Let me get this straight–PETA, the animal rights group that compared butchering hogs to serial killer Jeffery Daumer and turned America’s sweetheart Mary Tyler Moore into Cinderella’s stepmother, is now encouraging college students to drink beer, not milk.

Even Dr. Spock learned his lesson about telling new mothers that milk was bad for babies. Motherhood and the medical profession staked him over the red ant bed of tradition and common sense until he cried, “Leche, Leche!”

But PETA has never seemed to have very much regard for the context of their promotions as long as they created an outrageous reaction. Media people and pundits love it. Even lowly agricultural columnists can’t resist commenting on their latest lunacy.

Unfortunately, to their consternation, last year poor PETA was outdone in the “outrageous” category by the once credible Sierra Club when they suggested draining Lake Powell. But in all fairness, it’s getting harder and harder to shock the public, what with eyebrow piercing, “How to Marry a Millionaire” and Bill and Monica’s Incredible Journey.

I’m sure the Sierra Club’s e-mail was deluged with indignant messages from PETA, accusing them of not playing fair, of attempting to steal their most fanatic donators by trying to be “radical.”

But back to PETA’s latest advertising campaign aimed directly at college students– “Drink Beer – Not Milk.” They contend that cows and calves are abused by dairymen. This is an argument I will not engage in; abuse is in the eye of the beholder.

For instance, I’ve always thought that forcing a left-handed child to write cursive is abuse–or forcing a cat to live indoors–or even flypaper. So no matter what dairymen could do, it would be considered abuse by PETA, up to and including giving cows their freedom, hauling them to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and releasing them amongst the impala and leopards.

There is some question of political correctness, maybe even legality in their plan. The government has held the tobacco industry down while lawyers robbed and plundered them for trying to sell cigarettes to kids. What about selling beer to kids? Average age of a coed is 19 or 20, right?

Should Janet Reno and the ABA, not to mention United Dairymen and Mothers Against Drunk Driving file a class action suit and take PETA to the cleaners?

Personally, I don’t think it will be necessary. PETA, in its need to be more and more “naughty” is becoming more and more boring. I mean, how many times can Dennis Rodman re-dye his hair.