WARNING: If the PUPS Bill - - which was drafted by the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) - - is enacted into Law, it may affect every single breeder in the U.S who breeds as few as one dog a year. That's right . . . one dog! And the PUPS Bill could affect you in more than 20 different ways, and would create a "slippery slope" that would inevitably lead to other intended or unintended consequences that may affect all dog owners - - even those who do not intend to breed dogs.
Slowly, quietly, methodically, and behind the scenes, the HSUS has been recruiting more and more co-sponsors for PUPS each week. Currently there are 124 U.S. Representatives who are on record as being either the Sponsor or Co-Sponsors of PUPS; and 15 U.S. Senators who are also on record as being either the Sponsor or Co-Sponsors of PUPS.
I have said in the past that when the numbers reach 150 in the House and 34 in the Senate - - slightly more than 1/3 in Both Houses of Congress - - the HSUS will make a full Court Press to bring the PUPS Bill to a vote. It is only a matter of time before the thresholds of "150" and "34" are met - - first in the House, and then in the Senate. That is inevitable unless Members of Congress realize that the HSUS has a "Dark Side" and is not what it has been perceived to be. THAT IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT ALL LETTERS SENT TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS INCLUDE AN "ATTENTION-GETTING," FIGURATIVE "LIGHTNING BOLT" IN ORDER TO GRAB THE ATTENTION OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO ARE "APPROACHABLE" BY THE HSUS, BUT WHO HAVE NOT YET BECOME CO-SPONSORS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE CURRENT CO-SPONSORS OF THE PUPS BILL WHO MIGHT CONSIDER WITHDRAWING THEIR CO-SPONSORSHIP OF THE PUPS BILL.
Why do I say "approachable?" In March of this year, the HSUS presented its 2010 Legislative Awards to 144 Members of Congress who best supported the HSUS Lobbying Agenda in 2010. Fifty-eight (58) of the 108 U.S. Representatives who received the HSUS Awards are currently co-sponsors of the PUPS Bill. That means that if only 26 of the remaining 50 "uncommitted" Representatives who were "honored" by the HSUS were to co-sponsor the PUPS Bill, the "Magic Number" of 150 would be reached. So far, only 11 of the 36 Senators who were honored by the HSUS in March of this year have Sponsored or Co-Sponsored the Companion PUPS Bill in the Senate. Thus, if 19 of the "uncommitted" 25 Senators who were honored by the HSUS in March of this year were to co-sponsor the Senate version of the PUPS Bill, the "Magic Number" of 34 would be reached. Both are very reasonably attainable.
So what can be the "LIGHTNING BOLT???" I believe the most effective "LIGHTNING BOLT" WOULD BE A POTENTIAL "SCANDAL" ASSOCIATED WITH THE HSUS, SUCH AS THE ON-GOING INVESTIGATIONS OF THE HSUS AND ITS CURRENT AND FORMER EMPLOYEES BY THREE DIFFERENT FEDERAL AGENCIES - - ONE OF WHICH IS BEING REVIEWED BY THE U.S. OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS.
Ideally, the Offices of every Member of Congress need to be "flooded" with E-Mails that call attention to the "Dark Side" of the HSUS, as well as the fact that the HSUS has become the subject of Investigations by three separate Federal Agencies. The recommended wording for these E-Mails would read as follows.
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"Dear Senator/Representative:
No caring American supports the activities of those few "substandard kennels" that do exist. Unfortunately, the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) has mischaracterized and slurred the activities of thousands of caring breeders by referring to them as "puppy mills." Deceptively, the HSUS has never publicly acknowledged or disclosed the fact that these thousands of breeders are either Licensed and Inspected by the Federal Government, or by the State Government, and many of them are "Hobby and Show Breeders," as well as breeders of Search and Rescue dogs and breeders of dogs for owners with special needs, such as the blind. Unfortunately, the HSUS's grotesque distortion of the true facts have worked up so many into a frenzied, false belief that the PUPS Bill will solve the purportedly systemic "problems" that have been "highlighted" by the HSUS, but simply do not exist.
Throughout the History of the U. S., there have been charlatans who have deceived much of the American Public and many Government Officials. By analogy, it took years before the scandal involving Mr. Bernie Madoff exposed the magnitude of his deception - - and so many, in the Government and outside of the Government, blindly trusted and followed his recommendations to their detriment. That is why I am equally concerned that the PUPS Bill is deceptively flawed, and requires a more in-depth review before the Congress moves forward to vote on the PUPS Bill, especially since the three Senior Government Officials listed below have been briefed on the status of on-going investigations in each of their respective Federal Agencies. These investigations involve the allegations of improper activities of the HSUS and their current and former employees. And that is why, I urge you to contact each of the three Government Officials listed below, and ask them to brief you on the nature of the investigations involving the Humane Society of the U.S., and its current and former employees, before the U.S. Congress votes on the PUPS Bill.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) - - INSPECTOR GENERAL PHYLLIS K. FONG: Ask about the status of the on-going investigation involving allegations of a "Conflict of Interest" and a "Misuse of Government Position" by Ms. Sarah L. Conant, a former HSUS Litigation Attorney who was a hired by USDA but two days after she resigned her position with the HSUS to become the Chief of the APHIS Enforcement Branch. Also ask about the preliminary review by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics of Ms. Conant's alleged "Conflict of Interest."
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - - ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY KEITH MORGAN IN THE OFFICE OF THE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Ask about the status of the Complaint that he has received concerning the allegations that the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS); and its self-described "Lobbying Arm" and "Lobbying Affiliate," the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF), which has submitted thousands of pages of lobbying documents to the Federal Election Commission; and the Senior Leadership of both the HSUS and the HSLF have violated the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Despite the fact that the HSUS, the HSLF and the Senior Leadership of those two tax-exempt organizations were required by Law to register with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and with the Secretary of the U.S. Senate because of their thousands of "Lobbying Contacts" with "Covered Executive Branch Officials and "Covered Legislative Branch Officials," THEY HAVE NEVER DONE SO!
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY - - INSPECTOR GENERAL J. RUSSELL GEORGE: Ask about the inquiries made by at least Eight Members of Congress concerning the "apparent inappropriate activities" of the HSUS and its "tax-exempt status." Also ask about his response to Senator Lugar that was dated August 24, 2011, in which he stated that "we have recently initiated an audit to determine whether the IRS's Exempt Organizations function is accurately accounting for referrals of alleged violations of Federal tax law."
While I personally believe that it is inappropriate for you to support the PUPS Bill, I only ask that you come to your own conclusions after you gather the "all of the facts" from the USDA, the Justice Department and the Treasury Department. In short, the "lessons learned" from blindly following the seemingly logical and persuasive recommendations of Bernie Madoff may very well apply to following the seemingly logical and persuasive recommendations of the Humane Society of the U.S. which is the subject of on-going investigations by three different Federal Agencies, and which has been aggressively lobbying Members of the U.S. Congress to support the passage of the PUPS Bill.
Respectfully Submitted,
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1. To send an E-Mail to your U.S. Representative, Log onto www.house.gov/writerep/
To send an E-Mail to your Two Senators, Log onto www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
