MSU prof in PETA poll for worst animal offender
Clarification: Drew Winter, who is quoted in the article as president of Students Promoting Animal Rights, is a contributing columnist for The State News.
Cat eyes and monkey brains.
The two sound more appropriate for discussion during a Halloween party in October, but they are currently the focus of an April poll by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, to determine which university has the worst animal testing offender — of which MSU has a professor in the final two.
The candidate is Arthur Weber, a physiology human medicine professor whose glaucoma research involves removing the eyes from live cats.
“This means that Dr. Weber has been voted as being among the most notorious animal experimenters in the country,” said Eva Vieyra-McDaniel, media coordinator with PETA, in an e-mail. “Which is certainly dragging down an otherwise respectable university.”
Marc Breedlove, chairman of MSU’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, said PETA’s portrayal of Weber is very misleading, and the cats he experiments with don’t feel pain during the operation.
Breedlove spoke on Weber’s behalf, per request of Weber, who declined to comment on the story.
“The animals are completely anesthetized, receive painkillers, and once the animals come out of the anesthesia, 10 minutes later you can’t tell the difference,” Breedlove said.
Weber has made the finals of the online poll, pitting him against researchers from Duke University whom experiment with monkey brains.
“Weber’s spent 25 years torturing cats by removing their eyes while they’re still alive,” the summary on Blog.peta.org reads. “... anyone going up against Weber and the (MSU) vivisectors should know that, like the cats who go under Weber’s knife, they’re in for a world of pain.”
Breedlove said Weber’s testing was reviewed for animal care concerns at MSU according to the Public Health Service Policy and the Animal Welfare Act, and also received peer review from the National Institute of Health.
“You can’t perform any research on animals until the research has been reviewed by a committee, including people from the community,” Breedlove said.
The research is particularly important, he said, because glaucoma causes blindness for millions of Americans every year, and Weber’s study could prevent or reverse the damage.
“If a treatment is found that prevents retinal cell death in cats with glaucoma, it might prevent retinal cell death in people with glaucoma,” he said.
Drew Winter, president of Students Promoting Animal Rights, or SPAR, and an English senior, said he’s against animal experimentation in general, regardless of whether or not the cats were conscious.
“There are many alternatives out there,” he said. “Computer-generated models and single cellular tests both yield accurate results.”
Winter said you can’t rely on animal tests because humans react differently to different medicines.
The Food and Drug Administration has considered banning animal testing by the next 10 years, he said, which is more incentive for MSU to move away from that type of research.
“For a cutting-edge university, SPAR would like to see them take a more productive role in testing more humanely,” Winter said.
Published on Sunday, April 13, 2008
Comments
PETA Hates People
04/13/08 @ 11:50pm
If the cure to AIDS, cancer and muscular dystrophy could be solved with only the loss of one animal’s life PETA would lobby against despite the advantages.
I’m all up for ethical treatment of test animals. Tests using animals should show an immediate human health need that would be alleviated by the test. But to cut off medical research that saves lives simply because of some idea that animals are above humans is irresponsible.
Computer models cannot fully examine the complexity of genetics and side effects of medicine, no matter how much PETA would like to think so. Science with strong ethical consideration for animals should be the way of proceeding.
Jason Van Dyke
04/13/08 @ 11:57pm
So what? PETA is a terrorist organization. They give money for the legal defense of those who commit acts of domestic terrorism against schools just like MSU. On at least one occasion, they gave money directly to a terrorist group – the ELF. They have a history of encouraging acts of vandalism and other criminal acts and I do not see this stopping any time soon. For PETA to call an MSU professor a top animal offender would be like Al Qaida calling me a top infidel. In Michigan, the best way to deal with PETA is with handcuffs. Of course, I would prefer a more natural way of dealing with PETA terrorists than handcuffs: rope.
Disgusting
04/14/08 @ 12:42am
In response to those who call PETA a terrorist organization, I am not going to disagree. Frankly, I don’t know everything about PETA. Regardless, whatever your opinion of PETA is, you can still show a little compassion towards the mistreatment of these test animals. The thought of removing the eyes of a live animal is incredibly disgusting, and I cringed as I read this article. For that reason, I hope that as a cutting edge university we can overcome this inhumanity. Just because you dislike PETA doesn’t mean that we should mistreat animals just to spite them.
common sense
04/14/08 @ 1:11am
FREE MICHAEL VICK!
Ryan
04/14/08 @ 8:05am
I can’t believe that anybody could read what it Weber has done, and come to any conclusion except that he is a disturbed individual.
If he were inflicting this kind of cruel and senseless testing on the cats that share many peoples homes, he would be in jail, and rightfully so.
Tony
04/14/08 @ 8:21am
Ingrid Newkirk is the President of PETA and she would do just as much to help a person in need as she would an animal which is more than what most people would do for either. Compassion for animals translates very directly to compassion for people. There are countless studies that show violence toward animals is a precursor to violence toward people.
If you took 15 minutes out of your busy day to learn something about PETA instead of forming opinions based on brief media reports, you might realize that they are not as radical as one might think. They are, with the help of people such as Ron Artest and Paul McCartney, trying to reduce the number of dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters every year. Evil people for sure.
As far as using animals in medical testing, again you need to do a little studying to learn about the advances made in non-animal testing. In many cases it is a cheaper and more cost effective method but it is different and it will take a little effort to change. This professor has been doing things the same way for 25 years and seems unwilling to take the time to learn new methods. I hope he sees cats in his dreams.
This is just another case of the United States falling behind the Europeans. Climate change, animal rights issues, human rights issues. It’s time we stop thinking only of ourselves and try to make the world a better place.
PETA Not For Animals
04/14/08 @ 9:00am
PETA has been quoted as welcoming foot and mouth to the united states because it would cripple the agriculture industry, (not to mention undermine the public health system). If PETA had its wall all of the animals would be released and allowed to starve since that is the humane and just thing to do. (Except predators they would have a field day with all of the chickens, just pretend being a fox and boom you have a thousand chickens just sitting around.) Animal research when done correctly (and MSU throws a hissy fit when it is not) benifits both humans and animals. As for computer models, the body is a hell of a lot more complex than a computer how can you expect human programming to predict something when we don’t know it in the first place.
PETA is a terriorist organisation and I would be estatic if the federal government took action and treated them like the scum they are.
Matt
04/14/08 @ 9:13am
I feel so much better about PETA now. I used to think they were a bunch of mindless nutheads that would rather save a hampster over a human. Now that I know such well rounded individuals like Ron Artest (he’s not a violent person)support their cause, I’ll will join today!
Think4Yourself
04/14/08 @ 9:17am
Ryan,
If you really want to know what Professor Weber does with cats, don’t just accept PETA’s distorted description. That research, like all research at MSU, is published in the open literature. If you read what really happens, you’ll see that PETA is trying to deceive you about the research. If you get information from only one source, you’re letting that source manipulate you.
TwinkleTwinkle
04/14/08 @ 9:30am
There is a similar thing going on at a university in Australia. They are cutting open the throats of live rabbits and then pumping their bodies full of different sorts of drugs to see the affect it has on their heart. This procedure is done by student! Students who have the option of viewing a movie instead, but often choose not to. Its been captured on tape and you can view it on the internet. The difference between these 2 studies is I’m not sure if the cats are killed afterward? Or are they just made to live without their eyes? The rabbits were injected with lethal doses of whichever serums they were using and then disposed of as medical waste. The best thing anyone can do is be aware.
John Q.Public
04/14/08 @ 9:30am
Let’s take ol’Ingrid’s eyes out!!
PETA- not what you think it is!
04/14/08 @ 9:49am
If the writer of this article actually looked at all the information available about Dr. Weber’s research project, he’d have written that the removal of the eye is done under general anesthesia, and it is a TERMINAL procedure, meaning these animals do not recover from anesthesia, they are humanely euthanized without ever waking up to feel anything!!! The author totally takes everything out of proper context.. nothing like the liberal media to skew things, right?? PETA is a terrorist organization.. and i’ve seen documentaries on Ingrid, even ones that she WANTED to happen, and she coems off as nothing but a nutjob. What PETA doesn’t want you to know is that they really do want all the pets in the humane societies and shelters euthanized rather then adopted out, because they don’t believe people should own animals as pets at all! YES! THEY’D RATHER SEE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF ANIMALS DEAD THEN OWNED BY LOVING FAMILIES~!! so mr. article writer, take that piece of information and put it where the black hole is in your skull.
Tony
04/14/08 @ 9:50am
Like any other organization, PETA has members that are more radical than others. To call them a terrorist organization and compare them to Al Qaida is amateurish and only shows your ignorance. How many people has PETA killed? I’m sure there are people involved with PETA that are also involved with the ELF (comparing the ELF to Al Qaida is also ridiculous) just as I’m sure there are people involved with the NRA and the KKK. Does that mean that the NRA supports the hatred of the KKK?
Think4Yourself, you seem to know more about this research. Please inform the rest of us as I am unable at the moment to do this research on my own.
Matt, were you able to understand what I mentioned about the correlation between violence toward animals and violence toward humans? I think most people from PETA would try to save the hampster and the person.
Stephen
04/14/08 @ 9:57am
P=People E=Eating T=Tasty A=Animals
HAM
04/14/08 @ 10:05am
Hey, no one has yet to ask where these glorious cats come from. I hope Weber pulls them right off the street so they’re not eating out of my garbage anymore, then again I dislike PETA so much (not just from my own opinions based on media reports – but by actually doing research of my own)that I hope he steals them from PETA’s homes.
Hey, weren’t those four arraigned in the Ag Hall fire members of PETA?
Tony
04/14/08 @ 10:06am
Stephen – that’s very original. I’m glad you shared your wit with us.
How is PETA not a Terriorist
04/14/08 @ 10:13am
Ummm how can you not call peta a terriorist organization. A organization which preaches the end of american society. A organization who firebombs buildings on this campus. A organization who with callious disregard to life of all forms both two and four legged preaches a utopia which all suffer. A organization who whiches our society to regress to point in history where (I don’t know humans always ate animals) A organization who would rather perform medical resarch on humans rather than animals (that sounds a little like hitler to me)
My vote and I would hope the vote of most people. I like animals and I do not wish to see them suffer. But the work of PETA will undermine all that the race of humans have attained for the past thousands of years.
Where does PETA expect these animals to go once we release them to the wild. Little does the public know that PETA wishes that all the animals are killed so they don’t suffer. (How the hell does that work)
Lets treat PETA like they want to treat animals. Throw them out in the street and tell them we won’t feed you, protect you, or treat your illnesses, but we’ll treat you nice otherwise.
alumni
04/14/08 @ 10:25am
PETA’s “list” was just one more desperate attempt to get press. The State News fell for it in repeating PETA’s misrepresentatations.
PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk calls her organization a bunch of “media whores’
What does that say about the State News?
Proud NOT to be from MSU
04/14/08 @ 10:30am
“I abhor vivisection….it should be abolished. I know of no achievement through vivisection, no scientific discovery, that could not have been obtained without such barbarism and cruelty. The whole thing is evil.” Dr. Charles Mayo, Mayo Clinic
Tony
04/14/08 @ 10:37am
The people that started the fire in Ag Hall were part of the Earth Liberation Front. I think they also wore shoes. Let’s persecute everyone who wears shoes.
PETA’s mission statement:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 1.8 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world.
PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other “pests,” and the abuse of backyard dogs.
PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
If you’re going to try to make a case against PETA, please do it sincerely and with some accuracy.
Dudes McCool
04/14/08 @ 10:45am
Proud NOT to be from MSU : If you HAD gone to MSU, you would know that vivisection describes cutting open living things to see how organs work, etc., a practice more popular in the 19th century, when there was no anesthesia. What Weber was doing was putting cats to sleep to get their eyes, not cutting them open to see how their eyes work. Here’s hoping you get glaucoma.
Information
04/14/08 @ 10:46am
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/31287/PDFSTART
This link connects to a published full text article by Dr. Weber. It is unaltered and uninterrupted. The description of procedures preformed on research animals is included under the Materials and Methods section. Read for yourself then decide.
ad hominem
04/14/08 @ 11:14am
Attacks against PETA itself, whether warranted or not, don’t have much to do with the issue at hand. When thinking about this issue, you should examine the argument at hand and whether it is correct or baseless, not who is making it.
In this case, I agree with the post above; read the report and see what you think. You will find that as kittens, the animals had their eyes damaged and were raised that way until at least 1 year of life. Then they were put under heavy general anesthesia, had their eyes removed, and were euthenized (killed). From a physical pain standpoint, a painless procedure, but if you don’t think we should be treating animals this way, you should let Weber know. That is what PETA has done, and I can’t hold it against them.
Tony-Ton-ay!
04/14/08 @ 11:21am
Tony,
I hardly think that going to PETA’s website and copying/pasting their mission statement is arguing with sincerity/accuracy.
Rocko
04/14/08 @ 11:26am
The article shows both sides and allows the reader to form their own opinion.
Some people might not like that real live cats are being experimented on, regardless of whether PETA was right in misinterpreting the “pain” of the cats. State News was just reporting on what people were saying.
GROW UP!
04/14/08 @ 11:42am
Who cares what PETA publishes? I can’t believe anyone would bother to spend time reading a piece by anyone even remotely associated with this ultra-left wing nutcase TERRORIST organization. Liberal terrorists will routinely suck the brains out of nearly full-term fully-developed LIVE HUMAN BEINGS then carve them up & yank the pieces out of inconvenienced liberal women – and call it their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT before they would blind a cat. A CAT!!!!
Maureen
04/14/08 @ 12:14pm
If it wasn’t for organizations like PETA scientists would not even have to justify their highly questionable methods. The European Union is on the verge of changing to alternative methods in laboratory testing. The world is changing whether the Arthur Webers of this world like it or not.
Veggie Lover
04/14/08 @ 12:38pm
Dog meat tastes great!
Crazies
04/14/08 @ 12:55pm
I still remember when PETA came to campus a few years back with huge banners and signs. The two I recall most compared:
1) slavery to chicken farms
2)The raising of farm animals to the Holocaust.
I don’t know about you but I’d say that pretty much erases their credibility on just about anything. While this particular research I admit I don’t know much about, PETA has lost any respect or credibility to the point that no one takes them seriously (other than those terrorists who attacked MSU from the Earth Liberation Front that are now where they belong)
Tony
04/14/08 @ 2:08pm
I can assure you that corporations take PETA seriously. I won’t bore you by pasting anything from their web site but there is a long list of companies that have changed their ways after being targeted by PETA.
Rush Limbaugh says some pretty wacky stuff and he’s a republican so I guess they’re all bad. Louis Farrakhan says some pretty wacky stuff and he’s a democrat (I think) so I guess they’re all bad. The truth is there are some radical members of every organization. To think that 1.8 million people all agree with the most left wing or right wing of the group is crazy.
Is PETA more of a terrorist organization than the National Right to Life? I think they’ve actually killed people. Maybe you can find some evidence of PETA sponsored deaths or even injuries but a quick google search didn’t find any. They use some outrageous stunts and celebrities to get their point across. Of course, the ELF and ALF (eco-terrorists – real big difference to terrorists mind you) are going to back PETA. They are the extreme of the group just like the crazies that just had their religious compound raided. Does that mean Mitt Romney wants to marry his 12 year old cousin?
Lastly, you argue and argue that PETA is all bad and evil but they are at least, in their eyes, trying to make the world a better place. What are you doing?
anonymous
04/14/08 @ 3:23pm
Why is it such taboo to society to hear of scientists performing these experiments on animals? Mammals in general share many physiological mechanisms therefore it is quintessential that testing be conducted to improve the longevity of our lives and you children’s lives. So PETA organizers and supporters find something else to do rather than destroy respectable professors’ reputations for NO REASON (ignorance is never a reason).
Just some kid
04/14/08 @ 4:31pm
PETA is full of wackos. You’re better off not defending it or ever being associated with it.
‘sides, PETA kills more animals than most.
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
http://www.nokillnow.com/PETAIngridNewkirkResign.htm
even fucking ignorant nazi’s think PETA’s fucked up
http://www.skinheads.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3639
Just some kid
04/14/08 @ 4:44pm
In response to tony saying that eco-terrorists and terrorists are different: what the hell are you talking about? They’re terrorists. They blow shit up and try to bring down the social system. Their reasons for doing so are incidental. Their actions, not their beliefs, are what qualify them as terrorists.
Think about it this way: If PETA orchestrated the oklahoma city bombing, would it really change anything? The fact that they did it for justifiable ideals doesnt put the building back together. Im pretty sure McVeigh had what he saw as justifiable reasons.
Aureus
04/14/08 @ 6:28pm
And people thought that Cedar Fest put a black mark on the face of the university…
veal for dinner tonight!
04/14/08 @ 7:03pm
I hope everyone in PETA gets AIDS.
Stephen
04/14/08 @ 7:14pm
WOW!!!! Tony you sure dazzle me with your knowledge.
Do you eat tasty animals?
People Eating Tasty Animals
04/14/08 @ 7:15pm
These PETA fanatics are always up to something. If the guy has been doing it for 25 years why is this just getting brought up now?!! I mean, I love animals and own a dog and a cat. But if it is for research purposes and if they do not feel any pain, I don’t see the big deal. It’s not like he is getting all Michael Vick with the animals.
Tony
04/14/08 @ 9:13pm
Eco-terrorists such as the ALF and the ELF do not kill people. I’m not denying that they are terrorists because they do attempt to scare people into conforming with their views. What I consider a terrorist is someone like Tim McVeigh and members of Al Qaeda. They have killed many people obviously.
During my research today, I have found some disturbing things (thank you “Just some kid”)about PETA but I’ve also read about a lot of good things they have accomplished. Personally, I’m not a member and I’m not sure if I will ever be. What I am convinced of is that we should be doing everything we can to minimize the need for animal testing. Something we’re not doing very well here in the US. I’m sure that computer modeling and other alternative methods will be far cheaper in the long run and ultimately lead to less human and animal suffering.
Stephen, I’m only here to dazzle you. I hope you have been enlightened. No, I don’t eat animals. I do have leather shoes although I may not ever buy more. I buy fair trade clothing, coffee and various other items. I think you’ll find most people that support the actions of PETA and the Humane Society also support the actions of the United Way. It’s called compassion and it isn’t just for animals.
Anon
04/14/08 @ 9:13pm
According to the Center for Consumer Freedom, PETA knew about the plot to burn down an MSU research lab. Who the hell cares what that group thinks. Stop giving this controversial group publicity and let our researchers do their jobs in peace.
Link: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/2339
Veal tastes like food
04/14/08 @ 10:16pm
Tony:
I hope you are not an MSU student. If so, you should ask for your money back. You are an idiot. Quit now.
I'm not a pansy
04/14/08 @ 11:55pm
Rocko: The State News never publishes anything unbiased. Just check out the article in today’s paper about the Royal Hanneford Circus (I know some of you in this discussion would love to chime in on this)
If you want REAL unbiased, well researched reporting, check this out:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87803961
Jason Van Dyke
04/15/08 @ 12:02am
Eco-terrorists may not specifically target people, but they do fire-bomb buildings and its only a matter of time before they do kill someone. If Timothy McVeigh had blown up a building with nobody in it, that would not have made it right and he would have still deserved to be punished.
Lets take a hypothetical and say that I want to condone the fire-bombing of abortion clinics. Many people would condemn that – and for good reason. It’s dangerous and it’s against the law. I may disagree with the laws on abortion, but that does not give me any type of excuse to bomb or burn a building simply because I want to preserve the lives of unborn babies. We have a political process, and if I want to end the abortion holocaust, I have to do so by using the process. Why is this so hard to understand for the animal rights people?
Homogenizing
04/15/08 @ 12:31am
Fredrik
04/15/08 @ 2:06am
I simply can’t wait for this kind of irrationality that the news of animal abuse generates. We’ve got people commenting about those PETA terrorists who “actually don’t want to help animals”, then we’ve got the dickface trolls getting their little joy out of posting irrelevant puns, and best of all we’ve got those people arguing in favor of animal abuse, yet all of these anti-PETA anti-animal perspectives act as if their argument is the rational one DESPITE the fact that they’re defending something they’re horribly biased in favor of; something society has conditioned them to forever defend in this status quo world of human superiority. The wonder of it all is that the world’s problems are human generated and thus human preventable. I could understand if God was the one dictating everything, but it’s just us selfish fuck humans.
Dr David Mitchell
04/15/08 @ 8:39am
Thank you Fredrik (“I simply can’t wait for this kind of irrationality that the news of animal…”>
At last someone here has summed up the situation as it really
is.
The morons who can only make wholly inane remarks about the campaigns
against animal abuse, PETA, are very sad, and obviously ignorant,
people.
Animal Rights Terrorists? Really? How many animal abusers have been
killed yet? Absolutely none. And yet this is called terrorism?
Get real…
The only terrorism which arises is the terror of shareholders when the drug companies cannot produce yet more ‘me-too’ copycat drugs and
medication that would be unnecessary if people changed their
unhealthy lifestyles…..
Wil
04/15/08 @ 9:29am
@anonymous and anon:
If you think that describing what a researcher does with his time is ruining his reputation, doesn’t that say more about what he is doing and not so much about the people that are describing it? I don’t understand the willful ignorance shown by people. And I’m frightened by the heartlessness that many people think is funny.
Smart
04/15/08 @ 7:56pm
I strongly believe you should listen to Dr. Breedlove. He is correct about this. I’ve known Mr. Weber almost all of my life. He is doing good. He is trying to help people with Glaucoma. Instead, he is receiving DEATH THREATS! The cats are under anesthesia! It’s true: PETA really would love a hamster over a human being. People are so quick to hate by listening to what is really, well, a desperate grab for press. Thanks to hatred from people that don’t even have the facts, millions of Jews were murdered in concentration camps in the 40s. I find it so horrible that people would be willing to try to kill Mr. Weber without even knowing the facts in the first place. Sick, sadistic freaks are targeting people when they do not even know what’s going on. I think that if you leave your computer thinking of Mr. Weber as awful, then you are truly hating someone you don’t even know, when you don’t even have the facts. He has children, and they are afraid for him. That should not be put upon children. This is true hatred, like the holocaust.
Tabitha
04/15/08 @ 7:58pm
Can somebody give me the phone number of the animal that appointed Ingrid Newkirk their spokesperson?
What?
She euthanized it five years ago?
Animals may be killed in research, but at least they don’t die in vain..unlike the ones Ingrid kills.
T.J.
04/16/08 @ 10:40pm
He is an awful person. Who gives him the right and authority to proclaim a human’s life worth more than any other creatures. I agree with Frederik, especially about “The wonder of it all is that the world’s problems are human generated and thus human preventable.” The reason we are getting things such as cancer, GLAUCOMA, etc. is because of what we’ve made the world. Pollution and unhealthy lifestyles are what causes 99% of what they use animals to try to find cures for. Animals should not suffer for the IGNORANT choices of humans.
Tabitha
04/17/08 @ 12:28pm
T.J., cancer has been around as long as man. You cannot blame that on the world today.
And considering there’s someone in my family suffering from cancer right now…IIII am the one hereby proclaiming her life worth more than rat’s. Step outside your little PETA box and do REAL research on the subject. You’ll be WAY surprised. Just as you’d be surprised that researchers probably kill less animals than PETA does.
Becci
04/17/08 @ 2:21pm
Blah blah blah PETA euthanized some animals. Big fucking deal. Now go back to your cheeseburger, you moral high-grounder. Maybe PETA doesn’t always do the right thing, but that doesn’t give you the excuse to do whatever YOU want without any responsibility. I love how whenever faced with an issue of animal abuse and how we can go about stopping it, some people like to blurt, “Oh…oh yeah? Well, uh, you know, PETA kills animals!” Get real.
Back in the 90’s, it was discovered that United Way was involved in some major embezzling scandal. I guess that means we don’t need to help homeless and disadvantaged people anymore—hey, did you hear? United Way stole a bunch of money! We’re off the hook!
Completely Disgusted with MSU!
04/17/08 @ 3:01pm
Many friends and family members of mine have glaucoma, and I asked ALL of them how they felt about animal testing to find a cure. Every single one of them agreed that they do NOT want animal testing, especially having cats eyes removed, simply so they can see better.
I personally believe it is cruel to do this and would rather be blindan kind that seeing and cruel.
Navigator
04/17/08 @ 5:26pm
Hey, for all you who are interested, check this out:
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/04/
That’s the blog portion for the month of April where PETA supporters expressed their thoughts on Arthur Weber. Some fine thoughts under the comments section for April 8, like how they would like to cut his eyes while he’s alive, etc. Ethical treatment my foot.
Navigator
04/17/08 @ 5:30pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRk7ygbkA-c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAJ_KLAMzio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KOnyJ_WE5s
Some other interesting links that are highly informative for all people, PETA lovers or haters.
Marsha MacHardy
04/17/08 @ 6:23pm
Arthur Weber’s “work” is horrific and barbaric. We understand the story here. PETA does some great things as well as a few off the wall things in our opinion. Regardless, animal experimentation, especially what Mr. Weber is doing needs to be abolished. There are alternatives. I wonder what grants (government/private) he and his program have been giving over the years. We have members of our family that are in the veterinary medical profession. This work of Arthur Weber is SICK AND DISTURBED. Hope to read future news that MSU has taken the steps to do the right thing and change this.
Tony knows
04/17/08 @ 8:33pm
Good stuff, Tony! Most anti-PETA people get their ‘information’ from Center for Consumer Freedom, which has several web sites under different names), and is a front group for the tobacco, alcohol, and food industries run by a public relations expert who got his start by asking for and receiving $600,000 from Philip Morris Tobacco Company.
So-called eco-terrorist groups have never killed anyone, which is more than I can say for hunters. Here are the statistics, state by state, from a pro-hunting site. http://www.ihea.com/news-and-events/incident-reports/incident-reports-2002-to-2007.php
With millions of animals being tortured and killed every year in the name of animal research, how many actual cures have taken place in the last 50 years? That’s billions of animals with little to show for it. Even if there were real progress, I wouldn’t let someone like Weber near my cat or any other animal. How can anyone say experimenting on other cats is fine because their cat was supposedly helped by it? That’s so hypocritical. Those cats have the same feelings as someone’s pet but they’re traumatized and killed. Even if experiments weren’t archaic and barbaric, humans weren’t meant to live forever. It’s nature’s way of culling our rapidly expanding population. However, there is nothing remotely natural about animal labs. If there was some magical animal that could cure all of humans ails, like some people seem to think, other diseases would come along to take their places. May there be a special place in hell for animal experimenters, like Weber.
poopooplatter
04/20/08 @ 3:34am
To all of you advocates of “alternative methods”:
-What are they?
-What is their efficacy (post links to SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS, not PETA websites)?
-What are their drawbacks?
-Where have they been used before(again post links to SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS, not PETA websites)?
If you can’t answer these 4 questions, please shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Saramazingg
04/21/08 @ 5:52pm
PETA is not a terrorist organization. There are terrorists who like what PETA stands for and are in PETA but PETA itself is not a terrorist organization. They are solely for the rights of animals. They are an activist group. Activist groups attract activists. The methods of the activists are their own PETA doesn’t go around say HEY GO TERRORIZE THAT PERSON WEARING THE FUR COAT! They say go educate that person on what happened for them to receive that fur coat.
Anonymous
04/24/08 @ 5:10pm
Technically PETA is not a terrorist organization, but they do financially support terrorists. PETA paid over $45,000 for the defense of Rodney Coronado, who planted a firebomb at MSU in 1992, costing Michigan taxpayers over a million dollars in damages. He was convicted despite his high-priced, PETA-financed attorneys. So if you financially support PETA, you financially support terrorists who have set firebombs on this campus.
http://www.the-aps.org/pa/action/news/peta.htm
“In a February 2003 interview with ABC’s John Stossell, 2003, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk called Coronado “a fine young man” and defended the use of its tax-exempt funds to assist him.”
http://www.animalscam.com/references/peta_rodney1.cfm
As far as I know, no fur coat-bearing person nor any scientist has ever set a firebomb on the MSU campus (or anywhere else).