People for eating tasty animals (PETA)has finally been caught funneling money to terrorist organizations, I can't wait for the bombs to start dropping.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) thrives on publicity stunts. In Hong Kong's business district, two women members painted their bodies with leopard markings and paraded around naked with placards protesting the fur industry. But lately public attention has turned toward something PETA would rather not expose – a strong suggestion that it is linked to eco-terrorist groups.

The Center for Consumer Freedom, a coalition of restaurant operators, revealed information during a congressional hearing that PETA has made several donations over the past six years to Earth Liberation Front and individuals or groups associated with the Animal Liberation Front. In some cases the money was given to legal support committees for eco-terrorists who were apprehended.

The donations by PETA were documented using IRS records. In making the disclosure, Richard Berman, executive director for the Center for Consumer Freedom, said, "People are deceived by PETA's self-portrayal as a warm and cuddly animals rights organization. PETA should explain to their contributors why their money was used to help finance domestic terrorism."

One of PETA's contributions was $45,200 to a support committee for Rodney Adam Coronado. Coronado was convicted of firebombing an animal research laboratory on the campus of Michigan State University. ALF claimed credit for the fire.

James Jarboe, the FBI's domestic terrorism section chief, says ALF and ELF combined have committed more than 600 criminal acts in the United States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of $43 million. ELF and ALF are loosely connected and considered terrorist groups by the FBI.

While eco-terrorists generally claim not to harm animal or human life, try telling that to Brian Cass, managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences in England. Cass was returning home recently when three masked men attacked him with baseball bats. Huntingdon is Britain's oldest drug testing firm. Although the vast majority of drug tests are done on rats and mice and not dogs or cats, animal rights groups have targeted these labs. The Center for Consumer Freedom says PETA is linked to groups involved in driving Huntingdon out of business. Tactics have included firebombing the cars of employees and phoning death threats.

PETA concentrates on the silly stunts, recruiting celebrities and raising money for the animal rights movement. It leaves the dirty work to these other groups. Bill Maher of ABC's "Politically Incorrect" is on the board of PETA. Maybe he will find full-time work there now that ABC is considering canceling his show in revamping its late night lineup.

With all the resources it has, PETA does very little to actually help animals. Most of its success is in stirring public opinion and applying pressure to the farm and food industry, the medical community, biotech firms, federal land management agencies, zoos and circuses-anyone using animals in ways that don't meet its approval. If that pressure doesn't work, eco-terrorist groups can take it to the next level. Their targets and their rhetoric are remarkably similar. It's time PETA was exposed and not the women it dupes into taking off their clothes.