US Incarceration and Wild Cats

Let's just say it: TigerKing is PeakAmerica. You've got a flamboyant gun-loving, tiger-lovin, guy-lovin, Libertarian cowboy from Oklahoma. I can't help but think that non-Americans who've never been here think the whole country is like this. In some respects, they're probably not wrong. One thing is for sure, Tiger King lives up to the hype. I think it's the first docu-series I plan to re-watch. Spoiler Alert: If you haven't watched it, I give away some of the story. HODL.

In the end, the TigerKing goes down. He ends up in prison for attempted murder. They say he hired a hitman to kill Carole Baskin, his big cat nemesis. The evidence in the docu-series, and in court, was very flimsy and weak imo. The Govt. threatened all his friends and said "It's team Govt. or Team Joe Exotic." When threatened by the state, most people capitulate.

Honestly, Joe Exotic is no saint. But should he really spend 2+ decades in jail because he hates Carole Baskin? Who says "I'm going to kill Carol Fuckin' Baskin" 100's of times, on camera, and then actually goes through with it?

I'm very much of the mindset that people shouldn't go to jail for victim-less crimes...and hating someone isn't a crime. Maybe give him a slap on the wrist for the animal stuff, which may have been inhumane. Putting Joe Exotic in a cage longer than he encaged those animals is just as inhumane, if not more so. If he lives long enough, he'll get out in 2041, age 78.

Free Ross and reform the "Justice System"

When I watched the finale, I thought about how bad I felt for Joe. I also thought about how bad I feel for all the other people who have been unjustly incarcerated. How do you go to jail for consuming or smoking a plant? Millions already have been. In some countries, you can be executed for it. It also made me think about Ross's incarceration. He was imprisoned for running a website. He got life in prison w/o a possibility of parole. The appeals processes have seemed to run their course, but please sign the petition if you haven't yet.

Closing Thoughts

I saw Lyn Ross give a presentation and met Ross' sister at a booth they had set up at  BTC-Miami. They did (and are doing) a great job fighting for Ross, which is great. Sadly, many people don't have friends and family who are willing/able to take on the govt. Appreciate your freedom if you still have it. A tiny cage is no place for tigers...or human beings.