The Animal Liberation Front Condemn 500 Mink to Horrible Suffering Before Death

But hey, at least they were free when they died, right?

The Animal Liberation Front brought Operation Bite Back to central Pennsylvania on Thursday, freeing 500 mink from a farm in Cambria Township, PA.

EBENSBURG – Police said a national animal-rights group weaseled onto a Cambria Township farm along the 500 block of Colver Road Thursday and released more than 500 mink.

Oh Kelly Cernetich, you little Yellow-throated marten.  I see what you did there.  Using “weaseled” as a verb in an article on other members of the Mustelidae family.  Aren’t you just as tricksy as a Saharan striped polecat?   Moving on…..

Police said an officer first noticed the mink along a road while responding to a separate incident and contacted longtime mink farm owner George Rykola.

Police Chief Mark Westrick said the Animal Liberation Front, an international resistance group that works to remove animals from laboratories and farms, announced in a letter it was responsible for the mass mink release.

Westrick said the letter stated the effort was part of the group’s multi-phase “Operation Bite Back” to target and damage fur research facilities, farms and feed suppliers and organize “large liberation’s [sic] to rescue the animals themselves from imminent suffering.”

Way to stick it to the man!  I am sure this will be remembered as a stunning blow struck by ALF against….Wait a second.  “ALF?”  Seriously?  Do these groups not think about acronyms when they name themselves, or are they just ignorant of 80’s sitcom aliens who eat cats?  Anyways….

I am sure this will be remembered as a stunning blow struck by ALF against both George Rykola and those rotten, lazy, good for nothing mink.  That is 500 mink out of Mr. Rykola’s animal exploiting wallet, and 500 mink ready to be smeared across the road, eaten by dogs, or slowly dying from starvation among other possible horrible deaths, all thanks to the work of the animal haters in black masks from the Animal Liberation Front.  Good show!  Fuck those mink!

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t wear fur, and I don’t support fur producers.  (Well, I support the animals that actually produce the fur, just not the people that farm or trap them, kill them, skin them, and make gloves and coats out of them.)  And yes, I realize that this puts me firmly in the hypocrite camp since I eat meat, and I am not going to spend any of this post attempting to justify that contradiction other than to say I see a difference.

That being said, releasing farmed animals into the wild is a completely asinine idea.  In a later story, ALF justified their actions:

“We lost count of the number of wild animals freed into their natural environment, due to the animals being housed in atrocious conditions, four to [sic] tiny cob-webbed cages. Words cannot describe the filth and blinding stench of this farm,” the statement read.

I am willing to give ALF the benefit of the doubt and believe that the animals were being housed in atrocious conditions in their opinion.  Perhaps the farmer was an evil animal abuser who skinned the mink while they were still alive and forced the other mink to watch so they knew what was coming.  But these are not wild animals.  They are farm raised mink.  As the farmer says:

“They’re not aggressive at all. You can stand right next to them. They won’t bite you,” he said. The mink won’t be able to survive on their own.

The majority of these mink will be recovered.  Some of the recovered ones may still die from the stress of being released.  The ones that escape into total freedom will have little chance to enjoy that freedom.  They will become roadkill, or chew toys for local dogs.  The ones who escape these violent deaths will get to enjoy the pleasures of starvation or perhaps death by winter.  Sure, these mink were all already going to be killed, but now they get to die painfully.  Way to go, ALF!

What if they weren’t farm raised, you may ask.  What if they were captured wild mink?  Would it be morally defensible to release them then?  Alas, ALF doesn’t even get that justification.  Ecosystems are fragile.  Releasing a large number of predators into an already balanced ecosystem would be catastrophic.  See Ireland for an example.

While I can not agree with groups such as ALF on their opposition to using animals in medical research, I do agree with their opposition to the fur industry.  Their tactics however show that they do not actually care about the well-being of the animals they claim they are fighting for; they care about press coverage and using their edgy environmentalist street cred to get laid in college.  “I just freed 500 mink from the cages of their capitalist death merchants, baby.  Why don’t you take down my zipper and free my Greater grison?’

Here’s hoping that one either gets run over by a car or eaten by a dog as well.

Altoona Mirror LttE Shocker: Idiotic Argument Gets Destroyed Over, and Over, and Over Again

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Altoona, Pennsylvania is a city located in the county of Blair, a central Pennsylvania county that is overwhelmingly Republican leaning (Romney 31,500, Obama 15,516 in 2012) right in the heart of what is known as Pennsyltucky.  (Surrounding counties; Bedford: Romney 16,509, Obama 4,730, Somerset: R 23,935, O 9,420, Cambria: R 33,464, O 23,181, Clearfield: R 20,303, O 11,093, Centre <Home of Penn State>: R 33,697, O 33,677, and Huntingdon: R 11,953, O 5,383, in a state won by Obama by 5 percentage points.  Numbers from Politico.)  The Altoona Mirror, as one of the major papers serving this area, has a definite lean to the right in its editorial views, perhaps out of necessity as much as true belief.  Something tells me they wouldn’t have many subscribers if they went around endorsing Obama.

The Letters to the Editor section, however, is a bastion of fairness in a right wing jungle.  Sure, the majority of the letters printed were probably scrawled in crayon by knuckle-draggers, but they can only print what they receive.   When one of the crayon scribbled diatribes strikes a progressive nerve in the community, they are more than willing to print the responses.

This weeks idiotic ravings come from a Mr. Ed Leipold of Altoona, who writes in on August 20th with a proposed solution to the marriage equality debate:

 

The same-sex marriage controversy still rages across America, with no end in sight. I think I have the solution, and it’s quite simple.

Here’s my plan:

Have the Obama gang pick a small, typical town somewhere in rural America.

Next, you find two comfortable homes, side by side, and put a normal married couple [man and woman] into one home and a same-sex pair into the other.

Give them a year, and without any kind of outside interference, aid and/or pre-planning, the first couple to produce a healthy, bouncing baby will establish what will be the law of the land in this country, as to what “legal marriage means.

Simple solution to a really simple problem.

Ed Leipold, Altoona

Which led to the Altoona Mirror’s First Annual “Smack Around Ed Leipold’s Bigoted Opinions” Week.  The week began on Saturday the 24th with a letter from a former resident of Altoona:

This letter is in response to Ed Leipold’s “Same-sex solution” letter.

It is people like Leipold that give my hometown of Altoona a bad name whenever they send imbecilic drivel to the Altoona Mirror.

His letter makes no sense, is offensive to same-sex marriage advocates and is devoid of any facts or knowledgeable information actually worth reading.

Having been born, raised, and lived in the great city of Altoona for the first 23 years of my life, I can assure you that there are plenty of educated, smart people in the area that have intelligent things to say.

The Mirror would benefit from publishing letters from these people sometimes, rather than constantly publishing the opinions of Ed Leipold.

Alex Askey, Alexandria Va.

Ouch.  While Mr. Askey doesn’t really spend any time on Mr. Leipold’s actual argument, Mr. Leipold’s actual argument is imbecilic drivel and didn’t really need refuted.  I’m sure even a few local conservatives cheered when they read this letter.  Mr. Leipold is a frequent letter writer, and his opinions are often of the “so stupid you wonder if he is a Poe” variety.  I figured this was the end of it, a fitting smack down for a letter devoid of anything worth reading.

But the Mirror wasn’t finished.  No, there was still an argument to shred, and on August 27th, they turned to one Carey Pierce to do the shredding:

Definition of ignorance: the state or fact of being ignorant, lack of knowledge, education or awareness.

When reading Ed Leipold’s letter to the editor on Aug. 20, that was the first word that popped into my mind. A few others did as well, but they aren’t very nice.

I find it hard to believe the only thing that defines “legal marriage” is having children. What about married heterosexual couples that choose to not have children? What about married heterosexual couples that can’t have children?

Does Leipold wish to inform those couples that their marriage isn’t actually legal? I would love it if Leipold would further explain where he got his definition for “legal marriage.”

Carey Pierce

Altoona

So beautiful.  So now we have Mr. Askey giving voice to the majority opinion of Mr. Leipold’s rantings, and Carey Pierce completely dismantling his argument.  Game, Set, Match.

Unless….

Unless they really wanted to pile on.  I mean, Carey did call him “ignorant,” and Alex did refer to his writing as “Imbecilic drivel” “devoid of” anything “worth reading,” but did they really mock his argument enough?  Was it time to turn it up to 11?

The August 29th edition had the answer to that question, with a letter titled “Argument ‘silly'”  (The Mirror does not have this letter on the website yet.  As soon as they get it online, I will provide the link.  For now I am quoting from my print edition.)

I read Ed Leipold’s letter detailing his solution to the question of marriage equality and while I think the most likely result of his experiment would be two childless couples due to performance anxiety, I am willing to concede his point that only the heterosexual couple could produce a child.  With that biological fact out of the way, so what?  Is he using his cute experiment to suggest that the ability to sexually reproduce should be a requirement for a marriage license?  In that case, add a fertility test to the license application.  We can leave it to him and others who make this silly argument to explain to infertile straight people why they can no longer get married.  Of course, this doesn’t only affect the infertile young; senior citizens who find love past their childbearing years will now have no choice but to live in sin.  We can’t forget those people who chose to not have children for some reason or another.  Should we employ fertility police to check up on childless married couples?  Impose a time limit for reproducing before their marriage is annulled?

Of course we shouldn’t, because we all realize that marriage is about a lot more than sexual reproduction.  Marriage is the public affirmation of love between two adults asking the government to legally recognize their hopefully lifelong partnership.  I seriously doubt Mr. Leipold wants to deny marriage to the other people I pointed out who can not have children, just to homosexuals.  Which, I am sorry, means this isn’t about children but about bigotry.

Why do you care, Mr. Leipold?  How exactly does marriage equality affect you in any way?  No one is going to force you into a gay marriage, I promise.  You say that the controversy rages with no end in sight, but you are wrong.  A quick look at the polling trends and numbers will show anyone that those on the anti-gay marriage side are fighting a losing battle.  There is an end in sight, and in a decade or two people will wonder what the fuss was about, just like with interracial marriage.

E. Joseph Grsevinsky Jr.

Duncansville

Calling his argument “silly”?  Check.  Employing Reductio ad absurdum by  suggesting fertility police to make sure couples reproduce within a limited amount of time under threat of annulment?  Check.  Calling him a bigot?  Check.  Sliding in the subtle dig that no one is going to force him to get gay married?  Check.  Hell, the only thing missing is an insinuation that Mr. Leipold truly wants nothing more than to slobber all over a throbbing cock and uses homophobia as a way to stuff his longing for rock hard man meat deep down somewhere other than his ass, but then again, that probably wouldn’t have been printed in a family newspaper anyway.

And hell, isn’t this the second time I’ve printed a letter from this E. Joseph Grsevinsky fellow?  Someone needs to give that man a blow job.

Get Ready for Judge Kagarise

As I predicted yesterday, Wade Kagarise steamrolled his way to the Republican nomination for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, picking up 4,635 votes and besting his nearest challenger by 729 votes.  While fellow republican Dave Andrews secured the Democratic nomination, the general election is all but already decided, to the point that Dave Andrews is questioning how much, if any, effort to devote to the November election.

Blair County judicial candidate Dave Andrews won the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary, leaving him with a decision to make on how hard to campaign in the fall.

“I’ll have to look at where the votes came from and consider what I want to do,” Andrews said Tuesday night…

Why such resignation from the victor of the Democratic primary?  It may have something to do with these numbers:

The results set up a Kagarise versus Andrews contest in the fall, but Andrews will be the underdog based on party affiliation. As of Tuesday’s primary, the county had 46,666 registered Republicans and 28,662 registered Democrats.

The only reason Democrats even had any voting options this primary season is due to candidates cross filing to run on both tickets. For races where no Republican cross filed this year, the most common phrase in today’s Altoona Mirror is ” There was no Democrat on the ballot.”

It is a shame that Attorney Andrews’ chances in November are roughly equal to the Chicago Bulls chances of winning this years NBA championship.  While he is a Republican and I do not see eye to eye with him on politics, I do feel he would be a good judge, and he brought a refreshing attitude to the campaign.

Andrews also declined to accept campaign contributions from fellow attorneys and endorsements from politicians or elected officials.

“I think that should be state legislation,” he said. “The key to the judiciary is no partiality … and I wouldn’t want people coming in to the courtroom thinking otherwise.”

Silly rabbit, ethics are for losers.  Future judges play politics!

Kagarise, who has been active in the Republican party, had the support of the party and endorsements from District Attorney Richard Consiglio and Sheriff Mitch Cooper.

Just as a side note, remember the name Sheriff Mitch Cooper, kids.  Aside from having the perfect name for a television cop, Sheriff Mitch Cooper is heavily involved in the local tea party and will be a reoccurring character at the new Foster Disbelief.  Tonight, on Tea Party Justice, Sheriff Mitch teams up with guest star Chuck Norris to bust the local Democratic party headquarters, which is actually a front for heroin smuggling Muslim terrorists employed by Obama to steal the guns of law abiding white citizens and distribute them to black people with their welfare checks.  Only on the INSP network, right after The Waltons.  Now back to your regularly scheduled post…

Deputy DA Kagarise ran a perfect campaign.  From tv spots that used local tragedies to win voters emotions to highlighting his pro-life, pro-NRA stances to endear himself to the average far right citizen of Blair county.  Dave Butterbaugh, an Altoona city councilman, shows how effective the strategy was while revealing his own questionable opinion on the desired qualifications for Judge:

Dave Butterbaugh, an Altoona city councilman, said Kagarise was the most conservative of the candidates, stating he is “pro-life, pro-Second Amendment.”

“He will fight crime the hardest,” Butterbaugh said.

Will he be prowling the streets with his six gun, challenging criminals to duels on the diamond (the diamond is a well known location in Hollidaysburg, near the Blair county courthouse)  at high noon?  And will he be fighting against crime or fighting for justice?  He isn’t going to be a district attorney anymore.  He is going to be a judge.  Will he be able to separate himself from the prosecutors office?

For his part, Kagarise tried to say the right things after his victory:

When it came his turn to speak, Kagarise spoke to both Blair County Republicans and Democrats, stating, “A judge is a bipartisan job. … The issues that face the court system are not Republican or Democratic. They are community issues.”

Yes.  Judge is a bipartisan job.  And perhaps you can put your own politics aside and become a great judge.  We will have to wait and see.  But forgive me if I look at the campaign you ran and the endorsements you courted and see nothing but a far right partisan.

 

Local Shocker! Right Wing Hate Radio Station to Keep Right Wing Hate Show

In what may be the biggest local shocker this year, WRTA has decided to not only keep airing the Rush Limbaugh Show, but to sign a multi-year contract extension.  From the Altoona Mirror:

“Overwhelming feedback from the community in recent weeks was in favor of keeping the conservative talk show host as part of the station’s afternoon lineup,” station owner David Barger said in a statement.

Wow.  You mean people in one of the reddest areas of Pennsylvania like Rush Limbaugh?  Perish the thought!

I found this endlessly amusing:

It remains WRTA’s primary goal to continue providing the community with programming that’s both diverse and offers various viewpoints.

WRTA’s weekday lineup of national radio shows includes Rush, Michael Savage, and Roger Hedgecock.  The “liberal” viewpoint is given by Alan Colmes, better known as Sean Hannity’s punching bag from Hannity and Colmes, in the coveted 11pm slot.

WRTA: Where three different shows of wingnuttery is considered “diverse” and “various viewpoints.”  Look, WRTA?  I understand.  I really do.  If you put an actual progressive on the air, you’d lose half your audience to heart attacks and the other half to righteous indignation.  But don’t pretend you’re fair and balanced.  You’re a right wing echo chamber.  Embrace it.

Blair County, PA Judge Jumps Shark

Via The Altoona Mirror:

Blair County Senior Judge Thomas G. Peoples strapped on the water-skis on Thursday and jumped a shark while waving the War on Drugs banner proudly.  Judge Peoples handed out what is believed to be the longest sentence for drug offenses in Pennsylvanian history.

Philadelphia native Gene “Shorty” Carter, considered the kingpin of an organization that distributed a million dollars’ worth of cocaine and heroin in Blair County, was sentenced Thursday afternoon to 104 to 216 years in prison…

That is not a typo.  That’s a sentence of one hundred and four years to two hundred and sixteen years in prison for non-violent drug offenses.  Rapists, child molesters, and murderers don’t receive prison terms like that in this county.  Only drug dealers.