Like many compassionate people, we at PETA were shocked and disappointed to learn that according to a recent ABC News story, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) bragged about beating a rat to death with a golf club. PETA has written to Sen. Durbin and urged him to use only humane rat-control methods in the future so that he can set a good example for his constituents — especially impressionable young people.
PETA also points out that cruelly killing one rat won’t prevent more rats from taking up residence in the Washington, D.C., townhouse that Sen. Durbin shares with three other members of Congress—more rats will simply move in to fill the void. We urge Durbin to inform his landlord, Rep. George Miller, that he can easily and permanently end the rat infestation by sealing any openings larger than a dime in the foundation vents, roof, and sub-floor with caulk or a sturdy screening material. Sen. Durbin can help make the townhouse less attractive to rodents by cleaning up the “filth and squalor