The Laughing Wolf

Beware The HSUS

A musing by the English Werewolf:

{The Wolf is away; the rest of us can play!!!}

Well, LW asked me to elucidate on a comment I made, quite late, to a post from earlier in Sept. concerning the Katrina relief efforts, and so here I am. May my words be coherent; fortunately it's not near full moon...I think...

My brother wolf, in his earlier post, was suggesting some worthy recipients of donations at this time of great need on the Gulf Coast. One that he mentioned was the Humane Society. Unfortunately, there are a great many organizations that use this phrase in their names -- and while LW said he'd intended to link to a site for the organization properly known as the American Humane Association, he actually linked to an organization calling itself the Humane Society of the United States, or HSUS.

What's the difference?

The American Humane Association lobbies for more humane treatment of animals, runs and/or supports animal shelters around the country, produces educational materials for school use, and does many other things to improve life for animals and the people who love them. Check them out at http://www.americanhumane.org .

The Humane Society of the United States is a lobbying organization that spends most of its efforts in raising money. They also work for legislation in all the states and in the US Congress that aims to increase the barriers between humans and animals, with the goal being the complete ELIMINATION of animal pets, the ELIMINATION of animal research, the ELIMINATION of meat, dairy, and egg products from the human diet. A good overview of the organization can be found at http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136 . Google will find thousands of additional sites backing this one up, but activistcash is one of the better charity-monitoring sites available.

One of the more insidious things the HSUS does is produce "educational" material for distribution throughout school systems that calls hunters "selective exterminators" participating in a "blood sport" in a "war on wildlife." They're similarly derogatory towards those in agribusiness and in medical research. Oddly enough, they are extremely unhappy if anyone -- even the government -- also produces and distributes competing educational materials.

They're also closedly tied with PETA, the ALF, and the DDAL (the Doris Day Animal League, another radical animal-rights organization, hiding behind the nostalgic name of Doris...)

Sure, they're out in the disaster area doing animal rescue -- but have you noticed that they seem to be the main ones getting pictoral and video coverage? Guess what? Their actual reason for "helping" is to get good graphics for continuing fundraising campaigns!

The HSUS does not run a SINGLE animal shelter anywhere in the world. Yet their $100 million PLUS annual budget could fund a very large percentage of the shelters now open in the country. They are working on more "important" things, like attempting to get THIS piece of legislation passed in the US Congress: the Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005 (which generates the cutsy acronym PAWS, of course). A feel-good name for an act designed to make the breeding of dogs and cats a FEDERAL CRIME unless the breeder is licensed by the USDA, and inspected regularly by the USDA.

Even an accidental breeding would put you in violation of this law. This is up for consideration NOW! A good site for more information is http://www.pet-law.com/ , visit it and prepare to be amazed (for maybe only the second or third time today) at the insanity that passes for intelligence in our deliberative (HA!) bodies.

[UPDATE: I'm one step ahead of reality at this point. PAWS 2005 doesn't go QUITE this far; it covers breeders producing five or more litters each year. It does not specify how many puppies or kittens total are covered, so if a breeder were to have any non-viable litters, they would count towards the total and bring the breeder under regulation of the USDA -- which is already stretched way beyond their capabilities. This extension probably won't come until PAWS 2007... Anyway, it's not like USDA has anything more important to do {coughcoughmadcowdiseasecoughcough}.]

If you choose to donate to animal rescue, PLEASE donate to the AHA at their website above, or find a chapter of the ASPCA (or your local society for the prevention of cruelty to animals). Even better, go to your local shelter, write a check, and give it directly to them. LOOK around. A good shelter will be happy to show you what they're doing, and will be upfront about their shortcomings (which gives YOU a good idea of how you might help THEM).

If you've already donated to the HSUS, hopefully, you did it on a credit card; reverse the charge ASAP. If you sent a check, issue a stop payment order if it's not already cleared. Write your congresscritter and give it an earful about the PAWS idiocy -- and, while you're at it, lobby them for the adoption of a "truth in titling" law!

And hug your furry friends before it's illegal to do so...