Nothing, not even the pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, happens at the White House without some controversy.
President Bush Wednesday morning presided over his last such pardoning, addressing "Pumpkin," a 45 pound bird, and a backup turkey "Pecan."
"Pumpkin will be the honorary grand marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day Parade," the president declared. "Together, these birds will gobble the rest of their days in the happiest place on Earth. I just hope they stay humble there."
Follow this link to watch video of the president pardoning the turkey
But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was not amused.
"You might be a lame duck, but you still have the power to help lame turkeys, who are made that way by the cruelty of the meat industry," said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk in a letter to Bush.
"For years," she wrote, "the pardoned turkeys have been sent to places where they were neglected and left in small enclosures without sufficient mental stimulation. Many have died within a year of being pardoned. This year's turkeys need to be sent to a credible farmed-animal sanctuary that has experts in turkey behavior and care. An excellent sanctuary just outside Washington, D.C., has confirmed that it would be happy to take the pardoned birds and provide them with an ideal environment — including other animals to socialize with. PETA would be happy to help arrange their transportation."
The White House was firm in its decision.
Said spokesman Tony Fratto: "I think on instruction from the White House Counsel I have to refer all turkey pardoning questions to the Office of the Pardon Attorney."
So because they were born and raised for us to eat, we can abuse them? Humans are pretty disgusting. How we ever got to the top of the food chain is beyond me. We certainly don't deserve it. We treat all other spieces like crap. We use them for experimentation and food and never think that they could have feelings. President Bush used to blow frogs up so I wouldn't expect any compassion from him regarding the turkey. He is trying reallhy hard to do as much damage to our wildlife as he can before he has to get out of Dodge. People here in California just passed Prop 2 mandating humane treatment of animals raised for food. Maybe Borisjimski would like to be put in a cage only big enough for him to crouch for the rest of his life. I don't think he'd consider it a vacation or a pardon.
Posted by: Deb | November 30, 2008 at 04:23 AM
Oh please, these are domesticated animals bred and raised for their protein value; they're not pets for God's sake.
Posted by: borisjimski | November 29, 2008 at 11:53 PM