Something must be done!

[Guest guest]

This is one of many similar messages I have received in recent days:

 

-

" FU, ANNE " <ANNE_FU

<info

Friday, 15 June, 2001 22:46

Something must be done!

 

 

> In New York, there is a Japanese man that sells " bonsai cats " .

 

Dear Anne,

This is a hoax which started in Massachusetts. It has nothing to do with

anyone Japanese.

It is a very sick and horrible hoax but this new twist that has been added

recently I find totally abhorrent - some Chinese people are trying to use it

to

stir up anti-Japanese sentiment.

Please do your best to stop this nastiness before it goes any further!

 

Here's some info on the site from PETA, with something we can all do to move

it along:

 

Dear Friend,

 

Thank you for contacting us about BonsaiKitten.com. We share your

disgust with this disturbing Web site and are extremely concerned about

its

influence. Please file a complaint at the following Web site:

www.ifccfbi.gov. This is a reporting center Web site set up by the

Federal

Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for Internet fraud and other forms of

Internet crime.

 

Although we have found this site to be a " joke, " we still feel it is

inappropriate and certainly not funny. The Humane Society of the United

States (HSUS) investigated the origin of the site and found that the

name

and address under which the site is registered, a " Dr. Michael Wong in

New

York, " is false information. The site was reportedly created by a

student at

M.I.T. as a joke among friends. When this site initially appeared in

December, a local humane organization did get involved on a local level

in

checking out this person but discovered no evidence of actual animal

abuse

having occurred. We believe that the Web site's creator was simply

trying to

generate attention by upsetting people who care about animals.

 

So far, it has been an uphill battle, as the only law that even

remotely covers issues like this is a law that covers e-mailed

obscenities;

therefore, if the site is not in violation of the host's user

agreement, no

law is being violated, and the site can remain up. As you may know,

this

site has been closed down at least twice before but continues to

reappear

with different Web addresses. If enough people file complaints with the

FBI,

stressing the influence it may have on cases of actual cruelty, maybe

it

will be removed permanently.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us about this issue

and for all you do to help animals.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Kelly S. Cunningham

Administrative Assistant

757-622-7382, ext. 398

KellyC