If you’re gay, is your index finger shorter? Or is your INAH3 just smaller?

[kaiponohea]

Remember that episode where Debbie talked about Mikey’s index finger being just normal? Help me, you all who know the eps by heart….

This rant is a response to shadownyc’s query about the PETA email campaignPETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) got enraged because researchers at Oregon Health and Science University are experimenting on sheep

Comments

[shadownyc]

Thank you for sharing your insights on a broader scale with everyone. I'll check out the article links that you posted as well. Words can be very powerful and when twisted can be incredibly missleading and/or confusing.

[kaiponohea]

I'm glad you all brought the subject up.

Your comment, Shadow, in your journal was:

Sometimes the balance between honesty and making a point gets too blurred. I hope PETA doesn't sabotage their own mission with too much out-of-line behavior.That's absolutely right on. PETA is right to be concerned, but needs to watch out for hysteria and exaggeration. The scientific community needs to police itself even better than it does currently, and take PETA's points to heart

[shadownyc]

I appreciate your response from a knowledge standpoint that I certainly don't have.

Animal experimentation

[fansee]

Like Kai, I worked for a University, and I worked in a department that did animal research. Also like Kai, I was aware of the guidelines for the humane care of the animals and of the oversight committee that made sure the guidelines were adhered to.

We had one researcher doing very important work on the ability of newborns and infants to tolerate anesthesia. Would the PETA people prefer that their newborns be an experimental anesthesia candidate because the dosage had not been tested on piglets? Or would they rather take the chance that their unanethesized newborn might go into shock as a result of the operation? Indeed, before research was done on animals to test probable infant reactions to anesthesia, newborns were routinely operated on without anesthesia. Thank God none of my children needed surgery as a newborn! FanSee

Re: Animal experimentation

[kaiponohea]

Indeed, before research was done on animals to test probable infant reactions to anesthesia, newborns were routinely operated on without anesthesia.

What a horrible thought! OMG.... I don't see how anyone could argue with animal testing in a situation like that. Yipes!

[southernwriter]

Wow. You know I'm an animal lover, but PETA does bug me. Anyone who so adamently adheres to a "this is black / this is white" point of view with no tolerance for a gray area is a bit too extreme in my opinion.

I have things to say on the gay issue too, but I'll have to do it privately in the next couple days or so. I don't want to publicly out someone who is not out, yet. It's not my place to do that, yanno?

[kaiponohea]

I agree--extremism in any form is dangerous.