to tell the truth and shame the devil

shaming the devil: the sequel (the comment section)







“There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and shame the devil.”
~Walter Lippman, a real journalist


The Huffington Post is at it again. They don't even try to pretend to be objective in reporting the "news". In fact, every time someone sends me a link to a pit bull story on HuffPo or the PuffHo as I have come to think of it, they appear to have crossed the line from journalism into public relations even further. I'm convinced that they would not recognize journalistic integrity if it kicked them in the pants.

The most recent attempt to polish the turd image of america's gripping dog comes in the form of a vicious attack on Merritt Clifton and the dog attack data he has been tracking for 30 years. It is much easier to shoot the messenger than transform that ugly message into something that does not scare the hell out of the average american.

DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER based his scathing analysis on an impromptu video recorded "interview" of Clifton last summer by the nutters three: JOSH LIDDY, JEFF THEMAN and KIM WOLF. The video opens with a question from WOLF. You only need to suffer through the first minute of these nutters trying to play gotcha! for the purposes of this piece.

KIM WOLF: "Can I ask you a question in the meantime while you are shutting that off?"

Brenda Barnett: "Sure"

KIM WOLF: "I'm curious about yer um statistics cuz I'm a geriatric social worker, so public safety n, n, reducing risk is very very important to me cuz I work with the vulneral set of the population but I'm curious why yer statistics have never been peer reviewed, especially by..."  
i thought phonetic spelling was appropriate here;-)

Merritt Clifton answers: "Actually, they have been. They have been. I'm in over a hundred peer reviewed publications."

KIM WOLF: "In a scientific journal?"

Merritt Clifton: "That is correct."

KIM WOLF: "The AVMA publication that recently came out is contradicting what you've said."

Merritt Clifton" "That article is actually authored by paid professional pit bull advocates."

More on that AVMA publication later, for now, I'll focus on Clifton's answer, "I'm in over a hundred peer reviewed publications."

DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER'S critique is based on Clifton AUTHORING over 100 peer reviewed articles. DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER twists Clifton's words,"I have more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications." That is an incredibly brazen lie but you don't need to take my word on this. Just click on the link that DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER so generously provided and decide for yourself.

DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER then goes on to include the opinions of four highly educated experts that he consulted to deconstruct the statement, "I have more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications." Not surprisingly, their comments were harsh and they should be harsh, if that was what Clifton actually said. When I read this HuffPo propaganda piece, I assumed the four experts were unwilling dupes in DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER'S smear campaign. I assumed that he deliberately misled the four experts in much the same way that he is deliberately misleading the over emotional politically correct liberal readers of the HuffPo. Then I googled the experts.

I decided to google them and post their faculty websites with contact information with the hope of creating some discomfort for being manipulated by DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER and just maybe the four experts would pressure the HuffPo for a retraction and an apology to Clifton. You know, cuz of all that academic integrity they have and need to maintain. But as I googled the experts, my position began to shift.

Let's meet DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER'S cadre of expert dupes.

Dr. Mark Hogarth, Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University
(note there is a misspelled word on this prestigious university website)
Nothing I found on-line was cause for concern but I had to ask myself, of all of the professors on the North American continent, why was this particular professor consulted?

Rafael Newman, translator for hire with a PhD from Princeton
Rafael Newman was the first of the four to set my spidey sense a-tingling. Newman attended high school and college in Canada, so I assume he is Canadian. His linkedin page states that he is a freelance writer and while he lives in Switzerland, his phone number is Canadian and his email is German. Newman seems to be a rather obscure character and an unlikely candidate for this job. I found myself thinking, Why him?

Professor Amy Kaler, Sociology, University of Alberta
Amy was my fave. There she was in all nutter glory, facebook friends with DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER. Yeah, I suppose she could have been duped... nah, never mind.

Professor Michael E. Harkin, Anthropology, University of Wyoming
Again, nothing I found on-line was cause for concern except for his connection to Canada, I must ask myself, WHY this particular professor?

DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER has an expert statistician at the ready to inspect Clifton's raw data. I would like to encourage Clifton to do just that on one condition, that the evil genius KAREN DELISE fork over her raw data for scrutiny as well. The expert statistician, Mike McCaffrey of the University of Toronto does not appear to have personal ties to DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER but I did notice that McCaffrey is a softie when it comes to dogs but geese, not so much.

Mike McCaffrey,  Lecturer at the Faculty of information who specializes in reference work and government information, University of Toronto


I saved the best for last, the article authored by paid professional pit bull advocates.


I will cherry pick a few gems and comment.

"The study found that "Most DBRFs (dog-bite-related fatalities) were characterized by coincident, preventable factors; breed was not one of these."

The study FOUND exactly what it was looking for and breed was not on the list. This is really not hard to understand. Look, if the cattle industry funds heart attack or cancer studies and they don't design their study to LOOK at meat as a possible culprit, they won't find it. This is not rocket science man.

If you watch another couple of minutes of the Clifton video on Josh Liddy's blog, you'll see him refer to this very paper: "That article is actually authored by paid professional pit bull activists."

That's a pretty serious accusation. Liddy sounds unconvinced. So let's examine it.

BRAVO DOOFUS! Although not verbatim, I'll give you points for accurately conveying the meaning of Clifton's statement! But yes, LET'S FUCKING EXAMINE THAT. And thank you for linking to it, you saved me a step.

 

KAREN DELISE
The evil genius needs no introduction.

DONALD CLEARY
He has been on Berkey's payroll for as long as Clifton has been collecting dog attack data.

AMY MARDER

 

The lead authors on this article are Gary Patronek VMD, PhD, and Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD, MPH. Dr. Patronek's PhD is in Epidemiology. Dr. Sacks is an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: the official body in the United States devoted to the study and containment of epidemics. Sacks writes about dog-bite issues not simply for JAVMA, but for the CDC itself.

Sacks WROTE about dog-bite issues for the CDC. PAST TENSE. It has been over a decade doofus.

Clifton's charge is that an epidemiologist with the CDC -- a doctor tasked with the study of dog-bite prevention, nationwide -- is for sale. And has been bought by crazed dog lovers bent on making America less safe.

Well, Sacks is working with Jane Berkey puppets, DELISE, CLEARY and MARDER, so I'd say that is that is a very real possibility.


ANTHONY DOUGLAS COOPER is just one of the huffington post's many shameless whores for pit bulls.

Arianna Huffington, wtf are you doing over there? Your schlog has begun to resemble the tobacco industry's public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton.


some interesting reading:
Principles of Journalism Pew Research

A rather negative book review on Animals 24/7 of Galunker, pit bull propaganda whose target audience is preschoolers written by none other than DOUGLAS ANTHONY COOPER.
hmm... is it possible that someone has an ax to grind?


postscript If NCRC's PUBLISHED mission statement is "preserving the human-canine bond" what do you suppose their UNpublished mission statement is? Three guesses.
 

Bellyfeel available in plush toy format soon

Junk science is the mirror image of real science, with much of the same form but none of the same substance... A hodgepodge of biased data, spurious inference, and logical legerdemain…It is a catalog of every conceivable kind of error: data dredging, wishful thinking, truculent dogmatism, and, now and again, outright fraud.
Peter Huber “Galileo’s Revenge: Junk Science in the Courtroom”

"There are scores of accounts of farmers being gored, trampled and killed by bulls. In addition to farmers, children, women and elderly persons were also killed when they had the misfortune to encounter an aggressive bull. In one twenty year span, from 1880 to 1899, there were over 150 recorded newspaper accounts of people being attacked and killed by cattle. Clearly, cattle presented a real and constant danger." KAREN DELISE

the above excerpt is on page 14 of the Most Famous Pit Bull Propaganda Piece ever written, THE PIT BULL PLACEBO: THE MEDIA MYTHS AND POLITICS OF CANINE AGGRESSION.

DELISE acknowledges that "cattle presented a real and constant danger" in the last 20 years of 1800's (based on the lowly newspaper), yet in the last 20 years, 233 people have been killed by JUST pit bulldogs (also newspaper sourced and therefore suspect in her opinion). DELISE then goes on to cite a dozen examples of dogs, primarily BULLDOGS that saved their masters from an enraged bull. the dozen or so examples of courageous dogs, primarily BULLDOGS, spans the years 1875 - 1930 (also based on newspaper accounts). apparently the dozen or so documented cases of dogs saving people from bulls during a 55 yr period is to offset today's carnage. (an interesting side note, during DELISE'S halcyon days of the mighty bulldog protector, at least 50 people were killed by JUST gripping dogs.)

DELISE appears to be unable or unwilling to concede two things. first, that EVERYONE relies on newspaper accounts and second, that danger evolves over time. For example, in 1907, you were more likely to be killed in a street car accident (1,880 deaths) than an automobile accident (294 deaths) and tuberculosis posed a greater threat than cancer. many of the diseases from the turn of the 19th century are all but non existent through advances in medical science and social reforms. when was the last time you heard of someone contracting cholera or dysentery, in the unites states? thank you public health and sanitation! this is especially troubling for me as DELISE based a large portion of her "research" on shifting breed trends and danger, "first it was the bloodhound..." btw, the cuban bloodhound, aka the human gripping dog appears to be the first dog swept up in the social reform known as a breed ban.

social reforms in the shape of breed specific legislation can go a long way towards minimizing catastrophic dog "bites" as well. of course, we then become vulnerable to enraged bulls. it's a trade off but with the cost of health care soaring out of control and the real and growing threat posed by pit bulls, i am willing to take my chances.

so, back to her disingenuous concern about the danger of bulls... 150+ people killed by cattle "presents a real and constant danger", yet 233 recorded newspaper accounts of people being attacked and killed by JUST by gripping dogs does not concern the vet tech. WHY? the standard answer goes something like this, there is no such thing as a pit bull and you can't trust newspapers. LOL! why is this funny? because DELISE claims to NOT rely on newspaper accounts of dog attacks. yet a paper that DELISE co-authored with LEDY VANKAVAGE, DONALD CLEARY, CYNTHIA BATHURST and some dupe by the name of PATRICIA RUSHING, states "Many eyewitnesses have problems correctly identifying dogs, even dogs that may have allegedly bitten them. In a high-profile case involving singer Vanessa Carlton, a dog named Bella was acquitted of biting Carltonbecause the bite wound on her leg didn’t match a mold of Bella’s teeth. (Source: Howard Frank, “Pit Bull Accused ofBiting Vanessa Carlton Wins Reprieve, Pocono Record Writer, July 8, 2010,available at www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100708/NEWS/7080315/-1/NEWS01, accessed August 1, 2012." their synopsis of the Vanessa Carlton case is a complete fabrication. at the time this propaganda piece was published (August 2011) the FACTS of the Vanessa Carlton case were known and officials court transcripts were available.

in fact, DELISE arrogantly states that she and SHE ALONE, does not rely on media sources for dog bite related fatalities. i disproved that claim here.

in the first five months of this year the pit bulldog death toll has already risen to 13 (IF you believe the media). fourteen fatalities if you count the man hit by a car as he fled from a rampaging gripper. while the cattle death toll is zero. i might add that the pomeranian death toll is also at zero. rather than acknowledge the unique danger that pit bulldogs pose (and have posed since their beginning) and promote public policy that not only protects citizens but also PIT BULLS, another ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION puppet trots out a toy pit bulldog to aid in the mass indoctrination of citizens, specifically targeting kids.

from badrap's facebook page:

Justice is served! GUND released images of Jonny's doll, set to hit the shelves sometime in late summer. Soon every kid in America can have his very own plushy mascot of the dogs who survived the very worst (Bad Newz Kennels) to show us their very best.

Oakland area folks: You better believe we'll be having a big happy party to celebrate. And a mass movement to flip that right ear over in honor of our little buddy and all he's done to shine a light on pit bulls and their blocky headed cousins.

america's dog - made in china

until the tangible bellyfeel hits the store shelves, nutters will just have to make do with KAREN DELISE'S sleight of hand tricks and snuggle with her rag of a book.

Gotta Getta Gund is just another deceptive tool in the pit bull apologia's very long and deliberate campaign to bury the truth about pit bulldogs. but this campaign makes no attempt to conceal the fact that kids are their target audience. in fact THIS campaign is openly celebrating their plans to have a propaganda toy in the hands of "every kid in America".

remember JOE CAMEL?

hello, Federal Trade Commission.



wouldn't it be a hoot if this plush toy violated the judge's order prohibiting the profiting from the vick dogs?

the legacy of catherine hedges

HEDGES has been dead a little over a year, yet her undying dedication to animal rescue, hoarding, abuse, neglect and stupidity lives on.

CURTIS CLEARY

the former site of DON'T BULLY MY BREED is home to a new house of animal rescue horrors.

CATHERINE HEDGES' ex-boyfriend (pictured above, not below) is in the slammer for:
• aggravated assault
• possession of a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification card
• domestic battery
• 2 counts of animal cruelty (for starving 60 cats and a dozen dogs - fuzzy math)
• drunk driving (which he failed to appear in court last january)

aaah, the awesomeness of pit nutter judgement.

CATHERINE HEDGES            

stubbydog tribute HEDGES was asked about the average day with pit bulldogs and responded with “Hahahahaahaha! lots of laughing and silliness!" on the flip side the average day with pit bull victims would be lots of tears, blood and heartache.

CATHERINE HEDGES is the brain child behind don't bully my breed.

CATHERINE HEDGES, with a whole 11 years of rescue angeling under her belt, claimed to possess more knowledge and expertise than a vet of 36 years with 22 years as head of animal control.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-accused-of-trying-to-shoot-girlfriend-also-charged-with/article_04a5ae30-2861-11e2-9fbc-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/animal-rescue-group-seeks-property-where-animals-were-abused/article_335e1f00-2a05-11e2-af04-0019bb2963f4.html

this current drama is playing out in the great state of illinois aka LAND O' LEDY.
also playing in illinois, PitJustice starring MEGAN ALBRIGHT and her mutato TRENT the TERROR.

there is no such thing as a dull moment when it comes to pit bulls and their owners. last week, yet another damaged and disenfranchised pit nutter made the headlines of bizarro world. and once again, we have the real world version of events to compare to the lunatic fringe's interpretation of the events. skooch over DARLA, you have company!



leave it to pit nutters to exploit someone's personal tragedy to advance the cause of gripping dogs. the recent suicide of NICK SANTINO and the "forced" euthanasia of SANTINO'S pit bull mix ROCCO, are being blamed on grumpy neighbors and the evils of breed specific legislation.

here's what we know from mainstream media's version of events, for unspecified reasons, a condo association tightened up their dog policy in 2010 (i bet $100 there is a scary elevator encounter with a pit bull). one of their new rules included a pit bull ban. SANTINO'S pit mix was grandfathered in but SANTINO was restricted from using the elevator and he could not leave the dog alone for more than 9 hours. reasonable restrictions for the safety and welfare of both ROCCO and the other residents. we also know that SANTINO was facing fines for barking and more importantly, SANTINO'S own vet reported that ROCCO was becoming "increasingly more aggressive". rather than move or place his best friend in a new home, the struggling actor had his dog euthanized, called an ex-girl friend, then took an overdose.

here is what the pit nutters report, BSL took two innocent lives. the mean grumpy neighbors harassed a 47 yr old man to the point where he killed his "healthy, friendly pit bull" and then killed himself.

reality check: healthy, well adjusted people do not take their supposedly "healthy and friendly" pit mix to the vet to be euthanized, then go home, call an ex-girl friend and kill themselves. i find a few of the details significant.

first, he killed himself ON his birthday.
second, it appears that he had a prescription for a drug with the ability to deliver a lethal dose. (possibly already taking something for depression or to help him sleep)
third, he called an EX girl friend (possibly yet another failure contributing to his decision to end his life)
fourth, on his facebook page, he stressed how ROCCO saved HIS life, not vice versa.
fifth, despite the fact that this orphan had earned an MBA and started his own business (apparently successful), he was not happy with his career and wanted to become an actor.
sixth, he was not just struggling to make it as an actor, according to the imdb, he was failing miserably. between 1995 and 2011, SANTINO landed 8 menial roles, including "club owner", and "butcher guy". his billings were nearly dead last.

THE PIT BULL EVANGELISTS

the title of C MARABITO'S insane blatherings this week: Two unnecessary deaths due to BSL. MARABITO claims the "down on his luck actor" succumbed to the pressure of the condo bullies. a neighbor with the last name of CLEARY (any relations?) is quoted "People were complaining about his dog. It was open season on him." the BOTTOM LINE for MARABITO, "this man lost his life and his dog due to breed specific legislation." the bottom line, i have a bridge i'd like to sell MARABITO and her gullible followers.

surprisingly, CINDY MARABITO lost to the competition on this one.

Micaela Myers at stubbydog.org, where they are "reinventing the pit bull" lead with this, "This past week, the tragic result was two deaths – one of a 47-year-old man and the second a healthy, friendly pit bull. "

i am fascinated by the amount of effort that went into describing the pit bull and how little mention there was of the other half of the double tragedy. all of the nutters seem to think that BSL and his grumpy neighbors pushed this man over the edge and prompted him to kill himself. healthy, well adjusted people first of all would not kill their healthy, well adjusted dog over this and certainly a healthy well adjusted person would not kill themselves over this. you don't need to be a Durkheim scholar or have a PhD in psychology to grasp this simple concept.

Micaela Myers ends her tribute to a down on your luck, depressed pit bull owner on this note "The sad story of Nick Santino and Rocco also illustrates the need for public awareness toward canine housing discrimination so that landlords and complex management can understand the consequences of their misguided policies." MICAELA feels this tragedy illustrates pibble's plight. not a single word about the need for suicide intervention or the 100 american people who succeed in taking their lives and the 800-2500 that attempt but fail to take their lives EVERY day in the united states. that tragedy pales in comparison to the plight of dangerous pit bulls.

"I am just happy someone remembered to invite me." Nick Santino

poor nick, second billing to a dog and the cause of the lunatic fringe. i wonder if he will be remembered as anything more than a "47 yr old pit bull owner" at AFF's candle light vigil?

Josie Robertson Plaza (Lincoln Center, Columbus Avenue between 62nd and 65th Streets), Columbus Avenue between 62nd and 65th Streets, New York, NY
Description

Animal Farm Foundation will lead a peaceful vigil to remember Nick Santino, Rocco the "pit bull" dog, and all victims of canine discrimination. We are devastated by the inhumanity and injustice that Mr. Santino and Rocco experienced prior to their deaths.

Our goal for this vigil is to end the unnecessary, fear-based discrimination that some "pit bull" dogs and their owners face, particularly with regard to housing matters. We wish to empower community members with information and resources to replace fear with facts, and to advocate for equal treatment and opportunity for "pit bull" dogs and their owners.

Please meet at 4:00 pm at the Josie Robertson Plaza (at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts). We will march down West 64th Street past "One Lincoln Plaza," the building where Mr. Santino and Rocco lived.

A press conference will follow.

Please leave your dogs at home. Thank you.

no kill new york launched a facebook page titled HOUNDED TO DEATH IN NEW YORK - ANTI-BREED DISCRIMINATION PROTEST.

brent toellner chimed in on the "harassed to death" band wagon as did the one time journalist turned propagandist john woestendiek.

i am probably the only one among the pit nutter crowd to scratch the surface of NICK SANTINO. i am looking forward to what the ex girl friend has to say. and i am on pins and needles waiting for badrap and melanie coy to express their thoughts on the subject.

seriously, these nutter freaks have the intellect of children. but i guess i shouldn't too surprised. this is the demographic that looks to KAREN DELISE and values her meteorological explanations of social problems.

interestingly, there is an old discussion on pitbullforum.com from 2010, when his battle with his grumpy neighbors and the meanies in the condo association first began. NICK'S predicament didn't garner much sympathy.

"And that is why you don't opt to live somewhere that another person(s) make your choices for you."

american pit bullshit examiner

reinventing the pit bull

imdb.com

linkedin

argentto systems

mail online

new york post

master status

"People see what they want to see, it is up to you to show them what you want them to see." ~ Nick Santino

Nick finally made it as an actor, he pulled off the role of a lifetime. but then again, it doesn't take much acting ability to convince the simple mind of a pit nutter.