PETA vs Steve Irwin

It seems to me that PETA would be a lot more successful if they stopped turning on people who are really their allies.

I read an article a little while ago on the PETA website that scourged Steve Irwin, even in death, for a wide range of alleged offenses, including invasion of personal crocodilian space and disturbances of animal dens. I guess they'd be happier if Steve Irwin left the crocodile where it was and let some Australian rancher put a couple of .303 rounds through its brain.

You'd think they'd have something good to say about someone who put a good deal of his personal fortune into conservation and who worked fairly tirelessly on the behalf of animals. Alas, earwax. PETA or at least the elitist who wrote the attack on Steve Irwin seems unable to get past the fact that Steve Irwin jumped on crocodiles. But when development and crocodiles come into conflict, crocodiles are going to lose. That's a fact of life. It may not be right, but that's the way it is. So we can either let the crocodile remain where it is and eventually be gunned down, or we can capture it and move it elsewhere, where it has a chance of living. Oh, wait, no we can't; we'd have to use rope and duct tape and jump on top of it and wound its self-esteem. "Hand me my Enfield, better we pop this thing now than violate its personal space in an attempt to rescue it."

Or maybe they're just irritated because Steve Irwin was more popular than PETA will ever be. Millions of people watched his TV shows. Millions of people roll their eyes when PETA is mentioned.

But it seems that it's PETA's way or the highway. Maybe that was Steve Irwin's real crime - he didn't submit to PETA orthodoxy.

There are two ways of effecting change. One is to be a relentless scold who constantly wags a disapproving finger at everything, no matter how well-intentioned. That is, to make people change because they get sick of listening to you whine. The other is to change the world through enthusiasm and involvement. That is, to make people change because they want to change.

I'll let history judge who is more successful in the end.

That reminds me - I need to have my propane tank refilled so I can barbecue some ribeyes over the weekend. Oh, that was catty of me, wasn't it?