People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) President Ingrid Newkirk has penned a bizarre op-ed in The Hill, attacking new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan for his pro-hunting record. The article also finds time to bash Safari Club International and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and to assert that, “The panicky last gasps of the hunting industry can also be seen in the ‘right to hunt’ amendments that it has been sending to state legislatures in hopes of protecting hunting despite public opinion against it.”
It is hard to fathom just how out of touch Newkirk is—beyond missing how thoroughly mainstream support for hunting is, she questions whether Ryan can be both a hunter and a Catholic, and asserts that, “Hunting celebrates death, exposes children to gun violence and wastes millions of taxpayer dollars every year …” If nothing else, this column makes a great case for why “right to hunt” amendments are necessary—to head off nutcases like Newkirk.
