PETA Sues SeaWorld Over Killer Whale Enslavement

[jimmy olsen]

  Nutcases

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/weird/peta-sues-seaworld-over-killer-whale-enslavement.html

PETA Sues SeaWorld Over Killer Whale Enslavement
Attorneys argue the mammals should be protected by the 13th Amendment
By Emily Feldman
|  Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012  |  Updated 5:16 PM EST

The five orca plaintiffs live at SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego.
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Five killer whales got their day in court Monday.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the vocal group behind those eye-popping anti-fur ads, filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld for capturing and "enslaving" orcas named as plaintiffs in the case.

At a Monday hearing in San Diego, PETA Attorney Jeffrey Kerr argued that the big mammals should be protected under the 13th Amendment.

"Tilikum, Katina, Kasatka, Ulises and Corky have been captive and subjected to treatment that we feel is slavery," Kerr told U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller, who is now weighing SeaWorld's request to toss the case, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Miller noted that there is no legal precedent for protecting animals under the 13th Amendment.

SeaWorld argued the consequences of setting such a precedent could be difficult to contain and may lead to cases brought against police departments and the military for their use of service dogs.

"We're talking about hell unleashed," The San Francisco Chronicle quoted SeaWorld attorney Theodore Shaw as saying. "Neither orcas nor any other animal were included in the 'We the people' ... when the Constitution was adopted."

Judge Miller said he would review all the information before deciding whether to dismiss or proceed with the case.

PETA officials heralded the hour-long hearing as a victory in and of itself.

"This is truly a historic day for the law and for the animals," spokesman David Perle said. Kerr added that "for the first time in our nation's history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human."

SeaWorld called the lawsuit a "publicity stunt" without merit.

[Martinus]

It's funny but in 100 years this is going to be quoted as one of the first abolitionist cases. Mark my words.

[Ed Anger]

Words marked, Perez.

[Ideologue]

Orcas are internecine cetacean-killers.  If you let them out, they'll immediately find a gray whale to murder.  Fuck orca rights.

[CountDeMoney]

It's funny but in 100 years this is going to be quoted as one of the first abolitionist cases. Mark my words.

I tried to raid a SeaWorld once in order to foment an Orca rebellion, but the Orcas were scared shitless, the first casualty was ironically a gray whale, and after a standoff at the gift shop barricaded behind stuffed Orca dolls we were captured by seal trainers shipped in from Disney. 

Rescuing sea life is a dead end.

THE CRIMES OF THIS GUILTY LAND WILL NEVER BE PURGED AWAY BUT WITH A SQUEEZE OF LEMON

[Ideologue]

Our trainers are a civilizing influence upon the blackfish.

[Darth Wagtaros]

It's funny but in 100 years this is going to be quoted as one of the first abolitionist cases. Mark my words.

Dread Scott, among others, has it beat.

[Ideologue]

Fear God, and dread Scott?

[Eddie Teach]

It's funny but in 100 years this is going to be quoted as one of the first abolitionist cases. Mark my words.

In 1000 years, man will be gone and it will be apes exploiting whales in sea parks. The whales still won't have opposable thumbs.

[garbon]

Words marked, Perez.

Why does Martinus hate words so?

[Monoriu]

I have to say this is a very successful PR operation.  Even the HK newspapers are reporting it. 

[Neil]

I have to say this is a very successful PR operation.  Even the HK newspapers are reporting it.

Nope.  You're confusing attention-whoring with PR.  A successful PR campaign doesn't make you look like a bunch of total retards.

[Monoriu]

I have to say this is a very successful PR operation.  Even the HK newspapers are reporting it.

Nope.  You're confusing attention-whoring with PR.  A successful PR campaign doesn't make you look like a bunch of total retards.

Some say there is no such thing as negative publicity 

[Darth Wagtaros]

It's funny but in 100 years this is going to be quoted as one of the first abolitionist cases. Mark my words.

In 1000 years, man will be gone and it will be apes exploiting whales in sea parks. The whales still won't have opposable thumbs.

In a thousand years dolphins and other cetaceans may have returned to the surface and walk on dry land.

[Capetan Mihali]

It's funny but in 100 years this is going to be quoted as one of the first abolitionist cases. Mark my words.

In 1000 years, man will be gone and it will be apes exploiting whales in sea parks. The whales still won't have opposable thumbs.

In a thousand years dolphins and other cetaceans may have returned to the surface and walk on dry land.

Isn't the octopus supposed to be the next world-dominating species?  I seem to remember some prediction about that...