Ingrid Newkirk's great speech

I have had some misgivings about PETA, but Ingrid Newkirk's speech is compelling. 

It's called: Non-violence includes animals.

If you believe in non-violence, peace and kindness, it only makes sense to extend these principles to animals as well as humans, since they, like us, experience pain, joy, fear, and a totally subjective sense of self.  You cannot inflict violence on a rock, or other inanimate objects, since they have no self-awareness.  Violence requires a conscience and sentient being on the receiving end.  This is the reason why why violence is bad, since it harms a sentient being.  You could argue that the destruction of buildings, an inanimate object, is and act of violence, but I would say this is only the case since these structures support the well-being of humans through providing shelter, psychological meaning, etc.  Hence this kind of destruction hurts humans, but not the building itself.