PETA v. Wal-Mart

[flvegan]

"At Wal-Mart’s annual meeting in Fayetteville tomorrow, the world’s largest animal rights group, PETA, which owns 66 shares of Wal-Mart stock, will present a shareholder resolution that asks the world’s number one retailer to report its progress on implementing a humane chicken slaughter method known as “controlled-atmosphere killing” (CAK), which puts chickens “to sleep” quickly and painlessly. Wal-Mart had argued that PETA’s resolution should be declared ineligible for consideration, but the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ruled that Wal-Mart must allow shareholders to vote on PETA’s resolution. In similar recent rulings, the SEC has also sided with PETA, ruling that Outback Steakhouse and Kroger must allow shareholders to vote on PETA’s shareholder resolutions regarding CAK."

Please read the shareholder statement, as well as the Wal-Mart spin. Seems PETA isn't so "over the top" I guess...I mean, humane slaughter seems reasonable, right?

http://www.peta.org/MC/NewsItem.asp?id=8414

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. Shhh....that's crazy talk!

:sarcasm:

[jeff30997]

2. PETA and Wal-Mart have the same structure as a cult so...

I don't give a damn about both of them.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

4. I had a friend who worked for Wal-Mart so I understand that but...

how does PETA have the structure of a cult?

[LeftyMom]

6. I'd like to know too.

:wtf:

[Skip Intro]

8. um, yeah, me too...

[flvegan]

10. Hmmm...

Cult? I guess that the meat of the issue (pun intended) doesn't matter, then.

[svpadgham]

3. As a meat eater

(no jokes please)

I must say that PETA usually seems ok until some nut takes things too far or a douchebag celebrity goes popping off at the mouth. That seems to be the case in all things. I am all for being humane and respecting what we kill to consume though.

[flvegan]

7. How does that tie in here?

I mean, it seems that PETA is working towards your third statement, your first one aside.

[svpadgham]

42. I think I may not have been clear

A lot of people think that PETA is nothing but a bunch of whackjobs. I don't agree with that point of view. You may have missed the second statement I made,
"That seems to be the case in most things." (I may have put "all," but I'm not reading my post right now.)

What I was trying to imply (infer?) is that many reasonable organizations are fine, but some really militant person or celebrity that doesn't know shit can ruin a person's opinion on said reasonable organization (PETA, NRA, Greenpeace, Future Farmers of America, whatever).

Basically I applaud the concept of PETA and what they are trying to accomplish with the WallsMart Chicken thing. I just don't like self righteous celebs and militant nutjobs.

[Skip Intro]

5. Making slaughter humane (oxymoron?) - who would be against that?

I just don't get it.

PETA isn't saying don't kill chickens, but instead, eliminate the pain to the chicken as its being slaughtered.

How the hell could anyone with a conscience oppose that?

[flvegan]

9. Wish I knew.

You're absolutely right.

[wildeyed]

11. In addition, it sounds economically feasible.

Less suffering for the animal, comparable or better profits for the corporation. So why not?

[flvegan]

12. Seems consistent

with any strategic planning on the corporation's behalf.

So yes, why not?

[Robeson]

41. By Jove, I think you've got it!...

...indeed, how could anyone argue against a more humane treatment. Though I have no doubt, some will.

[yewberry]

13. Sounds okay to me.

I mean, they're shareholders making a reasonable request.

My suggestion for the next meeting: get Walmart to stop selling items with dog fur trim.

(Or is that too "over the top?")

[LeftyMom]

15. China is actually making noises on cracking down on cat and dog fur export

That's sad- China just may be more ethical than America's largest employer.

[flvegan]

17. Hold on, though...

think about it...

China, with the influence China has with Wal-Mart what with it's cheap plastic crap, says, "hey, no more cat/dog fur, got it?" Man, that would rule.

[LeftyMom]

18. That would be great

Though it's sad that we live in a world where not making coats out of animals bred as human companions is something to celebrate rather than simply an unwritten ethical rule nobody'd think to question.

[flvegan]

19. Sort of like celebrating sweatshop-free goods, eh?

I know. I know.

[LeftyMom]

22. It's kinda letting somebody lower the bar for ethics than praising them

for stepping over it a bit. Damn this shit makes me bitter sometimes.

[idgiehkt]

29. depressing photo from China (not gory) of fur trade

[flvegan]

35. Nah...

It might be lowering the bar for praise, but it's not lowering the bar for ethics. The bar for ethics is never lowered, however folks might rise to a point that you'd not expect, or at least might see as a positive, thereby deserving praise.

[LeftyMom]

36. Yeah, I suppose any step up is praiseworthy

no matter how low one's starting point.

[flvegan]

37. That's right

remember, you have to be able to stand for something before you can stand against something.

Hmmm...

[LeftyMom]

38. "Hmmmmm..." what?

If you don't want to say on forum, PM me.

[svpadgham]

43. Not all cats and dogs

are bred as human companions. That's mainly a Western ideal.

[LeftyMom]

44. To be perfectly honest, I don't care what they were bred for,

there really isn't any ethical justification for skinning, killing and eating or otherwise exploiting any animal.

[svpadgham]

45. I disagree.

But, that's cool. How did you come to your stance on not eating animals? I've always been curious about the ethical side. I understand the health reasons and all, but never the ethical dilemma.

[LeftyMom]

47. I don't feel comfortable making another creature suffer and die for me.

It's a nice bonus that I'm healthier without eating animal flesh and reproductive tissues, but that's not why I'm vegan.

[svpadgham]

49. Fair Enough

Thanks for answering. I didn't know if it was in bad form to ask.

[LeftyMom]

50. I certainly don't mind

I feel like that wasn't the world's most complete or enlightening answer, but I never really struggled with the decision- I decided to go vegan the first day I ever heard the word, though it took me a few months to get there from being a Standard American Diet omnivore.

[yewberry]

20. Seriously?

Wow, that's unexpected!

[LeftyMom]

21. Yeah, I'll go get the link and start a thread on it down in the ghetto.

BRB

[yewberry]

23. Thanks!

See you there!

[LeftyMom]

24. it's up.

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

30. where is 'the ghetto'?

[flvegan]

31. Here you go...

It's the VVAR group here at DU, a/k/a "the Tofu Ghetto"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=231

[LeftyMom]

32. The veg/vegan/AR group

aka the tofu ghetto

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=231

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

33. And if we "put you in the corner" you're in the 9-11 forum. nt

[flvegan]

16. Agreed. And I think

that PETA and her supporters might take that one up (as you suggested).

And no, killing dogs to provide fur trim is not so much over the top, inasmuch as it's, well, disgusting.

[roguevalley]

14. GO, PETA!!!!!

[WindRavenX]

25. lol- brilliant idea in buying company stocks

Brilliant. brilliant.

[femrap]

27. That's an old trick from Saul Alinsky....a

great activist and organizer from Chicago. Read some of his books....'Rules for Radicals' is one that I remember.

His idea of the people owning shares of stock in corporations was a great one. But now that they are 401Ks who buy HUGE amounts of stock in 'your' name, it just hasn't turned out like Saul would have liked. But...keep in mind shareholders can demand some attention....we just don't seem to get much attention.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

28. Michael Moore did the same thing with Halliburton (I think)

Anyway, he did it with one of those companies and the right-wingers were saying he was a fraud because of it. Um...no, he did it so he could attend the board meetings. I believe any stockholder (regardless of quantity) can attend a stockholders meeting so it can be an effective activist tactic.

[LeftyMom]

34. Animal welfare groups have done it with Whole Foods too

In order to introduce resolutions on better sourcing and standards for animal foods. Whole Foods responded by creating some of the most stringent rules on shareholder resolutions and speaking at the meeting of of any publicly traded company. :grr:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

39. That really sucks.

I wasn't aware of that. Of course, most of the Whole Foods shopping I did was when I lived across the street from one and on Sundays, I could get beer & wine there until 9pm. It was 5pm everywhere else.

[LeftyMom]

40. They're anti-union, too

I'm really fortunate that the food co-op here kicks WF up one side and down the other on price, selection, availibility of organic produce etc and they're union. I did drop into WF once in a while before I moved because it was much closer than the food co-op, but now that I've moved that's not the case anymore and I haven't had to go to WF except when I run the kid over to his Dad's and need to pick up something for him to eat over there.

[NuttyFluffers]

26. i am amused. peta has amused me here.

what an entertaining tactic.

i'd be even more amused if they brought Marcel Marceau Foundation trained mime to pantomime the process of this humane method of killing chickens, narrated by Topo Gigio of course.

[Xenotime]

46. Wal-Mart is starting to become a monopoly...

They are far too big and have runined much of what was small town america.

[flvegan]

48. Agreed, but

it's not so much "starting" as it is "continuing" with little competition.