Deroy Murdock writes in Canada's National Post that Newkirk's letter is "a new low in this up-with-animals/down-with-humans ideology." Delaware's News Journal editorialized that her lack of compassion for her own species is "why a lot of people view PETA as frivolous and obnoxious." The Virginian-Pilot reports that one radio host near PETA's Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters has renamed the group "People Embarrassing the Tidewater Area."

And Ken Moran noted in the New York Post that "it took the death of a donkey for PETA to find its voice" on issues of global terrorism. "How," he asks, "can anyone in their right mind even listen to what people like this have to say, let alone join their organizations?"

PETA's antics have taken an acid turn lately, with some observers openly criticizing the group for forcing an anti-fur orthodoxy on indigenous populations, purchasing ad space on police cars with tasteless references to "pigs," and even aiding and abetting domestic terrorists.

Birmingham (AL) News outdoors columnist Mike Bolton summed it all up nicely, noting that while "more than 720 people" have died in Palestinian terrorist attacks since September 2000, "PETA members are more concerned over the death of a single ass."

"I suppose," Bolton concluded, "it is human nature to be more concerned about your own kind."