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Category: Readers' Opinions

No laughing matter

May 08

7:24 AM

Kerry Dougherty writes an amusing column as a rule, 'kicking up her heels' and 'trotting' out cute little plays on words.But when she tries to 'tackle' a serious subject like horse racing, ('PETA gallops into the fray and gets it wrong, again,' May 6) she needs to 'rein' in her penchant for hyperbole a 'bit.' Anyone can play with puns.

However, for intelligent commentary on the ethical problems surrounding animal exploitation, one needs to look elsewhere in the paper.

The editorial on the same day ('Eight Belles' fall rings public alarm') took half the space of Kerry's column and offered some needed insight into the sport.

Kerry doesn't understand the difference between human athletes who voluntarily risk life and limb to make money, and animals that are deliberately bred with physical weaknesses and then forced to perform on racetracks (or in dog fighting pits) so their owners and bettors can make money off their exploitation.

Phyllis Stein

Chesapeake

View 9 comment(s) Link to post

Not? LOL

Submitted by C.B. on Tue, 05/13/2008 at 8:19 am.

In reading the last KateT post where she implies, at the end, that she is not a staunch PETA supporter, all I can say is same show different stage.

C.B.

Submitted by katet43483 on Mon, 05/12/2008 at 9:34 pm.

Are you the genuine horse whisperer now? How else could you possibly know that "they love to run"? I suppose you also feel deer love being chased in the forest by humans with bows and arrows and rifles? And hunting dogs achieve total nirvana by running and chasing fox and other smaller critters. And grayhounds have a groovy time chasing around a rabbit on a stick as humans shout and scream and collect a few dollars off them. Give me a break, C.B. Humans are selfish and train these animals to do what they want to achieve some pleasure or money for themselves. Nothing more, nothing less. It is immoral, in my opinion. You are too funny in your belief that I am a staunch PETA supporter, but it doesn't matter.

Katet..

Submitted by C.B. on Mon, 05/12/2008 at 2:31 pm.

You are the one that finds massive abuse in anything humans do with animals no matter what. Horse racing is not a brutal sport as you put it, horses love to run and humans love to ride running horses, SO WHAT!! Horses behinds are so thick that they hardly feel a crop but it is just enough to prod one to run a little faster, SO WHAT!!! Your insane endorsements of everything PETA cries about is why you are not taken seriously. You and PETA are complete hypocrites in placing animal over human. That is why I implied that in order to place "ALL" life, instead of your controlled quacky campaigns, ahead of humans, you can lead the way and stop breathing. Please start now!!

C.B.

Submitted by katet43483 on Sun, 05/11/2008 at 9:43 pm.

Micro-organisms, plant life, and bacteria, when we are discussing horse racing and the senseless killing of a horse due to injuries sustained by a cruel sport to entertain humans? If you don't understand the issue, why not bypass it and go on to something else?

Someone....

Submitted by C.B. on Sun, 05/11/2008 at 6:08 pm.

Someone (katet) needs to get a life. If someone wants to be that virtuous about animal rights, they need to stop breathing. We can take this argument down to micro-organisms that deserve to live a long painless life. Heck, deadly viruses and bacteria deserve at least a chance. Let's not forget plant life that react to stimuli. Oh the horror. That someone needs to stop breathing for the sake of all living things that she is indiscriminantly killing for her own benefit.

PeTA is part of the problem

Submitted by jimmyf on Sun, 05/11/2008 at 3:52 pm.

Here you have a group that is so filled with hypocracy, even in the off-chance that they might be right, they have done so much damage to their own credibility that people don't take them seriously. Think about it: How can you take anyone at their word when their own employees are lying to obtain animals under false pretensis, killing them in the back of a van and later dumping their remains in a dumpster? Why would you even listen to an organization that has had ties with the Animal Liberation Front (Domestic Terrorists so says the FBI) and their leader wants her body to be used in a sick BBQ upon her death?

According to PeTA founder, their ULTIMATE GOAL is complete animal liberation which any reasonable person would tell you isn't possible or even practicle-their calls are simply another step towards their goal.

this isn't about PETA

Submitted by BBinVB on Sun, 05/11/2008 at 10:37 am.

I hate PETA but that doesn't mean that every cause they get behind is a bad one. Their recommendations were not unreasonable. A horse, especially a filly, does not have fully developed bones and muscles until it is about 5 years old. Racing horses are pushed hard, and often beyond what their bodies can realistically take. PETA didn't demand they stop racing horses (which, if you knew the background, you would agree shouldn't be legal anyway). They simply asked for better rules. They didn't even ask for trainers to wait until the horses reach full development around 5 years, they asked them to wait until the horses are 3. I don't agree with PETA much, but they were right on this one.

Cruelty of Horse Racing

Submitted by katet43483 on Sat, 05/10/2008 at 8:23 pm.

Jimmy, If you hate PETA and don't trust their philosophy, why don't you simply research data on this and other animal sports from various sources? I am quite confident you will find PETA's assertions to be credible. Isn't viewing the whipping of the horses to force their speed enough?

PeTA doesn't care

Submitted by jimmyf on Sat, 05/10/2008 at 2:42 pm.

I get such a laugh out of PeTA defenders when the truth is, PeTA is a lot like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Reverand Wright and their incessant cries of racisim-they don't want the problem to end because they'd be out a job. So, too with PeTA. If the world that PeTA wanted suddenly happened overnight, PeTA would be out of business and no longer able to collect the millions of dollars from the Hollywood left who supports them.

Meanwhile, PeTA kills thousands of animals every year and many of these are healthy, adoptable animals who could have found a new home if PeTA had at least tried-but they never do.

Killing animals should be the LAST option, but for PeTA I think they're more upset because it wasn't PeTA that got to euthanize Eight Bells.