There is no disagreement too small or departure from political correctness too minor to escape the notice of the left’s Thought Police.
Time magazine reports the latest design of Nabisco’s famous Animal Crackers will feature animals roaming free. A zebra, elephant, lion, giraffe, and a gorilla will be frolicking on a grassland. I figure the elephant, lion, and gorilla should be all right with this new design, but if I were the zebra or giraffe I’d keep a close eye on the lion.
The previous design of the boxes had the animals inside horse-drawn circus wagons like the ones used by Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus before the invention of the automobile. That was an affront to PETA (Puritanical Extremists Transfixed by Animals) that has been fighting the use of animals in circuses for over 30 years.
And make no mistake the PETA organization is made up of hard-core fanatics who have lost touch with reality. PETA opposes animals in the circus. Animals on the dinner plate. Animals in zoos. And animals used as clothing or products.
PETA is so extreme in its beliefs that up to 90 percent of the animals that are taken to its animal shelter in Virginia are put to death. But at least they aren’t behind bars.
Virginia legislators were so revolted by the practice, according to the Religion News Service, that “Virginia lawmakers passed a bill in February — nearly unanimously — to define a private animal shelter as a place where the primary mission is to find permanent homes for animals in this life, not send them on to the next.”
Nabisco is hardly a callous animal or cracker exploiter. It has occasionally, temporarily redesigned the box to support a good cause. In 1995, it was an endangered species collection for the World Wildlife Fund. In 1997 there was a zoo collection raising money for the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn. Most recently, in 2010 there was a pastel-colored box for tiger conservation.
That wasn’t good enough for the Gauleiters at PETA.
A corporation run by reasonable people would have met with PETA lunatics — in a room that didn’t contain any sharp objects — and calmly explained that the object of their wrath is a cartoon cracker box with a 116-year tradition behind it.
The target market for animal crackers is children and not adults acting like children. The success of the product shows families like it just the way it is and Nabisco intends to follow the lead of the customer and not the pressure group.
Unfortunately, a vanishingly small number of corporations are run by individuals strong enough to resist the relentless attack of cultural Marxists, regardless of how few people the maniacs represent. Nabisco crumpled like a wet animal cracker box and in the process only emboldened the delusional members of PETA.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.