[photo-3d] Eating Rats

[Tom Deering <photo-3d@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some of you saw me on television Friday, and wrote to ask about it. 
Here is the story for the rest of you.

It seems there is a TV show called "Survivors".  On this week's show, 
they chased, killed, cooked and ate some rats.  In itself, this is no 
big deal.  We've probably all gotten drunk and eaten something weird, 
haven't we?

The militant vegetarians, PETA, announced they would protest rat 
roasting outside CBS's New York studios.  It made the front page. 
This struck me as stupendously screwy, so I showed up to mount a 
counter-protest.

There were seven PETA people--one in a rat costume.  Rented, I 
suppose.  On the side of rationality, there was just me.  PETA had 
professionally printed signs saying "Rats have rights".  I had a 
hand-made sign that said "Rat lovers: Get real".  Yes, that guy was 
was me.

Three TV crews, a radio reporter, seven newspaper writers, and maybe 
ten photographers showed up.  It was funny to watch the reporters 
interview the PETA folks with a straight face, then stroll across 
42nd street to interview me.  I asked each one, "Is this the 
stupidest thing you've ever reported?"  They all said that it was.

Of course, dining on rats is big news in New York, but apparently 
others are also interested.  People in Missouri and Delaware saw the 
broadcast, maybe elsewhere.  My grandmother in Kansas City saw the 
story, but didn't recognize me.  I was not wearing a red suit.  I 
only wear that to NSA conventions.

Mounting a televised protest is not difficult work.  I brought my 
laptop, and wrote material for an NSA workshop.  One reporter seemed 
very interested in what I had to say about stereo photography, but he 
printed none of it.

I'm not really pro or con on vermin cuisine.  But when some pompous 
knucklehead makes outrageous public statements, it seems like someone 
should speak up.

Clean your plate,

Tom
---
tmd@xxxxxxxxxxx    http://www.deering.org