Editor -- I'd take a veggie burger over a rodeo any day (''The only name in town,'' Oct. 22).

While PETA's antics might be silly, their message is not. Rodeo is not wholesome entertainment; it is flagrant animal abuse.

Animals used in rodeos are physically provoked into displays of "wild" behavior by the use of electric prods, and the tails of baby calves are tugged and twisted in the chute prior to release so that they'll flee furiously from the source of pain. I'd much rather live in a town known for its compassion than one that celebrates animal cruelty.

KRISTIE PHELPS
Program coordinator
In Defense of Animals
Mill Valley