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Pit Bull Owners Win New Trial On Denver Law Banning Them, Resulting In 2,000 Killings

May 28, 2009 by robertweller

By ROBERT WELLER

Three pit bull owners and a group of animal groups have won a federal appeals’ court order challenging a Denver ban on pit bulls that a critic said had resulted in the killings of as many as 2,000 dogs.

Getting the law removed has been one of the leading causes of pit bull owner groups across the country. The appeals court also ordered the lower court to consider an application to make it a federal class action suit on behalf of other pit bull owners who want to join and qualify.

Veterinarian Dr. Paula Terifaj, founder of ROVERlution, a California group that opposes breed specific legislation, said Denver should be ashamed of itself.

“That was frivolous. That was all wrong. This is going to go down to down as a city abusing its authority. Denver needs to be accountable for the poor decisions,” she said today.

The appeals court sent the case back to Denver federal district court for a new trial on a claim that the law is not rational, according to current science.

The lower courts had denied a trial on some of the claims made by the plaintiff, including that the law did not make sense based on current knowledge about pit bulls. Scientific groups, including the Centers for Disease Control, have said there is no factual basis for singling out pit bulls.

“Viewing the factual allegations in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, as we must, the complaint plausibly alleges that the ordinance is not rationally related to a legitimate government interest,” the court ruling said.

“In particular, the plaintiffs contend that there is a lack evidence that pit bulls pose a threat to public safety or constitute a public nuisance, and thus, that it is irrational for Denver to enact a breed specific prohibition,” it added.

The Humane Society of the United States, Animal Legal Defense Fund and American Society for the Cruelty of Animals joined in the suit. Sonya Diaz, one of the dog owners, said she expects the case to be retried. Her lawyer, Karen Breslin, denied comment.

The law was first imposed after one fatal attack and a serious mauling in the late 1980s.

Veterinarians and other scientists say pit bulls are a mixture, and do not even qualify as a breed and thus are hard to identify accurately in many cases. Further no complete population or bite figures are available for them to compare with other dogs. Some surveys have found other dogs bite more, but supporters of the ban say they do not attack as viciously as pit bulls.

The Denver ban attracted further attention because some out-of-town owners driving through the city with their dogs were stopped and their dogs confiscated. Most were believed released. An informal underground railway was set up to help threatened dogs escaped.

Two of the three people who challenged the law moved out of Denver to get their dogs back.

Dog historians say different dogs, like bloodhounds, have gone through periods of disfavor.

Pit bulls were heroes in several wars, including the Civil War and World War I. Sallie, a Gettysburg hero later killed in action, got a tip of President Lincoln’s stove top hat.

An American soldier smuggled Stubby to France to serve with his unit in World War I. Frequently wounded, he captured a German spy, and saved many soldiers’ lives by learning to detect approaching mustard gas, after barely surviving such an attack itself.

The “Pitbull Placebo,” by veterinary technician Karen Delise, methodically tracks fatal attacks to show pit bulls are not an inherent threat.

Some cities and countries have opted to ban any dangerous dog, based on its own characteristics. Last month Italy scrapped its list of 17 banned dogs.

Comments

Phobaeticus Chani

May 29, 2009 by Anonymous, 25 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 3582

Good news to all dog lovers of Colorado, three pit bull owners and a group of animal groups have won a federal appeals’ court order challenging a Denver ban on pit bulls that a critic said had resulted in the killings of as many as 2,000 dogs. Like people, animals do need protection. It is said that dogs are mans’ best friend. So why kill them? In relation to animal issues, the Phobaeticus Chani. This insect is officially the world's longest insect. The erstwhile insect, Phobaeticus Chani or Chans Megastick is a stick insect from Malaysia that measures up to about two feet long, and was unknown until late 2008. It's one of several newly discovered species that ought to call for a boost to science funding and a payday to science programs. Another fascinating new species is Leptotyphlops carlae, or the Barbados Threadsnake. It's very tiny, smaller than a lot of worms, but it is an actual snake. It is oft forgot how little we actually know about our own world, and scientific study is worth payday advances as we can learn more about Phobaeticus Chani and other species as yet unknown.

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Open Newswire

Responding to Harmful Government Inaction, Protestors Stop Blasting on Coal River Mountain
1 day 9 hours ago
Anonymous

PETTUS, W. Va. – Early this morning two concerned citizens, Dea Goblirsch and Nick Martin, locked down to a drill rig on Coal River Mountain’s Bee Tree mountaintop removal site, effectively stopping blasting. Two others, Grace Williams and Laura Von Dolen, joined them in direct support, holding a banner with the message “Save Coal River Mountain”.

These nonviolent protestors have taken this action to bring attention to the extreme danger facing residents of the Coal River Valley from blasting near the Brushy Fork Impoundment. They plan to stay locked down until law enforcement removes them.

Resident of Rock Creek, W Va., Delbert Gunnoe, stated his concerns with the blasting, “You know when they put a blast over there, and it shakes the windows over here, at what, ¾-a-mile distance, imagine what it does over there.” Gunnoe continued, “if [the impoundment] did bust…what would be the destruction? The town of Whitesville would no longer exist.”

The four are fearful of the blasting that Massey Energy began in late October. These blasts are 200 feet from the Brushy Fork Impoundment, permitted to hold nine billion gallons of toxic coal slurry. The impoundment sits atop miles of hollow, abounded underground mines, further endangering its integrity. By Massey’s own estimates, roughly 998 people will die should the dam break. The emergency evacuation plan states that a 40-foot wall of sludge, cresting at 72 feet, will flow through the valley, reaching 20-feet-high about 15 miles down the road. Apart from the initial flood, the impact of this potential spill would be felt along the Coal River’s 88 miles.

EVIDENCE THAT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS WELCOMES FBI INTEL OPERATIONS AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWER
2 days 10 hours ago
gsosbee

The universities across the nation (and AG) do more for the fbi/cia than assist in the search for foreign terrorists; today our colleges and universities directly encourage their campus police and civilian employees to engage in unlawful intel operations against whistleblower
GERAL SOSBEE.

 

 

 

In November, 2009, the Texas Attorney General (AG) grants near blanket authority (in Case number OR2009-16316 & Case ID#367454) to the University Of Texas Police (UTP) and Harlingen, Texas (HTP) Police to withhold from Open Records (OR) disclosure the key data in their possession relating to Geral Sosbee. The AG also states in each opinion that the AG has no authority beyond the scope of the OR statutes. The AG thus hides from his responsibility as a citizen and human being for civil and human rights violations behind the the OR guidelines ( which are designed to allow the police to engage in witch hunts, stalking, harassment, fraudulent stings and other crimes as I have documented at many pages of www.sosbeevfbi.com.) I have also provided the AG with evidence of ongoing felonies against my person (continuing in Texas and other locations for the past decade); by the AG letters referenced above the fbi now gains the AG approval and authority to use UT employees (including UTP) in efforts to silence or kill me; see for example the specifics of some of my reports at

http://www.sosbeevfbi.com/affidavit2007.html

 

Evening of Solidarity for Dr. Mutulu Shakur
2 days 10 hours ago
denverabc

An Evening of Solidarity for Mutulu Shakur
Presented by Denver and Aurora CopWatch, Sisters of Color United for Education, and Denver ABC

Saturday, November 28th
Sisters of Color 2895 8th Ave, Denver, CO (8th and federal across the street from the bus yard)
7:30-12ish
Sliding Scale 1-5$ (if you ain't got it don't let it stop you from coming)

Teach-in by Professor Ward Churchill

Live Music by:
Mike Wird
Ietef
Debajito (of Debajo Del Agua)

Hosted by Shareef Aleem

Please join us on Saturday, November 28th to stand in solidarity with Dr Mutulu Shakur before his appeals hearing on Monday, November 30th at the super-maximum Federal prison in Florence, CO.

Dr. Shakur is a New Afrikan (Black) man whose primary work has been in the area of health. He is a doctor of acupuncture and one of the most prolific, committed and conscious freedom fighters and political prisoners to whom the Black liberation struggle has given birth.

Since the age 16, Dr. Shakur has been a part of the New Afrikan
Independence Movement. As a part of this movement Dr. Shakur has been a target of the illegal Counterintelligence Program carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (COINTELPRO). This was a secret police strategy used in the U.S. starting in the 1960's to destroy and neutralize progressive and revolutionary organizations. It is believed that Dr. Shakur's resistance to this program led to his arrest and trial.

"Straight ahead, stiff resistance"

contact info: 970.302.7349/miketruswell@yahoo.com
www.mutulushakur.com
www.dare2struggle.org

The Shortwave Report 11/20/09 Listen Globally
3 days 4 hours ago
Anonymous

 Dear Radio Friend,
The latest Shortwave Report (November 20) is up at the website
http://www.outfarpress.com/outfa... in both broadcast quality (13.3MB) and quickdownload or streaming form (4.9MB) (28:59)
(NEW! If you have access to Audioport.org there is a higher quality version posted up there {26.7MB} http://www.audioport.org/index.p...)

Water and Imperialism
3 days 7 hours ago
NickB

(www.raimd.wordpress.com)

Water is essential, in various ways, to all human activity. Water is something that humans, literally, cannot do without. Every human needs water in order live and to have a good life. Societies need water in order to be provide for the survival of their populations. Usable water, as a resource, is finite and distributed unevenly across the planet. Most societies have difficulty providing water to their populations, especially in the Third World. The inability to access water is referred to as the water crisis.

la virgen de Guadalupe y los curas
3 days 10 hours ago
Anonymous

LA VIRGEN DE LA GUADALUPE ES DE TODOS LOS MEXICANOS, NO DE LOS CURAS

La Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (CEM) no está de acuerdo en que los Mexicanos utilicemos a la Virgen de la Guadalupe, como sucedió en la marcha de SME el pasado 11 de noviembre (2009) por “manipular el sentimiento religioso”, se ha afirmado en varias ocasiones desde que concluyó la 88ª Asamblea Plenaria del CEM. Los curas, junto con los políticos y las grandes transnacionales se han adueñado de nuestro país y de nuestros símbolos.

¿Ya se les olvidó a los curas que la Virgen de Guadalupe es el único símbolo religioso auténticamente Mexicano? ¿Ya se les olvidó que ellos llegaron con Hernán Cortés a robar y a imponernos su cruz a sangre y fuego? La Virgen de Guadalupe es Tonantzin y es nuestra, aunque no les guste a los extranjeros como ellos.

Lo que los curas del CEM no quieren es que el pueblo Mexicano, unido al SME, siga la trayectoria de don Miguel Hidalgo y les arrebate la jugosa ganancia.

Yo les pido a los curas del CEM que ya no nos “salven”.
¡¡Larguense de aquí!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense!! ¡¡Larguense de México y de todo este continente!!
Josefa Ortiz
http://josefaortiz.hpage.com/sme...

 

PRESIDENT OBAMA ~ TAX EXEMPT U.S. FOUNDATIONS OF OUR AMERICAN WEALTHY ELITE HAVE BECOME TAX EVASION FOUNDATIONS THAT NEED NEW FEDERAL GUIDLINES.....
4 days 5 hours ago
Anonymous

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAX EXEMPT SLUSH FUND CHARITIES(FOUNDATIONS) FOR OUR U.S. WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS WE ALL KNOW  are QUITE COMMON AND COSTING THE U.S.GOVERNMENT BILLIONS IN POSSIBLE TAX REVENUE.

***MANY OF THESE SAME AMERICAN WEALTHY ELITE NOT ONLY HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER THEIRTX EVADING  FOUNDATIONS BILLIONS,BUT ALSO FIND IT NECESSARY TO HIRE LOBBYISTS TO ATTEMPT THE DIRECT CONTROL OVER VARIOUS USES OF AMERICAN TAX PAYERS TAX $$$ ???

WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER OUR U.S.CONGRESSIONAL TAX DOLLAR SPENDING WITH THEIR BEHIND THE SCENE LOBBY MONIES... AND ARE CONTINUING TO DENY MIDDLE~CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS PROPER HEALTH ~ CARE , PROPER LEGAL PROTECTIONS IN AMERICAN FAMILY COURTS,CIVIL COURTS,& FEDERAL APPEALS FROM STATE COURTS. **THOUSANDS OF POORER AMERICANS ALL ACROSS AMERICA ARE LOSING PARENTING AND VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, ARE BEING FALSELY IMPRISONED, WRONGFULY EXECUTED,LOSING THEIR HOMES OR APARTMENTS ETC...

** IS THIS REALLY WHAT MANY SAY APPEARS TO BE THE FORMATION OF A NEW WORLD ORDER IN AMERICA THAT IS ATTEMPTING TO BREAK DOWN AND DESTROY AMERICAN FAMILIES AND ESTABLISHED FAMILY VALUES ACROSS OUR GREAT COUNTRY ???

Chickenhawk Hall of Shame
5 days 9 hours ago
Anonymous

<p>Compiled by <a href="http://www.nhgazette.com/">The New Hampshire Gazette</a></p>

<p>When an American male (or an especially belligerent female) makes the challenging transition from late adolescence into early adulthood, he is faced with many decisions. One certain, specific combination of choices will result in his becoming a chickenhawk: choosing to “support” war, while also choosing not to serve in the military. His motto becomes: “Let’s you and him go fight; I’ll hold your coat.”</p>

<p>Depending on external circumstances, such an individual may become one of three varieties of chickenhawk:</p>
<p>• If there is no draft, and the nation is at peace, the individual becomes a Common Chickenhawk;</p>
<p>• If there is a draft, and the nation is at peace, the individual becomes a Chickenhawk First Class;</p>
<p>• If the there is a draft, and the nation is at war, the individual becomes a Chickenhawk First Class with Distinguished Fleeing Cross.</p>

<p>We currently have 132 Chickenhawks listed in our database. Here they are, listed chronologically by date of birth. <a href="http://www.nhgazette.com/chickenhawks/?sort_list=0">CLICK HERE</a> to see them listed alphabetically.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nhgazette.com/nominate/?id=-1&action=new">Nominate a Chickenhawk</a></p>

<p>posted by the <a href="http://wintersoldier.org">Thomas Paine Project</a> (FYI: the organization is run by veterans)</p>

The False Hope of J Street and the Gentile Problem
6 days 7 hours ago
Anonymous

Philip Giraldi on Antiwar.com produced an excellent article on J Street, the new “pro-Israel, pro-peace” alternative to AIPAC, which last month held its inaugural conference in Washington. [“My Problem with J Street,” http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2009/10/28/my-problem-with-j-street/]

The organization’s name, J Street, a lettered street which does not exist in Washington, DC, is presumably an effort to identify with K Street, which is considered the central location for lobbying firms in Washington, with the “J” presumably standing for “Jewish,” since “J” is not the only unused letter for Washington street names.

J Street has been excoriated by the neocons and other hardline Zionist rightists as being anti-Israel, while it has been hailed as a great hope for the future by many proponents of a more balanced, less pro-Israel, American policy in the Middle East. Giraldi, however, stands virtually alone in seeing things in a much different light. To him, J Street is “just another Israel advocacy group with a slightly more progressive and politically correct and therefore acceptable message.” In short, with its moderate, pro-peace image, J Street can more effectively promote the policies of the Israeli government, to the detriment of the Palestinians and the United States.

Epidemics for Dummies
6 days 13 hours ago
Anonymous

The media is still hell bent on terrifying you with their flu hysteria in order to inject you with toxified vaccines or worse; thus I will continue to expose that which has been hidden. (Matt. 10:26)

One surefire way to let people know what the media is all about would be to employ the prophesized number to save the gay media or quell the flu hysteria; i.e. Flu Buster (see attached image). Would you believe their falsehoods if they had that number on their foreheads?

 

http://columbus.indymedia.org/node/29672

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