Bonsai Kittens - please tell me this isnt true...

[Ann]

someone just told me about this site (bonsai kitten)

ive never been more sickened in my life... i just wanna do something to stop these ppl... at first i thought it was some cruel joke but after seeing some of the photos at the site, im not so sure anymore.

have a look, and if you think this is a real thing please help me stop this ppl in any kind of way... have their website pulled or anything...

its just sick

[ July 10, 2001: Message edited by: Karen ]

[Ann]

thats nice to hear it isnt true... but still i strongly dislike it and there ARE photos on that website meaning they do stick kittens in those glass jar for a period of time to take those photos.

im gonna go look at the links u posted now and then report them to their hoster like u adviced.

thanks for responding!

[Karen]

Ann, you'll notice I edited your post so the link isn't there anymore. I did this so that other people wouldn't visit the site, because that would only encourage the people who made it into thinking it is popular. This has come to our attention many times before, and thankfully, it was a joke, though in very poor taste.

[4 feline house]

If it makes you feel any better, the photos are almost certainly not photos but digital images. I don't know that for a fact but I'm sure they are not real.

[4 feline house]

In defense of the guy with the huge cat, he did it as a joke and fully acknowledged from the start that it was digitized. Unfortunately, other people picked up on it and started emailing it around withouth the disclaimer.

[goody2shoes]

I just can't believe that people would do this horriable thing!!!!!! I looked at some of the pictures and couldn't belive it! How would they like it if the cats stuck trhem in a jar for two weeks!!!!

[Eudora]

Where exactly is this bonsai kitten website? I know it probably does not look good but I would like to have a look at it anyway.

[Eudora]

OK, pple, I found it and I hate that sicko who thought of it in the first place. How would he like it if we stuck him in a glass jar and put super-glue up HIS butt?

[Gio]

We had similar problems over here. There was such a public outcry that the bonsai kitten site was officially closed and banned.

[Eudora]

This is solely in America, would it help if I e-mailed the link to my friends and asked them to protest locally as well? This is a very disturbing website and my sister walked in while I was looking at the Home page and cried because the kitten looked so pitiful. Isn't this a website that should be shut down worldwide and the creator thrown in jail for good? If it ever happens in real life... those poor kittens!

[4 feline house]

Eudora-this site is not considered illegal in America due to the first amendment of the Constitution guaranteeing free speech.

The only exceptions that have held up in court are cases where the truth was not being spoken and someone suffered because of it - good hypothetical examples are yelling "fire" in a crowded theater when no fire exists, or causing a business to fail becuase someone advertised they give bad serviced when in fact it can't be proven they did.

It is every American's right to be obnoxious, filthy, crass, blaphemous and offesive.

The FBI is involved only to the extent of investigating whether the photos were created actually by putting kittens into glass jars, which would fall under federal animal cruelty laws. If the photos were digitally created, there is nothing the FBI, or any law enforcement agency, can do.

That being said, one of the things that makes America great is that we all have a massive voice outside the government - thanks to our guaranteed freedom of speech. This voice comes not from the throat, but from the wallet. We can complain to the web host. We can tell them we refuse to visit any sites they host and therefore will not be supporting any of the client by purchasing their products or clicking on their ads. If enough people do this and follow through, the web host will boot the client. If enough people complain that the web host might just think there may be a threat to their income, they will act before any boycott will even take place.

The best thing is not to even go to the site - if the site owner keeps getting hits, he will never be booted despite the protests.

[Kirsten]

I saw this discussion about Bonsai kitten on other boards, too and we were all relieved when we learned that it was a hoax - though it's kind of sick to set up pages like that!

Kirsten

[Eudora]

Originally posted by 4 feline house:
Eudora-this site is not considered illegal in America due to the first amendment of the Constitution guaranteeing free speech.

The only exceptions that have held up in court are cases where the truth was not being spoken and someone suffered because of it - good hypothetical examples are yelling "fire" in a crowded theater when no fire exists, or causing a business to fail becuase someone advertised they give bad serviced when in fact it can't be proven they did.

It is every American's right to be obnoxious, filthy, crass, blaphemous and offesive.

The FBI is involved only to the extent of investigating whether the photos were created actually by putting kittens into glass jars, which would fall under federal animal cruelty laws. If the photos were digitally created, there is nothing the FBI, or any law enforcement agency, can do.

That being said, one of the things that makes America great is that we all have a massive voice outside the government - thanks to our guaranteed freedom of speech. This voice comes not from the throat, but from the wallet. We can complain to the web host. We can tell them we refuse to visit any sites they host and therefore will not be supporting any of the client by purchasing their products or clicking on their ads. If enough people do this and follow through, the web host will boot the client. If enough people complain that the web host might just think there may be a threat to their income, they will act before any boycott will even take place.

The best thing is not to even go to the site - if the site owner keeps getting hits, he will never be booted despite the protests.

Omigosh... you are absolutely right! Actually, you Americans are lucky in that way, In Singapore, you can't even get the software to create photos like that. And no free speech right here either. If it's offensive in any way (people here are very sensitive) then you can be heavily punished, even caned. I wouldn't want to be that guy over here!!! And anyway, there's a question that has been bugging me. Why would that guy do that in the first place? For sadist pleasure?

[NoahsMommy]

Eudora,

I know that we may look all wonderful with our free speech and rights for everyone (including murderers, rapists, ect.) but look at our society's ethical values and than look at yours. I think Singapore has the right idea, not by sensorship, but by not putting up with this type of behavior.

The grass always looks greener on the other side...