THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609190018
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 21 lines
Far from being frivolous, PETA's appeal to the town of Fishkill to change its name stems from the fact that cruelty to animals is all too often a deeply embedded, rarely examined part of our culture.
Certainly it's a less crucial matter than actual animal cruelty - which is why it's only a tiny drop in the bucket of what PETA does. But names like Fishkill do have a part in perpetuating our treatment of animals: They feed into and reflect the attitude that it's acceptable to turn a blind eye to suffering.
Sometimes movements must work with symbols as well as tangibles. For many people, ``Fishkill,'' regardless of its actual meaning, invokes a violent image - one that no town should be proud of promoting.
ALISON GREEN
Arlington, Sept. 12, 1996 by CNB