It has been an interesting weekend since the May 14th release of the WSB-TV investigation of the Humane Society of the United States’ fundraising practises and the use of those funds. The reaction of the Humane Society of the United States executive team and employees has been dramatic, if not over the top.
Apparently the HSUS executive has not been content to stop with the rumored unleashing the HSUS legal team on WSB-TV. This is a rumor supported by the swift removal of both the text, viewer comments and video from the WSB-TV website by the afternoon of Friday, May 15th and the subsequent removal of the text article from Google’s cache system by Saturday, May 16th. The speed of this has been startling considering that images in Google’s cache can linger for days, weeks and even years in some cases. This process can be accelerated by website owner request.
Since May 14th, the number of personal attacks by both the HSUS executive and employees has been escalating and even some of their own supporters have not been safe from the spatter. Consider the following:
- The article posted on “Civil Eats” by the Senior Director of the HSUS factory farming campaign, Paul Shapiro. Aptly titled, “Lose Pretty or Win Ugly”, Mr. Shapiro proceeds to launch a series of attacks that could as easily describe HSUS tactics as the opponents named in the article. The comment, “When it comes to campaigning, CCF isn’t exactly known for its fidelity to the truth.” is particularly ironic after the admissions of HSUS Georgia Director Cheryl McAuliffe that most of her job entails activist planning and lobbying. With her further admission that all finances are controlled from Washington headquarters, it seems unlikely that Georgia is the only state with this proportion of political activity. It is even more ironic considering the HSUS ran an online fundraising campaign using the following soliciting statement beside the donation check box
- Yes! I want to make a special gift to help The Humane Society of the United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case and to support other vital animal protection programs. (Click here to see the image) As I have written before, HSUS was not the agency caring for the dogs but instead it was the organization Bad Rap in association with the ASPCA, while HSUS was recommending the Michael Vick dogs be euthanized.
- HSUS Chief Operating Officer Michael Markarian and HSUS Internet Brand Manager Carie Lewis were actively forwarding the article “CCF Continues to Decieve Journalists, Public” from the blog, Digging Through The Dirt through the social networks via Twitter (pdf of image available in case Twitter post disappears) yet never acknowledge that the CCF statistics are independently confirmed through this website. This raises the question, if the CCF data is accurate (which it is) then why does HSUS continue to claim deception? The “Digging Through the Dirt” Blog even accused CCF of attacking HSUS with Craigslist postings. However, there is one problem with this accusation. Its not CCF, which I know for a fact. No, it isn’t me either but I’m going to leave it at that for now.
- HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle has attacked the Center for Consumer Freedom’s status as a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt charity despite the evidence provided by WSB-TV which throws the HSUS’ own 501(c) 3 tax-exempt staus into doubt.
- Andy Vance and I were called the “Limbaugh and Coulter of the meat industry” by HSUS employee Barbara Henderson. This was by far the mildest and most entertaining of the attacks to date for a couple of reasons. (1) I’m not certain that the meat industry really knows or cares much about either AR-HR.com or myself. (2) Didn’t Rush Limbaugh just do a couple of public service announcements for the Humane Society of the United States that he has taken ALOT of heat for? It probably isn’t good policy to use a celebrity supporter’s name as an insult attempt, even in jest.
WSB-TV may have pulled their very brave report from public viewing, but the awareness this story has raised has certainly struck a nerve up to the highest levels of the Humane Society of the United States. If there was nothing to the story or the questions it has raised, why are they waging a war of personal attacks instead of simply laying out the numbers and the data? Equally interesting is the question, “Why are the HSUS executive leveling accusations that match the HSUS as closely, if not more closely, than those they are attacking?”
Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved
I saw denial of the questioning of the use of Katrina funds and insistance nothing was wrong. If there was nothing amiss…why did the Louisiana attorney general launch an investigation? A few years ago there were reports from the BBBonline charity of unsatisfactory use of funds also.
As a former Director of a county-ran animal shelter, I was required to attend one of the HSUS “conferences” a few years ago. It was held in Orlando,Fl. not too far from Disneyworld! It was a week-long event. All guest paid to attend and were required to pay for their motel stay also. It was held at a very nice and expensive hotel. I arrived there in jeans and sneakers. However, the HSUS representative were dressed in their finest clothes. The HSUS women wore dresses, hose and high heels. They looked down their nose at me! The cost of the “conference” included a cocktail hour and a party every evening. There was a trade show with venders of pet supplies. Each vender paid a hugh price for a booth! They have one of these “conferences” every year! I still have a hard time trying to figure out how all this money spent helps save animals! As an Animal Shelter Director, my employer required and paid for me to be a member of the HSUS. However, knowing what I know about them, once I was no longer employed in that position, I am no longer a member and refuse to give any donations to this organization or any other that is so untruthful about how their donations and time are spent!
I find it very interesting that now the YouTube interview has been taken down. It clearly says corruption with in HSUS to me. Big money, big shots, and a big racket. Americans need to take them down and the first place to start would be to get Congress to deny their tax exempt status. Of coarse, I am sure several members of Congress are being paid big time to make sure that does not happen.
“WSB-TV may have pulled their very brave report from public viewing” Give ME a break! The only brave thing here was that it was so stupid you HAD to be brave to post it! This article used as its “reliable sources” (not only once but for the whole article) the CCF. The CCF is the biggest KNOWN propaganda making machine on the web today and you want us to believe this story was unbiased and reliable? How stupid do you think we are? HSUS should have demanded this story be retracted due to gross negligence for a lack of truth! WSB was smart, they saw an inept reporter trying to pass herself off as a real journalist and smashed it before it hurt their own credibility…….. and if you think the CCF is not behind all of this read more – http://www.bermanexposed.org/
Hello Amber,
Whether or not one is a fan of the CCF, the information provided in the WSB-TV report is ACCURATE. I have independantly verified the financial data reported by CCF using HSUS original source material. The information WSB-TV provided regarding their attendance at a local HSUS meeting is practically identical to a first person report I have, in writing with direct contact information, from a NY HSUS meeting run by HSUS NY State Director Patrick Kwan.
Regardless of motivation, the CCF information and the WSB-TV report are verifiable. CCF is not behind the HSUS IRS report data and is not behind the content of the HSUS press releases. You don’t have to use CCF to find this information, its all already out there.
I don’t use CCF as an information source specifically because of reactions like the one you have had here. Yet if I am coming up with the same information, and I am not affiliated with CCF, shouldn’t it raise the question of who exactly is putting propaganda out there?
I don’t understand this. What happened to freedom of the press? If the reporter’s facts are indeed facts, why the cover up of the story and video? This is pretty disturbing. HSUS’s response on their website is an amateurish dodge of any of the issues highlighted by the report. It merely seeks to deflect attention to other agencies rather than address the questions of inpropriety head-on.
This isn’t communism kids, deal with your problems straight up. Cover-ups don’t work in the US.
Thank God the truth about HSUS is finally coming out, and Thank you to those reporting it, I truly hope no backs down from HSUS and reporting the facts, FREEDOM OF PRESS, or maybe we should say freedom from pressure. HSUS has quietly attaining political power by using monies that should have gone to support animals, not dinners and power events. Not only do they want to shut down dog breeding but all animal breeding even farm animals, how long will this country last if farmers/ranchers get pissed and say okay only food for me.
Save a farm animal eat a vegan.
(Admin: Please note that AR-HR.com does not endorse eating vegans)
Please know that the only aim of HSUS is to further their financial gain – As a very responsible breeder of dna tested, healthy show and pet dogs, I find it reprehensible that I am lumped in with a puppy mill because of these people – I do not have the expertise to keep up with, much less, fight, the legislation HSUS is trying to dump in our laps – My dogs are raised to be social butterflies and their new families are thrilled with them, as are their future veterinarians because of their healthy start in life – I am not the problem, the irresponsible pet owner who allows their animal to wander the streets, procreating at will, thus filling up the shelters, is the problem – instead of lobbying for new laws, why not put that money into enforcing the leash laws already in effect???
pamw is correct as are many of the others who have responded to this issue. It’s high time that this organization whose very name is a gross deception of who they really are is exposed. Why they are allowed to collect tax free money to save animals when they have never done anything but lobby against the concept of owning animals whether for food or as pets is beyond me. Like PETA who is now exposed and may be reclassified as a slaughterhouse and not a animal rescue organization, these folks need national attention showing what they are really about. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Washington Post for this article.
I meant to say Wall Street Journal not Washington Post. Sorry about that.
amber15 – you said:
WSB was smart, they saw an inept reporter trying to
pass herself off as a real journalist and smashed it
before it hurt their own credibility……
Here is the bio for that ‘inept reporter’ from the WSB-TV website:
http://www.wsbtv.com/station/13653298/detail.html
Face it. Amanda Rosseter, a four-time Emmy award winner and Edward R. Murrow documentary award winner, nailed HSUS to the wall in her FACTUAL report. Tens of thousands of people now know the truth about HSUS as well, and the word is spreading like wildfire thanks to the internet, Twitter, brave bloggers like AR-HR and other news media.
Thank you, Iranian video hosting site! lolol
I have only one comment to Amber. CCF is the second biggest propaganda making machine. HSUS is still the number one propaganda machine, much larger than CCF could ever hope to be. I can think of only a couple of things that run and hide when the light is shone on them, rats and cockroaches being among them.