How Asinine. Doesn't the Federal Government Have Anything Better To Do?

Descendents of Hemmingway's cats are allowed to roam the house as he did when he was alive. Someone complained to the USDA about the welfare of the cats.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/1209/How-Ernest-Hemingway-s-cats-became-a-federal-case-video

Quote :

Soon USDA inspectors showed up in Key West. They said that if the museum wanted to display cats it needed an exhibitor’s license as required under the federal Animal Welfare Act. (That’s the same law that regulates circuses, zoos, and traveling dog and pony shows.)

Federal officials advised the museum that it also needed to take action to: Confine the cats in individual cages each night, or construct a higher fence around the property, or install an electric wire atop the existing brick wall, or hire a night watchman to keep an eye on the cats.

The museum was ordered to tag each cat for identification, and add additional elevated resting surfaces within the cat’s enclosures.

A three-judge appeals court has confirmed that the USDA does indeed have the authority to regulate the cats. This is where our taxes go, folks... to pay for bullshit like this.

That is really disturbing. The sort of @hole who would make such a report doesn't deserve to set foot on any of Hemingway's properties.

I have to think that whoever the reporting party was had to be someone with some sway, otherwise one would think that somewhere along the way someone in the USDA would call BS and ditch the case entirely.

Un-freakin-believable.