The following press release has been forwarded to me by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.
The following article proves what I have been saying about animal rights organizations for many years. Animal rights organizations pretend that they are caring for animals to cash in on unsuspecting and gullible people donating money to these hoax charities.
When regional retailer, Meijer, received pressure from sportsmen to sever ties with the animal rights extremists in the Humane Society of the Unites States (HSUS), some questioned why the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) acted to oppose the partnership.
“Most people simply don’t know that the HSUS is actually an animal rights organization that is opposed to any use of animals for the benefit of humans,” said USSA president and CEO Bud Pidgeon. “The public deserves to know the hidden agenda behind this is to deceive them.”
On April 24, 2008, HSUS, the world’s largest animal rights organization, announced a partnership with Meijer, a regional discount retail chain to raise $5,000 for the organization’s fund to address the purported problem of abandoned pets as a result of the national home foreclosure crisis.
The USSA, a national organization founded to protect the rights of sportsmen, responded with an alert asking hunters to contact the retailer to protest the partnership. Meijer quickly responded by canceling the arrangement. Since that time, some animal welfare activists have questioned why USSA would oppose a partnership alleged to benefit pets.
The Washington DC-based HSUS, raised $100 million dollars according to its 2006 IRS filing. Despite a name that seems tailor made to animal shelters, HSUS is in fact an animal rights organization. Its main function is to change laws that permit Americans to gain any benefit from animals. It advocates for restrictions on livestock farmers, bans on life-saving medical research performed on animals and opposes zoos, circuses and rodeos. Of course HSUS also opposes hunting. The HSUS does not operate or represent the local dog and cat shelters that exist across the United States.
“With a name like the Humane Society of the United States, it’s easy to see why some people believe that there is a connection between it and local animal shelters, which struggle every year to make ends meet,” explained Pidgeon. “HSUS spends the bulk of its money on making contributions to politicians, lobbying, lawyers and expensive 30-second advertisements to promote voter issues aimed at banning various uses of animals.”
The Humane Society uses campaigns, such as the Meijer campaign, as a public relations tool to help it raise its $100 million dollar war chest for its animal rights crusade. Evidence of this is contained within its leadership. Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the organization, is the former executive director of the Fund for Animals, which was the nation’s leading anti-hunting group. Upon accepting the executive job at HSUS, Pacelle announced a merger with the Fund for Animals and quickly hired its most ardent hunting opponents as his top management staff.
The HSUS then swallowed several anti-livestock organizations, hiring their leadership as well. Its takeover of the Doris Day Animal League has given it access to Hollywood dollars, previously the home turf of the radical People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Unlike PETA, however, Pacelle and HSUS are not interested in making a large public relations spectacle using naked models or making outrageous statements comparing the Holocaust to the slaughter of chickens. Instead, HSUS has launched a series of campaigns that put it in a positive light with animal lovers in general.
Such was the case in 2005, when HSUS created a fund to aid animals stranded as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Later, the Louisiana Attorney General’s office launched an investigation of HSUS when allegations surfaced that the money never made it to the pets in need.
In 2007 it launched a campaign to address the issue of so-called “puppy mills,” abusive large-scale commercial dog breeding operations. Using sentimental images of suffering puppies, the organization is backing legislation in Pennsylvania that would devastate small hobby breeders, dog show kennels and sporting dog enthusiasts. The legislation is so radical that it has been opposed by the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club and even dog rescue shelters in the state.
“Taking advantage of the American people’s love for their pets, HSUS is able to deceive donors and the public into believing that the organization is in the mainstream of American values,” said Pidgeon. “It is this mainstream image that allows HSUS to raise its 100 million dollar budget to take our hunting and fishing rights away. At the same time, by deceiving animal lovers, HSUS robs financially strapped dog and cat shelters of critical funds needed to actually look after abandoned and abused pets.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance recommends that people who want to help real animal shelters give to their local shelter organizations.
“Some animal rights groups masquerade as pet shelters, so donating to a local organization gives the contributor the opportunity to determine how their funds will actually be spent,” said Pidgeon.
This and other evidence of the fraudulent shenanigans of the HSUS and PETA I wonder when the government and the IRS will finally step in and at least revoke the tax exempt status these crooks enjoy, so they too have to pay taxes like any other for-profit-company.
Tags: Meijer, Animal Rights Fraud, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
5 comments:
Othmar,
I couldn't agree more with your last paragraphs. I would love to see that happen!
I think the real nature of the HSUS is something more people need to know about. It makes me sad to think that people are donating to the HSUS thinking they're helping their local animal shelter and they're really doing nothing of the kind.
If you want to be sure you're donating to your local shelter, make sure you give the money directly to the shelter.
Like others - I just wanted to say, you're right on. I never even knew the problem that is HSUS until just three or four years ago. I never thought they were a great organization, but I never knew their inner workings and connections till I was in my twenties - and I'm a huge supporter of hunting and anything outdoors. It is easy to see how they've duped many people. Easy to see, and sad to see. Hopefully people like yourself will continue to spread the word so that people can see the truth for what it is.
Bang on with your article. it always makes me chuckle when i wonder what these people would do if they lived in an area in southern Ontario where we are starting to see increased bear sightings further and further south in our larger urban centres, moose in Oshawa (which got hit by a car and it took the local police 16 rounds with their sidearms to put down)I wonder how they would react if one of their children were mauled or killed by a bear in their own backyard. Unchecked and unmanaged wildlife populations would not sit very well with these groups when their own personal safety started to be impacted. People with a small amount of knowledge are dangerous, they only want to believe or only want to look at one piece of a large picture. The scary thing is that our universities and colleges now have professors who are teaching these one sided radical views to our children.
Thank you all for your comments. I agree with all of you that the HSUS, PETA and many other animal rights groups hide their real agenda from the public and it is up to us to make sure that the public hears that message loud and clear.
Some time ago I started to make this point in every letter to the editor that I write to newspapers in response to animal rights opinion letters. I always challenge the animal rights to tell the readers and me exactly where the money goes and what it exactly is the money is used for.
It is important to know that animal rights have no interest whatsoever in animal welfare or in responsible wildlife conservation. Their business is strictly making money by selling emotions.
Admin pointed out a perfect example of what animal rights are all about. Some years ago animal rights lobbied hard to cancel the spring bear hunt. Despite all scientific prove that spring bear hunting is important the then Premier of Ontario decided in favor of the animal rights because, as he stated later, “I am more concerned with the opinions of the inner city voters.” Since the canceling of the spring bear hunt numbers have exploded and reached a population that is dangerous to suburban and countryside human population. In addition the bears have reached a point where they exceed the habitats carrying capacity. Still nothing is done about it because lawmakers are more worried about emotions rather than facts and numbers.
-ov-
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