Man Bites Dog Advocate

The ASPCA is paying Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus to settle a RICO-related counterclaim by the circus act:

VIENNA, Va., Dec. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Feld Entertainment, Inc., the producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® Circus, announced today that the company has reached a legal settlement with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in connection with two federal court cases. Under the settlement, ASPCA has paid Feld Entertainment $9.3 million to settle all claims related to its part in more than a decade of manufactured litigation that attempted to outlaw elephants in the company's Ringling Bros. ^® Circus.  This settlement applies only to the ASPCA.  Feld Entertainment's legal proceedings, including its claims for litigation abuse and racketeering, will continue against the remaining defendants, Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, Animal Welfare Institute, Animal Protection Institute United with Born Free USA, Tom Rider and the attorneys involved. 

"These defendants attempted to destroy our family-owned business with a hired plaintiff who made statements that the court did not believe.  Animal activists have been attacking our family, our company, and our employees for decades because they oppose animals in circuses.  This settlement is a vindication not just for the company but also for the dedicated men and women who spend their lives working and caring for all the animals with Ringling Bros. in the face of such targeted, malicious rhetoric," said Kenneth Feld , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Feld Entertainment.

Related background here.

Comments

[daddy]

Since banning this and banning that and banning the other is all going to lead to peace and love, I would like a little JOM assistance this New Years Eve tracking down how many cars are set on fire in Paris.

The French Media will not report on it to prevent their disenfranchised Islamic youths from knowing how many Citroens they have to burn to beat the previous years records, but they have to burn at least a thousand to get in the ballpark.

Press Reports say that the French have also banned sales of Alcohol around the Champs Elysées and sales of Petrol on New Years Eve in order to prevent the Paris car burnings. This should provide a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how banning stuff that ordinary citizens need and use will stop all unwanted behavior from criminals.

One would think, since all that banning is obviously going to be successful, that the French authorities would now have no problem publicizing how many actual car burnings take place since there obviously won't be any.

Unfortunately the stupid French authorities are still determined to keep their Press muzzled and that car torching info secret, under the super slight possibility that a car might actually still get torched. Ces't La Vie.

So if you come across any reports of Citroen's alit en' Paris this New Years, "incroyable" as that sounds, please link 'em.

[narciso]

What I was pointing out earlier, yes some of the LUN, is strictly SFW

[narciso]

I mean, NSFW,

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Beautiful, narc.
A few more creeps to add to my no-fly list.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I can't describe the joy I get seeing this bunch of psychos; Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, Animal Welfare Institute, Animal Protection Institute United with Born Free USA, being crushed, finally, by someone.

[narciso]

Well Amanda Peet, from the 'Whole Nine Yards' among other, has a history degree from Penn

[Danube of Thought]

God bless Ringling Bros. Wahoo!

[narciso]

There was a comment, on a Ace thread about Sean Penn, with a mock letter, from a clown college, how the latter could not measure up.

[rse]

Reporting in from the chilly beach.

Red was telling me yesterday that her dad was getting her bear spray to keep in her car for protection when she is driving alone. Apparently it is far more effective than pepper spray.

I think the Big Data story from the previous thread is in part priming people to get used to just how much central planning is being designed now around all the social media and search engine data. As I believe I have mentioned it is a big part of the vision behind the Sustainable Ecosystem economy.

[daddy]

Great Link narciso at 01:00.

Surprised me that the conscience of HollyWood, Sean Penn, wasn't in that Ad, but then I remembered this:

Actor Sean Penn, who has played a tough guy, a cop and a killer, became a crime victim when his car was stolen as he lunched in downtown Berkeley, police said.

The car was parked at a meter in a crowded stretch of downtown Berkeley full of pedestrians, not far from the main BART station and the UC Berkeley campus.
"It was a bold theft in broad daylight," Kusmiss said.

Also taken were two of Penn's guns -- a loaded 9mm Glock handgun stashed inside the car and an unloaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver in the trunk.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

For centuries, circus people have had to be a tough bunch. It is delightful to hear that tradition continues. I always loved defending clients like the Felds. Having the facts, law and money all on my side really made my job easy. It seldom happened that way, alas.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Unless Mr. Penn has a concealed carry permit it is illegal to carry a loaded weapon in a car in CA.
Wonder if he'll be charged in the people's republic.

[geezer]

I'm still laughing. Janet wrote on Jan. 02, 2010.....I'm reminded of a great line from a Freeper calling the Dennis Miller Show:

"You are brighter than 300 burning Renaults
on a cool Paris Night."

[Porchlight]

Excellent news about Ringling.

[narciso]

This fits the theme of the thread;

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/court-affirms-labor-pickets-on-private-property.html

[marlene]

Congrats to Ringling Bros.! I have to admit,I'm not a big fan of the circus.Maybe because of the clowns. Hubby usually took the daughter to the circus,where they would overdose on cotton candy.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Maybe because of the clowns.--

The person must exist somewhere, but I'm not sure I've ever met a human, either adult or child, who admits to liking clowns.
How to explain their continued over supply in a world seemingly utterly lacking in demand?

[daddy]

From the "Learn To Be A Clown" Website:

Have you ever wanted to be a clown? No doubt you’ve given this decision some thought. Or perhaps you’re still just thinking about it, wondering about what is really involved in transforming yourself from mild-mannered civilian into laughing, loving clown. Once you've decided that this really is the path for you, the best thing you can do to get started is to investigate the clowning business. You can talk to other clowns and get some tips because the more that you know, the better clown you'll be.

But The Internet Clown School may be better because it has rave reviews from "Rodeo the Clown" Southgate, MI, "Pookie the Clown" Hutchinson, MN "Sassafass" Kittanning, PA, and "Reb Clownsky" Oceanside, NY.

Can't get much higher praise than Pookie!

[Danube of Thought]

I always felt that way about Red Skelton. Not funny at all.

[Agent J]

What is the difference with being a clown, or an actor?? or Joe Biden?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Actors are creepy.
Clowns are creepy/scary.
SloJoe is creepy/scary/stupid.

[maryrose]

I dropped my them 8 year old daughter at a birthday party and had my 6 yr. old son in tow. The father of the birthday girl was 6ft. 4 and dressed up as a clown. I had to leave immediately as my son went screaming and crying from the room ! I always loved the circus and felt the animals were treated humanely. Most times much better treatment than what they get at a zoo. I stopped going to the Monkey House in Cleveland until they expanded it. The poor monkeys just did not have enough room.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

Red Skelton is one of the few old time comedians that I can't watch. To me he was silly but not funny.

[narciso]

It's a matter of degree, as we see, and Tim Curry did the trade no favors,

[daddy]

I was hoping that somewhere on the planet there was evidence of a human culture that did not have clowns. Maybe thats the reason the Aliens haven't contacted us because that are looking down at us and seeing that all our societies are infested with Clown disease.

Egypt? By the 5th Dynasty:(

China? By 1818 BC:(

India? By 100 BC latest:(

Islam? Apparently so, due to this Master's Thesis “The Search for Indigenous Clown Forms in Afghanistan”.

Aztec's? Unfortunately, yes.
And Incan's and Mayan's and among the tribes of the Great plains? Yes(:

Hopefully not the Hopi?
No such luck(:

Classical Greece and Rome?
Completely poisoned by "Clown Disease(:

Polynesia? :(

All humanities hopes now rest on Australia. So far I can find no solid evidence of Clowns existing in 60,000 years of Walkabout Aboriginal History. Take my Roo. Please.

[Jane - Mock the Media!]

I'm laughing about Sean Penn. What would Chavez say?

[Beasts of England]

An elephant post? May I sneak in a gratuitous comment, re: my favorite pachyderms?

Roll Tide! Beat the Irish!

[narciso]

This might occasion a round of Citroen flambe;

http://www.eutimes.net/2012/12/french-government-cuts-immigrants-welfare-by-83/

[clarice]

I was delighted by this turn of events. I hope it's a tipping point in eco terrorism.