PETA and Baskin Robbins - Bloody Sundae

It was 31 below. 

No, not the temperature, the name of the ice cream treat I had just ordered at Baskin Robbins.  My 14 year old daughter and I were at the Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth, Illinois finishing up some Valentine’s Day shopping before we went to see “Avatar”.  We decided Baskin Robbins was a great way to punctuate our shopping trip. 

She ordered something I had never seen before and I ordered the aforementioned Thirty-One Below.  Banana and Strawberry it was. While we were waiting, I spied a stack of colorful pamphlets on the counter by the cash register.  Snagging one up to pass the time till our order was ready, I immediately felt the heat of anger come to my face. 

PETA

Some activist working at Baskin Robbins had left a stack of pamphlets depicting the slaughter of baby seals.  I looked around at the people waiting in line or already eating at the various tables and saw mostly teenagers.  Young people were getting ice cream and being indoctrinated at the same time – all courtesy of Baskin Robbins and PETA. 

The pamphlet was colorful because it was splattered with blood.  Pictures of cruel, vicious and murdering thugs clubbing baby seals were front and back of this one page piece of propaganda.  Every one waiting for ice cream could be treated as well to “Canada’s Olympic Shame”.  That’s right, PETA, according to this pamphlet, wants the Olympic Committee to help stop the clubbing of baby seals in Canada.  My only question is: What does this have to do with the Olympics?

Did “Baby Seal Clubbing” become an Olympic event and I missed it?  And how does one judge such an event?  Number of baby seals clubbed?  Number of times said seal is clubbed before it succumbs?  Number of fur coats produced in 4 hours?  I don’t know. 

Seriously, my real question is this: What in the hell is Baskin Robbins thinking allowing this kind of display at their counters?  My daughter asked me what it was and I told her not to look at it.  This is the young lady that is Ellie May Clampett in real life.  Animals flock to her.  She has rabbits and chickens, dogs, cats, birds and fish, etc.  Her gentle little soul would have been in turmoil for the rest of the day because of the Olympic committee’s heartless support of baby seal murdering thugs.  But then, PETA has never displayed much ability in the area of social graces.

The same day we were at Baskin Robbins an article about American Olympic skater Johnny Weir was released telling of death threats by animal activists against him. It seems they have a problem with him because he wears fur. He has received threats both written and verbal. Due to the threats, he elected to stay in the secure area of Olympic Village as opposed to staying in a hotel outside the area.

These, apparently, are the people Baskin Robbins has decided to align themselves with. Whether the pamphlets came from a patron or an employee, Baskin Robbins is responsible for the political display of a fringe group. The ice cream isn’t the only thing that has nuts at Baskin Robbins. I have a four year old daughter I will not be taking to Baskin Robbins – ever. God knows she might be served a banana split in a dish that looks like an eviscerated baby seal. Think I’ll stick with Dairy Queen.