her.
Though this game is just a bit of harmless payback, Palin's real-life hunting habit is no joke. Palin not only guns down big moose but also supports aerial hunting of wolves—she even proposed putting a bounty of $150 on their heads. Wolves aren't even overpopulated in Alaska. The sole reason for the bounty would be to boost the numbers of moose and elk so that hunters will have more living targets for their blood sport. Pathetic.
P.S. Governor Palin isn't the only fantastic figure in the game, so if you haven't had the chance to play, check it out!
Written by Liz Graffeo
Ugh …No, seriously. Ugh!OK, having turned *mumble* years old last Friday, I'm not really a member of this show's "target demographic." But even 'tweens must find the heartless use of a live baby chimpanzee in Nickelodeon's Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh offensive.Forget for a moment that this is a program with so little imagination that they named the lead characters—played by Drake Bell and Josh Peck—"Drake" and "Josh." Forget that their idea of family-appropriate humor is to depict a child on the receiving end of a stream of ape urine—and I'm not sure that qualifies as "humor" at all. Still, although these folks clearly aren't very smart or creative, nothing justifies exploiting an animal for supposed "entertainment."
So what's so wrong with using a chimpanzee? I'm glad you asked. You or I might have fantasies of thanking "the Academy" while clutching a statuette and dressed to the nines (wearing Stella or Marc, natch), but animals want to be left in peace—they don't want to be "stars." In fact, the chimps in movies and TV are still toddlers who need to be back with their families doing what they're meant to do. I mean, think about it: When you see documentaries about apes in nature, are they wearing clothes or riding unicycles? Do they have hidden restraints and shock collars?To get chimpanzees, orangutans, and other great apes to perform, "trainers" often beat and electro-shock them. The rest of the time, most of the animals live in tiny metal cages. And when they're no longer useful to producers, they're often dumped at horrible roadside zoos—usually when they're only about 8 years old and have about 50 years left to stare at the wall. There's no time like the holidays to remind Hollywood that we're not going to put up with any more "monkey" business. Please join us in telling Nickelodeon that there's nothing less Merry than a lonely, suffering chimpanzee forced to grimace and mug for a few chuckles.
Written by Jeff Mackey
While Santa's making his list and checking it twice, you'd better believe that KFC is getting nothing but coal, coal, and more coal—and PETA's "Sexy Santas" want to make sure that the world knows why! Check us out at our demos handing out info on Kentucky Fried Cruelty!
Santa's not the only one who objects to KFC cruelty, and rightfully so! These bikini-clad hotties certainly didn't get their sexy bods by downing greasy fried chicken loaded with cruelty and cholesterol. These chicks remind everyone to ditch KFC and have a very veggie holiday instead!
Written by Christine Doré
Last Friday, a New York City "carriage horse" slipped on the ice and fell into a split on 59th Street. Big surprise!
Filmmaker Donny Moss asked the following to the ASPCA—which is charged with enforcing the anti-cruelty code and regulations on horse-drawn carriages:
"Why did the ASPCA allow the carriage drivers to leave the stables this morning when everyone in the City knew that a major winter storm was about to blanket NYC with snow and ice? "At about 9:00 a.m., the agent who answered your ASPCA hotline told me that the drivers would be sent in when the weather turned. As you know, the long trip back to the "stables" through midtown during a wet and icy winter storm is treacherous. The horses should never have left this morning. But they did, and I videotaped it so that people can see the cruelty taking place on your watch. "At 11:50 a.m. during the height of the storm, I saw the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement officer greeting carriage drivers with handshakes and high fives. Shouldn't he have been reprimanding them for continuing to pick up passengers almost two hours into the storm? "In spite of the best efforts of many activists, conditions for the carriage horses are worse now than they've ever been before. Because the ASPCA has been entrusted with protecting these animals, you have a duty to at the very least minimize the abuse and publicly call for a ban. Until you do, the ASPCA isn't preventing cruelty to animals. You are enabling it."
"Why did the ASPCA allow the carriage drivers to leave the stables this morning when everyone in the City knew that a major winter storm was about to blanket NYC with snow and ice?
"At about 9:00 a.m., the agent who answered your ASPCA hotline told me that the drivers would be sent in when the weather turned. As you know, the long trip back to the "stables" through midtown during a wet and icy winter storm is treacherous. The horses should never have left this morning. But they did, and I videotaped it so that people can see the cruelty taking place on your watch.
"At 11:50 a.m. during the height of the storm, I saw the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement officer greeting carriage drivers with handshakes and high fives. Shouldn't he have been reprimanding them for continuing to pick up passengers almost two hours into the storm?
"In spite of the best efforts of many activists, conditions for the carriage horses are worse now than they've ever been before. Because the ASPCA has been entrusted with protecting these animals, you have a duty to at the very least minimize the abuse and publicly call for a ban. Until you do, the ASPCA isn't preventing cruelty to animals. You are enabling it."
Well said, Mr. Moss. The New York horse-drawn carriage industry is an exploitive disgrace and a shame on the city, but the ASPCA could do something. It could take its enforcement role seriously and be pro-active—get out there when a storm is expected and advise drivers that anyone working a horse when it hits will be cited. The warning should come before the storm, not during it.
Oh, and while we're at it, remember the horses trying to drink from the empty troughs? That's a violation, too, as is going out without blankets in the cold. And we believe that it's a violation of the anti-cruelty code when horses are unable to lie down at night and get the weight off their feet, because it causes the horses to suffer needlessly.
Written by Joel Bartlett
Bet you thought Santa only came once a year. Well, don't be too sure! PETA's "Sexy Santas" are making the rounds to let fur-wearers know that they're on our naughty list this year. Check us out at these anti-fur demos handing out free candy canes and info on the horrors of fur, leather, and wool.
Some holiday shoppers might be wondering what the problem is with a little fur, but luckily our sexy Santa is here to educate them. Anyone who thinks it's OK to wear the product of innocent lives deserves a little more than a stocking full of coal, if you ask me! Hopefully some compassionate shoppers will decide to go "Ho, ho, faux" this year and give an early Christmas gift to animals on fur farms.
Speaking of the horrors of the fur industry, someone should let fur hag Donna Karan know about the torture that goes into her clothes (oh, right, we did). Check out our brand new Donna Karan Bunny Butcher site to learn more about our campaign!
Written by Lianne Turner
We're so proud to launch our new Web site: DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com. By going back on her promise to shed fur from her collection (twice!), Donna Karan has made it clear that she's OK with the electrocutions, neglect, confinement, suffocation, and death that go on in factory farms. In response, we've shown up at her apartment, her fashion shows, and her runways to remind her that animals are skinned alive for her designs. Now, we've stepped it up and launched a full interactive Web site to educate her customers about this cruel abuse.
If you like the campaign site as much as we do, then you're probably wondering what you can do to help us reach more people. Well, guess what? The site is loaded with online elements such as Web banners that you can post and videos that you can stream. So go ahead and show your love of bunnies by posting one of these Web banners to your Web page or online profile:
The site also has three heartbreaking videos that I strongly encourage you to watch and share. They will change your life, and they're guaranteed to make fur wearers change their ways. Use the code below to begin changing people's minds now.
And to all our MySpace friends: Keep an eye out for our new "Donna Karan Bunny Butcher" layouts coming soon!
So, check out DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com and be sure to share the site with everyone you know. Oh, and here is the link with Donna Karan's contact information—please be sure to send her a polite letter and let her know what you think of her use of fur. For inspiration before you sit down to write, check out our "Ever Heard a Bunny Scream?" video.
A Donna Karan Boutique in Manhasset, New York, received some negative attention yesterday, when PETA's "Grim Reapers"—holding signs that read, "Donna, Bring Out Your Dead!"—greeted pedestrians and passing cars. The purpose of the protest was to spotlight DK's continued use of fur in her collections—even after we've made several attempts to educate her on the hideous cruelty of the fur industry. Check out photos from the demonstration below!
Our Grim Reaper didn't take any lives, but as DK's fatal record shows, she can't claim the same. Her refusal to drop fur from her collections only continues to support cruel practices such as anal electrocution and drowning.
Donna Karan needs to take a hint from her compassionate fashion counterparts and go fur-free. Because seriously, DK, how many animals are you going to kill to make your ugly fur coats?
Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky
Our recent demo in Kansas City was really, really crappy. Which was good, considering that we were handing out toilet paper. You see, we staked out a local steakhouse and greeted patrons with T.P. that was embossed with a special meaty message. Why give away this fly two-ply? Someone needs to tell meat-eaters that they're full of crap.
And here’s a close-up from our Columbia demo:
Consider this nasty little nugget of truth: A lot of the flesh from the 10 billion animals who are killed for meat in the U.S. each year is contaminated with E. coli, campylobacter, listeria, and other dangerous bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts and feces of animals. Just think about it: Animals on today's factory farms are crammed by the tens of thousands into filthy sheds and slaughtered on killing floors that are contaminated with feces, vomit, and other bodily fluids. Is it really any surprise that these unsanitary conditions breed bacteria? Um, that would be a hell-to-the-no!
With more than 75 million cases of food poisoning each year in the U.S.—70 percent of which are caused by contaminated animal products—no one can deny that tainted meat is a major health threat. Plus, even if the bacteria in your burger doesn't kill you now, the saturated fat and cholesterol might lead to obesity, heart disease, and certain types of cancer later on down the road.
Our demonstration also made it down to Omaha. Check out these fantastic pictures:
That said, what would you like on your veggie burger?
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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