Perfect...Ninth Circus [Circuit] Federal Court To Decide PETA Suit That Whales Are Slaves Under 13th Amendment

[Selene]

If we only had a forum sub topic for humor and ethics this would be perfect!

A California federal court is to decide for the first time in US history whether amusement park animals are protected by the same constitutional rights as humans.

The issue arises from a lawsuit filed by rights group People for the

Ethical Treatment of Animals

(

PETA

) in a

San Diego

court on behalf of five orcas named Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka and Ulises.

PETA

argues that continuing the whales' "employment" at

SeaWorld

violates the 13th Amendment to the

US Constitution,

which prohibits slavery.

"It's a new frontier in civil rights," said

Jeff Kerr,

PETA

general counsel, who described the hearing as a "historic day."

"Slavery does not depend on the species of the slave any more than it depends on race, gender or ethnicity," he argued. "Coercion, degradation and subjugation characterize slavery and these orcas have endured all three."

"The welfare of our whales is enshrined in numerous federal and state laws, including the

Marine Mammal Protection Act

and the

Animal Welfare Act.

"

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.b59c44b3fadf0cdbed8b56f504caf0e5.481&show_article=1

[BaalChatzaf]

If we only had a forum sub topic for humor and ethics this would be perfect!

A California federal court is to decide for the first time in US history whether amusement park animals are protected by the same constitutional rights as humans.

The issue arises from a lawsuit filed by rights group People for the

Ethical Treatment of Animals

(

PETA

) in a

San Diego

court on behalf of five orcas named Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka and Ulises.

PETA

argues that continuing the whales' "employment" at

SeaWorld

violates the 13th Amendment to the

US Constitution,

which prohibits slavery.

"It's a new frontier in civil rights," said

Jeff Kerr,

PETA

general counsel, who described the hearing as a "historic day."

"Slavery does not depend on the species of the slave any more than it depends on race, gender or ethnicity," he argued. "Coercion, degradation and subjugation characterize slavery and these orcas have endured all three."

"The welfare of our whales is enshrined in numerous federal and state laws, including the

Marine Mammal Protection Act

and the

Animal Welfare Act.

"

http://www.breitbart...&show_article=1

Utter madness!

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Selene]

PETA has lost its bid to get a federal judge to hear its lawsuit contending that SeaWorld is holding five killer whales in violation of the 13th Amendment.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller dismissed the suit on Wednesday, saying the 13th Amendment applies only to human beings and offers no redress for the plaintiffs, five orca whales represented in part by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as next friends. “As plaintiffs lack standing to bring a 13th Amendment claim, the court dismisses the action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,” Miller wrote.

The Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union Tribune covered the ruling (PDF).

PETA had recognized "in the main" that the 13th Amendment applies only to persons, but had argued constitutional principles have been extended over the years to apply to changing times and conditions, according to Miller’s opinion. The group cited cases such as Griswold v. Connecticut, Brown v. Board of Education and Miranda v. Arizona.

“The primary difficulty with Next Friends’ argument for the expansion of the scope of the 13th Amendment is that the amendment is not reasonably subject to an expansive interpretation,” Miller said. “Unlike the other constitutional amendments relied upon by Next Friends, the 13th Amendment targets a single issue: the abolition of slavery within the United States. The amendment’s language and meaning is clear, concise, and not subject to the vagaries of conceptual interpretation.”

Miller ended his opinion with an expression of sympathy for the plaintiffs. He noted that several state and federal statutes could provide redress, including criminal statutes that punish people violating statutory duties to protect animals. “While the goal of Next Friends in seeking to protect the welfare of orcas is laudable, the 13th Amendment affords no relief to plaintiffs,” he said.

PETA quoted in the Los Angeles Times about the decision gives the incrementalism statement that:

Even in defeat, PETA hailed its lawsuit as a victory, "one more step taken toward the inevitable

day when all animals will be free from enslavement for human amusement."

In the San Diego Tribune, this mutt explained that:

“The civil rights battle for humans was not, in many respects, won over night,” he said after the ruling.

“We’re going to continue to pursue every available means to fight for these animals.”

What a useless organization.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Well, here's one for the Peta people and their concern about animal slavery. How about killing animals for entertainment as surrogate gladiators?

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yhfd9dIkXEk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You can read about it here:

They’re Back! Illinois Carp Hunters Release New Epic Video…and You’ll Want to Watch

From the video's opening screen:

All fish used in this video were scooped up and used in our compost pile.

Seems like there has to be an easier way to get compost...

Michael

[Selene]

LOL - I sent this around to my friends two days ago - hilarious!

[caroljane]

LOL - I sent this around to my friends two days ago - hilarious!

That video is a fake. It actually is of the Nunavut Lacrosse League Semifinals in Iqalit, 2010 , The carp are just the regional variation of the Tuktoyaktuk Rules.