Absolutely The Animal Rights Idiot Of The Year

Putting aside those who actually do violence on behalf of animal rights, she may not be the animal rights idiot of just the year. She may be the animal rights idiot of the decade, or longer.

Meet Leigh Lawson (pictured at right). However the unfortunate accident occurred, she's the gal standing in front of the San Francisco zoo after a Siberian Tiger killed one teenager and mauled two men ... with a, "Honk if you miss our Tiger" sign the very next day.

Image here and story here - they still aren't sure how the tiger managed to get out.

The zoo remained closed Wednesday, its gates chained. The only sounds reaching the periphery were trees rustling in the cool breeze and faint yowls from the monkey exhibit. A lone protester, Leigh Lawson, a 25-year-old Humboldt State student, stood watch near the service entrance. Her hand-lettered sign read, "Honk If You Miss Our Tiger."

Leigh Lawson stands in front of the San Francisco Zoo on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2007, protesting the killing of a Siberian tiger that killed one person and injured two others on Christmas Day. Police officers shot the tiger after it escaped from its enclosure and attacked the three visitors. Lawson, picketing alone, outside the zoo Wednesday afternoon, says she wishes officers had tranquilized the animal instead. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Comments

[JustADude]

I have to think this is where they start with those gals that fall madly in love with serial killers doing life without parole or waiting on death row.

[jkatl]

Several articles of note at sfgate.com the Chronicles website. One titled- Trail of blood apparently led escaped tiger to victems - The director of the zoo seems to think one of the three climbed over the four foot fence (footprint on top of fence) and dangled a leg over the side of the moat, where then the tiger leapt over the moat and latched on to the kids leg. The kid pulling his leg back pulls the tiger up with him. Another article claims there is blood and a shoe in between 4 foot fence and the moats near wall. Looks like a strong possibility the tiger was provoked, and if true dangling your leg over the side of the moat is not your everday taunt or provacation. I don't support the girl standing outside the zoo with that particular sign, and I feel bad for the victims and the tiger, but if the director of the Zoo's initial theory is to be believed none of this likely happens at all without a brazen and off the charts stupid provacation where the tiger likely felt threatened and acted out of instinct.

[seekeronos]

Given that this item happened in San Fran Weirdsville, I'm surprised that there isn't a small throng of tiger-rights activists calling for the impeachment of the Chimperor McHallibushitler - because everyone knows that tiger maulings are caused by GOP policies of imperialism and chronic halitosis.

[elixelx]

Did ANYBODY honk?

[eliXelx]

The sign SHOULD have read "Honk if you miss our tiger AND if you want to see my boobs".
In that case even I would have honked!

[chris]

"San Fran Weirdsville"

Nutball Jesus freaks in upstate NY should not throw stones. Jesus might come and hit you with a lightning bolt or something.

[seekeronos]

"--- Nutball Jesus freaks in upstate NY ... ---"

You might find that "upstate" is defined largely in relation to where one live in regard to either NYC or Albany or Canada... i.e. I'm only 60mi. north of Manhattan, which to a Manhattan almost qualifies me to be a Canadian. (To a Manhattanite, anything north of 96th St. is "upstate".

But to an Albany dweller, I'm a pocket suburb of NYC, and certainly a "downstater". And to someone from around Plattsburgh (near the CDN border), I'm practically a Confederate.

For my co-denizens of the Lower Hudson River Valley, I'm most likely a "downstater", as not too far away is the Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill (actually, a 45min. drive north, and hence further "up" the state) tends to demarcate where in the state I am.

As for the per capita "nutball" population... there is the resident hippie population up in the Kingston/Saugerties/Woodstock/New Paltz "Patchouli Parallelogram" that has the highest population of freaks, loonies, and moonbats outside of Greenwich Village, but the majority of us in the Downstate/Lower Hudson Valley are very, very solidly in Red Republican Land around these parts.

Full of normal, well-adjusted folks quite unlike yourself, Bob/chris... or the I-wuv-tigerz girl depicted above.

[Lala]

A friend of mine drives a Hansom cab in Central Park. One night one of the wacko animal rights people lamented that his horse didn't have shoes or boots on being that it had snowed and the streets were cold and slushy.

My friend said that the horse did indeed have shoes, that they were hammered into its' hooves.

This caused Ms. Wacko to go crazy, she had never heard of horse shoes.

[Fred Beloit]

Ah yes, the essential "but", as in this by jkatl:

"I don't support the girl standing outside the zoo with that particular sign, and I feel bad for the victims and the tiger, but" I do support the girl standing outside the zoo with that sign and don't give a crap about the victims.

[heheh]

Seekeronos: You are an absolute hoot.

[JustADude]

Seekeronos: I was born in that area in Orange County and do a lot of visits back to all the relatives still living there.

When my parents moved to Florida in the early 50's it was still mostly dairy farming country and black dirt vegetable farms for the most part.

Sure has changed a lot since then.

Of course down here since us southerners are so slow we have to keep it real simple.

Anybody north of I-10 is a damn yankee!

[Maritza]

I would LOVE to contact this girl! If anyone finds an email address, myspace, facebook, WHATEVER...please let me know. This is what I wrote in response to her article. Man, I hope she feels stupid.

I've been looking everywhere for a way to get in touch with Leigh Lawson. I am a zookeeper. It is sad to lose an animal as we are all very attached to them as we would any creature that we feed and care for every day, even CHILDREN. The reason we keep these majestic creatures in captivity is to educate and enchant people who would otherwise never hear the plight of the animals and never feel the need to help them and their environment. I don't understand why someone would protest something they obviously know nothing about. The Sousa's miss their BABY. She should stand outside with a sign that says "We need competent zookeepers". I know the investigation is not over but that's my speculation. And FYI, Leigh, you can't tranquilize a large and dangerous animal like that when it is attacking. Before the drug takes affect, it causes the animal to go crazy and we would probably have a lot more deaths on our hands had they not killed her. The standard procedure at any AZA zoo is "shoot to kill". It has to be in a situation like that. Had the zoo been able to assemble their shoot team that they are supposed to have and practice to be accredited, it's possible that no one would have been hurt.

[Maritza]

Looks like they were pretty quick to take that picture down. It was removed along with my comment about 15 minutes after I posted it.

[seekeronos]

"--- Seekeronos: I was born in that area in Orange County and do a lot of visits back to all the relatives still living there.

When my parents moved to Florida in the early 50's it was still mostly dairy farming country and black dirt vegetable farms for the most part. ---"

It still is good country for the most part... plenty of dairy and black dirt farming still in the southern part of the county. I have to admit I spoil myself with the local farmer's market veggies and fresh milk and cheeses. A bit pricier at times than what can be had at the local Wally-world (WalMart) - but so much fresher and full of flavour.

NYC (or rather the Greater NYC Exurb) is encroaching ever farther northward, and the price of housing is still quite high (plenty of corporate lawyers, sales execs, and investment bankers seeking the six-day grind to make their nut instead of a seven-day grind to afford a co-op twice the price and half the size), and it adds to the local flavour, I suppose... :)

[Mom 1st/ Animal Lover 2nd]

Just something to think about in light of your very unfortunate display Leigh: I'm sure the grief stricken parents of the young man KILLED by the tiger were as horrified by your sentiment as the rest of humanity and perhaps you could lessen their shock and grief by an APPROPRIATE expression of sympathy over the loss of their son. It seems the very least you could do under the circumstances.

[Wonderduck]

Fortunatly for most of the people involved, the responding police didn't honk.

[Tea]

I corrected her sign on my blog, she should be protesting the tiger action and selling some tiger meat, mashed tiger balls with gravey . idiot human chick. I wonder what would be the tiger reaction to her "free services"?

http://undocumentedspot.blogspot.com/2007/12/chick-misses-murderer-she-should-get.html

[Fred Beloit]

Just, I'm south of Rt 20. Anybody north of there is a carpetbagger.

[Fred Beloit]

Any one else get the impression the picture above has been photoshopped?

[Ted]

You must remember "Honk" stands for
Hopless
Ornery
Nutty
Kook

Ted

[NightStrike]

I admire Miss Lawson for her guts and ability to speak up. We can't blame animals for human flaws and mistakes. Well done, Leigh. Kudos from Norway.

[Fred Beloit]

NightStrike. Hmmmm pretty tough name for a lover of pussycats. Maybe one of those tough, ranger-like PETA commandos.

[SoCal]

Thank you NightStrike from Norway! Europeans and Californians are just more compassionate and have less of a human-centric viewpoint than Americans. The tiger was simply doing what it does best: hunting prey. The tiger was also defending her meager slice of territory as the person killed was taunting her inside the enclosure. What other resolution to the situation could there be? This is a good lesson for all to see and understand how some people make stupid decisions and the consequences for them. Would you tolerate someone coming inside your house and throwing rocks at you?

Good for the tiger, may she rest in peace.

Good for Leigh Lawson, a brave Californian and true human being.

[NightStrike]

I surely expected both positive and negative comments, and so I got. Luckily there has been a stronger focus on animal's rights during the last decade, and that's something we all should be grateful of. May both the tiger and the victim rest in peace. It just goes to show that we still have something to learn, and that some things are better left "untouched". The actions of Miss Lawson will help us keep focus on these things, so we have to see the whole thing in a larger perspective than just this one tragedy.

......And by the way, I'm not a fanatic, just a person with common sense and the ability to think beyond my own egosentric self. May you all have the strength to manage that one day.

[seekeronos]

My take on it:

1. Boy teases big kitty.

2. Big kitty somehow gets loose, and munches down on some boy-ribs, and removes a small smattering of stupidity from the gene pool.

3. Zookeeper with big gun shows up, takes notice of big, angry, and slightly less hungry kitty. He makes a judgment that said big kitty is probably very dangerous, and must be dealt with.

4. Zookeeper exercises superior gun control, and dispatches big kitty.

5. Zookeeper grinds up dead kitty into tiger burgers, and PETA chick complains loudly.

Verdicts:

a) Boy's stupidity causes his death and subsequent extinction of the numbskull genes he carried.

b) Numerous people are reminded that taunting big, 400kg kitty-cats is probably an idea best left to smarter folks, like the cast of MTV's "Jackass".

c) Zookeeper gets some target practice, saves lives by removing the mean old kitty-cat, and...

d) learns that tigerburgers taste good, and some people will pay good money for the ground-up reproductive organs of dead big kitties.

e) Whiny PETA girl should do something more valuable with her time, like shaving her legs or eating some BEAN-O tabs to help her with the horrific stench of her gas resulting from her strict vegan diet.

[riannon]

The tiger doesn't belong in captivity to begin with. Then when it goes nuts because some numbskulls are teasing it, the tiger's reward is getting shot. They should have shot the asses teasing it and taken the tiger to an animal sanctuary.

I commiserate with the woman's sentiment in showing empathy for the tiger that was the real victim.

[rwilymz]

Man, oh man. What a target-rich environment.

In no particular order:

"riannon": "Then when it goes nuts..." The Tiger didn't go nuts. The tiger "went native". It is a hunter. It hunted.

"the tiger's reward is getting shot". Man is also a hunter, and -- what's more -- man is also a protector. In this case, 'man' protected the greater community by eliminating an immediate threat to that community. this is otherwise known as "responsibility".

"the tiger that was the real victim." Sure thing, Christopher Robin, the poor poor tigger lost his bounce. You get a full ten points for anthropomorphizing, but you lose them right back for having to come all the way from Hundred Acre Wood in order to tell us about it.

"NightStrike": "Luckily there has been a stronger focus on animal's rights during the last decade". Animals get rights when they force [or vote] those rights into existence; until then, they get what we extend them. And "rights" ain't what anyone's extending them.

We are extending them human qualities -- which do not exist anywhere but in the fevered minds of those who are doing the extending [such as riannon above]. We are also extending them human equivalence -- seen in riannon's and your own chin-quivering scolds.

But "rights"? Nay. For "rights" to be a player here, the animals to whom they would apply would need to display -- and project -- not merely a self-awareness that is debatable at best, but also display -- and project -- the capacity for abstract thought. "Rights" are an abstraction made tangible only by our collective willingness to accept that abstraction. And we project that abstraction, and our willingness to accede to same, by communicating in unambiguous ways among ourselves to that effect.

When animals start doing that, then they deserve rights.

Until then, they are left with the same mechanisms we have: brute force and votes.

Brute force will require somewhat of a collective rebellion on the order of Planet of the Apes, and votes will require them to possess opposable thumbs to either hold the pen or work the lever.

I don't see that happening outside of the higher primates.

[bernie]

While my own view is that the tiger was most likely taunted into going nuts, I still think we have too many people who believe we, as a species, should vanish from the Earth so that the other, kindler, gentler, creatures can live out their peaceful lives without humans to torment them.

It is interesting to note that in nature, these animals must viciously kill their prey in order to survive, it is the natural order of things, but animal-rightists insist that humans must not kill animals, even humanely, in order to survive. Curious.

BTW, Trackbacks are not working, I linked to you from Idiot of the Year 2007 http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2008/01/idiot_of_the_year_2007.html : Excerpt: Now it's all well and good to poke fun at fairly harmless idiots in the world, like this guy with a rocket between his butt cheeks, but it's hard to ignore the stupidity of the majority of Liberals in this country who do not even believe that Islam is a danger to anyone, that's it's just an innocuous religion like all others. If dangerous idiocy could ever be deserving of an award I nominate the Liberals in this country as Idiots of the Century.

[lincoln]

go leigh. i still think you did the right thing. follow your heart.

[Jae]

Just another example, if yet another was needed, that proves that the animal protest industry isn't about compassion but about misanthropy cash and hate.
Good catch!