Great post by deerouz.
Until our middle class starts to understand the difference between compassion and naivete, these wastes of oxygen will continue to have the upper hand. The appeal-to-conscience route was worth a try and I personally supported it at one point. But it has proven futile. If one thing has been made clear in the last year and a half, it's that fear is the only emotion they understand.
The dynamics of this stalemate won't start changing until the day these animals can't go to "work" without feeling scared for themselves and their families. Everything in their lives, everything they hold dear, should be fair game. Plain and simple.