They tried it before with the murder of 6 million Jews in World War II. [http://articles.cnn.com/2003-02-28/us/peta.holocaust_1_animal-rights-peta-web-site-holocaust-survivor?_s=PM:US]
Everyone forgets the homosexuals, mentally handicapped, Roma and so on
every single time.
The comparisons prompted an angry statement from Abraham Foxman, Anti-Defamation League national director and a Holocaust survivor.
"The effort by PETA to compare the deliberate, systematic murder of millions of Jews to the issue of animal rights is abhorrent," the statement said. "PETA's effort to seek approval for their 'Holocaust on Your Plate' campaign is outrageous, offensive and takes chutzpah to new heights."
However good a point they may have had, they did p___ some people off.
We celebrate it because it?s IEATAPETA Day: International Eat A Tasty Animal for PETA Day.
It?s the day we ceremonially stick it in the eye of the good folks at PETA by consuming mass quantities of Animal Protein. As Alex Bensky says, ?If it didn?t have a mother, it?s not on my menu.?
Actually, there's a fascinating irony there ... or something vastly sinister, depending on your point of view.
On 15 March every year, people in the USA eat meat to stick two fingers and a bloodied fork up in the direction of PETA as a protest at PETA's hijacking of The Holocaust (everyone forgets the Armenians too!) for their own cause, because it's such a sacred example of what must NEVER AGAIN be allowed to happen.
Fair enough, say I ...
... except that they're doing it, typically, around 7pm-8pm on the east coast of the USA, 5 hours behind GMT. 7 hours ahead of GMT, 12 hours ahead of them, is thus 7am-8am 16 March ... in Vietnam.
March 16, 1968: The Day of the Massacre [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/mylai-massacre/]
5:30 AM
Charlie Company is ordered out of their bunks to gather gear and receive ammunition.
7:22 AM
Nine helicopters -- the first "element" -- leave landing zone Dottie. This includes the 1st Platoon led by Lieutenant Calley and the 2nd Platoon led by Lieutenant Stephen Brooks.
5:30 AM
Charlie Company is ordered out of their bunks to gather gear and receive ammunition.
7:22 AM
Nine helicopters -- the first "element" -- leave landing zone Dottie. This includes the 1st Platoon led by Lieutenant Calley and the 2nd Platoon led by Lieutenant Stephen Brooks.
.....
Later investigations will reveal estimates between 347 to 507 civilian casualties.
.....
3:30 PM
Colonel Henderson receives a second report of civilian casualties and directs a company back through Son My village to get an exact count. However, Major General Joster, the commander of the Americal Division, radios that no further examination is necessary and countermands the order.
.....
December 5, 1969
Sergeant Haeberle's photos are published and exacerbate the already-strong public outcry over the My Lai massacre. On the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite issues a warning about the disturbing images for viewers before showing them. The horrific images immediately cause a country-wide uproar.
.....
January 1971
During his trial for charges of assault with intent to murder at least six My Lai civilians, Sergeant Charles Hutto admits to killing a group of unarmed civilians with an M60 machine gun.
Hutto's acquittal on the 14th sets the precedent that "obeying orders" is a viable defense for mass murder.
.....
April 1, 1971
After the White House receives over 5,000 letters of protest in one day, President Nixon intervenes and orders Lieutenant Calley released from the stockade and put under house arrest while his case is under review.
.....
April 16, 1974
Lieutenant Calley's sentence is further reduced from 20 years to 10 years.
Calley will return to the stockade from house arrest, but will be released on parole that November. In total, Calley serves four months in a stockade.
Now, maybe it's just me, but I can't help thinking that, no matter how badly they go about it,
n years to the hour after that isn't the time to be light-heartedly sticking two fingers up at people campaigning for rights. For me, if you want to do something special on the evening or 15 March in the USA, you should go and lay fresh flowers on Hugh Thompson's grave in Lafayette Memorial Park, Louisiana. Just
ignore PETA.
No, I didn't just quote the worst parts.