What do you think about PETA's position on "liberating" Punxsutawney Phil?

PETA can go hug a pig or something. i wish they’d shut the hell up.

I think groundhog day is silly.

If PETA makes them get a robot, PETR isn’t going to be happy about it.

@buckyboy28 You just cracked me up.

I think that Phil has it pretty good, for a groundhog. Free room, board, and medical, and he doesn’t require a lot of mental stimulation.

Let the groundhog be and axe the whole tradition. As if it means anything. Punxsutawney just likes the tourist money.

I don’t pay much attention to PETA.At all….takes a big bite of a groundhog hamburger…mmmm tastes like roadkill ;)

Please. PETA lost credibility with me long ago. I can specifically recall the flap about the vendors in the fish market tossing the fish. It was entertaining and I guess maybe even a tourist draw. But PETA went and said that they were humiliating the fish. Deliberately. As if the fish were going to go home and hang their heads in shame in front of all the other fish. “Hey Phil, you heard huh? Yeah, I got tossed today. Shut up and quit laughing, I may need therapy.” As if. As if the fishermen caught the fish for the sole (HAHAHA! Sole! Get it?) purpose (HAHAHA Again! Porpise? What? Not so much? Ok) of humiliating the fish. The fact that they taste good deep fried or sautéed in butter had nothing to do with it.
The other thing that I think of right away is the fuss over the President having killed a fly. Apparently PETA wants us all to buy catchers so you can humanely release them, and set them free. To carry filth and germs right back into the house.
I don’t know about Phil. How’s his life? Is he happy? Fulfilled? I’d think that PETA’s time would be better spent trying to liberate animals from the circus. That’s a messed up lifestyle that goes against nature. Chained up, forced to do stupid tricks. That, to me is humiliating. I also have seen footage of elephant trainers who actually hurt the animals. That bothers me a lot more than fish at the market or any number of dead flies. And Phil? leave the poor guy alone. Go start taking notes at the circus. HA! They don’t WANT to liberate the elephants I’ll bet. you know why? They have to have a place to put them. The logistics of getting an elephant back to either Africa or India is a nightmare. I saw something about that on either the History Channel or Nat Geo. there is all kinds of red tape involved.
So to make themselves feel better, I guess they’re going to mess with a small towns tourist draw. Nice.

maybe they can hit the mayor in the face with a pie. show him!~

@Trillian For the record, PETA does want to liberate animals from the circus.

@Trillian Well said! I totally agree. I remember both the fish market and the fly incidents. Crazy. I also agree with your point about focusing energy on animal issues that matter. Another thing that bothers me about PETA is the campaign to free domestic animals. Seriously, if PETA only knew how happy and healthy my Italian Greyhound is…

@Snarp I thought that maybe they did. That’s time well spent.

The people of PETA are one big mixed bag of nuts.

I figure PETA can say whatever they want. They’re one group, with one set of agendas, and not all animal rights activists are as extreme as they are. There are a lot of areas in which people don’t listen to them, and that’s OK. They’ve chosen to trade some of their credibility for shock value and a certain purity of idealism. One could say that they are shifting the Overton window on animal rights by advocating a more extreme position, perhaps, than even they really want. What I do have a problem with is when PETA harasses individuals for behavior that isn’t particularly cruel or unfair to animals.

I’m with @eponymoushipster on peta

@jenandcolin Really? I hadn’t heard that. That’s… I don’t know what to say to that. I have a cat that I got from a shelter in Guam in ‘96. She’s family.
What do they propose to do with the animals once they’re released? I know that Americans had a bad name in Italy for abandoning their pets when they went back stateside, and animals need to be cared for. There were packs of dogs that were a menace but were once family pets. They go feral.
Free them? Seriously? Who would feed them? That just sounds ridiculous. Even for PETA.

@Trillian Yeah, I know. It’s pretty crazy. I am not sure how high up on the list of priorities this is or even how accepted it in between PETA members. I have heard this from a few different people (including one close friend who donates to PETA). I haven’t looked this up on the website or anything but, it seems likely to me. And, I believe the people I have heard this from.

I think PETA has:

1.) Way too much time on their hands
2.) A narcissistic desire to see its name in the news all the time.

I think Punxsutawney Phil would be seriously peeved to be freed & lose the gravy train he’s on now. He’s got it made! As far as PETA & ‘freeing’ pets goes, the real hardcore wackos members believe having pets is exploiting the animals.

I wish PETA would stop hamstringing themselves by pandering to the fringe element. There’s no question the there is a need for someone to fight for the protection of animals, but they alienate a huge proportion of the public through their extremism and unrealistic demands.

@syz let me just state her that I agree with you. i think that PETA started out with some good ideas and I used to give them money. I now give to the ASPCA instead. PETA had credibility and lost it by, as you say, pandering to the fringe. It just takes a couple very vocal and persuasive idiots to ruin a good thing,

I am all for animal rights and stopping the abuse of animals, but PETA’s energy could be much better spent focussing on more serious matters, like puppy mills and abused stray dogs in war torn Iraq. They need to divert all their energies on the big picture, and stop making themselves look frivolous and silly over insignificant things like Phil the Groundhog. No one, even animal lovers like me, is going to take them seriously if they keep wasting their time and energy on the small stuff. Besides, I’m sure Phil is taken well care of.

About the domestic pets issue, maybe they are looking at all the abusive owners and pets in shelters. I mean, there have been many cases of that happening. Not saying that they are right or anything I’m just putting it out there.

@reacting_acid I’ll have to do some research. If it is true that they want to liberate pets I’d love to hear the reasoning. If it has something to do with abused animals, I’d have to just say that the people who DON’T abuse must outnumber those who do. I guess PETA must not like the idea of animals as therapy and helpers for people with handicaps either. That would fall into the category of exploitation.

The PETA insanity continues….

PHIL is pimpin and the happiest groundhog on earth. What if he doesnt want to be free?