Animal rights activists, many of whom have lived on the fringes of advocacy in a way that alienated large segments of the American public, are increasingly adopting tactics that emphasize core values that many consumers share, according to a groundbreaking story in The New York Times today. The movement is maturing in a way that, you could say, parallels the larger environmental movement, 20 years its elder. Most consumers want to know that the meat they eat comes from animals that have been treated humanely.