PETA, Spearfish High School, Whitefish High School and Sea Kittens

[Mom...@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/10/2009 9:20:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, UA...@yahoogroups.com writes:

PETA petitions Spearfish school to change name to Sea Kitten High

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/01/09/news/local/doc496507e67d
4c0852005061.txt

By Journal staff | Friday, January 09, 2009

"Is this a joke?" was the reaction in Spearfish on Wednesday to an effort to
get the high school to change its name to something more cuddly.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said it faxed a letter to
Spearfish High School Principal Steve Morford, asking the school to "adopt a
new name to reflect the gentle nature of its current marine namesake."


The school should be renamed "Sea Kitten High School," PETA said, as part of
its new Sea Kitten campaign aimed at children.

Is this a joke? Apparently not.

If children were taught to refer to fish as "sea kittens," reflecting that
fish, like cats and dogs, are "individuals" that "do have friendships,"
fewer fish might be killed for food or sport, PETA spokesman Pulin Modi
said.

"We want people to realize that more fish are killed each year than all
animals combined," he said. "They don't have the sympathy of more popular
animals like cats and dogs."

Wednesday afternoon, Principal Morford said he had not yet seen the fax.

Several calls about the effort had interrupted his work day. He said he
wouldn't share his feelings about PETA but said, "Obviously, it's nothing
we're taking seriously."

Morford said the school's students, who have access to laptops and the
Internet at school, had started to talk about the assault on their school's
name.

Zach Retzl, a senior, hadn't heard about the suggestion but said he didn't
think it would catch on.

"It's so illogical that it's hard to comprehend it," he said. "I really
don't think any student would necessarily go for that."

He said the school is just named for the town and doesn't promote hunting or
fishing.

"I would say it probably has something to do with Native Americans and what
they did to hunt for food to survive," Retzl said.

About changing the school name, he said, "I just think it's a pretty
ridiculous idea."

A similar letter was sent to the principal of Whitefish High School in
Whitefish, Mont., near Glacier National Park.

Whitefish schools superintendent Jerry House said he thinks all of Whitefish
should consider the new name, but he suggested White Kitten, rather than Sea
Kitten, as Whitefish is so far from the coast.

"White Kitten High School, the White Kitten City Council, the White Kitten
Fire Department -- it has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

Break the politically correct law, House said, "and you'll be arrested by
the White Kitten Police Department and taken to the White Kitten Jail, where
you'll be treated with soft, furry paws and a purr of compassion."

Last summer, Whitefish High hosted a conference of the National Federation
of Fly-Fishers. In a town so reliant upon tourism and conventions, House
suggested the new name could bring in similar new business.

"Next year, maybe we'll get the National Federation of Sea Kittens," he said. "The fur will be flying, and they'll have scratching post exhibits.

"But," he warned, "we're going to have to bring in lots and lots of litter
boxes."

The Missoulian newspaper contributed to this report.

<http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/01/07/news/local/doc49650a01c
67be274563976.txt> To see the full text of letter, click here.

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