AMERICAN PUBLIC WANTS ANIMALS PROTECTED BY LAW

In another example of media myopia, the Gallup organization found that 96% - yes, that's NINETY-SIX PERCENT - of Americans believe animals deserve protection from harm and exploitation, including a surprising ONE IN FOUR who would grant them "the exact same rights as people to be free from harm and exploitation" - and Gallup headlines this poll, "Public Lukewarm on Animal Rights." What Gallup means by "lukewarm" is "confused," of course, since it's unlikely 25% of people are ready to boycott foie gras, veal, or circus animals - clear examples of needless exploitation by any standard - yet these folks do have some moral sense that's leading them toward compassion and understanding. After picking its own wording that led to the 25% (based around the "rights" chimera), Gallup backpedals by pointing out how inconsistently those people answered other questions. Still, nearly 2/3 of Americans want more laws protecting farm animals and more than 1/3 would ban all animal testing, whether for medical research or product testing. I dunno, seems pretty remarkable to me.