FISHKILL, N.Y. (AP)—An animal rights group says this Hudson Valley village has a cruel name and might do well to change it to something more compassionate, like Fishsave. Mayor George Carter won't take the bait. "I'm not going to change the name of Fishkill. It's been such a long, outstanding name," Carter said Wednesday. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked Carter in a letter last month to consider changing Fishkill's name. But the mayor noted Wednesday that the name has stood since the late 1600's. Fishkill, a village of 1,930 about 65 miles north of New York City, traces its name to the region's original Dutch settlers. "Kill" translates to "stream" in Dutch.... Does PETA really expect a village or town to change its name because people might confuse it with slaughtering fish? "Who knows," [PETA spokesman Davey] Shepherd said. "We have to try. If we don't, there's no possibility of them changing it."
[Ed.: Dawn Carr, anti-fishing campaign coordinator of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, quotes John Stuart Mill: "Every great social movement has three stages: Ridicule, discussion, adoption." ]
