To hell with PETA and the jargon about what the government does to the meat (sure, something's done to all of the processed stuff we eat). PETA are extremist lunatics, for the most part. I look at a lot (not all) of people who go vegan or vegetarian because of the government or PETA as lunatics who are easily scared into following fads.
I don't eat meat that often but I can't confine myself to being a vegetarian or a vegan. I eat vegetarian and vegan dishes on almost a daily basis but am also a seafood lover. Plus, I like ground turkey in a nice bowl of chili with cheese sometimes.
Health, religious, and taste reasons for going (or just eating) vegan or vegetarian make more sense to ME than saying you saw a chicken with a machine up it's ass and was turned off. But I by no means have finished my "I rule the world" indoctrination yet...lengthy process.