Florida College Republicans group hosts meaty barbecue to protest PETA

A Republican students' group at the University of Florida used barbecue to voice its opposition to PETA's principles on Wednesday -- and encouraged students to bring their pets to the event. Why that last part? Well, to prove that the group's members love animals, of course.

Wait, what?

UF's College Republicans organization staged the event, which it termed the People Eating Tasty Animals Barbeque, to draw attention to what its members say are the extreme stances of that other PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  "I think it's the best thing ever," Nick Galyon, a junior at UF, told the student-run newspaper the Independent Florida Alligator. "I am a big supporter of eating animals. I think PETA is just ridiculous. It's liberal propaganda."

College Republicans President Bryan Griffin (no relation to the fictional, talking dog from TV's "Family Guy") echoed Galyon's sentiment in an interview with the Gainesville Sun's Chalkboard blog.  "We're against radical environmental extremism," Griffin said. 

But beyond just "radical" environmental stances, the group also seems to be opposed to more mainstream eco-friendly ideals like, say, not littering.  From the Chalkboard:

The group also puts on a Carbon Credit Bake Sale twice a year -- on Arbor Day and Earth Day -- to poke fun at climate-change policy. People who buy a cupcake or cookie get a credit allowing them to litter in a designated area. Griffin made sure to point out that all the trash is cleaned up and the money is donated to the Nature Conservancy.

Griffin brought his own pets, a ferret and a ball python, to the anti-PETA barbecue, telling the Alligator that there "is a balance in the animal cruelty debate.  Loving animals does not exclude you from eating meat."  As if to add insult to injury, the College Republicans staged their event at the same time, and in the same location, as a vegetarian lunch hosted by a local Hare Krishna group. 

As for the real PETA, the group has thus far refrained from commenting on the barbeque.

RELATED:
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-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Texas hickory-smoked brisket with coffee barbecue sauce. Credit: Kirk McCoy / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[John]

I'm no fan of PETA, but protecting animals is just human, not "liberal". To stoop to partisan bickering: Eating slices of animal muscle as an in your face protest to vegans? How Rebublican!

[Abby]

John,
Putting aside opinions of if their method of protest was good or bad....
There's a big difference between animal welfare and animal rights. Most people support animal welfare, people as a whole are not pro-cruelty.
However, PETA is not an animal welfare group, they are an animal rights group. Their goal isn't to protect animals, their goal is the *extinction* of domestic animals. They are detrimental both to human and animal welfare.
Supporting animal welfare is "human", supporting animal rights would be closer to "demented".

[sfvrealestate]

So other vegetarian cultures, like the people of south India, are radical liberals?

[Niran]

PETA very much love the animal companions who share our homes, but PETA believe that it would have been in the animals' best interests if the institution of "pet keeping"—i.e., breeding animals to be kept and regarded as "pets"—never existed. The international pastime of domesticating animals has created an overpopulation crisis; as a result, millions of unwanted animals are destroyed every year as "surplus." This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually, and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior. Their lives are restricted to human homes where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to.

Because domesticated animals retain many of their basic instincts and drives but are not able to survive on their own in the wild, dogs, cats, or birds, whose strongest desire is to be free, must be confined to a house, yard, or cage for their own safety.

This is a "best case" scenario. The truth is that millions of dogs spend their lives outside on heavy chains in all weather extremes, or they are kept locked up in tiny chain-link pens from which they can only watch the world go by. Millions more are confined to filthy wire cages in puppy mills—forced to churn out litter after litter until they wear out, at which time they are killed or dumped at the local animal shelter. Even in "good" homes, cats must relieve themselves in dirty litterboxes and often have their digits removed by "declawing," and dogs often have to drink water that has sat around for days, are hurried along on their walks, and are yelled at to get off the furniture or be quiet.

Most compassionate people never think that someone would throw a litter of kittens out the window of a moving car, and they would certainly be shocked by PETA's inches-thick files on cases of dogs and cats who have been shot with arrows, blown up with firecrackers, doused in gasoline and set on fire, cooked in microwave ovens, used as "bait" in dogfights, tortured in satanic rituals, beaten with baseball bats by bored kids, dragged behind cars to "teach them a lesson" for running away, or bound in duct tape to silence their barking. Abuses such as these happen to many animals every day.

Contrary to myth, PETA does not want to confiscate animals who are well cared for and "set them free." What PETA want is for the population of dogs and cats to be reduced through spaying and neutering and for people to adopt animals (preferably two so that they can keep each other company when their human companions aren't home) from pounds or shelters—never from pet shops or breeders—thereby reducing suffering in the world.

[Deborah]

They are against radical extremism and yet they belong to the Republican party. Did they bring their automatic assault weapons to kill their prey? We all know that is what Republican's hunt with.

[Carly]

This group seems like it's supporting all the right stuff. The "real" PETA group and the current Carbon Credit system are not things to be upheld. They seem to point out the flaws in certain programs in a humorous eye catching way. Kudos to the UF College Republicans.

[georgette]

the more i learn about peta, the more i realize how nuts they are. i didn't realize that "animal rights" meant "animal death" until they cried for the euthanization of all of michael vick's dogs. they don't believe in pets! it seems they believe in basically no human interference in animal lives at all. so, for example, after centuries of breeding most survival instincts from wolves to obtain today's pet dogs, they feel they should be "freed" from their owners and left to fend for themselves. they seem to think that owning pets is somehow suppressing their rights to live as animals. it makes no sense.

[Tula]

Strange type of protest, sounds more like cutting their noses off to spite their face kind of thing, We all know PETA is as authentic as it gets and these kids didn't quite convince anyone, let's face it meat is not just the most unhealthy food around it also contributes more than any other food to climate change!

[Candyman]

Sorry Tula, but I have to respectfully disagree with you. These kids did manage to convince me of one very important point - that liberals have absolutely no sense of humor. It's great to see kids protesting peacefully (notice nothing was destroyed), and having a little fun in the process. I'd give them an "A" for creativity. And if you want to fight climate change, tape Al Gore's mouth shut and feed all the cows Beano. Keep smiling.

[terbear]

Kudos to these kids!! Very creative. PETA does NOT believe in pets! They kill more animals than the help... PETAkills.org Read it for yourself.
I am amazed and proud to see such a strong group of young Americans taking a stand against groups like PETA.
Tula... your so wrong!

[alice in LALA Land]

IT IS GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR!!!! Go anti Peta protests.. Gainesville ( or Hogtown as it is commonly known ) is a haven for great food.. lots of it MEAT...bar be que.. and great oysters too.. yum LALA land cannot compete ..
Niran.. you are confused..
you say:
" This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually, and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior. "

and then you say:
"What PETA want is for the population of dogs and cats to be reduced through spaying and neutering "..

that is NOT natural.. controlling the most basic of "natural behavior" reproduction is not natural..castrating dog sand cats takes away their ability to engage in their most natural behavior of all.. sorry.. can't have it both ways..
either humans leave animals alone..to reproduce at their own rate.. or they castrate them ( as most people do) to curb their most NATURAL behavior..
I will take the latter...