When You Say ‘Zoo,’ Elephants Hear ‘Guantanamo Bay’

When You Say ‘Zoo,’ Elephants Hear ‘Guantanamo Bay’

By Rich Noyes (Bio | Archive)
December 4, 2008 - 14:19 ET

Sometimes you have to laugh at the overwrought emotion that Hollywood celebrities bring to their causes. In a story on Thursday’s Today (in the supposedly hard news 7am half hour), KNBC reporter Robert Kovasic reported on a debate in Los Angeles about whether to spend $40 million to renovate and enlarge the elephant compound at the Los Angeles Zoo, or instead create a 100-acre elephant preserve just outside the city.

MRC’s Geoff Dickens caught this soundbite of actress Lily Tomlin wailing about the plight of the elephant in the zoo: “The word, ‘zoo’ is sort of elephant-speak for Guantanamo. They’re really, they are suffering and being tortured.”

The elephant in question, named "Billy," was shown alternately munching on a leaf, walking near a pond, and sticking his truck over the fence at tourists with cameras — which is, I believe, an existence very similar to terrorists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Here’s the relevant portion of the story from the December 4 Today:

ROBERT KOVASIC (KNBC REPORTER): The nation's second largest city has one very large problem, an Asian elephant named "Billy." Billy's become the poster pachyderm for Hollywood animal lovers, like Halle Berry, Goldie Hawn, Kim Basinger and Bob Barker, who believe Billy or any other elephant should not live in a zoo.

LILY TOMLIN: The word, "zoo," is sort of elephant-speak for Guantanamo. They're really, they are suffering and being tortured.

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Lily should call her Senator.

December 4, 2008 - 14:41 ET by Gary Hall

Lily "head in the sand" Tomlin should call her Senator [Diane Feinstein]. From a 2002 news clip; Fox News:

They came to get a firsthand look at the facilities and procedures used in handling the 158 prisoners being detained in 8-by-8 foot, open air cells.

Feinstein and the other senators told reporters after touring the camp that they agreed with the Bush administration's handling of the prisoners and saw nothing to suggest mistreatment. Inouye, in fact, said they are being treated "in some ways better than we treat our people."

Feinstein said she once worked at a California prison and has visited many others around the world. To those abroad who have suggested the Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been treated improperly she said, "Take another look."

This might be an interesting time to also note that Obama-elect pick for AG, Eric Holder, is on record back in 2003, or so in supporting this view:

"They are not POWs. They will not be determined to be POWs," Rumsfeld told reporters

Is it not nice that Obama's AG shares a common view with one of Tomlin's favorite people? What's a MSM to do? That's a tease - they will stay silent, naturally. (;~/ gary

Elephant cannot be trusted!

December 4, 2008 - 14:53 ET by Rihar

Fine MS Tomlin! Let's just let those elephants live in your neighborhood and see how you like it. Don't you know that in the zoo elephants get to read the koran and have game-boys?

Wait... wait... I can't do this. I don't even know if I'm being sarcastic, ironic, subtle, or obtuse.

Writing about celebrities seems to make us all dumber by association.

When a liberal speaks, the truth is busy elsewhere.