Last month, we published an article about a meeting key Ohio agriculture leaders had with Wayne Pacelle and a team from the Humane Society of the United States, or HSUS.
The HSUS visited Ohio to let us know the Buckeye State is on its radar for legislation or a ballot initiative to ban confinement housing of livestock in the state, specifically poultry cages, veal crates and sow gestation stalls.
The meeting was, as Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director Elizabeth Harsh told Farm and Dairy’s Andrea Zippay, “a good wake-up call.”
All of agriculture needs that same call.
In case you didn’t realize it, the Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with the humane societies you typically think of in your own backyard. The group is not the savior of unwanted dogs and cats.
If you really want to know what the Humane Society of the United States is about, read Wayne Pacelle’s comments in a blog posted March 30:
“We believe in the Three Rs — reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based foods; refining the diet by eating products only from methods of production, transport, and slaughter that minimize pain and distress; and replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods.”
There it is in black and white. HSUS is not about pet shelters, unwanted animal rescues, or adopting a cat. It is about reducing the consumption of meat, refining the diet, and replacing meat in your diet with plant-based foods.
Now, it is certainly OK for anyone to choose to be a vegetarian. This country was founded on freedoms, and I’m certainly not going to tell anyone he can’t choose a vegetarian diet.
What is not OK, is when a radical group connives under the guise of a moderate, “humane” halo and raises millions of dollars to lobby and schmooze and crank up p.r. machines with the expressed purpose of eliminating meat and animal-based foods in our diets.
Coshocton County cattleman Brent Porteus, current president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, was in that Ohio meeting with Pacelle, and warns that the HSUS is “zealously motivated” to accomplish that goal.
Pacelle is smooth, polite and politically correct, Porteus said, and that’s what makes him such a formidable foe.
The general public forks over donations and celebrities lend their names to the cause, not understanding the group’s real agenda. HSUS knows what sells: images of cute animals; images of mistreated animals; appeals to “common sense”; and enough laudable projects that hide its true anti-animal intent.
It doesn’t matter to the HSUS if regulations increase the cost of meat to the consumer. After all, if meat is too expensive, consumers will change their purchasing habits to other non-meat protein sources, and that’s the ultimate goal of HSUS anyway.
This is a long-term battle, but one agriculture can’t ignore in the short-term. If we think HSUS will go away or that their agenda won’t ever come true, we’ll wake up one day and discover that enough layers have been piled on animal agriculture that we can’t breathe.
Agriculture needs its own set of three R’s: research on best management practices that improve animal welfare and productivity; a revival of this country’s agrarian foundation; and a recommitment by farmers everywhere to practice sound livestock management, implement environmental protection measures and proudly speak out on their industry’s behalf.
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By Susan Crowell
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Great article Susan! It is true the Humane Society of the United States name does sound like an official organization governing local humane societies, unfortunately that have little or nothing to do with any local humane societies. In reality, they charge local humane societies $4000 to $20,000 fees for “expert” consultation. The name is very misleading and was chosen for a very good reason: What an excellent way to receive millions of donation dollars from unsuspecting donors attempting to help the homeless animals in the thousand of local humane societies. What people don’t realize is the true HSUS agenda of total animal liberation and establishing a vegan America. Just reviewing their publically available federal tax return alone makes one question their true nature. Millions of dollars spent on HSUS executive staff (CEO Wayne Pacelle alone received just shy of a quarter of million dollars in salary and benefits for 2007). So the question does arise: What makes HSUS the experts in animal care? Do we just assume because they say they are? With less than 4 cents per donation dollar going to hands-on animal caring, I question many things concerning the HSUS.
“HSUS is not about pet shelters, unwanted animal rescues, or adopting a cat. It is about reducing the consumption of meat, refining the diet, and replacing meat in your diet with plant-based foods.” Actually, HSUS is about pet shelters, unwanted animal rescues, and adopting a cat. It is also about promoting humane diets.
Really? Does it force its cats to eat vegan catfood? Food that is loaded in CARBS and bound to make them SICK?
The animal rights movement portrays itself simply as a group of people who are concerned with the mistreatment of animals. That’s an easy position to sell in America where a large portion of population has pets. However, there is an undercurrent of violence, extremist positions, and even anti-human views that runs through the animal rights movement. People who are giving their money to these groups need to understand that it is used to push an agenda that is intended to severe completely the human animal bond. It is not to save wildlife or to protect domestic animals. Their Agenda, “We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. …One generation and out. We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding.” ** Wayne Pacelle * Director of HSUS.
Both HSUS and PETA’s long range goal is that in 20 to 25 years there will be no more companion or domestic animals. No dogs, no cats, no horses, no cows, no sheep, no goats, etc. These two groups by taking in nearly 200 million in donations through falsehoods prevent no kill shelters from being built which are known to be successful. You cannot compromise with them on legislation as soon as a bill its turned down they spin it in another form and put it on the agenda again. Rousing public sympathy for shelter dogs while killing all they can supposedly “rescue”. If you really want to do something for all domestic animals join NAIA but please don’t give to these two groups. at http://www.naiaonline.org/
The mission of NAIA is to promote the welfare of animals, to strengthen the human-animal bond, and safeguard the rights of responsible animal owners.
PETA and HSUS hold conferences for shelters to advocate against no kill shelters. These people are joined at the hip with the ALF and support terrorist’s with money who do violence in our society. They are against traditional religion, democratic process and the philosophy behind Western society. They are not intent on saving animals they are intent on making money for themselves and do not care one bit about domestic animals. If they did why do they advocate killing them all.
Newkirk on human life_” I am opposed to having children. Having a human baby is like having a purebred dog; it is nothing but vanity, human vanity.” These people are teaching our children in our schools that it is their duty to murder, commit arson, and to value human life less than animals. This is a major cult taking over our country and it is using your love of pets to do it. “Even if animal tests produced a cure for AIDS, “We’d be against it.”- Ingrid Newkirk, PETA (_Washington_Post * “The optimum human population of earth is zero” .-Dave Foreman, Earth First! “I would be overjoyed when the first scientist is killed by a liberation activist.” ** Vivien Smith of ALF (USA Today.
The H$U$ three R’s:
Regulation, Restriction, Riches.
Regulate what may or may be not be produced by our farmers, restrict what we may eat and grow rich at the ezpense of trhe American people.
H$U$ another name for Hypocrisy
According to the IRS, a 501(c)(3) group, such as HSUS, “may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.”
To complain, go to http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=139029,00.html
You can complete a form complaining about excessive lobbying by HSUS.
I could read a book about this without finding such real-world aprpoahecs!
Ron,
I find your comment extremely misguided and without merit. The comment is based on an uneducated opinion which is troubling. You wrote:
“Actually, HSUS is about pet shelters, unwanted animal rescues, and adopting a cat. It is also about promoting humane diets.”
Please research the FACTS concerning HSUS contributions in aiding animal shelters, rescues, and cat adoption. Reviewing the HSUS tax returns alone shows less than 4% of donations go to shelters, rescues, and hands-on animal welfare organizations. HSUS actually spends MORE donation money on staff travel expenses then the animal welfare organizations you mentioned they are “about”. Additionally, over 25% of donations go to staff salaries and pension plans. Again, please research facts and become aware of the true HSUS agenda. I deeply care about the animals too, Ron. I want HSUS donations to find the animals that truly need it, not to vegan ideology and goals. Unfortunately, the animals will never see the hundreds of millions of donated dollars HSUS refuses to allocate to them. I hope this helps. Thank you.
Dr. Rosset,
What is your field of study? I read your response and find it hard to belief a Dr. of any substance would ramble on about such an insignificant subject at such lenght.
Actually, Dr. Rosset’s post was very succinct and very much to the point. S/he is absolutely accurate in both the description and assessment of the agenda, goals and methods of H$U$ and other animal rights groups with a liberation agenda. They do seek to restructure the basic relationship between humans and animals, and ultimately hope to create a “new society.” Wayne Pacelle has mentioned this phrase in speeches to National Animal Rights Conventions on at least one occasion. They are promoting what amounts to a very rarefied philosophical view of “how life should be lived on planet earth,” and their zealotry is tantamount to that of religious crusaders. I question that anyone has the right to legislate this kind of spiritual view of life into law in any country … I’m happy to see that more and more people seem to be waking up to the true agenda of these people … they think nothing of legislating away the right to own property, or to be secure in one’s home – I wonder where they will go next in their crusade to create a Brave New World by legislating away our Constitutional rights as Americans, or indeed, citizens of the world? Americans and other free peoples choose what philosophical world view they choose to live by – they do not tolerate having their choices taken from them under the guise of false pretenses.
Excellent response Anti-H$U$! Very accurate and to the point! HSUS and Wayne Pacelle are demanding their vegan America at all costs, no matter what it takes. True animal supporters need to look at what HSUS and Wayne Pacelle is all about before they send another dime to this domestic terrorist group. HSUS is getting more reckless and bold in their campaigns since they believe they are above the law. I believe their downfall is coming soon as more Americans are waking up and seeing what their true agenda is. Again, excellent response and it is refreshing to see others not fooled by the Humane Society of the United States and Wayne Pacelle.
Big Humane Society of the United States money and threatening a law suit was surely the case getting the Atlanta HSUS investigation pulled. Even though the report stated facts, the station had to weigh attorney costs to clear their name vs. dropping the story. This is a typical strategy for HSUS: Break every organization down by taking legal action or threatening to do so. Even if you are by-the-book and in your rights to do so, HSUS will file a law suit not to win but to intimidate you in bowing to their will. HSUS has dozens of well paid attorneys on staff just for this purpose. So why does the press refrain from pursuing such stories? How many 10 to 100’s of thousands of dollars will it cost us to get this story out and win our case? Sounds a bit like Scientology doesn’t it? Scare everyone with legal action if you say something against us. Keep it up HSUS, the government is itching to tax your $300,000,000 in the bank. And better yet, retroactively. You may have pulled the story but you really screwed up by doing so. The world is watching you even closer now.