NY Lawmaker (GOP'er of course) Reportedly Plagiarized From A High School Student's Essay

[DonViejo]

CAITLIN MACNEAL – FEBRUARY 20, 2014, 1:50 PM EST

New York state Sen. Greg Ball (R) reportedly plagiarized from a 17-year-old high school student in Chicago and from the Los Angeles Times in a bill he introduced that would keep the state from housing killer whales in aquariums, according to the Times Union.

Ball lifted a paragraph from a blog post Donald Rapier wrote for the Huffington Post about "Blackfish," a CNN documentary about a killer whale at SeaWorld that killed an employee in 2010. Here's Rapier's paragraph that Ball's bill uses, though there is a typo in the bill:

In the United States, dolphin and marine animal parks, like SeaWorld, have become a part of an $8.4 billion industry. Accustomed to living in the ocean, and having an infinite amount of space to swim in, dolphins and whales are actually faced with several health problems that shorten their life span and cause insanity when they are placed in captivity.

Rapier told the Times Union that he was "shocked" that the lawmaker plagiarized from his piece.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/new-york-senator-plagiarized-student

[denverbill]

1. Well, I will at least give him credit for being on the correct side of the issue, IMO.

It's unusual for a Republican to vote for animal protection and against a corporate interest.