Maybe defacing property isn’t going too far, but the defacers in this case have chosen the wrong cause.

I’d rather they defaced Schwarzenegger’s star for popularizing the Hummer, or John Travolta’s for constantly flying a private jet from coast to coast (and being a spokesperson for a dangerous cult). Those are crimes against the environment, crimes that deplete humanity’s chances of living in comfort for another century. Wearing a fur garment is not such an offence.

Works for me! They earn the fur hag title so let it be known.

Aw, Kelly, you learned a word. How cute.

Run-DMS –

Fur is a “natural fiber” when it is on an animal’s back. Once it has been peeled off, it must be “tanned” in order to stop it from biodegrading. This completely unnatural process uses caustic chemicals including formaldehyde and chromium. These are serious environmental contaminants, and the fur industry is very aware of it. In 1991, the US Environmental Protection Agency fined two fur processing plants approximately $1.6 million as a result of the pollution they caused. The EPA stated that they “found total non-compliance with hazardous waste regulations”. The EPA also claimed that wastes from fur processing plants “may cause respiratory problems, and are listed as possible carcinogens.”

Fur farms, like all factory farm operations, produce massive amounts of animal waste that is all consolidated in one small area. Animal wastes are high in phosphorous and nitrogen. When it rains this waste can wash downhill towards streams and other bodies of water. Other times it is left to soak into the soil, and sometimes contaminate the ground water. The nutrients in the waste lead to excessive algae growth which in turn depletes the oxygen in the water. This can kill more sensitive species of fish and make the water unsuitable for humans. In the Finnish town of Kaustinen, consumption of the groundwater had to be stopped, and the direction of the water current changed, because of pollution caused by fur farms.

Misty – blah blah blah.

Your long comment doesn’t convince me at all that there aren’t far more important causes for which one might deface property.

EVERY industry pollutes, so saying the fur industry pollutes doesn’t make it as bad as, say, jet travel or Hummers.

That’s just immature and going to piss people off, which makes animal rights activists look like idiots (and sadly, so many of them are).

People on the outside tend to judge the entire group by the lowest common denominator and this sets the bar pretty low.

I am passionate about animal rights, but I try to always keep in mind the old saying, “You catch more flies with agave nectar than with vinegar”. Okay, so I modified the old saying just a bit

Like Eric, I agree that such tactics do not make anti-fur activists look good. To be fair, though, I have defaced a few poster advertisements hanging in public transit, which is a far cry from spraying paint on a sidewalk.

Vandalism is ugly and not a good way for activists to express themselves. It’s better to maintain a more elevated tone.

I still can’t understand why people aren’t mortified to be caught wearing fur. Don’t they know it makes them look like selfish idiots? The very thought of animals being tortured for the sake of something as unnecessary as a fur jacket is heartbreaking.

Misty, check this out re: Arnie and Hummers
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/11/hummer.php

And this:
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0422-02.htm

And there’s so much more on the Web about Schwarzenegger, the first civilian to own a Hummer.

The specifics make it sound like a less impressive contraption, don’t they. Thank you for posting those links.

And another comment on Gov. Arnie: He seems to be of the opinion that environmentalists have to stop telling people they can’t have nice things. We can drive Hummers, the reasoning goes, so long as we use biofuels or whatever. Well, that’s ridiculous. He needs to get it through his thick skull that being wasteful with a resource is not virtuous. And driving something that consumes far more of a resource than a reasonably sized car is wasteful in the extreme. He’s no environmentalist, it seems to me.

TDB – go read my blog if you wanna know what I’m all about. No that I take your remark as anything more or less than a cheap shot.

Thanks! Have a great day.

People who wear fur are much like people who eat meat- and defend it. If we were to sling paint or anything else on them, how do you think they are going to perceive our cause? We are already labeled as “out there…” The best way is to present the information as intelligent, truthful, and devoid of anger. People will respond, if they’re (like us)tired of bullsh**ing in their lives. If their not, then they certainly won’t be if their attacked by a bunch of lunatics! You can lead a horse to water, but it’s ultimately THEIR choice to drink (unless you get legislation involved- but that’s another issue).

I’m all for it. Maybe when these stars hear about their star defaced they will realize that this is such a serious issue to some people.

To get respect you have to give respect. Wearing thousands of dead animals on your back isn’t exactly showing respect!

Team Discerning Brute(you are too cute btw) and Misty. Rock on!

I’m a vegan and totally and completely against fur. However, I’m against vandalizing. I don’t think it’s right to vandalize and countering one person’s poor choice (fur) with another poor choice (vandalizing) is no good in my book. It just shows everyone who currently doesn’t care about fur that we’re all crazy criminals and that we shouldn’t be listened to. This is just my opinion.

Please, that is the very least that should be done about this disgusting, fat slob of a fur hag.
She makes me sick.