But wait! There’s more! On the flipside of the debate are those shrill, spotlight-loving, self-promoting ass-hats from PETA. It was not too long ago that I would have supported these guys through donations to their organization but recent firsthand experience with the bullying and misleading tactics used by supposed “animal rights” activists (as well as their it’s so stupid it’s almost a parody press release decrying President Obama’s swatting of a fly on live television) has led me to pause and do a little research on these yahoos. Which led me to this interesting site (http://www.petakillsanimals.com/petasdirtysecret.cfm) that breaks down the number of animals PETA has euthanized over the years. Yes, sometimes sick animals leave us little choice, but in comparing the numbers, one is staggered by the fact that those purported animal-lovers at PETA euthanize a proportionally greater number of animals than the average shelter. Hypocrites? Well, decide for yourself. From the site: “As gossip bloggers and Hollywood journalists have noted, Pamela Anderson’s Dodge Viper (auctioned to benefit PETA) had a “luxurious leather interior”; Jenna Jameson was photographed fishing, slurping oysters, and wearing a leather jacket just weeks after launching an anti-leather campaign for PETA; Morrissey got an official “okay” from PETA after eating at a steakhouse; Dita von Teese has written about her love of furs and foie gras; Steve-O built a career out of abusing small animals on film; the officially “anti-fur” Eva Mendes often wears fur anyway; and Charlize Theron’s celebrated October 2007 Vogue cover shoot featured several suede garments. In 2008, “Baby Phat” designer Kimora Lee Simmons became a PETA spokesmodel despite working with fur and leather, after making a $20,000 donation to the animal rights group.”. And, if you haven’t seen it, check out this eye-opening video by Penn & Teller titled “The Naked Truth About PETA”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ijLulwUTY. If you truly care about animals, you’ll have nothing to do with these jerks.
There. I feel much better.
Just be glad you don’t live in the Philly area Joe. I had to fast foward through a quarter of my local news to avoid the blathering about Vick. And then if that wasn’t enough out of the Allentown station, at 6pm more than half of that coverage was the Eagles and Vick on the Philly station. About 3 minutes was real news and then the weather. It’s gonna be a looong football season.
I hate PETA. I’m surprised Vick would go to Philadelphia. Last time I watched, Vick didn’t do so well in the cold.
BTW Mr. M., it is the 14th of August…not the 12th…
Do you still need a calendar? LOL
To all of you still at it: I erroneously thought all along that when the woman said she had shared his bed only once, it was PRIOR to being given the drug.
Stereotypes happen, people, it’s a fact of life. Whether we’re honest about them or not, they’re out there. If you care so much about an issue, get out there and actually do something about it. Write letters to TPTB (the real ones, not the fictional tv show kind), start a group, volunteer at something you truly care about. Anything else is rhetoric. I jumped in for a swim with the sharks and got what I deserved for having an opinion. Live and learn. Have a nice night!
Tomorrow, August 15th, is National Homeless Animals Day -support your local shelter or rescue group!
Totally agree with everything you posted today! I still can not believe that Vick will be playing again in the NFL. I wonder how long it will be for him to get back into the dog fighting racket again..*shakes head*
Interesting post. As far as I’m concerned, Michael Vick should have been convicted as if he had done this to children. I think anyone who harms animals, especially domesticated, companion animals (as opposed to wild animals, although I oppose their slaughter as well) deserves the same punishment as if they had harmed a child.
I’ve never supported PETA. Thanks for the information though, because now I never will. I support with my money, ASPCA, Alley Cats, Petfinder.com, and The Animal Rescue Site. Also going to support Pink Paws Rescue since I was impressed with the job they do when I adopted my third kitty.
If you want to welcome a new baby kitty into the world and his new home, though I haven’t had time to put his pic up on my website, Mischief Kirk Taylor has now joined my family with Danny Girl and Pacey Jack. Mischief is now 11 weeks old (I’ve had him a week) and is a spunky fearless white and orange creamsicle of a cat.
GO JOE!! I totally agree with you on Vick. I’ve heard several people say they will be boycotting either the Eagles or the NFL in general, which is the only way these overpaid egotists will pay attention – if they lose money.
PETA (like socialism and most fundamentalist religions, in my opinion) probably started out with good intentions that have gone terribly awry. They have gone so overboard that they have become a farce, Obama and the fly is only one example.
For true change, all of us animal lovers need to continue fostering, adopting, spaying & neutering, and loving our furbabies!
Oh, I almost forgot. Have you decided on October’s BOTM selection?
Here’s hoping Jelly feels better, and is recovered from her traumatic vet visit.
Ok, as a local Virginian who has had the whole scandal thing shoved in her face. I can not agree more with you. Further more the whole issues with pit bulls period has me baffled. Ever since the fight scandal the local TV news have done nothing but thrust and form the issue into raising pit bulls period. To the point that they have become band in several local counties. It made finding homes for the abused dogs very difficult. I am a firm believer that people should be treated how they treat their animals. This means Mike being starved and then tossed in a ring with someone willing to ripe his through out, perhaps a poser from Peta.
On a different note my dad has written Congress to change PETA to mean People Eating Taste Animals.
hi, joe,
now that the discouraging news that the stargate movies have been postponed 🙁 , i have a question i’d like you to try to answer…
can you give a reasonable, yet realistic time table on when you think the movies will be made?
=)
Like Suziebluefeather, coming from Virginia I have the misfortune to be relatively close to both PETA headquarters and Michael Vick’s home stomping grounds(which isn’t that far away from PETA either). The worst thing about Vick is that yes, it actually is a cultural thing for him. BUT, he had the rare opportunity to escape that culture, first in college, then as a pro football player. Instead of growing up and moving on, he preferred to stay in the gutter culture that enjoys watching animals suffer. As for PETA, well, Penn and Teller did a wonderful episode on them. I just wish I could think of something more effective to show my distain of that organization than breaking wind every time I happen to find myself driving by their headquarters. As for the Eagles, their hiring Vick just gives me another reason to root for the teams that oppose them, as if I don’t already have enough reasons. Enjoyed your take on the issue.
Huh. I never expected Vicks to get hired by anyone ever again; why would anyone want that stain of a man on their team? Ah well, they say all publicity is good publicity, I guess.
Yeah, I’ve never trusted any organizations designed to forward an agenda. PETA, greenpeace, whatever; they all seem to believe in “ends justify the means”; it’s just so very transparent that PETA hires so many sexy girls to forward their views; how much more “sex sells!” can you get? Well, the joke’s on them! When I see those ads, I’m too focused on the women to notice any of their messages.
@ jen: I’m cool with that. It was a nice discussion, uh, for the most part. 😉
I’ve never supported PETA. They seem like a bunch of nutjobs that prefer the notoriety than doing any good.
Though your rant on PETA reminded me of an intrepid follower I gained on Twitter. Their latest tweet? “I put on a fish costume n put knives in my costume n lay dead in front of the sushi place by my Apt. People need to know sushi is murder!” I’m still debating on if I want to instruct her on what sushi really is. Even better, “Today I had to attend another funeral for a fallen friend. When will the city of L.A. stop cutting down the palm trees and let them live!!”
As for Vick, I’m so glad that he wasn’t picked up by the Panthers. Us Charlotteans don’t get riled up too much, but I think this would have pushed it over the edge. Though it’s odd how Vick got so much time behind bars, but Donte Stallworth, who committed a DUI homocide, got almost none. Stallworth’s getting a year suspension from the NFL, but it’s still not the same.
Whoa. It’s times like this that I’m glad I’m a rugby fan. Oh, and Joe, you have all the rabid passion of a Wraith worshipper. You should really switch sides. 🙂
Have a good evening, sir!
das
You can’t tell me there aren’t any other players that Phila. could have signed instead of that #*^%$%&*^%*. Probably got him for nothing. Organized sports – it’s all about the money. Harming defenseless animals is anti-social behavior and does indicate sociopathy. I can think of no possible excuse for this kind of behavior. Someone should “Punk” a few of these PETA hypocrites. Catch one of them on camera eating a double cheese burger with bacon in their ermine fur coat and designer alligator boots. That’s a reality show I would actually watch.
Hey Joe,
Popped by to catch up on the last couple days – I’ve been studying like a fiend this week (my biochemistry final exam is tomorrow). I’m at the point where I’m really looking forward to the exam because it means I won’t have to study any more!
Loved the pictures of Luis Ferreira; the one where he does a “Daniel Craig impression” had me giggling for a couple minutes.
I very much agree with your take on Vick. I actually hadn’t heard that he was getting to work with the NFL again and, quite frankly, it makes me sick. I cannot even begin to fathom how you could possibly do that to an animal… I’m wondering if recent research about the level of intelligence present in dogs (i.e. that they’re about on par with a toddler) could lead to any sort of change in laws regarding animal cruelty.
**minor spoiler**
I’m not sure if Sabotage has been a hot topic on your blog recently but I just wanted to say that I wish people would stop leaping all over the faintest hint of something “controversial”. Especially given that we have no idea yet what the finished product will be.
I myself have a loved one who is quadriplegic, and am interested in seeing how it’s handled in SGU.
Hope Jelly’s feeling better (and that the rest of the little ones are well)!
Nadine
PETA also attacks fat peple. See this page to read about their latest attack.
Anne Teldy
Joe,
I’m a vegetarian who loves Stargate and finds your blog very interesting, but these days it seems every second entry you’re bashing some aspect of animal rights groups.
PETA has done some bad stuff in the past, and continues to do some bad stuff today. But they have also done a lot of great stuff, infiltrating animal testing laboratories and slaughterhouses to expose the sickening abuses that take place in them. They have brought legal action against people who abuse animals.
Now that the united states government has branded most animal rights groups as being ‘domestic terrorists’ (because apparently picketing and exposing illegal activities is something terrorists do), there isn’t all that much choice of groups for animal rights supporters.
I agree with you, Peta is far from perfect. But they do a hell of a lot of good things too.
@Deni, Sorry, keep checking the weather, #2 is back up and there is another one behind it. It IS august!! I’ll keep checking too. @Joe, Vick is an *sshole and should be shot, better yet , let the dogs rip his *alls off. I am not violent, but he deserves what he gets. You hurt a child or an animal, your done for, outta here!! A slow and painful death. And now back to a better attitude. Happy Friday. Sheryl
I can’t believe that anyone would hire Vick after he did those horrible things! I read that article in that one magazine about how they rehabilitated some of his dogs afterwards, and they described in detail what he had done to the poor dogs. I was in tears. Dogs are my favorite people! I mean, I don’t cry when people die in books and movies (the only exception to this general rule is TV shows… I tend to fall in love with TV characters that I get to know really well, and then I can’t help it when they die!) but when a dog dies, even if he or she wasn’t a main character, I am a mess. After Where the Red Fern Grows I couldn’t sleep for a week!
PETA is eeeeevil. And a bunch of hypocrites indeed. I can’t believe how crazy some people are!
There’s so much scandal going on back home that I’ve been missing out on the national news! Dang. I wish Vick the WORST of luck, and shame on the Phillies for hiring him.
If there was a single thing that PETA did that lost any support I might have otherwise given them, it was the ad the came up with after the young man was beheaded on the Greyhound bus, which I ranted about just over a year ago.
Everytime I see one of their celeb talking heads wearing leather, eating meat, etc, I just shake my head and think “hypocrites!”.
Well Joe, you got me started again:
Michael Vick’s sudden rehabilitation of “I want to support animals and the community now”, translates into “I need a paycheck”. The only thing he has learned is not to set up his bloody animal horror shop in his own backyard. Anybody who has such a disregard for animal life has a disregard for all life, animal or human. He might have done his time, but I don’t think the punishment fits the crime. It should be harsher. I can’t believe the Eagles are going to pay him more than a million dollars for one year. And once upon a time, PETA could have been a valuable voice. Too bad. Their methods of protest and turning a blind eye when convenient is appauling. A fly?! A fly?!! I always thought PETA was too radical, but after the Obama/fly incident, I lost any small remaining regard for that so called “organization”.
Once again, all I can do is shake my head sadly and agree with you.
Well thought-out commentary that I agree with completely.
I can find that anywhere like … like … um … man, I gotta’ get out more.
But where else can I find such exquisite snark?
Darkcraft says it all!
PETA has done stupid things/overreacted to some things — they’ve gained bad publicity (and much of it is deserved). But its intention is good, and if it didn’t act the way it did, there would be much MORE cruelty in the world.
Sometimes there just isn’t a better option available.
(Organizations like Sea Shepherds or Green Peace are very “singular-cause oriented”; PETA goes after EVERYTHING it considers wrong).
That all said, just one last thought: the only way to make PETA less “evil” or “nuts” or “weird” or whatever, is to involve yourself with it and change it — make it better. Change can only happen if people are active; they can’t just sit around and complain or hope it changes. Be active, not passive! That’s the only way to fix a problem.
Sadly most athletes that gets in trouble with the law will be rehabilitated if they produce results on the field. History is litter with athletes of questionable morals and lawlessness who were adore by fans for their athletic exploits. I suggest people dig into the bios of many past athletes will find that Michael Vick is not that unusual. However the recent media environment will make it harder for the public to forget about misdeeds by these athletes. Who usually is a young male with too much money and time on their hands.
As for PETA. Always consider them to be part of the lunatic fringe with good PR. If I am not mistaken, they want to convert people to vegans and not use any animal by products for whatever reason. Of course they ignore about the plight of people in the livestock and agriculture trade caused by their actions.
Are you going to go see District 9?
I personally have never liked the Eagles even though they are the local team and now hope they get their a$$es royally kicked this year. I work in the veterinary field and have seen enough of the dogs (winners and loosers, some old and some too young) brought in for treatment with lame excuses as “I wasn’t home, I think a stray dog got into my yard and did this to him” or my favorite “he was just running through the woods and got a little scratched up” while the dog is bleeding everywhere from several very severe lacerations on his face and neck and many old scars. There is enough of a problem with fighting in the area and now Vick is coming to town. Sarcastic “Yea!”
THANK YOU FOR THE DEDICATION POST ON THE 7TH OF JULY!!
I know the thank you is late, but my computer was stolen just before my birthday, and I only just got my new one 😀
Thank you SOOOOO Much 😀 you made my August 15th!!
Jackie
*delurking*
Joe, I couldn’t agree with you more about both Michael Vick and PETA.
As far as Michael Vick is concerned, the man did not serve nearly the time that his crimes should call for. I firmly believe that the penalties for animal cruelty and related offenses should be much more severe and include mandatory psychological evaluation, supervision and counseling for the duration of incarceration and parole. And animal cruelty being a cultural thing? My great Aunt Annie’s fanny!!! Anyone with a bare modicum of compassion knows that you don’t treat any living thing the way Michael Vick treated those dogs! I am ashamed of Whoopi Goldberg defending that man, she, of all people, knows better.
As for PETA, they’re a bunch of limelight grabbing, hypocritical whack jobs. Have you seen their “Sea Kittens” campaign? Seriously, people, pull your heads out of your fifth point of contact!
In regards to the “issues” surrounding ‘Pit Bulls” that Susiesbluefeather mentioned, that is all a load of malarkey. The ‘Pit Bull’ breeds are actually very people oriented dogs who are in general very friendly and eager to please their masters, it takes a lot of work to make them so aggressive and mean. McKay, the dog my folks took in after he was dumped out on the highway, is an American Staffordshire (one of the ‘Pit Bull’ breeds) and one of the sweetest, most tolerant and friendly dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure to be around. He is a real sweetheart and has greatly enriched my parents lives since he came into the family.
Anyway, thank you for posting about these subjects, Joe. It’s really good to see someone with such a large readership blogging about these issues!
Lastly, what is your take on the kerfuffle surrounding the casting call for the “Sabotage” character Eleanor Perry? Quite frankly, I have to say that I agree with the disabled folks I’ve talked to about the matter. You may want to suggest to Brad Wright that he rethink the character and her plot arc. It is alienating a lot of people who were otherwise very eager to see Stargate Universe and support the series.
@Deni: I’m sorry, I disagree. I think being a fan of a show means acknowledging not only the great moments, but also looking at places where the show could have done better. I adored SGA for a lot of reasons (not least of which was the way it kept making the team live with the consequences of their own actions — think of Michael, and the alliance with Todd, and the pre-emptive strike against the Replicators, and altering the replicator base code, etc). And of course, there were the fireworks and explosions. But enjoying the show doesn’t mean I can’t recognize that there were some episodes that were, at their core, extremely problematic.
To me, rape is not, and should never be treated, as a joke. It is an act of violence that can be, and often is, incredibly damaging to the person on whom it is inflicted. And yet it seems to me that, all too often, date rape is played for laughs — Mall Cop most recently. Isn’t it funny that the fat ugly guy gets to sleep with the drunk/drugged/oblivious supermodel(s), etc. My answer is an emphatic NO, it’s not.
Cereta on LJ wrote up an excellent post about why rape is so endemic, and it is interesting reading not only for the post itself, but also for the, literally, thousands of replies that the post garnered. There is some very good discussion on the post, which you can find here, if you so choose.
Obviously, Sabotage has not yet aired, and it remains to be seen whether the episode does, as Wright & Cooper have said it will, treat all the characters involved with dignity and respect. I think what I have been trying to say is that, to date, I do not think Stargate has a good track record when it comes to episodes in which issues of lack of consent come into play, and I’d like for SGU to do it better this time round. Recognizing there is a problem is the first step towards fixing it…
Go get them Joe!
I love it that you have the words that express a volume of feelings. I won’t say his name…I am just sorry he will still be in the lime light. Breaks my heart to think of what he has done. He preys upon the helpless…I think the law was too easy on him.
PETA sucks…period. You can’t white wash evil with good.
You haven’t said anything about Jelly, is it because you don’t know yet? I hope she is okay.
Hugs, Cheryl
Couldn’t agree more re. both issues. Concerning the fact that Vick is playing anywhere at all, I’d add that it takes a sociopath to hire a sociopath. Regarding accountability, yeah, I know there’s evidence linking antisocial personality disorder to a specific gene, but more research is needed. Also, for any given individual with any type of personality disorder, it may never be possible to know how much of the behavior the individual can control – but that’s a moot point here, since people with ASPD don’t see a need to control their behavior, outside of covering it up so they don’t get caught, as someone else pointed out. — So Whoopi’s a Vick apologist and a possible moon-landing disbeliever, eh? It’s harsh to hear that about someone who’s made me laugh so much, but it sounds like a few of her trains of thought got switched over to tracks on the AU Railroad.
All the above not only leads to many of TPTB and their player protegés through the entire history of pro sports (and it’s sad to learn about seriously unethical practices that’ve crept further down the ladder, into university and high-school sports and even earlier in life), but can also segue right to the PETA glitterati and its leadership, as you noted and as covered in the video you linked. PETA is an organization that as a kid I wanted badly to support, but their stated goals and their conduct over the past decade or so has made that impossible. Obviously, I’m not the only one thus affected by these f*ing self-righteous power-players, who claim for themselves the right to determine when the end justifies the means, while saying that those opposed are either blind, ignorant, or rendered incapable by other dogmas of understanding their so-called truths.
Since Holly-woodies are so visibly and vocally associated with groups like PETA that do more harm than good for the causes they claim to represent, I’d like to flashback to the Clarence Thomas hearings. First, my point is *not about* Thomas’s guilt or innocence. But I do have a particular memory of Kim Basinger going on record with this comment (if not exact, this is the gist of it): “Any woman who thinks that Thomas is innocent can’t possibly be thinking for herself; she’s like one of the Stepford Wives.” Well, I was a teen, and I didn’t see The Stepford Wives; and maybe this took me a while to reason out, but it became clear that Basinger was trying to tell women the correct way to think – the very thing she was ranting about. So, for about half my life, I’ve been sick and damn tired of people with a lot of money and/or a high recognition factor behaving like their wealth and celebrity entitle them to determine what direction society should be headed in, and to preach their views ad nauseam. I don’t discriminate: neo-Reaganites on through the left side of the spectrum go in the same jail cell in my mind irrespective of ideology, if it looks like all they’re after is to impose their own mindset on the world. Sure, I read and give serious thought to contrasting opinions, and am quite capable of changing my mind about issues — but not as a result of listening to demagogues.
Whew. It’d be easy to continue on to Bobby Bowden, Sebastian Janikowski, and Al Davis, but I can see I’ve said plenty already.
Thank you, rraarr123 🙂
After reading all these comments of mindless PETA-bashing, I am glad that at least you agree with me.
Yes, I too share your view on the whole Michael Vick thing. And sadly I used to like the Eagles. That just went out the window.
Bonjour Joseph!
Ah oui c’est vrai la NFL recomence, comme le Foot en France =)…dommage que la NFL ne soit pas diffuser sur nos chaines!
Rohh, oui c’est vraiment horrible ce qui font subire à ces pauvres animaux. On ce demande vraiment si ces personnes ne sont pas malade mentale ou doivent avoir un lourd passée qui les rendent comme ça. Car une personne ‘dite normal’ serait incapable de faire de tel mal au animaux.
Bon passez une bonne journée!
Bisou!
I can’t stand Vick or PETA. It’s no secret I love my animals and place them on ALMOST equal footing with my kids. But I would not allow my kid to drown over my dog (my puppy can save himself in more cases than the kids can) and I wont tolerate anybody hurting an animal, period.
I live in the SE US right now, and in an area where some of the dog fighting that Vick particpated in occured. In fact I’ve had some people take a great interest in my Lab/Huskey just because he looks mean. These are people I avoid and have often called the police about. Like my husband said once concerning thise whole thing, “There is a special hell for child and animal abusers and Vick is headed there.”
As for the Eagles, I hope PETA harrasses them to no end. I didn’t care for them before (and mainly because of the fans) and now I serisouly don’t. I am very disapointed in the NFL and it’s heads of operations. Frankly I’d have been sterner with Vick and would not have let him. He should still be in jail for what he did. Had it been one of us regular people off of the streets, we’d still be there behind bars or worse.
A life is still a life, regardless if it is human or animal. And the way Vick treated the lives of all of those dogs shows great disrespect towards life in general. I totally agree with you Joe, the man shows the signs of serial killer or worse. Especially since yes, he is sorry. Sorry he was caught and not for the lives he took. After all, they were just dogs.
I thought the only ones desperate enough to sign Vick would have been Buffalo, but I guess Philly just doesn’t care. How long until they can sign Plaxico Burress?
To me it seems like almost all activists are bat-sh*t crazy. There is nothing wrong with supporting a cause you believe in, but do something about it. All the activists ever do is talk talk talk talk talk. I bet if they walked outside of that animal shelter and said who wants to take in one of these animals, the protestors would all walk away.
I love Penn and teller.. they had nice leather outfits too. Sexy!
Go Joe!
Joe,
I know I haven’t posted in a LONG time but I had to respond to this post. I am a lifelong Eagles rooter who is just sick of this signing. First of all, it’s all over the news here, you can’t get away from it. Secondly, to think that my beloved Eagles would do something so stupid, the whole management team should be sent packing.
People do deserve second chances, when they make a mistake. Vick didn’t make a mistake. His behavior is that of someone with a sick, twisted mind. He should never be put in a position where he will have such an influence on young people.
I would rather lose every game this year, including the two against Dallas, than have that animal wearing Eagle green.
Oh, as a biology teacher I’ve had my run ins with PETA too. Don’t get me started on them.
I won’t even comment on the situation with Vick, other than to say I also hope for nothing but the worst for the team.
PETA has done some good things, but they seem to be headed more and more into actions they should stay away from. Maybe it’s the members thinking they are better serving the animals this way, maybe it’s the current organizers. Either way, someone needs to take a step forward, put their foot down and say “Enough is enough! We need to re-organize and examine ourselves.” I personally gave up on PETA a long time ago and swiched my animal support to the North Shore Animal League America (http://www.nsalamerica.org/about/) who work as a no-kill shelter and have saved thousands of pets.
Joe, dont listen to these people, the whole quadriplegic story is good dont change it, plus john scalzi did something similar if i remember correctly except they were old. but this ones taken right out of Holiday which was a very good episode.
@Nadine: I’m glad there’s someone else out there who isn’t jumping on the “political correctness gone mad” bandwagon with the whole quadraplegia issue. Its upsetting that society has reached the point where people feel they need to overreact and become outraged over such issues on behalf of the people effected. Used to be that if you “offended” someone, it was only specifically them that got offended.
What surprises me most though is that people are reacting more to the notion of the body-swapping sex thing. I don’t remember people reacting this negatively when Vala’s host was BURNED ALIVE using this technology.
I wonder if audiences would react the same way if it was Colonel Young borrowing a body so that he could “make love” to his wife. Its exactly the same philosophical issue about “borrowing bodies for sex” being equated to rape, but I bet with that friendly little ribbon tying it up, the boat would have been rocked much less.
They addressed the notion of rape in Battlestar Galactica, with the whole “you can’t rape a machine” storyline that surrounded the Pegasus / Resurrection Ship arc in season 2. BSG was critically acclaimed for tackling those sorts of issues. So why can’t Stargate Universe do the same? Or are people just upset that its Americans being portrayed in that light, rather than some made-up alien species?
* * *
An @ Joe question on this episode, just out of idle curiosity:
Will you be adopting the same visual techniques as were used in SG-1 to portray this sort of thing? For example, once the consciousnesses have swapped, will we see Camile on Earth in a wheelchair, and whichever actress plays the scientist wandering around on the ship, maybe with the occasional shots of the host body like we had mixed in throughout “Crusade” with Vala/Daniel? Or is it going to be more like “Holiday”, with the actors performing as a different character?
Bah. “affected”. Guess I should jump in and correct myself before anyone else feels the need to. 😉
and i hate PETA!
Hi Joe,
I completely agree with your takes on both Vick and PETA. I sincerely hope that the Eagles visit the Cleveland Browns at some point this year. I want to see how the hooligans in Cleveland’s “Dog Pound” treat him.
PETA is a complete joke, they may have done some good over the years, but these morons go completely over the line with their antics. They lost me years ago when they came out complaining against the Wyoming license plate saying that it was cruelty to animals. The plate is just a drawing of a cowboy on a bucking bronco.
A few SGU questions:
The hilarious Luis Ferreria. Typically he goes by Justin Louis, even IMDB shows him as Justin Louis in SGU. Any idea why he we with his birth name for SGU?
I love all the pictures of Carl. He has the greatest facial expressions. Any chance you can get him to do a Q & A at some point?
I Hear you @Montrealer – I consider PETA the extremeists of animal welfare….kinda like the animal liberationists…they don’t want anyone to own pets, eat meat, use animal products, etc.
And hey Joe, they’re put up some new vids on the Stargate Site including one of you…funnily enough they caught you eating…
http://stargate.mgm.com/view/content/1425/index.html
You will find zealots in most organizations. NAACP is one organization that is controversial here. Like PETA, they started out with great ideas and a few zealots within make them seem paranoid. Good points about “psychopathic personality disorder” and the link to animal abuse. If only everyone would view animals the same way we do. (I loved the Halloween pictures of your dog)
Another thought, if scientist believe in the evolution theory, why do they treat primates as disposable? Primates (at least some) can communicate with sign language but they are still used in experiments. I’m not saying that we should let primates vote, own houses or drive cars but some of the experiments I’ve seen on primates are barbaric. (I did a vet tech rotation at Vanderbilt’s research facility) Or maybe, I’M going too far left?
Tam
PETA is pretty bad. My wife’s a small animal vet and she reads about their antics in her vet journals. I remember them letting out some monkeys one time from a lab in the middle of winter!
@ Joe… Thanks so much for so brilliantly voicing your true convictions about animals and the Vick issue. I am in complete agreement with your sentiment. Vick IS a psychopath, absolutely. I leave it to God to forgive Michael Vick, if He will, because I will not.
@ Crystal… I also agree that anyone who could so ruthlessly abuse a family pet should be treated the same as someone who would abuse a child and receive a truly severe punishment.
@sulien… the laws in place for anti-cruelty to animals are far too lax and should be strengthened across all state borders. Time to go bother your congressmen and senators, write letters, send email, phone them any-which-way you can! Let your voice and compassion be heard and known, it can make a difference.
All but one of my cats has come from a local animal shelter and ALL have been rescues from circumstance. I accept them with illnesses and peculiarities, just as they are. I believe God doesn’t make mistakes, people do.
I support Associated Humane Societies, ASPCA, The WINN Feline Foundation, The Animal Rescue Site, FreeKibblekat and donate food to local shelters as I can afford it. Anyone who can make room in their heart for a pet, an animal in need or harm’s way, is a person worth knowing indeed.
My 2 cents…
2cats
and on Twitter as 2catsNJ
Hey Joe can you please help me out here.
I just read this article and needless to say I was supprised, like more supprised than just reading the spoilers for Sabotage.
Could you please confirm that this article speaks truth?
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/sarahwarn/stargate-universe-responds-to-controversy
Uggh, I am so confused I don’t know what to believe.
And for some reason gateworld forum just shut me out, like I can’t access my page on any computers, it just says fatal error. Im so wierded out. Plus the internet works fine.
Well Joe, I hope your day is going better than mine is. 🙂
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
Here’s one Eagles fan joining the ranks of ex’s. I was on the edge when they got rid of Dawkins but signing Vick? Yeah, I’m done.
@duneknight… Agreed!!!
Hey Joe, i just wanted to say sorry if I am whining about Sabotage and stuff, its your show and you can do whatever you want with it. STill I wanted to say, so if you could, please hear me out.
Spoiler WARNING!!!!
**********************
According to the article there will be lesbian (shall I say Intimate scenes) scenes (which is not that common on TV shows) and the body swopping sex scenes and situations seem to be a significant presence in the show. To me that seems kinda unstargatey and, from what I know about Universe, un-SGUey and POSSIBLY a little unnessecary. I mean I could be wrong, but I am just worried. I want to see SGU be successful, but if you overdue or over-sex-up the show and put some unnessecary stuff in there, I don’ think it would benefit you guys.
I say all this as respectfully as possible, knowing I don’t know the complete story, and respecting you guys judgement considering how good its been in past years and in other Stargate shows.
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
“majorsal
hi, joe,
now that the discouraging news that the stargate movies have been postponed 🙁 , i have a question i’d like you to try to answer…
can you give a reasonable, yet realistic time table on when you think the movies will be made?”
What the Hell??? I’m sorry, but what do you mean it’s been postponed??? We have been waiting for a long time to see our first Stargate Atlantis movie, even the third SG1 one, now we have to wait longer if not forever????? Is it because you’re all dedicating all your time and energy into the new show that you don’t care if the movies ever get done???
Sorry for my rant, and sorry if i sound hostile, but they cancel SGA so you can give us our first SGA movie, and we’ve been waiting patiently, but this is a bit insane. All because of SGU. I think there were still many stories to be told for Atlantis, and it was cut off way too short.
Again sorry for my rant.
Shanise
3 Cheers for Joe! To hell with Vick and PETA. Vick fortainting an already deminising NFL, don’t get me started on all so called professional sports(We’ll get Congress involved with steroids but Pete Rose cannot get into the Hall of fame for betting, both are wrong but come on!) And the Assclowns of those leftwing exteremists PETA, Animal rights my ass! They give the ever thing they think they represent a bad name!
So you go Joe, I’m behind you a 100% on your views with this!
I saw the Bullshit show with Pen and Teller and at that point I cuddled my cats and thanked the stars above that I never supported PETA. All they do is say “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO ANIMALS.. so please send us money.”
Well, I’m defnitely not a believer in the whole ‘give people a second chance’-thing when it comes to cruelty against animals. There is just no excuse for that. IMO.
@Deni
@silver_comet: See you there! I’m in on Friday morning. Just look for the gorgeous brunette having lunch with THE SHANKS Wait, is Lexa going? Ok, if she is, the OTHER brunette…
Hm, I’m not going to the lunch (have fun!) and usually I’m only looking for gorgeous men. 😉 So let’s see, whether your description is good enough and we’ll meet. *LOL*
If all parties to body-swapping sex are consenting, it’s not rape.
Rape is a valid topic for a TV show as long as no one is who is supposed to be a hero acts like it’s not rape.
I do hope “Intimacy for the first time” was just unfortunate wording. She’s in new circumstances and she jumps at the chance is no big deal.
What if it were a zero-G ship? Visitors with typical agility would be reacting to the new circumstances, whereas they might not otherwise.
I saw the u tube link on PETA ….F… em no more donation;s. Thank;s Joe for brining this to light….
All parties consenting would include an understanding between the body swappers and disclosure to their partners.
What the Eagles have done makes me ashamed that I was born in Philly. Luckily my husband is a Steelers fan so we already don’t give a rats patootie about the Eagles.
@Deni, Oh boy, WATCH THE WEATHER!!#2 now a TS and #3 getting stro nger , bothheaded our way. My fingers are crossed for you , 6 days and counting. @Trish and Kabra, keep a watch on the weather. Bad for us too, we need to move both to college next week. Keep in touch. Sheryl
@iamza: Let’s agree to disagree and leave it at that, ok?
@Sheryl: Did you see? TS Ana is scheduled to arrive in the Florida Keys on Thursday morning (and could be a hurricane by then) and then TS Bill is right behind it. Another one is forming in the Atlantic as well. I’ll be lucky to get outta this town on Friday morning!
Mr. Mallozzi,
I have to admit that I am the last one to be a fan of Michael Vick. Not only because of his past actions, my love of dogs, and volunteer work rescuing dogs from puppy mills, but also because I dislike sports, find them uninteresting, and sport professionals way overpaid. When was the last superbowl? Which one was it? and Who won?
However, I am quite offended by your critical response. I can’t say whether it is over critical or under critical, but just to say that it is very critical.
What he did was wrong yes. Is he rehabilitated (and not just so in the eyse of the law), is yet to be known. But he does have potential. Not just, someone trying to pick up the pieces of his career and move on, and only mascarading as a PETA symbol only for his own self benefit.
He also has the opportunity to be a bettter person than he would be had he not committed the deplorable crimes he did. Ever hear of Barry Minkow? Child Financial Wiz/Young Adult Financial Wiz/Adult Born Again Christian?
People, as individuals, in the words of the asgard “have great potential”. I have seen first hand, how many of my old friends, many who would visit juvenile hall on a regular basis, are now leading productive lives not just, as teachers, mechanics, buisiness men, but also as volunteers, role models, and examples, of how someone can despite having a flaky past be a better person because of it.
One other thought I have is that considering your written distaste and criticism for Michael Vick (He has yet to regain the respec that comes with the titel Mr.), artists such as yourself seem unable or unwilling to take criticism yourself. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, since if an artist were to cater to every persons thought, there would not be that which makes them an artist. I have tried posting a few comments that might be considered critical, although I have tried to do it in a constructive manner. If you need to hide such posting from your fan base to make you feel that much more important than that is your choice. But next time you get on your high horse or your soap box, why don’t you try taking in other perspectives, instead of giving out your own. I’m sorry if I offended you. I probably would have just gone on not caring about this, except your rant really offended me.
Now I’m getting off my high horse to say. The previews for atlantis look great. Can’t wait for it to come out, and hope all is well.
I completely agree. I was eating dinner in a cute little restaurant in Kentucky (ah, vacation) when I saw the story, and the panel, and the opinions of everyone even remotely related to the sports world. I felt so sick I had to stop eating. I can’t believe anyone would sign him! It’s horrible. And as far as I’m concerned, he should’ve been locked up for life, or at least given a good beating. Heck, I’d have joined the fist-fight. I’m not really into football anyways, but now I have absolutely no desire to watch a game, ever. Whoever made the decision to let him back in needs to undergo a psych eval.
And don’t even get me stared on PETA. They kill more abandoned or neglected dogs and cats each year than they save (link here: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/pressRelease_detail.cfm/release/258). This whole situation is unbelievable.
Good on ya Joe. ITA with your comments regarding Vick. I don’t buy his “I’m sorry” for one second. Also never been a fan of PETA. Their tactics are way too OTT for me.
@Sheryl: Agggghhhhh! Lunch with THE SHANKS, dinner with Trinneer and this shit happens now? Really? Is that little black cloud still following me around? Nah, I’ll get outta here, right? Right?
Hi Joe, how’s your weekend coming along? 😉
Darkcraft–No problem. 🙂 Glad to hear someone agrees.
(A disclaimer: This is a THEORY/QUESTION — it is not a fact, just my “possible idea”).
As we’ve all seen today, PETA puts to sleep proportionally more animals than other rescue shelters.
Is it possible this may be because the animals they are often involved with rescuing are worse than many of the shelters’ animals? Perhaps they just have a larger portion of animals who cannot live without severe suffering.
If anyone has any data to (dis)prove this, feel free. I’d love to see it. (I read through the link Joe gave; I watched P&T. Didn’t see anything on this… feel free to point out if I missed anything, though).
Anybody else would be looking for a job flipping burgers after that kind of conviction and serving time. However, in the sports world, it basically doesn’t matter what you did as long as you can earn MONEY for the team! It’s a sad statement on organized sports.
@rraarr123: No. I work at a shelter, and some of our dogs are absolutely stressed. They start developing behavior problems and some of them go kinda nuts, but our shelter still keeps them up for adoption until they absolutely can’t keep them anymore. And you know what, most of the ones with behavior problems do end up getting adopted before they run out of time. So no, the dogs they get probably aren’t worse than shelter dogs. They just give up on their rescues easily.
Joe,
After coming back from a week long vacation in Disneyland and taking a look at my yard I was wondering if your dog expert self could offer any advice. First let me say that Chassis (my 9 month old Blue Tick/Red Bone Coon-hound) was well taken care of by my brother/neighbor. But here is the problem, Chassis is extremely destructive! She destroyed her last dog bed (the big one from Costco) in one night (which was I think the 4th or 5th she’d gone through if you count the blankets I keep giving her), she destroys all of the toys I buy her in hours, she has started chewing on the walls of the garage, the wood of the fence and the dry wall that makes up the shelf thing my furnace sits on (and I buy her dog chew sticks and raw hide chews), my back yard is a mess, there are more holes than I can count, I wouldn’t be surprised if she fines oil in my back yard. I love her dearly, she is the sweetest dog, (if you’ve seen the move UP, think Doug but destructive)… what should I do, give up on ever having a nice back yard again? Will she grow out of it? Or is there some magical trick that I can do to stop her…
Much Thanks – norriski
Mr. Vick, please meet Tonya Harding and her baseball bat.
PETA? People Eating Tasty Animals, that’s a group I’d join.
We had some local ALF dipwads “liberate” minks from a farm. These were not pets, but they were cared for extremely well until they met their destiny. Turned out of their cages? Most of them died from heat and fright right there in front of the farm. Asshats!
@Norriski: How often do you walk her? It could be that she doesn’t get enough exercise. Sometimes even when dogs have a big backyard to play in they don’t get rid of all their excess energy and end up taking it out on all your stuff. I’d try taking her on walks (at least an hour of a quick-pace walk a day). If this doesn’t work, try giving her a job to do. Buy her a backpack and put a couple water bottles in it as a supplement to her walk. This could give her a purpose and make her life a little more full. Also, you might consider enrolling her in a training program. PETsMART has puppy training classes. I’ve seen the results of these, and sometimes they work wonders. You also might try finding some sort of hound activity group. I’ve heard of some groups (I’m not sure what areas they’re in, though) that help dogs develop their natural skills – for hounds, it’s tracking. Try Googling hound activities in your area, of if you’re in the US, try http://www.meetup.com. Sometimes you’ll find exactly the meetup group you’re looking for, with people in a similar situation to yourself or with an outlet for your hounds chewing habit.
It’s possible she’ll outgrow it, but I wouldn’t wait to find out. I highly suggest the obedience or training classes. Even if these don’t solve your problem, Chassis will know some basic commands and this will ultimately help you in the future.
Good luck, and stick with her! All dogs can learn, some just need a little bit more encouragement than others.
PETA has been a disgrace for years, and it always surprises me that people are just finding out now. You know, it’s worthwhile to question a lot of these “humanitarian” organizations, just to find out if they are truly what they say they are.
As for Vick, meh. If he’s truly reformed, good for him, but I say, keep a close eye anyway. My approbation is reserved for those who continually recruit and overpay thugs like him simply because they have athletic talent, and then turn a blind eye when they continually violate the norms of society.
@unegawaya: Makes sense (and FYI — I’m against putting animals to sleep if there’s an alternative; I think someone already said it in this post, but I agree and try my best to live by it: “respect all life”). I guess I’m just trying to look for an answer better than “Money” or something similar to putting animals down, ya’know?
Thanks for the thoughts, and on behalf of animals/many people: thanks for the work you do!
Last week there were a ton of rumors Vick would be coming to Buffalo (where I am) & we’re all so glad he’s not!