Edwards has 'never heard of PETA'

[babylonsister]

Not a slam at all, though I think this is odd...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/primarysource/2007/06/edwards_has_nev.html

Edwards has 'never heard of PETA'

DERRY, N.H. -- Responding to a question at a bookstore here, John Edwards said he has never heard of PETA, the animal rights group.

"I can honestly say I have never heard of PETA," said Edwards. "They don't want people to eat meat? Well I am not in favor of that."

The PETA acronym stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The group works to prevent abuse of animals on factory farms, in laboratories and the clothing and entertainment industries.

Edwards, who has positioned himself as one of the most progressive Democratic candidates, is in New Hampshire for two days of campaigning.

[flvegan]

1. Odd. I'd love to know what the question was.

Funny how they don't offer that up.

[babylonsister]

3. Something to do with a vegetarian agenda?

:shrug: I imagine PETA will have something to say about this.

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/

John Edwards: I've "Never Heard Of PETA" — Opposes Vegetarian Agenda
At a campaign stop in a New Hampshire bookstore, John Edwards was asked a question about animal-rights group PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "I can honestly say I have never heard of PETA," said Edwards. "They don't want people to eat meat? Well I am not in favor of that."

[LeftyMom]

6. I'm sure glad we get an agenda too.

I was starting to feel left out, what with the gays flaunting their agenda around all the time and all.

[babylonsister]

9. Oooh! I'm just quoting from the article; not really sure how a veg.

agenda fits in with ignorance of PETA.

[LeftyMom]

10. I know. I just always wanted my very own agenda, and a horrible accident of birth left me deprived.

We just need something good to keep it in. The Gays use a Hello Kitty Trapper Keeper for theirs.

[flvegan]

13. "Opposes vegetarian agenda" means what?

And who said that? And what agenda? What a bunch of shit.

All I can say is that I'm once again PROUD of PETA. Shit, they're on the tongues of would-be presidents. Woo fucking ha.

[Straight Shooter]

2. According to the right wing, that's a terrorist group.

Now they'll say that Edwards doesn't even recognize who the terrorists are.

[provis99]

27. for once I agree with the right wing

PETA is a terrorist group. They blow up buildings, terrorize people, have injured and killed people opposed to their tactics, and turned on their own members who rejected their violent message.

[Straight Shooter]

32. I think you have PETA confused with another animal rights group.

Some members were recently sentenced for setting fire to an auto dealership, something like that.

I suggest you write PETA with your claims stated here and request a response from them.

[athebea]

41. ELF is just the logical extension of PETA...

... in precisely the way abortion clinic bombers are the logical extension of Operation Rescue. And the Weather Underground was the logical extension of the SDS.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

4. Edwards has "never heard of Kucinich."

Edwards adds, "He doesn't eat what!?"

[Jim Sagle]

24. Who the hell is Kucinich?

[PurityOfEssence]

30. Odd...they're very close friends

When Jon Stewart asked Kucinich which one of the fellow contenders he liked the most during the '04 primary season, he said Edwards.

If he hasn't heard of the organization, that's pretty surprising; I was working on PSAs for them in 1989. The phrasing does make this sound very suspect, though; if the organization was represented to him as one that demands that people don't eat meat, it's quite fair to identify oneself as being against that. He's a pluralist.

[MH1]

5. What is he not in favor of? People who don't want to eat meat?

Or is he not in favor of eating meat?

Or just not in favor of a group that wants people to not eat meat?

Hmmm...since option 2 seems the least likely, I guess he just lost the vegetarian vote. Not that he'd care of course....

[babylonsister]

8. I have no idea; the story is short on facts other than he's never heard of PETA. nt

[polichick]

7. Huh?

An attorney who's never heard of PETA??

[tinfoilinfor2005]

19. Exactly.

I like Edwards, but honestly I am astounded that a person (doctor, lawyer, or indian chief) could possibly live in this country, read a newspaper, watch a news show, and not know who PETA is. I bet Elizabeth knows and I bet she groaned when she heard this.

[Bjorn Against]

11. He is not in favor of people who don't want to eat meat?

Are there any other foods that he is opposed to people choosing not to eat?

I like Edwards but that statement is just plain stupid, I am a vegetarian and I would have a hard time supporting someone in the primaries who thinks my diet is wrong. I could deal with him putting down PETA, but why did he have to implicate all vegetarians in his statement?

[venable]

23. he does not join in with those who are against OTHER people eating meat

this is not that complex.

He is not - at least in this statement - disapproving of people who are vegetarians. He is disapproving of people saying that OTHERS should not eat meat.

He is a country boy from rural north carolina.

If I follow the story correctly, someone explained PETA as being against the eating of meat. He is a meat eater. He doesn't support the argument that a group should tell another what to eat.

Frankly, it's simply a pro-choice statement. (I think. the story pretty skimpy)

[wyldwolf]

12. If God hadn't wanted us to eat animals...

... he wouldn't have made them out of meat. :shrug:

[jefferson_dem]

15. By that same token, people are also made of "meat"...

So are cats and dogs.

Follow the logic, eh.

[geek tragedy]

17. Well, I imagine a lion would say the same

thing about us were we to be locked in a cage with it.

[wyldwolf]

21. mmmm... burgers.

[Freddie Stubbs]

33. There are no prohibitions on cannibalism in the bible

At least not directly.

[Forkboy]

38. This guy already did follow that logic....

A man has confessed to murdering and eating another man who allegedly volunteered to be killed, in a case that has shocked Germany.

"He was a normal person, to speak to him, drink a glass of beer with him - just like you and me." - Neighbour Joerg Paulusen

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2569095.stm
Man held for German 'cannibal killing'

:crazy:

[jenmarie]

26. ROFLOL!!!

Oh! Thanks for the laugh, wyldwolf! You're funny!
:rofl:

[defendandprotect]

14. "All violence begins with the fork...." Ghandi

Shocking that Edwards is so amazed at the concept of PETA --
What human being alive doesn't automatically question animal eating -- usually in youth?
Also -- as someone who should be concerned with pollution of the planet, Edwards should be aware that the eating of animals contributes greatly to the pollution of our air, water, soil --

And the actual eating of animals contributes mightly to our illnesses/diseases.

Right now there's a recall on 40,000 pounds of ground meat from Tyson shipped to WalMart -- E-COLI.

Btw, how do you wash ground meat?
Did you ever watch what's her name Ray cook on TV -- a package of meat is simply opened and used.
Never washed!
That's when it isn't something from a can!
How do they get away with this garbage on TV --
Cooking shows with food that produces nothing but obesity and poor health!

[blm]

16. Edwards is a Carolina boy - hog industry farms rule in NC.

You don't see much of PETA activism in NC. Hard to imagine anyone who travels the country not hearing about PETA, though.

[bling bling]

18. Sounds like he was given a simplistic definition of PETA.

Not wanting people to eat meat is not their only mission. Based on his reply, it sounds like Edwards was told that PETA is a group that doesn't want people to eat meat. For him to say he's not in favor of that seems appropriate, in that context.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

20. Smart Move

He should distance himself from this. Go populist instead.

Personally, I eat meat and if someone tell me not to I'll tell them to make love to themselves.

[athebea]

40. PETA is obnoxious

Once I was walking in front of Sack's Fifth Avenue in Manhattan near 5th and 57th. There was a PETA booth there on the sidewalk. Crossing the street nearby, there was a woman with her two small children and wearing a fur coat. One of the PETA women bound from the booth and screamed in her face that she was immoral and uncivilized and loudly deplored the values she was teaching her children.

There will always be people who want a license to be obnoxious moral snobs. There will always be people who want the power to remake the world in their image. There will always be people who want to play revolutionary but in a safe and comfortable way that requires no contact with the 'lower orders'. PETA is how you can be a 'revolutionary' but among a 'better class of people'.

[NCarolinawoman]

22. For a Democrat, Edwards has never scored very high on animal rights issues.

You can check it all out at votesmart.org. They have a special category on Animal Rights and Wildlife Issues. There are ratings from organizations like Fund for Animals, Humane Society, Animal Protection Institute, etc.

Edwards scores in the range of 50% to 71%. Now a lot of the Republicans go as low as a big fat "0". But Biden, Clinton, Dodd, and Dennis K. often score 100%. I think Obama is good as well, but I'd have to go back and check.

[AndreaCG]

25. Too bad

Someone should educate Edwards about the ecological benefits of cutting back on meat, even if you don''t give it up altogether. I won't even get into morality.

But then, in An Inconvenient Truth, Gore glided over how becoming a vegetarian has a positive effect on the environment.

Kucinich of course is well informed about the vegetarian /vegan lifestyle. I bet Hillary is too, since Chelsea has been a vegetarian for quite a while (although I think she and Bill still eat meat).

[Connie_Corleone]

28. He may be from North Carolina, but how can you not know PETA?

I'm no fan of the organization, but I've heard about them on the news or I've read something in the paper about them. That's how I know about PETA.

All the controversy they cause and he's never heard of them?

[JI7]

31. yeah, that's what is so strange about this, maybe it's a misunderstanding

and even though he is from North CArolina he has campaigned in other states and was Senator.

[KoKo]

36. Only way I know about PETA is from folks here at DU...I'd never heard

of them either. NC Newspapers don't usually get into things like that...so I can understand why he's not heard of them.

I've supported Animial Welfare organizations for years, too. :shrug:

[jillan]

29. Well that just means one thing

Edwards is probably not going to get the PETA vote.

[donsu]

34. I cannot believe he never heard of PETA - he just didn't want to

talk about it.

[LBJDemocrat]

35. So?

He doesn't want to be linked too PETA. I think he's right. PETA's kind of out there, politically.

[tammywammy]

37. Really?

Someone as well educated as him and a practiced lawyer doesn't know who PETA is? Seriously? Are you sure he wasn't joking or something? How does someone with access to news and other sources not know what PETA is?

[Colobo]

39. Anybody who doesn't like PETA is a winner in my book.

[gulliver]

42. He should just ask Elizabeth.

She'll tell him what to say. ;-)

Kidding. Love ya, John Edwards, and would vote for you over anyone else in the race so far. You sometimes come off kind of naive, though. Pamela Anderson was on the TV to talk about PETA, but you probably averted your eyes.

[CK_John]

43. If this is true, he's toast. Just another bubble head surrounded by sand.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

44. No he's not toast. I think PETA should stay away from our candidates

PETA equated the treatment of animals to a Holocaust. I'm Jewish and this offends me that Holocaust victims should be compared to animals in a factory. PETA is a celebrity-driven sensationalist group that harms more than helps the animal rights cause.

Also, the whole "walking around naked to protest fur" thing is stupid as hell.

Anyone agree?

[question everything]

45. Smart man who knows his priorities

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1092022

PETAKiDS site encourages kids to throw tomatoes at women wearing fur.

[LBJDemocrat]

46. Detestable

Really detestable. Edwards is playing it right.

[Savannah_H]

47. Reply

It probably was the way it was spelled.

[nankerphelge]

48. Lost my vote.

n/t