THIS is why I hate PETA

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Here in rural Western NC, we don't have a big fancy ball to drop on New Year's Eve. So a local gas station/convenience store owner came up with a unique alternative 13 years ago...he captured an animal very common to this area, built a special plexiglass cage for it, and held the first annual "Possum Drop".

Two days ago, I was excitedly impressed to see that this colloquial tradition (which literally takes place at a wide spot in the road) was actually featured in no less than the N.Y. Times. I posted the original story in the G.D. forum on New Year's Eve. You can read it here - New Year's Eve Possum Drop

My joy was short-lived, however. Even though this event takes place about 5 miles from my house, I have never gone. Therefore, I didn't realize until today that the first article in the N.Y. Times had also managed to capture the attention of another interested group - the PETA-heads. As soon as they learned of this event, they phoned the store owner and threatened to sue him if he dared to use a live possum for this year's Possum Drop. Here is the full story as written in the N.Y. Times yesterday. [img]graemlins/madhell.gif[/img]

A New Year's Tradition Lives, but the 4-Legged Star Doesn't


BRASSTOWN, N.C., Jan. 1 — For the last 12 years, on New Year's Eve, this Appalachian town has lowered a possum in a Plexiglas cage from the roof of a gas station at the stroke of midnight. It is called the Possum Drop, and hundreds of people pack downtown Brasstown to see it.

This time, Baby New Year was awfully still.

And as the crowd soon learned, this possum wasn't just playing possum. It was roadkill.

With just hours to go before the festivities, Clay Logan, host of the Possum Drop, said he got a call from a national animal rights organization threatening to sue him for animal cruelty if he used a live possum.

"So I found me a dead one," Mr. Logan said.

As fireworks popped and lovers kissed, the dead possum swung from a Citgo sign. And as the festivities ended, many revelers trudged away, saying their small town fun had been spoiled by big city ways.

"Hell of a way to start the New Year, saluting a dead possum," said Steve Barringer, a blacksmith.

Over the years, Mr. Logan, owner of Brasstown's only gas station, has promoted his town of 240 people as the Possum Capital of the World, selling kitschy possum gifts and organizing the Possum Drop.

Since 1991, Mr. Logan has used live possums, trapped by hunters, fattened on cat food and turned loose after they are lowered slowly by a rope from the roof of his gas station.

But on Wednesday, the day The New York Times published an article on the Possum Drop, Mr. Logan got a call from a man who said he represented People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, headquartered in Norfolk, Va. Debbie Leahy, director of PETA's captive animals and entertainment issues, said she did not know which member made the call but she said the event was "perverse, reckless and terrifying to the possum."

"There's a number of legal actions we could pursue against that guy," Ms. Leahy said.

Mr. Logan, 57, said he thought about using a live possum anyway.

"But I can't fight these people," he said. "Not with lawyers and all."

So, with the crowd building, Mr. Logan released the live possum from its cage and put the word out: find me another possum, a dead one.

His buddies took to the highways, wending their way through forests of rhododendron and pine, scouring the shoulders for that unlucky animal, hopefully one without tire tracks.

The drop had had setbacks before. Snow, rain, lighting problems. But there had always been a possum.

Finally, Mr. Logan's friends found a downed possum in pretty good shape and quickly hoisted it up to the roof of the Citgo station. Most people thought it was alive, even after Mr. Logan announced it was roadkill.

Mr. Logan is known to be a joker, especially when it comes to making fun of redneck culture, "which I'm entitled to do," he explained, "because I'm a redneck."

As it says on his Web site, www.clayscorner.com, "One man's roadkill is another man's icon."

"But, " Mr. Logan said Thursday with a swallow, "I never thought it would come down to this."

Do these yuckapucks have nothing better to do than to sit around and threaten small town business owners with lawsuits over harmless actions??? And to say the event is "terrifying to the possum" is beyond belief. This possum gets to live high on the hog for a whole year, being fed cat food and kept OFF the roadways where most possums end up around here. It is placed in a special plexiglass cage constructed specifically for this event and lowered very slowly (by hand) from the store's rooftop. And then it is released - UNHARMED - back into the wild after the show is over. Yet the PETA-heads can't leave it alone. So Mr. Logan had to send some of the locals out to find a substitute who hadn't been lucky enough to make it to the other side of the road.

That may have protected him this year, but I won't be a bit surprised if these idiots threaten to sue him again next year for using a dead possum. [img]graemlins/dontknowaboutyou.gif[/img]

And it is strong-arm, bullying tactics like this - over incidents where the animal is NOT being harmed in any way - that have become the rule at PETA, rather than the exception. And THAT is why I can't stand the PETA-heads.

[Djinn Raffo]

To be honest it sounds like quite a barbaric practice.


edit> *nods to Cerek* no offense to the barbarians about sir.

[ 01-03-2004, 12:55 AM: Message edited by: Djinn Raffo ]

[Chewbacca]

PETA's concern for the emotional well-being of the critter aside....

Hmmm, wild animal kept in captivity and fed cat food, gets let go back in the wild to probably get hit by a car anyway, but now has a taste for human food... and less of a natural fear of humans so it may come closer around humans more often and possibly endgager children, pets, and possibly (a joke) ....the elderly. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Oh yeah, it's feeling are hurt cause it got lowered slowly by a rope...

or

Wild animal, left in wild, natural fear of humans, stays further away so less of a possible danger, probably gets hit by a car anyway.

New Years Eve- Use a nice stuffed possum, rather than a live critter or road kill. It is the spirit that counts anyway right?

Besides aren't cars a bigger threat to the emotional well-being of Possums, you know road-kill phobia syndrom and all. Perhaps PETA needs to threaten to sue Ford and the USDT instead....

[ 01-03-2004, 01:10 AM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

[wellard]

Far better for PETA to work with the community and suggest basic standards of care for the possum and for both sides to ensure they are met. This would be a far better result than the anvil and sledgehammer to crack a walnut aproach.

A small charity to be set up to pay vets fees for the rehabilation of possums hurt by car accidents should help the Karma of one possums destroyed dignity.

Or another option would be the use of a pet possum year after year, again in basic standard of care enviroment approved by local vets or animal rights organisation.


This method of stong arm tatics just loses local animal rights support [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

[khazadman]

They do have other things to do Cerek. PETA also likes to fund terrorist groups like the ELF and the ALF.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by wellard: Far better for PETA to work with the community and suggest basic standards of care for the possum and for both sides to ensure they are met. This would be a far better result than the anvil and sledgehammer to crack a walnut aproach. A small charity to be set up to pay vets fees for the rehabilation of possums hurt by car accidents should help the Karma of one possums destroyed dignity. Or another option would be the use of a pet possum year after year, again in basic standard of care enviroment approved by local vets or animal rights organisation. This method of stong arm tatics just loses local animal rights support [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

You're right, wellard - these type of tactics are why PETA is viewed so negatively by so many. I know you support them and I respect that. I also know that they DO - occasionally - still stumble on legitimately serious animal rights violations. I beleive it was Chewbacca that posted a story about PETA intervening on behalf of some research animals at Columbia University not long ago.

But this is literally a case of them being strong arm bullies and actually cutting their nose off to spite their face.

Why? Because the possum that is chosen for the "Possum Drop" easily has the most carefree and comfortable life of any possum in the county for an entire year. They are kept in a safe environment and fed cat food every day. No more struggling for food, no more worrying about becoming roadkill, no more worrying about predators. And all the possum has to do in return is be the star of the show on New Year's Eve...after which, it is release back into the wild to continue it's life as nature intended.

As for the concerns expressed earlier about the possum becoming "less fearful" of humans and coming around their houses more...well, possums aren't very shy about that to begin with. They are well known for scavenging through trash cans or pet food bowls left outside. The only threat they face when doing this is from the owner's pets - if they happen to be dogs.

It just makes me angry that PETA can make a threat like this and ruin a celebration that has been carried on for 13 years. It isn't like they have actually been here to see this "perverse and reckless" practice for themselves. In fact, they would never have known about it if the NY Times had't covered it.

Fortunately, most people can see just how ridiculous their gripe is in this instance...and as you said.....that just undermines what little credibility they have left.

[Timber Loftis]

PETA does not fund ELF or ALF. Some of their members show moral support sometimes, but the organization as a whole is against these groups -- and using violence at all. While they ARE biased, so are the GMO companies and beef companies. Did you know MOST of the USDA's leading people are ex-Beef industry or ex-GMO industry execs? It is a totally captured agency.

USDA does its "tours" of GMO facilities to "educate" teachers in Illinois. They allow no discontent to be show, and refuse to visit organic facilities -- only Monsanto, etc. PETA and other grass roots groups combat this through education. And, they have my Kudos. As always, each side deserves representation.