The geniuses at the Federal Bureau of Investigation can’t catch animal rights arsonists, but according to Wired, the FBI has opened an investigation of BonsaiKitten — the bizarre (and in very bad taste) parody site which includes instructions on how to create a “bonsai” kitten.
Apparently, like a lot of animal rights activists, the FBI doesn’t realize the site is a parody. The FBI might be investigating the site based on the recent law passed barring the use of images of animal cruelty for commercial gain, but a) that law is clearly unconstitutional and b) there is no depiction of actual cruelty to animals contained on the site.
Boston lawyer Harvey Silvergate is correct when he says that at some point the FBI is going to realize the site is not serious and quietly drop the case. The only thing the FBI is demonstrating now is that even the nation’s top law enforcement isn’t above falling for Internet hoaxes.
Source:
FBI Goes After Bonsaikitten.com. Declan McCullagh, Wired, February 9, 2001.