Tag Archives: Peanut the Squirrel

A Lawsuit I Can Get Behind

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We all remember the execution of Peanut the Squirrel and his housemate, Fred the Raccoon by the State of New York. The execution was on shaky grounds at best, and seemed very cruel. Well, Mark Longo and his girlfriend Daniela Bittner have decided to take legal action against the State of New York.

On Monday, Red State reported:

During the 2024 presidential campaign, one story really seemed to hit home about government outreach, and that was of Peanut the Squirrel (also known as P’Nut) and his furry friend, Fred the Raccoon. The animals were rescued by Mark Longo and his girlfriend Daniela Bittner, where two little guys lived happily at his Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary. P’Nut was even famous for numerous videos of his antics going viral.

That was until October 30, when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation decided to raid the sanctuary, take Peanut and Fred, and promptly kill them. At the time, authorities alleged that the squirrel had bitten one of the DEC officials. Due to a rabies risk, both pets had to be decapitated and tested for rabies. 

On Monday, the New York Post reported that Longo and Bittner are now seeking justice for their late little fury friends, suing the state of New York. According to a lawsuit filed in the New York Court of Claims, the grieving couple is seeking $10 million after the state seized and euthanized Peanut and Fred. Subsequently, after the animals were dead and tested, the results came back negative.

The article notes:

The report read:

The killing of P’Nut and Fred was “not due to a fear of rabies” – but a “senseless act of violence” and “obscene demonstration of government abuse,” charge the new court documents, which list the state, the DEC and DOH as defendants. 

The allegations echo those outlined in a separate lawsuit filed by Longo and Bittner on June 27 in Chemung County Supreme Court, against the county, the City of Elmira and 36 individuals from every level of local and state government. 

That suit sought unspecified damages to be determined by a jury trial.

This was clearly a case of government overreach. Unfortunately, it will be the New York taxpayers who have to pay, but they are the people who elected their leaders.

What Has Happened To Our Freedom?

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On Saturday, The New York Post posted an article about the euthanizing of a squirrel in New York State. Normally, an article like that would not be important, but there are some details about this event that are disturbing.

The article reports:

An upstate man whose beloved squirrel was cruelly killed by the state said he was treated like a “terrorist” when 10 government agents descended on his home during a five-hour raid.

Mark Longo, whose pet P’nut captured the hearts of 3 million social media users, was stunned when a convoy of vehicles carrying officials from the state departments of Environmental Conservation and Health arrived at his Pine City home Wednesday.

That squirrel was treated more harshly than the illegal aliens in New York City who are routinely robbing stores, assaulting people, and operating drug and human trafficking rings. The argument that they had to kill the squirrel to test for rabies is bogus–he was an indoor squirrel! If they were that concerned about rabies, why didn’t they contact a local vet and ask him to design a rabies shot for squirrels. This whole story is an example of horrendous government overreach.

The article reports:

“They treated me like I was a terrorist. They treated this raid as if I was a drug dealer. They ransacked my house for five hours,” Longo (Mark Longo) told The Post Saturday.

“They asked my wife, who is of German descent, what her immigration status was. They asked if I had cameras in my house. They wouldn’t allow me to go to the bathroom without a police escort, who then checked the back of the toilet to see if I was hiding anything there.”

But worse than all of that, they delivered his gray fur baby to its death.

The state claimed it had to euthanize both animals Friday so that they could be tested for rabies — because the squirrel sunk its teeth into the hand of an official during the disturbing raid. The test results are not yet known.

Longo noted that the officials were wearing thick gloves and that the biting story is unlikely.

The article notes:

Longo explained it is illegal to house a squirrel and raccoon, but he didn’t have the “heart” to keep them outside.

Would it also be illegal if a child rescued a rabbit whose mother had been killed? This is ridiculous.

The article concludes:

“Everything else our government looks the other way on as far as illegal immigrants but then come down on someone harboring a squirrel,” said state Senator Thomas O’Mara. “It just highlights the priorities of the government we have in New York State, frankly. It’s disturbing and we need answers from both the state DEC and the Chemung County department of Health.”

Ken Girardin, research director at the conservative watchdog Empire Center for Public Policy, said that the raid that ultimately led to Peanut’s death demonstrates how the DEC is “arguably the most powerful state agency.”

“They have sweeping authority that, as this case shows, allows them to enter private homes and seize private property with what appears in this case to be questionable justification,” he said, adding, “Some of the blame falls on New York state lawmakers, who haven’t provided adequate oversight.”