I like Liam Neeson as an actor and I think he’s a stand up sort of guy with some common sense.
Liam Neeson had written in protest of earlier efforts to ban carriage horses in Central Park.
“As a horse lover and rider, I am deeply disturbed by the unnecessary and misguided political and extreme rhetoric against the horse-drawn carriage industry and feel obliged to counter this action.”
“The horse-drawn carriage business is an iconic part of this city, employing hundreds of dedicated, hard-working men and women, caring for well-bred, well-trained horses and attracting tourists to New York City for over 100 years.”
“As a proud New York resident, I have personally enjoyed the beauty of Central Park on a daily basis for many years, and these horses are an undeniable integral part of that experience. The notion that a well-nourished horse pulling a carriage through Central Park is considered cruelty may fit in with animal activists’ extremist view, but not with the rest of us. Surely we have a responsibility to protect commerce, especially one with such history, and one I truly feel helps define this city. May pragmatism prevail.”
I thing that it’s been pretty well confirmed on FR that:
The horse barns are valuable real estate and are going to be “re-purposed” likely to the benefit of some crony.
And
The electric buggies intended as replacements have similar connections for “trickle down” economics, LOL.
Here’s a clip of Liam Neeson’s appearance of The Daily Show from 2009: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-january-22-2009/liam-neeson
And here’s an article about him and his stance from today’s NY Post:
http://nypost.com/2014/01/10/liam-neeson-lambastes-call-to-ban-horse-drawn-carriages/
bfl