Going Ape over Travis the Chimpanzee

The Travis the Chimpanzee story is making the rounds around the world and on the Internet.

Whether Sandra Herold, the late chimp's owner, will be criminally charged, is a question I will leave to the local Connecticut State Attorney's office to answer. Whether or not Ms. Herold's relationship with her pet ape did or did not get a fair report in the media, and/or whether it included sexual penetration, has yet to be proven one way or the other, and I book no bets either way. There almost certainly will be a lawsuit; where it will settle depends upon diverse factors, including but not limited to the extent of Herold's liability insurance coverage, and her equity in her own home and business.

I leave it to the psychiatrists (or, perhaps, the mechanics) to confirm my suspicions that Herold, and/or the victim, Charla Nash, were working with a few sockets missing from their wrench sets.

While the news media busies itself with such questions, this Blog will pose the following three:


A. Where does the ACLU stand on the apparent disregard of Travis the Chimp's civil rights by the Stamford, Connecticut Police Department?

B. Where does PETA stand on the treatment of Travis the Chimp?

C. Where do the staunch opponents of capital punishment stand on execution of Travis the Chimp?

Bits & Pieces

Okay, the holidays are over (they were very enjoyable), my sukkah is all dismantled and packed away for next year, and it is time to catch up on a few odds and ends. In no particular order:

1. Bianca Jagger: As noted on this Blog on 19 October 2007, Bianca Jagger, as an alien in the US on a tourist visa, could not claim the benefits of New York City's rent stabilization law for her NYC apartment. The case has gone to the New York Court of Appeals (which is the highest state tribunal in New York), and the landlord has been upheld. This decision is roundly applauded. Aliens are not necessarily entitled to the rights of citizens, particularly rights which weigh on the purses of citizens (such as Bianca's landlord). But by the same token, at least Bianca is here legally. How many illegals are benefiting from NYC rent stabilization?


2. An antidote to PETA: www.heifer.org. Check out the Heifer.org catalog.


3. Within the past 100 hours, I have had two manuscripts accepted for publication in prestigious scholarly journals. Estimated time before ink hits the paper (what with the editorial processes, etc.) is approximately 6 months. I am, of course, elated to the point of gloating over this. But if the author of an article (or book or other literary or creative work) fails to get excited by the prospect of publication, then that literary work probably has little or no redeeming value.


4. From Albany we get the news that Charlie O'Byrne, Governor Paterson's top staffer (who started his career as a horse in the Kennedy Family stable), has tendered his resignation following revelations that he failed to pay his income taxes for nearly 5 years. Definitely the appropriate thing to do! I have little sympathy for him. As a former IRS employee, I would be given very harsh treatment by the IRS and the courts were I to neglect my taxes for 5 years. In this era of New York State budget cuts, having tax evaders in high State positions sends the wrong message!

The news reports all speak of O'Byrne's FEDERAL taxes (that is, his tax debts with the IRS), but not a word thus far on his New York State income taxes. Usually, where there is a failure of a New York resident to file a Federal tax return and/or pay the Federal taxes, there is a corresponding dereliction for the state taxes. Are the Kennedy Family pursers going to help Charlie O'Byrne out on his tax debts?