People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans Wednesday to sue Sea World for allegedly violating the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which bans slavery — by keeping orcas at parks in San Diego and Orlando, Fla., organization officials said Tuesday. The lawsuit, set to be filed in San Diego federal court, is considered the first of its kind and, if successful, would represent a large enhancement of the animal-rights movement. Part of the lawsuit asserts that it is illegal to artificially inseminate the females and then take away their babies. Sea World officials dismissed the lawsuit as a publicity stunt. PETA routinely pickets the park on Mission Bay/Los Angeles Times. More here (beware of annoying dish soap ad) AP file photo of Sea World trainer & killer whale, for illustrative purposes.

Question: Has PETA gone a step too far by comparing Sea World whales to slaves?

Kooky members of PETA want us to stop fishing because fish can feel pain and are intelligent. Yeah? Well I’ve never heard of a fish passing the Mensa entrance exam. And if fish are such geniuses why haven’t they figured out how to avoid all the nets, hooks and tuna cans? True, a blowfish could fill in for our county prosecutor without anyone noticing. But the same could be said for a hand puppet or a peanut shell. Fish IQ aside, there’s no question about the three shirtless actors who pretended to be dead fish in a Wednesday PETA protest in Spokane. They’re dumber than a box of bait/Doug Clark, SR. More here.

Question: Who's smarter — a crappie or your average, topless PETA protester?

PETA wants to get into porn to make people more aware of animal abuse. The Norfolk-based animal-rights group has applied to launch a website under the soon-to-be-available “.xxx” domain, which will feature pornographic sites, Lindsay Rajt, the organization's associate director of campaigns, said Monday. “As soon as we heard that the.xxx domain was becoming available, we thought that would be triple extra effective in helping us bring our important issues of animal rights and eating a vegan diet to a greater number of people,” said Rajt, who is based in Los Angeles. The site, she said, will have nudity and “sexually suggestive content” but not hard-core porn: “A lot of people distinguish between erotica and pornography, and this will be erotica”/Philip Walzer, Virginian Pilot. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Will this help or hinder PETA's cause?

I know what you’re thinking. Nearly-naked women? Animal-print body paint? Soap bubbles. Why wouldn’t that get people’s attention? Playboy models pose in a bathtub to highlight the UK's water consumption during PETA World Water Day in March. PETA isn’t a stranger to the streets of Seattle. Last year, the animal-rights group staged at least two nearly-naked protests to decry the mistreatment of animals. Both involved young women wearing underwear, body paint and smiles. So, what’s the deal?/Amy Rolph, Seattle P-I Big Blog. More here.  (AP file photo)

Question: Poster Amy Rolph goes on to wonder whether PETA's nearly naked protests work in bringing proper attention to the animal activists' cause? What do you think?

Members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals dress as a chicken and a cow as they hold a demonstration outside the venue where former U.S. President Bill Clinton is addressing a forum at the Manila Hotel, in the Philippines this morning. The group’s statement said that they are commending Clinton for adopting a vegetarian diet in order to lose weight and stay healthy. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Top Cutline:

• 1. Clinton returned the love stating, “Yea, I’m a huge fan of tender young chicks and strong, sturdy calves!”— Formerly Sandpoint.
• 2. Animal rights activist’s protest backfires, as President Clinton had a sudden urge and ordered-up a bucket of chicken and a double bacon-burger — Gary D. Rhodes.
• 3. Chicken and Cow consider the choice between a Manila jail and a three way with a Manila cop. How YOU doin’ lil’ chickie?— Powder Farmer.
• HM: Nic
  

How often do you see PETA and the Idaho Transportation Department in the same sentence, let alone the same news story? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals regularly lobbied the ITD regarding the issue of leaving animals in hot cars, and earlier this month, Edward Pemble, ITD’s driver services manager informed the activist group that a warning will be added to the Idaho driver’s manual about the danger of leaving cats and dogs in parked cars. “Death from heatstroke is slow, agonizing and terrifying,” said PETA vice president Daphna Nachminovitch/George Prentice, Boise Weekly. More here. (SR file photo: Officer Ashley Brown of SCRAPS puts a notice in a car after she freed the yorkie from the parked car in front of Valley Village in Spokane Valley this summer.)

Question: Do you take your dog with you when you’re traveling somewhere? What do you do with your dog when you have to stop somewhere to shop?

Featuring the image of a teenage girl with pimples and a milk mustache on her face and reading, “Got Zits?” PETA’s new billboard has just gone up in Spokane at the intersection of Stevens Street and Third Avenue—less than one mile from Lewis and Clark High School. PETA’s message to appearance-obsessed teens? That the milk they’ve been drinking could be the cause of the pimples that they’re sporting. Multiple studies have shown a conclusive link between the consumption of dairy products and acne—the universal scourge of adolescence/KHQ. More here. (Photo courtesy of PETA)

Question: I drank a lot of milk and had a lot of zits as a teen-ager. I still drink a lot of milk. But the zits are all but gone. How about you? Are you a big milk drinker? Did you have many zits as a teen?

A member from PETA, people for the ethical treatment of animals, dressed as a giant condom, promotes animal birth control in Beirut, Lebanon, earlier today. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Top Cutlines:

• 1. DFO’s moonlighting gig earns him the nickname “condom master” — Nic.
• 2. Dick delivers a singing Valentine to his PETA-loving girlfriend, Jane — Stacy.
• 3. (tie) Scanner Traffic:8:44 am, Ambulance dispatched to Stebbijo’s residence. She went in to vapor lock after checking APhoto of the Day on HBO — Soaf, and: As usual wanting to blow its own horn, PETA debuts it’s first one-man ‘rubber’ band — JohnA.
  
• Poolman & Co. Another good job on cutline front by all
  

Pamela Anderson, holds her new ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) while speaking to reporters during a news conference Thursday in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

Question: Seriously, do you think about becoming a vegetarian when you look at this photo?

Courtesy of SCRAPS

PETA’s euthanasia rates have critics fuming, according to AOL News, and rightfully so.

“In 2009, PETA euthanized 2,301 dogs and cats — 97 percent of those brought in — and adopted only eight, according to Virginia state figures. And the rate of these killings has been increasing.”

That’s 2352 animals: 681 dogs, 1620 cats and 51 other companion animals.

A mere eight of them were saved. Read more.

These are the same folks who try to make me feel guilty for enjoying a hamburger, but they’re gassing kittens? By the way the dog in the above picture is available for adoption at SCRAPS.

What would you like to say to the folks at PETA?

Amber Tegantvoort, left, and David Shirk, both of Seattle, wear body paint as they join protestors from the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals who were dressed as mermaids Tuesday in Seattle. The group was protesting against eating fish and the use of fish farms outside the Aquaculture America 2009 convention, which is meeting in Seattle through Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Question: PETA often uses nudity or semi-nudity to draw attention to its public protests. How effective is this tactic?

 Animal rights activists from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and AnimaNaturalis stage a naked protest in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Top Cutlines:

• 1. Everything was fine till Millie ran into her old school friend Billy and realized he wasn’t circumsized. Now she just knew that image would be burned in her mind forever — KeithinCDA
• 2. A little research could have saved some embare-ass-ment as the PETA fools schedule their protest on the same route as the running of the bulls — Cabbage Boys.
• 3. After the annual Shearing of the Petas, many Barcelonans walked away with a good winter coat — Kevin Taylor
• HM: A Token D