Supporters of “American Idol” will no doubt recall Kristy Lee Cook, the fresh-faced young cowgirl from Selma, Ore., who rode her country style all the way to seventh place on season seven of the singing competition in 2008. The country in Cook – along with her photogenic – are what led to her role in the new Versus hunting and reality show “Goin’ Country”. The hunting in unique has made an enemy of the publicity-grabbing animal rights organization PETA. The headline-grabbing group is after a public apology from Kristy Lee Cook.
Kristy Lee Cook isn’t backing down
In a public statement, Kristy Lee Cook did not mince words when it comes to her “Goin’ Country” roots. PETA made a public statement lambasting Cook for not following the path of “Idol” alums Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Simon Cowell, who have all participated in public animal rights advertising for PETA. Cook had her own words for PETA, in defense of her personal beliefs and those of responsible American hunters. “Given that hunters have done more for American wildlife conservation than any other group in history, I make no apology for being one,” Cook told Fox. ”Indeed, I join the ranks of millions of American hunters who celebrate our outdoor heritage and who conserve millions of acres of wild lands. These same people support more than 600,000 jobs across the country and provide a critical voice to encourage more investment in American conservation”.
Cook has her own animal charity
”Goin’ Country” gives followers a chance to see inside the life of Kristy Lee Cook. Her charity organization, the “Kristy Lee Horse Heaven Foundation,” also receives attention. Hunting is among her family’s preferred recreational activities. Throughout, Cook insists that hunting is handled responsibly, with an eye toward conservation and even the role meat can play in an organic diet. ”If I don’t take the meat home to my family, then we give it to orphanages or homeless shelters,” said Cook.
Meat is good for you, says science
Meat is valuable to human evolution, something that PETA and other hunting-critical groups tend to ignore. Anthropologist Leslie Aiello told NPR that when humans became meat-eaters, major changes in evolution started to occur.“What we think is that this dietary change around 2.3 million years ago was one of the major significant factors within the evolution of our own species,” she recently told NPR. Using tools was a large part of the brain development that went on when meat eating started for humans. Most significantly, the caloric and fat value of meat gave brains the energy needed for growth. The theory is that excess energy from meat enabled the human body to spend more energy growing a larger brain. The invention of cooking also contributed to brain development, as the social aspect of cooking required that bands of humans organize their labor efforts.
Additional reading
Fox News
foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/08/03/exclusive-peta-takes-aim-kristy-lee-cooks-hunting-shoots/
NPR.org
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristy_Lee_Cook
