Animal activist group PETA has never been shy of controversy. In fact, the group usually seeks it out with their infamous ad campaigns and demonstrations. But PETA may have attracted some attention even it doesn’t want this time: the title of “terrorist organization.”
On a new APHIS Facility Security Profile form sent to facilities that experiment on animals, the USDA included a check box for PETA among a list of potential terrorist agencies. The form has since been removed from the USDA Web site, but Green Is the New Red caught it before it was taken down:
"B. Terrorist Threat. What terrorist activities have occurred in or around your building/facility in the past 5 years (documented cases)? Please check all that apply.
[ ] Attack from international terrorists
[ ] Attack from domestic special interest terrorists
-[ ] Earth Liberation Front (ELF)
-[ ] Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
-[ ] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
-[ ] Animal Defense League (ADL)
-[ ] Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC)
-[ ] Formal hate group(s) (please specify):
-[ ] Other (please specify): ____________________
[ ] Cyber Attack from a known or unknown source."
What does this mean for PETA? This new government classification groups PETA, which is a legal, nonviolent advocacy organization, in the same category with groups that take illegal action, opening the door for prosecution of PETA actions as terrorism and resulting in much stiffer penalties should PETA cross the line.
PETA has certainly made plenty of enemies with its extreme tactics, and these enemies are on both sides of the green debate. Regardless, it’s hard not to see this classification of a legal nonprofit as a sad statement for our country, a deceitful move that discourages transparency in our industries and insults our right to know. PETA's message may be loaded, but the group's notorious actions are physically harmless (even though this funny parody by The Onion begs to differ). Sorry USDA, but I'm just not buying a terrorist organization that boasts Pamela Anderson and Paul McCartney among its spokespeople.
