Should Animals Be Legally Equal To Humans

If by chance you don't know what the organization PETA stands for, it's "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals', a powerful and worthy group that works for the noble cause of preventing cruelty toward animals. But sometimes doing the right thing morphs into doing the extreme. That's because PETA is accusing the SeaWorld parks (I think there are a number of those Sea Work parks all over the world) of keeping performing whales in conditions that "violate the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution's ban on slavery". PETA wants whales to be defined as people so they can not be "enslaved". Oh my....the family pet may be able to sue his or her owners if this suit is allowed.

Sea World says the suit is baseless. But PETA is still asking a U.S. federal court to grant constitutional rights to five killer whales who perform at Sea World an, unprecedented legal action that is making a more intense debate about the subject of animal rights. The chances of the suit succeeding are almost zero because the 13th amendment was written for humans held in slavery in the 19th century, and in no way can it be interpreted as written to include animals. So it appears that PETA just wants the subject of animal rights to be publicized, not a bad goal in the end.

At present in the U.S., animals under human control are considered property, not entities with legal standing of their own. They are afforded protections against cruel treatment through animal cruelty laws, endangered species regulations and the federal Animal Welfare Act, but they are not given a distinct set of constitutional rights as humans are.

Hmmmm I can just see it, animals with equal constitutional rights to humans. It could be interesting. That means, for instance, that sloppy pig wallowing in the mud can instead have his slop fed at a restaurant table right next to you. Well, I have sat next to some humans who were dirtier than pigs, and that scenario wouldn't bother me. But I don't want a pig lawyer filing suit against me for having bacon with my eggs!

If animals are given equal rights to humans, no more pets for us. I wonder what will happen when all the cats and dogs are "set free" and left to fend for themselves? It could be messy on those neighborhood lawns. And I don't think I can stand being a vegetarian. I may lose so much weight I'll become normal. Haha It's too much. And what will those fast food places do if they can't serve meat or fish? Maybe a vegetable will also sue for equal legal standing and we will have to drunk water and eat grub worms (assuming the grub worm lawyers don't also sue for equality).

Got a roach or rat problem? Better learn to live with it because you won't be able kill them either. (Hmmm I would die of embarrassment if I had to tell anyone I went to jail for successfully using a rat trap) And I wonder if we will be able to harvest plant by-products like cotton in order to make our clothes? I don't mind going around naked like the "other animals", but you probably might want to wear a blindfold when I am in the room.

Sigh...I probably should send a thank you note to PETA for standing up for animal rights. But frankly, I'd rather bite them.