Activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is known for confusing the notion of being kind to animals (which most people I know support) with animal rights extremism (which most people find absurd).
But by taking their junk science antics to a Texas school on Wednesday morning, PETA really showed us how low they're willing to sink. On Wednesday May 25th, the extremist group targeted children directly, displaying what they themselves described as "stomach-turning cards," featuring "'Dumb Dave,' whose brain has nearly slowed to a stop from the chemical toxins found in fish" and "'Ill Bill,' who can't stop hurling because the fish sticks and tuna he eats are swimming with germs, including bacteria from raw human sewage."
As we pointed out in 2002, activists with a non-science agenda often manipulate the public's legitimate concern for children's health in an effort to promote legislation, litigation, and regulation. This time, the activists went a step farther, to manipulate the children themselves.
As Dr. Gilbert Ross wrote in a letter published in the New York Sun, "Consumers Beware: next time you hear one of these fishy scares, don't get reeled in!"
Jeff Stier, Esq., is an associate director of the American Council on Science and Health, the staff of which has produced publications such as Toxic Terror about excessive health fears.