Astroturf Alert?

I have long suspected, without evidence, that PETA, the lobbying group seeking ethical treatment of animals, was created and financed by the meat industry in order to discredit real activist movements seeking more humane treatment of animals. PETA is unwaveringly blunt and offputting in their communication strategies--so much so that they seem not to care about achieving their stated aims so much as offending as many people as possible with the harshest, LEAST PERSUASIVE rhetoric they can muster.

Today we have a prime example of this, where a PETA spokesman uses Steve (The Crocodile Hunter) Irwin's death not as an occassion to reflect on injustice to animals, but a way to infuriate and offend potential supporters, driving them to reject PETA as an extremist organization that no feeling person could ever support.

I am not sure how serious I am about this, but how else to explain such bad public relations?