Mel Brooks Tried Pulling Down President Obama’s Pants

Why? Because he’s Mel Brooks. Best known for his films “Spaceballs” and “Blazing Saddles,” the 90-year-old director was at the White House last night accepting the National Medal of the Arts from President Obama. Which is pretty awesome!

Anyway, Mel Brooks, like many 90-year-olds, doesn’t give a shit about social conduct. So he decided to pull a gag, by pretending to pull down Obama’s pants.

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: September 23, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

What’s With Those Harambe Memes?

Ever since the tragic death of the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla, Harambe, the ape has become an internet sensation in the worst way possible. Harambe died and was reborn a meme. If you are so blessed as to have never seen these memes, today is your last day in the dark…sorry.

“Harambe was just a regular gorilla” pic.twitter.com/pJGqXi0pLS

— nate (@nateidk) July 28, 2016

That’s not even the worst of it. We’re keeping it PG today. 

Harambe is now known as a god, a prophet, and a saint of the internet. It’s actually getting pretty out of hand. It’s taking over people’s lives. 

always great to see people supporting the greatest gorilla to ever live ✊ pic.twitter.com/RA1QtFxXiy

— Harambe (@itsHarambae) July 10, 2016

So much so that the Cincinnati Zoo has asked people stop making the memes. The zoo director, Thayne Maynard, said in a statement to AP: “We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe. Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honoring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us.”

Things have only gotten worse.

cincinnati zoo: please stop making harambe memes

me: pic.twitter.com/5F0t8rejnX

— MATT KING (@MattrKing) August 22, 2016

The Cincinnati Zoo has since deleted its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: August 23, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

An Ohio prosecutor announced Monday that the mother of the three-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo Memorial Day weekend will not face criminal charges.

“By all accounts, this mother did not act in any way where she presented this child to some harm,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters in a press conference.

Deters added, “She had three other kids with her and turned her back. … And if anyone doesn’t believe a three-year-old can scamper off very quickly, they’ve never had kids.”

The prosecution’s decision comes after the mother was vilified in the press and on social media for over a week after her son slipped into a gorilla enclosure on May 28.

As we previously reported,

[The] three-year-old boy crawled under a rail and through a wire fence, before falling nearly 20 feet over the moat wall into the zoo’s gorilla exhibit. Luckily, the child survived the fall, but within minutes a 450-pound western lowland gorilla had grabbed the child and began dragging him through the moat.

After dragging the crying child for nearly 10 minutes,  the zoo’s dangerous animal response team shot and killed the 17-year-old male gorilla named Harambe.

Social media exploded with furious commentators shaming the boy’s parents, specifically his mother, for not keeping a better watch over her son. As a result, several Change.org petitions supporting criminal charges against the mother for child endangerment and harm to an endangered species were created. However, most legal experts speculated that no criminal charges would be brought against the mother–and it looks like they were right.

The Cincinnati Zoo’s Gorilla World exhibit is scheduled to reopen to the public Tuesday with a newly raised barrier.

Click here to read the full original post.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Mom Won’t be Charged in Cincinnati Zoo Gorilla’s Death appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to the RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through the top five controversial and crazy stories in the world of law and policy each day. So who is ranting and who is raving today? Check it out below:

#TryBeatingMeLightly: Pakistani Women Fight Back

In Pakistan, a 163-page bill was proposed by the Council of Islamic Ideology allowing men to “lightly” beat their wives. Crazy, I know. A man is permitted, according to the bill, to beat his wife if she speaks too loudly or turns down intercourse. Of course, Pakistani women everywhere aren’t going to stand for this. As a result, photographer Fahhad Rajper’s photo project “TryBeatingMeLightly” is trending on social media.

Rush Limbaugh Talks Gorilla

Limbaugh recently said: “If we were the original apes, then how come Harambe is still an ape, and how come he didn’t become one of us?” Let’s face it Rush, no one takes you seriously. It’s unfortunate that an endangered animal had to die to demonstrate how much of an idiot you are.

Islamophobin: It’s the cure you can chew!

The Council on American-Islamic Relations just released a spoof video for a Islamophobia cure and it’s freaking hilarious. CAIR tackles the very serious issues of violence and discrimination against Muslims and hopes to combat the effects of Islamophobia. Maybe laughter IS the best medicine.

Sims 4 Jumps Aboard the Pride Train

The newest version of Sims 4 will now allow any character of any gender to choose any hairstyle and clothing. Previously, characters were restricted to the clothing and hair of their assigned gender. As LGBT rights become more open in the real world, why shouldn’t they be just as accepted in the virtual one?

Proud of @TheSims for removing gender barriers in Sims 4 pic.twitter.com/QhfSRIhRi8

— Tazreen Tasnim (@tazreentasnim) June 2, 2016

 Zip it, Pagliano!

The latest news in Clinton’s scandal finds her IT staffer tight-lipped and not taking any questions. Bryan Pagliano has decided to plead the Fifth and avoid self-incrimination at a deposition next week. The deposition is part of a Freedom of Information suit filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch related to Hillary Clinton’s private email server. In the meantime, a lot of rumors are floating around about why Pagliano is not testifying.

This is why Pagliano is taking the 5th even with immunity. https://t.co/geKshz2bMu#ClintonCrimeFamily#HillNopic.twitter.com/nce8Q0OJsH

— The Good Hillary (@hillarysusans) June 2, 2016

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: June 2, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

“The gorilla should never have been shot.”

“I don’t know, I think the Cincinnati zoo made the right decision. The child was in danger!”

“Where was the child’s mother?”

Sharing opinions like these are how a lot of conversations started this Memorial Day Weekend, as barbecue-goers across the country debated the Cincinnati Zoo’s decision to shoot and kill a rare gorilla after a child fell into its enclosure.

The incident occurred on Saturday, when a three-year-old boy crawled under a rail and through a wire fence, before falling nearly 20 feet over the moat wall into the zoo’s gorilla exhibit. Luckily, the child survived the fall, but within minutes a 450-pound western lowland gorilla had grabbed the child and began dragging him through the moat.

After dragging the crying child for nearly 10 minutes,  the zoo’s dangerous animal response team shot and killed the 17-year-old male gorilla named Harambe.

Bystanders captured the gorilla dragging the child on video, which can be seen below.

Immediately, critics debated whether or not the zoo made the right decision in killing the critically endangered animal, rather than tranquilizing it.

Zoo director Thane Maynard explained the decision in a statement on Facebook Sunday stating,

We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child’s life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team. Our first response was to call the gorillas out of the exhibit. The two females complied, but Harambe did not. It is important to note that with the child still in the exhibit, tranquilizing the 450-pound gorilla was not an option. Tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes and the child was in imminent danger. On top of that, the impact from the dart could agitate the animal and cause the situation to get much worse.

But zoo officials weren’t the only ones under fire.

Social media exploded with furious commentators shaming the boy’s parents, specifically his mother, for not better watching over their son.

Don’t take your kids to the zoo if you are unable to keep an eye on them at all times. Simple. #JusticeForHarambe

— malak // ملاك (@unusualvox) May 30, 2016

What makes all of this worse is that Harambe wasn’t being aggressive. At all. I hope those parents get prosecuted. #justiceforharambe

— Valentina Cano (@valca85) May 30, 2016

#JusticeForHarambe when a caged gorilla is more aware of where your child is than you are, you’re not fit to be a parent

— Rachael Gilbert (@RachaelGilber17) May 30, 2016

A woman who claimed to have witnessed the incident defended the parents in a long Facebook post, calling it a “terrible accident.”

According to People, another woman claiming to be the mother of the child defended herself in a now-deleted Facebook post stating, “As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen.”

As a result, people began flooding the woman’s profile with hateful comments. They then blasted the Facebook page of a preschool where a woman by the same name works.. After the preschool was forced to delete its page, people then began harassing women on social media who share her name, in some instances sending death threats.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the threats were enough for the Cincinnati police to get involved. Police spokesman Lt. Steve Saunders told the paper,

Even though they’re not direct death threats, we’re going to reach out to the mother and let her know what’s going on, if she doesn’t know already. We’re going to keep her in the loop. We’re going to err on the side of safety for her and her family.

A Facebook group condemning the mother called Justice for Harambe already has over 123,000 likes at the time of publication, and a Change.org petition under the same name is asking Hamilton County Child Protection Services to investigate “the child’s home environment in the interests of protecting the child and his siblings from further incidents of parental negligence that may result in serious bodily harm or even death.” 

There is also a second petition with over 122,000 signatures calling for the passage of “Harambe’s Law” to hold “negligent visitors” responsible for the death of endangered animals. The petition says,

It is completely negligent for any man, woman or child to enter an exhibit or restricted area at a zoo, sanctuary or wild animal park. To ensure this never happens again, we would like to enact Harambe’s Law, that if at anytime this shall occur, the negligent party and or party’s be held financially and criminally responsible for any harm and or loss to an animal, specifically when said animal is Critically Endangered.

The criticism prompted a spokesperson from the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office to tell the New York Times that the matter had been referred to the Cincinnati Police Department for investigation. She stated that if the police were to pursue, it would be “general inquiry” into the incident, and would not be directed at either the mother or the zoo. But from the sounds of it, the investigation is more of courtesy and likely will not materialize into any criminal charges.

Editor’s Note: Original reports stated that the boy’s age was four-years-old, instead of three-years-old. The post has been altered to reflect this correction.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Gorillagate: Critics Blame Mom For Death of Cincinnati Zoo’s Rare Gorilla appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to the RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through the top five controversial and crazy stories in the world of law and policy each day. So who is ranting and who is raving today? Check it out below:

#JusticeForHarambe: Silverback Gorilla Killed Over Poor Security

#JusticeForHarambe tops the charts today as outrage grows over the killing of a Cincinnati Zoo silverback gorilla named Harambe. This past weekend a three-year-old boy fell into Harambe’s enclosure. Fearing for the child’s life in the hands of a 450-pound animal, zoo officials shot and killed the gorilla and saved the child. While some applaud the zoo’s actions, many others, including conservationist Jeff Corwin, are disgusted with the event, and blame the child’s parents for not watching out for the boy.

Disgusting how this endangered and amazing animal had to die due to the negligence of a parent! #JusticeForHarambepic.twitter.com/vHUV80tKDh

— J (@JStahh_) May 31, 2016

World Renowned Physicist Doesn’t Get Trump’s Rise

Even Stephen Hawking, the great explainer of the universe, can’t explain why Trump is Trumping right now. But he did deliver a pretty good burn when he said: “[Trump] is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.” According to math and Urban Dictionary, this makes Trump the king of dumbasses. Hawking ended his comments by warning about the imminent threat of climate change, which Trump continues to publicly deny.

Stephen Hawking said he cannot work out why Donald Trump is so popular. Because only morons get it. Trump is the Jimi Hendrix for Morons.

— Kevin Flood (@FLOOKLYN) May 31, 2016

LGBTQ Equality May Be Coming to Pixar

As rumors tend to do, the idea that Pixar’s “Finding Dory” may feature a lesbian couple has spread like wildfire across the interwebs. And as always with controversial news, people either really love it or really hate it. In a recently released trailer, fans are speculating that the two women shown pushing a baby in a stroller are a couple. With the premiere only weeks away, Pixar should brace for some public outrage. But such is the price you pay for making (awesome) history!

ppl are freaking out bc a lesbian couple is in Finding Dory but no one cared when a girl fell in love with a bee smh pic.twitter.com/fHbiwSKYXp

— Dory (@Dory) May 31, 2016

Oh My Data: MySpace Breach Could Be Biggest Ever

This week, the old social media network was hacked. MySpace was compromised along with 417 million passwords and emails. Even though MySpace isn’t very popular anymore, information on any account made prior to 2013 can be used to leverage other attacks. And let’s be real, everyone had a Myspace. The hacker known as Peace has since listed the stolen information for sale on the Deep Web. This has got to be the most 2000s thing to happen this week.

.@Myspace hacked: info on millions of users stolen, Time Inc. confirms https://t.co/poOZJfHtoLpic.twitter.com/9HfPzfQ0Ss

— Variety (@Variety) May 31, 2016

#BernieInOakland: Protesters Get Carried Away

Why is #BernieInOakland trending? A few protesters at Sanders’ rally in Oakland Monday attempted to storm the stage. Swiftly, Secret Service managed to stop them before they made it there. Now unlike those violent Trump folk, these guys were cute and fluffy and meant no real harm. Direct Action Everywhere, an animal rights group, just wanted Sanders to expand his platform on radical animal rights, just as Hillary has done. They thought that this would be the best way to get Sanders to notice them. Were they right? Well, no. But this video is still pretty thrilling to watch:

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: May 31, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.