Tiger King Runs for President
By Bob Small
Can a convicted felon run for president? Well, the New York Times says yes, regarding a possible conviction of Donald Trump, so that answer would apply to Joseph Allen Maldonado (ne Schreibvogel), aka Joe Exotic.
These come from Maldonado’s 24-issue platform, presented as answers to questions that were sent to him.
On gun control: “I believe you have the right to carry a gun and protect yourself, but you can do that with a revolver. You don’t need an assault rifle to protect yourself
On felons: “I agree with you totally, that non-violent felons should be able to vote anywhere in America.”
On the LGBTQ community: “What the LGBTQ community has done to the progress we made for this new generation has destroyed our work by pushing the gay lifestyle in people’s faces.”
On homelessness: “But there should be housing for, like, six months, to give every homeless person a chance to get cleaned up, get a job and get on their feet.”
His biography is too complicated to summarize easily. However, I hear that a 12-episode Netflix series captures most of the main points. Tiger King (TV Series 2020–2021) Tiger King explained: Meet Joe Exotic, the latest Netflix star
In brief — after coming out as gay and being estranged from his family, Maldonado attempted suicide. He moved to Florida for salt-water therapy and found himself working with animals, and then he opened a pet store with his brother Garold, who was killed in 1997 by a drunk driver. Maldonado and his then-husband Brian managed the Garold Wayne Memorial Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, which he started with his parents. Brian passed away in 2002.
After that, Maldonado became known as the “Tiger King”.
Though he’s currently serving a 21-year sentence on 17 different federal charges, there have been various appeals, one of them based on recanting of testimony by a known fraudster, one James Garretson.
