Today I talked with PETA activist Dan Mathews about the Michael Vick case, the guilty plea the judge accepted today, and what kind of punishment PETA feels would be appropriate.
Mathews and I are polar opposites — he’s a vegan, I’m a carnivore — but I don’t understand how anyone showed up outside the courthouse today to support Vick. On the other hand, I disagree with PETA’s efforts to get the NFL to put a clause in its player contract banning cruelty to animals “in all its forms.” Pretty hard for a sport played with a ball called the pigskin, which is made of leather. Would it mean players couldn’t wear leather, or have leather seats in their Escalades, or have burgers served at the concession stand at The Dome?
We also talked about whether PETA’s extremist attitude and actions (many of which Mathews led) help or hurt the animal rights cause, and about the full page ad taken out by the Center For Consumer Freedom which claims that PETA has killed over 14,000 dogs.
Listen to our conversation here.