Reheated dishes from the hardworking staff’s Turkey Day media menu:

Item: PETA’s the Party Pooper

The animal-rights group PETA had a special recipe for Thanksgiving dinner: An appetite-suppressing TV spot (via AdGabber via BU student Alex N) featuring a little girl saying grace at the family table. It went something like this, as described in a PETA press release:

“Dear God, thank you for the turkey we’re about to eat–and for the turkey farms where they pack them into dark, tiny little sheds for their whole lives,” the girl in the ad begins. As her relatives react, she continues, “And special thanks for all the chemicals and dirt and poop that’s in the turkey we’re about to eat.” The ad concludes, “This Thanksgiving, be thankful you’re not a turkey. Go vegan.”

Grace note: The press release was headlined “PETA’S Thanksgiving ‘Grace’ Commercial Banned by TV Networks” (actually, network affiliates), which legitimate news sources confirmed.

Funny thing is, by PETA standards, the “Grace” commercial is the animal-rights equivalent of Trix Are For Kids. The average PETA ad is more incendiary than Glenn Beck (go nuts here). That’s a common tactic for advocacy groups with limited marketing resources: They look to get the biggest bang for their advertising buck. Unfortunately, that approach often blows up in their face.

Let’s be clear: No one (in their right mind) is in favor of animal abuse. But PETA is abusive in a different way. It assaults people’s sensibilities so they’re disinclined to support an organization they’d normally be sympathetic to.

If PETA could control its animal instincts, it might gather a bigger herd.

Item: Fantastic Mr. Fox Is . . . Fantastic

The Missus and I spent Thanksgiving afternoon watching Wes Anderson’s film of the classic 1970 Roald Dahl children’s book. (Here’s a taste.)

The story line is engaging, the animation is riveting, and the whole thing is delightful.

The hardworking staff gives it four tails.