Category Archives: Ilana On Radio & TV

UPDATE II (5/6/017): SeaWorld SUCKS (Secede From It)

Environmentalism & Animal Rights, Ethics, Ilana On Radio & TV, libertarianism

The issue, however, is this and this alone: It is worse than cruel and barbaric to keep a giant, sentient creature possessing of a sizable intelligence and complex social needs, in a small enclosure, for the mere amusement of the masses.

While this libertarian would never suggest any state regulation; she does advocate vigorous, voluntary attrition, and NOW! Stay away from SeaWorld! I’m with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals):

Animal rights advocates outraged that a SeaWorld float is included in next week’s lineup for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade unveiled plans on Wednesday for a naked protest outside the landmark store.
Demonstrators wearing nothing but black and white body paint to resemble orcas will squeeze into a bathtub outside the midtown Manhattan store on Thursday to mimic orcas held in captivity and to repeat last year’s demand – which was denied – that the float be excluded, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said.
“It is unacceptable to confine orcas to barren tanks that, to them, are the size of a bathtub,” said Delcianna Winders, PETA’s deputy general counsel.

And just this once, I’m with CNN, which screened a devastating documentary, “Blackfish,” on what befalls the huge and highly evolved Orca, when kept in a tiny tub of water.

Understand, I have no doubt that SeaWorld imagines it treats these animals as “humanely” as possible under the cincumstances. As the silly SeaWorld spokeswoman Aimée Jeansonne Becka has promised, “SeaWorld’s animals are well cared for and their health and well-being is a responsibility we take extremely seriously. We are proud of our world-class standards of care.”

To those gung ho readers who disowned me when I penned one of my favorite columns, “Just A Girl With A Gun; Not A Gratuitous Killer, remember this: I’m also the writer who had written—I hang my head in shame—in defense of Michael Vick (I & II). While I regret the columns that got me on the Sean Hannity nationally syndicated radio show, I have not changed my views on natural rights. I have, however, become convinced about our moral and ethical obligation to treasure animals and the natural world and to shun those who don’t.

Secede from SeaWorld.

UPDATE: Facebook Thread:

James Huggins: Animals were put on earth for us to use and preserve. Not use and abuse.
10 mins · Like

Ilana Mercer: Why does the Orca need to be “used” by human beings? Haven’t we evolved enough to entertain our effing selves?

UPDATE II (5/6/017): Voluntarily withdrawing patronage from circuses that display these large sea mammals is the libertarian way. But I won’t be grieving France’s ban of “captive breeding of dolphins and killer whales.”

UPDATED: ‘What’s Up With Peter Lavelle’s Treatment of Ilana Mercer?’

Feminism, Ilana On Radio & TV, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, Media, South-Africa

Writes Robert Wenzel, editor of Economic Policy Journal:

“Earlier this week EPJ contributing columnist Ilana Mercer appeared on RT’s show “Crosstalk,” which is hosted by Peter Lavelle. After seeing an earlier edition of “Crosstalk,” I gave Lavelle and the show an enthusiastic endorsement. But, a funny thing happened on the way to Ilana’s participation on the show.

Lavelle provides brief but detailed background introductions of the two other guests appearing on the show with Ilana, when he gets to Ilana, he merely states that she is a paleo-libertarian journalist and writer. He fails to mention her important book …”

Read the complete Wenzel post.

Here’s what happened on the way to the show: Participants are required to return brief answers to questions to indicate their positions. I complied promptly and with brutal honesty. As did I twice provide producers with a bio.

At the studio, I was told by Mr. Lavelle not to worry. He had prerecorded our credentials. Right away I suspected the worst when he proceeded to wax about the other two’s affiliations (but not mine), and their yet-to-be published books (but not my own published work). I have some experience with media’s reaction to my opinions. This is precisely why I mentioned my book first up. I had the feeling that it would go unmentioned.

Except for the “paleo” appellation, 100% of my bio was left off.

As I mentioned in discussion with Robert, it is not my affiliations RT had a problem with (WND, Economic Policy Journal, Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies), but my position and book (published in 2011) on the topic.

Mr. Lavelle intended to present me as a voice from the (Pacific Northwest) wilderness. Had the other two panelists not been the unsharpened pencils they were—I would not have gotten to speak up about the little I did.

The TV embed is reproduced in this EPJ article.

Not that I want feminists on my side, but were they in the habit of standing up for ALL women, they might have protested the marginalization of the only woman on this panel (even though my gender had nothing to do with my marginalization, not that that would have mattered to these generally intellectually dishonest fems, provided I was parroting politically pleasing opinion).

UPDATE: Granted, Mr. Lavelle may never intend to invite me on “Crosstalk” again for reasons noted above. However, he risks not getting controversial guests with whom he disagrees to revisit his set. Who would go through that exercise again for such shoddy treatment? Not me. It is, moreover, dishonest to lure guests to a studio (at the early AM), when there is no intention to treat their work with respect. When you make the effort, you expect that your work, which has gotten you the invite, will be at the very least mentioned.