really, PETA?

Maybe you've heard about this piece of 'breaking news', dealing with President Obama and PETA. Check out the article-- in short, during some news conference or interview or something the other day, there was apparently a fly buzzing around the President and whoever he was talking to. Apparently they'd shoo-ed it away a few times but it kept buzzing around. Eventually the President just swatted it down and smooshed it, saying something like "took care of that sucker". Life went on. And wouldn't you just know that a few brilliant minds over at PETA have been all OVER the President for that move-- oh Mr. President, must we kill the fly? Couldn't you have just caught it and then humanely released it outdoors?? HA!

It's funny how one event can get two completely different reactions. I didn't see the interview thing, but if I had, my reaction (and my reaction to reading the article) to seeing President Obama smack that little fly would have been "heck yeah!" I mean, he showed he wasn't above doing what needed to be done-- that fly needed removing, and he manned up. Go Prez. He didn't call on some minion to come do it for him, he didn't just whine...he took care of it! To me, it makes him look a little more human, a little more "oh look, the President is just a regular guy." I love seeing celebrities (which only loosely describes the President's status!) doing really normal things!

And then there's the crazies over at PETA. I am totally sure that probably 95% of PETA members/supporters are really normal, wonderful people who are passionate about animals and their treatment. But then there's the other 5%...and their lawyers. God bless 'em. Could they be any crazier? Catch the fly and release it outside? Right, because the President of the United States doesn't have any more pressing issues to think about.

This led me to think about what is probably a pressing issue for most PETA crazies (I say 'crazies' to separate them from the 'normal' PETA members). Dogs and fleas. Now, I would fully hope/expect PETA members to have a whole pack of (rescued) dogs at their homes. But with dogs come fleas...and if you're a card-carrying PETA member, then you probably see those fleas as just as valuable a member of your household as yourself or your child. But fleas torture dogs (and a lot of people). Surely you don't want your dog to suffer!! What's a crazy to do?? Deny your dog flea treatment (that would kill the fleas) and watch your dog suffer, get worms (and do you treat the worms, since they're living breathing beings with hearts and souls too?), and die? Or do you value your dog (and your sanity) above the darling little fleas and just "treat" (kill) the fleas? And if you do, then HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT, HYPOCRITE???? Haha.

These are the questions that plague me...