As the legislative season approaches again, I’ve been spending time trying to define what fundamentally divides the two sides of the animal legislation debate. As I have been rolling these ideas around, I keep coming back to a single word.
Reality
Reality is fundamentally what divides us, actual reality as opposed to virtual reality. There are myriad [...]
We have lost a Warrior.
We lost John Yates, founder of the American Sporting Dog Alliance, on September 15. Though he fought his battles for pet owners with pen & paper, with script & screen, John was no less a warrior than a man on the battlefield.
With his research and writings on legislative issues, he fired [...]
I recently received a pair of comments on this site recently from David Cantor, founder and director of Responsible Policies for Animals. Mr. Cantor’s organization is one dedicated to the concept of abolitionist animal-rights, work to “establish basic constitutional & legal rights of all nonhuman animals not to be used or have their ecosystems disrupted [...]
Who’s looking out for animals while HSUS spends its efforts being ’Herd on the Hill’?
Last week, WSB-TV aired an investigative report into how the primary focus of the Humane Society of the United States is on activist efforts and political/lobbying activities, not directly on animals in need. As aptly described by the writer of the YesBiscuit! blog, [...]
I’ll keep it short and sweet today.
The online game of Hide & Seek continues regarding the video of the WSB-TV investigation into HSUS fundraising practises. The video appeared online for viewing last evening briefly, only to be removed again within hours. It will be interesting to see whether attempts to suppress this video from viewing [...]
On August 2nd, the AR-HR.com article “Is Indiana House Rep. Linda Lawson Volunteering for HSUS on Constituents’ time” was released raising a number of ethical questions into her behaviour during this joint action by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
On August 4th, the following article was released on the [...]
In light of recent documentation obtained regarding the seizing and sale of dogs in Southern Indiana, the question must be raised, “What is Indiana State Rep. Linda Lawson’s involvement in this situation?” Reported in a previous article by AR-HR.com, Rep. Linda Lawson was seen participating in the June 2, 2009 seizure of dogs from the [...]
It has come to light how the Humane Society of the United States gained possession of the dogs from the Indiana jeopardy tax assessment raid. On June 3, 2009, the HSUS purchased all 241 of dogs seized from the Garwood’s farm in Indiana for the grand total of $300 as shown in page 1 [...]
In the AR-HR.com article published on June 11, 2009, “Why is Indiana Attorney General Zoeller Ignoring Citizen Inquiries into Handling of Tax Evasion Case“, a number of questions were posed regarding the conduct of the AG’s office were raised:
Why has property seized by the state of Indiana been handed over to an organization predominantly involved in political [...]
I had a couple of thoughts last night, dangerous I know. They stem from a key question:
“Why are so many people convinced that pet ‘adoption’ differs from pet purchase?”
The question struck me after reading the following comment on Twitter and the HSUS response. (click here) The original comment was, “So discraceful.(sic) I would never buy a pet-Adoption [...]
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – The Declaration of Independence
On this day, of all days of the year, Americans take time to celebrate these principles [...]
Welcome to my bi-weekly philosophical self-examination.
Although it might surprise you to hear, I struggle with my own ideas on animal care legislation. I struggle especially when it comes to the matters of companion animal legislation. It wounds me to the core to find myself unable to stand shoulder to shoulder with many good people. Warm-hearted, [...]
Over the duration of the Profiles series, I hope to bring to you perspectives from a full spectrum of individuals involved in animal issues: pet to show, rescue to USDA breeder, hunter to farmer, animal owner to non-owner, traditional pet to exotic. Although you may not always agree with the individual perspectives, I hope that [...]
The legislative season is winding down and the preparations for the Humane Society of the United States TAFA conference. In the jam-packed schedule of events, 33 workshops running over 3 days, nearly 2/3 of the workshops are directly involved in political influence, legislation and shaping public policy. This does not include the informal finale event of [...]
