Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is in a game of chicken with animal rights activists at PETA.
PETA fired the first shot after Stitt declared March 22-26 as meat week to promote the state's agriculture and livestock industry. It was no surprise that PETA was not a fan of meat week since the organization promotes veganism.
“The governor may wish to flatter the meat industry, but what it sells is inhumane, unhealthy, and an environmental nightmare,” the organization said in a statement after putting up a billboard calling the governor a "meathead" near Southeast 15th Street.
On Wednesday, May 12, Stitt finally responded to PETA in a tweet that said "Looks like a great spot to grill some burgers..." along with a photo of the billboard.
He wasn't joking. Later that day the governor, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, and a handful of state lawmakers headed out to the billboard to grill burgers and steaks.
"It's all in good fun. Oklahomans know that we're going to stand by our agriculture industry and our personal freedoms – and the freedom to go vegan if you want and the freedom to eat hamburgers if you want," Stitt told KOCO.
Unwilling to end this beef, PETA called the cook out a "stunt," "a smelly, dead-animal barbecue," and said it would send Stitt a back brace "since he must be in agony from all the bowing and scraping he has to do to keep his meat-industry backers happy.”
Photo: Governor Kevin Stitt