What with all the accusations they bring up, surely there have been a few defamation suits brought against them?
Joe, although PETA is often absurdist and obnoxious, I don’t recall their making false allegations. I could see them being sued for trademark infringement, though they’d probably win on satire grounds.
Are there particular accusations that you think are false? Frankly, the industrial meat business is pretty gruesome; there’s no need for PETA to exagerrate.
Daniel
I sure hope they get sued a lot because they do more than make accusations.
[rant]
Not only do they disrupt fashion shows because of their views on fur, their little minions sometimes go to dog shows and go around secretly opening cages & crates releasing the animals and generally causing chaos. They do this because they’re not only against fur, meat, and lab testing but even pet ownership as well. They believe it to be akin to slavery.
[/rant]
Of course the members who do these things always have plausible deniability, i.e. they did it as free citizens not as PETA representatives, so lawsuits are probably avoided.
PETA picked a peck of pickled peppers. And I abhor their cruelty to the peppers! Save the peppers!
Actually, Hail Ants, I think you have PETA confused with ALF-Animal Liberation Front.
In truth one seems to be the movement’s popular front and the other its military wing. Two side of the same coin.
Even I agree with muc of what they stand for. No good man is for unnecessary cruelty, but if ya ever talk to these guys you soon see many are nutters.
Nah, Daniel, none that I think are false per se, but I do think that quite a few of their techniques are rather militant, perhaps militant enough to make an accusee consider his or her legal options.
Joe, that makes more sense. I was addressing your original question about defamation lawsuits. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been sued for some of their activities.
Daniel
Lots of opinions being expressed here and no facts. Someone should provide a cite of their alleged illegal activities. Otherwise, it looks like people are just making false accusations.
If Ricki Lake supports them, they can’t be bad, right?
The only example of PeTA being sued that I could find is this one. They’re accused of “unlawful infiltration of company property, interference with animal research, and theft of trade secrets.”
No, I did not say they had ever done anything illegal. But their political position is to for violent folks Like Earth First! and all those guys.
I am fairly sure Shin Fin stays on the right side of the law. They simply act as the political wing of the Provo IRA. Same idea.
That should have read:
Their political function is to PROVIDE COVER for violent folks…
sorry
Could you please fix your typo in the second sentence? I really can’t figure out what it’s supposed to say.
Are you stating fact or opinion? If it’s opinion, it doesn’t belong here; if it’s fact, you should provide a cite.
Forgive me Ramadan-on-Thanksgving typos.
I tried to edit my post, but for some reason unclear to me, the system would not let me. I tried to clear my typos up in my second post.
BTAIM…
This is simply my opinion. I am a retired (U.S.) Army guy who has some small experience in CounterRevolutionary Warfare. The idea of having a “popular front” that does the political work for an armed wing(Or to say it the other way, a poliical front that supports an armed effort.) is a very old one.
Perhaps the best example is the IRA as I noted.
Can I prove it? No. I can however look at their behavior and see the practical realities. These guys (PETA) are quacking like ducks big-time. They provide an acceptable public face for an armed struggle (people like Earth First!).
This is simply my take on it. As for the idea that opinion doesn’t belong here; who made you the Hall Monitor?
As another question on the consequences of some PETA actions, has any PETA activist ever been physically beaten by his/her intended victim? I have in mind the jerks who throw blood on fur coats—I would be inclined to punch anyone who did that to me.
So what techniques in particular are you referring to? Remember you’re asking about PETA here, not animal rights activists in general. Name a technique and then name a specific incident where PETA used this technique and there are plenty of people on the board who will be able to tell you if what they did could get them into legal trouble.
-fh
Shin Fin = Sinn Fein. Prounounced sort of like Shin Fain. Gaelic for “We Ourselves”, or “Ourselves Alone”. Name of Irish political organization founded in 1905 to advocate Irish independence. Now best known as a political party in Northern Ireland with links to the IRA (Irish Republican Army) Provisional wing, which was the main illegal military/terrorist group on the Catholic side.
Forgive me.
My Irish is quite rusty.
That’s interesting. I only “own” half a cat - she is a feral alley cat who I tamed. She never stays over, she is free to never come back, yet when I come home in the evenings she is nearly always there, keen to rush up to my flat - she adores spending time in my company (even when she isn’t hungry) so I cannot understand anyone describing pet ownership as slavery.
Working animal ownership, yes - but again in those cases unless mistreated I bet most of the animals are totally happy with their lives. If guide-dogs resented helping their owners would they do it? How many of them are trained by violence and beatings? None, I bet. It’s a relationship of mutual trust and respect.
Besides which, most owners are slaves to their pets… 
PETA probably can’t either, since they don’t describe pet ownership that way. Ask Carla.
Just a friendly suggestion, but until Hail Ants and Paul in Saudi can provide us with some kind of evidence to back up their claims, I would probably ignore their posts in this thread. They clearly don’t know a damn thing about PETA.
-fh