HSUS FLEES MISSOURI

For Immediate Release March 26, 2012 HSUS FLEES MISSOURI WITH TAIL BETWEEN LEGS  Radical Animal Rights Group Shifts Focus to National PUPS Bill  The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) funded front group, “Your Vote Counts” announced this week that they are suspending their campaign to destroy the Missouri Constitution through an amendment which would prevent the alteration of any piece of legislation passed by ballot proposition. Mindy Patterson, Campaign Director for The Alliance for Truth which led the fight to oppose "Your Vote Counts" in addition to the HSUS sponsored 2010 Proposition B, released the following statement today: "Today is a great day for Missouri and our Constitution. We must, however, remain vigilant against future attempts by the radical Humane Society of the United States to use their deceptive lobbying tactics to destroy law-abiding animal enterprises. As we celebrate, we must remember that HSUS will now shift its focus to their dangerous piece of federal legislation, the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act (PUPS). Having been thwarted in their effort to fool Missourians, HSUS is moving on to destroy the dog breeding industry nationwide. American families who enjoy the ability to purchase pure-bred dogs should stand up and say “NO” to the HSUS agenda of making dog breeding a prohibitively expensive enterprise.” For more information, contact:   Phil Christofanelli, 217-971-3754, pchristofanelli@gmail.com

HSUS SENIOR LEADERSHIP "BLINKED!" by Frank Losey

HSUS SENIOR LEADERSHIP “BLINKED!” - - CALL TO ACTION BASED ON “NEW EVIDENCE”

ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995 BY THE HSUS AND HSLF

In 2005 the HSUS was registered as a “Lobbying Organization” and it listed Wayne Pacelle as one of its “Lobbyists.”  However, the HSUS apparently terminated its Registration at a later date.  In contrast, the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) which oversees three PACs, and which was founded by Mr. Pacelle in 2004, had never registered itself as a “Lobbying Organization” - - UNTIL FEBRAURY 29, 2012!  That is when the HSLF and the Senior Leadership of the HSUS “BLINKED,” and they registered the HSLF as a “Lobbying Organization” - - a DELIQUENCY OF OVER 7 YEARS!!!  Most significantly, when the HSLF filed its Registration with the Secretary of the Senate, it listed Mrs. Constance Harriman-Whitfield as one of its “Lobbyists.”  This further “taints” the HSUS for its failure to no longer be registered as a “Lobbying Organization” because Mrs. Harriman-Whitfield, according to her BIO that was posted on the HSUS Website, is a Paid Employee of the HSUS, and she serves as the “Senior Advisor” for “HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle.”   Thus, the recent HSLF Registration substantiates that the HSUS, which is no longer registered, is in violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act.  In this regard, Mr. Pacelle was previously listed, BY NAME, as a Lobbyist for the HSUS in 2005, and now his Senior Advisor, who is on the payroll of the HSUS, has been identified as a “Lobbyist.”  If the HSUS were Pinocchio, its nose would be growing longer and longer with respect to how it has circumvented the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

Even if you have already sent an E-Mail to your Members of Congress, I urge you to send another E-Mail with the precise suggested text set out below.  And if you have not sent an E-Mail, I urge you to do so.  Do not add anything more than what is suggested.  In short, don’t mention PUPS or any other Bill.  Just limit your remarks to the Lobbying Disclosure Act.  If the HSUS then “BLINKS,” as did the HSLF, and then re-registers, it is admitting to the IRS that it has been playing “fast and loose” - - AND THAT COULD RESULT IN THE HSUS LOSING ITS TAX-EXEMPT STATUS.  And if it does not register, there will be mounting Congressional pressure to ask the Justice Department to investigate the HSUS.  Already, at least Six Members of Congress have asked the Justice Department to look into the documented allegations that it had previously received.  And yet another submission, WITH “NEW EVIDENCE,” was received by the Justice Department on March 7, 2012.  Let us build upon the potential “momentum changer” that was created when the HSLF “BLINKED” and registered as a “Lobbying Organization.”

1.   To send an E-Mail to your U.S. Representative, Log onto www.house.gov/writerep/

2.   Fill in your state and ZIP Code on the prompt that appears.

3.   Add your name, address and E-Mail address on E-Mail Form for your U.S. Representative; and on the Subject Line add: LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995.  If that Subject Line will not allow you to use that Subject, use "OTHER."  Then add then add the message set out below.

4.   To send an E-Mail to your Two Senators, Log onto:    www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

5.   Click onto the E-Mail Address for each of your two U.S. Senators.

6.   Add your name, address and E-Mail address on E-Mail Form for your U.S. Representative; and on the Subject Line add:  LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995. If that Subject Line will not allow you to use that Subject, use "OTHER."  Then add then add the message set out below.

7.   Send a confirmation that the three E-Mails were sent from which State, and any Congressional Responses, to Frank Losey: <f.losey@insightbb.com>

Suggested Text of E-Mail Message

NOTE:  Resist the temptation to mention your parochial "beef" with the HSUS.  Otherwise, you may receive a "boilerplate" response that says nothing more than:  "Thank You for bringing your issues of concern to my attention.”  WE NEED MORE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO CALL THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT!

On February 29, 2012, the Leadership of the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) made a monumental and self-incriminating admission as to the alleged and documented violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 by the HSUS and by the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) - - that was the day that the HSLF registered itself as a “Lobbying Organization,” which it should have done in 2004.

The “HSUS Leadership” includes Mr. Wayne Pacelle, the President and CEO of the HSUS, who according to the HSLF Tax Return Documents, also serves as the Vice President of the (HSLF), which he founded in 2004.  Additionally, the “HSUS Leadership” includes Mr. Markarian who serves as the COO of the HSUS, and who also serves as the President of the HSLF.  According to prior year Tax Returns for the HSLF, both Mr. Pacelle and Mr. Markarian averaged 10 Hours a Week carrying out the HSUS lobbying agenda.  

By way of further background, the Justice Department (Mr. Keith Morgan) received a documented Complaint about the alleged violations of the HSUS and the HSLF by letter dated August 1, 2011.  That initial Complaint was supplemented by Addendums that were dated September 12, and October 4, 2011, as well as the most recent Addendum that was dated March 5, 2012, which documented that:

1.   The HSLF registered itself as a “Lobbying Organization,” as defined by the Lobbying Act of 1995 on February 29, 2012, with an effective  date January 1,  2011 - - a “delinquency” of at least 14 months by its own admission, and more than seven years by the documentation that is now in the possession of the Justice Department.   Most significantly, the HSLF was established by Mr. Pacelle in 2004 when it aggressively began lobbying and assumed responsibility for the submission of the more than 2,300 pages of lobbying-related documents to the Federal Election Commission - - Millions of Dollars to Hundreds of Federal Candidates!!!

2.   The HSLF Registration Filing on February 29, 2012 listed Mrs. Constance Harriman-Whitfield as a Lobbyist for the HSLF, even though she is a paid employee of the HSUS.  Most significantly, Mrs. Harriman-Whitfield, according to her BIO that was posted on the HSUS Website, states that she is the “Senior Advisor, Presidential Initiatives,” and that she “develops initiatives in the area of . . . legislation for HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle.”

3.   Since Ms. Harriman-Whitfield is a paid employee of the HSUS, and is OFFICIALLY LISTED AS A “LOBBYIST,” it logically follows that the HSUS employs a specifically identified “Lobbyist,” and as such, the HSUS should also have registered itself as a “Lobbying Organization.”  Such a conclusion is validated when one considers that the HSUS was previously registered as a “Lobbying Organization” in 2005, and specifically, by name, listed Mr. Pacelle as one of its “Lobbyists!”   This “FACT” raises the collateral question of “Why did the HSUS terminate its status as a “Lobbying Organization?”

Please let me know why the Justice Department apparently has not acted on the documented Complaint about the alleged violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act as they relate to the HSUS and the HSLF.  If the Justice Department is not the appropriate Federal Agency to investigate documented allegations of violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act, please advise me as to which Federal Agency is so responsible for ensuring compliance and enforcement of the Lobbying Disclosure Act.  Since at least Six Members of Congress have contacted representatives within the Justice Department concerning the documented allegations against the HSUS and the HSLF, I would appreciate if you would do the same. 

                     

Respectfully,

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE MONEY BEHIND 'YOUR VOTE COUNTS' by Mindy Patterson

Be careful what you wish for!  That’s my warning to the proponents of the Your Vote Counts ballot initiative currently gathering signatures for the Missouri 2012 November ballot.

It may seem like a great idea on the surface, but if the Your Vote Counts measure passes it will amend our Missouri constitution and require a three-fourths vote from both the House and Senate in our Missouri legislature to make changes or repeal ANY ballot initiative. A task that is virtually impossible. So what does that mean, you ask?  It means that ANY ballot initiative that is passed by the voters becomes LAW. There’s a name for that, and it’s called direct democracy.

Direct democracy is a failed model of government. Our Founding Fathers understood why direct democracy, or majority rule, results in anarchy which is the reason they created America’s representative republic form of government ruled by law (the Constitution) which  protects the rights of the individual against the actions of the majority. Direct democracy is a tyranny of the elite. Thomas Jefferson described it best when he said, “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51% percent of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%.”

The state of California now has direct democracy.  And it’s no secret in California that the ballot initiative process has become a tool for the wealthy special interests. Voters are passing ballot initiatives that are unfunded mandates on the state, which have contributed greatly toward bankrupting the once great golden state.  In California, ANY ballot initiative that is passed by the voters becomes law, bypassing the legislature and forfeiting the checks and balances of floor debate, committee hearings, and deliberation by legislators who take an oath to uphold both the U.S. and state constitution.  

I dread to think what might happen to Missouri if Your Vote Counts were to pass. Ballot initiatives that could force such issues into law concerning right to life, taxes, health care, utilities, environmental issues, private property, agriculture, food sources, gun right, gun bans just to name a few! All it takes is for a ballot initiative to obtain financial backing of wealthy special interests who are able to control the media message and influence the voters to get their measure passed by a vote of the unknowing, media-influenced voter into law. Direct democracy in action. 

Your Vote Counts is largely funded by the wealthy animal rights group, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Here in Missouri and in seventeen other states, HSUS has exploited the ballot initiative process with their big money allowing them to saturate the voters with commercials and dominate the airwaves with their emotional message and propaganda to essentially buy their vote.

To date the Your Vote Counts campaign has raised $345,644.00 of which only 1.5% has come from MIssouri residents. We must not allow out-of-state big money, special interests to hijack Missouri’s form of government and buy our laws.

Our state sovereignty is not for sale!  Missouri, wake up and smell the money!


Mindy Patterson is the president and co-founder of The Cavalry Group and the campaign manager for The Alliance For Truth campaign to defeat Your Vote Counts.

BILL OF INDICTMENT

IS THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES (HSUS) A BENEVOLENT 

"ROBIN HOOD" OR A MANIPULATIVE AND MENACING "ROBBING HOOD?"  

YOU BE THE JUDGE OF THE FOLLOWING  FACTS

by Frank Losey

1. The Parent Company of the Ringling Brothers Circus has a pending Lawsuit in the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia that alleges the following violations of the HSUS:  Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act; Money Laundering; Bribery; Obstruction of Justice; Mail Fraud; Wire Fraud; Illegal Witness Payments; Virginia Conspiracy Act;  Conspiracy to Harm a Business; Abuse of Process; Malicious Prosecution; and a Fundraiser Held in Furtherance of the Schemes.
2. At least eight Members of Congress have contacted the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and requested a review of  the lobbying activities of the HSUS in order to determine whether the HSUS has exceeded the U.S. Tax Code "Too Much Lobbying" Prohibition  for a tax-exempt organization.  If the HSUS has, it may lose its "PUBLIC CHARITY" EXEMPTION.
3. The IRS has received 1,628 Pages of Documents that chronicle the extensive lobbying activities of the HSUS, such as the quotes of the President of the HSUS who has repeatedly claimed to be responsible for the passage of over 1,000 Laws, including more than 25 at the Federal Level.
4. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Treasury has assigned a Case File Number (55-1111-0027-C) to a Fraud, Waste and Abuse Complaint that alleges improper IRS employee misconduct in the IRS Whistleblower Office, such as "covering-up" HSUS lobbying activities and "leaking" information to the HSUS so that the HSUS could delete incriminating information from its Website and its future Tax Returns.
5. At least Five Members of  Congress have asked the Justice Department, on behalf of their constituents, to determine if the HSUS and its Senior Leadership are in violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 because none are currently registered as a "Lobbying Organization" or as a "Lobbyist" despite their extensive and direct contacts with "Covered" Members of the Executive and Legislative Branches of Government.   For example, in 2011 the HSUS hosted an Awards Banquet that honored the 146 Members of Congress who best supported the Congressional Legislative Agenda of the HSUS - - 146 "direct contacts." 
6. The two most Senior Officers of the HSUS are the two most Senior Officers of the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF), which is the self-described "Lobbying Arm" Subsidiary of the HSUS.  The HSLF controls three Political Action Committees (PACs), which have contributed Millions of Dollars to Hundreds of Candidates seeking Elected Office to Congress.   The HSLF has submitted in excess of 2,300 pages of lobbying related documents to the Federal Election Committee.  However, neither the HSUS, nor the HSLF, nor their two most Senior Officers are currently registered as "Lobbying Organizations" or "Lobbyists" as is required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 when more than one direct lobbying contact is made with "Covered" Members of the Executive and Legislative Branches of Government.  
7. Each year the HSUS conducts Lobby Day Workshops in State Capitals and in Washington DC to "train" many of its more than 11 Million Members and constituents on how best and most effectively they may "lobby" their elected representatives to support the Legislative Agenda of the HSUS.  
8. During the last five years, the HSUS, through the "functionality of its website," has orchestrated Federal and State Legislators receiving potentially more than One Billion E-Mails.  If those E-Mails were stacked  on top of one another, the stack would tower over 30 miles high.
9. The USDA Office of the Inspector General is conducting an on-going investigation as to whether an unlawful "Conflict of Interest" occurred when it hired a former HSUS Litigation Attorney to become the Chief of its Enforcement Branch.  Most significantly, the Enforcement Branch Chief  is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Animal Welfare Act by all who are licensed by USDA.  This former HSUS Litigation Attorney, who has been assessing unprecedentedly high fines against USDA Licensed Breeders, had worked in the very same HSUS Litigation Office that has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Lawsuit against the USDA.  This Lawsuit seeks such things as "Tax Return Information" supplied to the USDA by every USDA Licensed Breeder in Missouri - - discriminatory "targeting" by the HSUS.
10. The HSUS has never acknowledged that Pet Breeder Organizations in the 10 States where over 80% of all USDA Licensed Breeders are located have "Publicly Condemned Substandard Kennels."
11. The HSUS has never identified a single breeder anywhere in the U.S., by name, as being a responsible breeder.  In a November 16, 2009 E-Mail, the HSUS President suggested  that all responsible breeders are "puppy millers" - - the equivalent of a racial or ethnic slur.    Additionally, he suggested that all family farmers are "factory farmers," and all responsible hunters are "poachers."
12. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, the HSUS asked the public to make extra donations to the HSUS so that it could help the animals on the Gulf Coast.  Of the more than $31 Million that the HSUS collected that was to be used to help animals on the Gulf Coast, the HSUS publicly reported spending only a little more than $1,000,000 to build two new shelters in Louisiana and Mississippi.  "WHERE DID THE REST OF THE $31 MILLION GO?" 
13. In the last 10 years the HSUS has received over ONE BILLION DOLLARS ($1,000,000,000,000) of tax -exempt contributions.  While some have reported that the HSUS, which does not operate a single shelter anywhere in the U.S., contributes less than 1% of its revenue to help shelters, the HSUS claims that it spends up to 20% of its revenue helping to care for animals.  Even if you accept the 20% representation of the HSUS at face value, which is a dubious claim, "WHERE DID THE OTHER $800 MILLION GO?"
14. When the HSUS President was repeatedly asked to explicitly and publicly condemn those who violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), he did not do so.  Instead, embraced the concept of "civil disobedience" in a written response dated January 18, 2008, and suggested that this Federal Terrorism Statute was an "unjust law."  "This nation has a strong tradition of civil disobedience where people in a transparent, peaceful, non-violent way take action to draw attention  to unjust laws."    NOTE:  A violation  of the AETA may occur without violence.
15. When the Missouri Governor and the State Legislature refused to be "bullied" by the HSUS, the HSUS President publicly condemned the Governor and State Legislators with such quotes as "Democracy Neutered;" "Subverting Democracy, Abusing the Process;" Some lawmakers are thumbing their noses at a statewide vote of the people;" "There's been some very ugly, unfair, cruel and anti-democratic work;" "Shameful example of politics at its worst, with a narrow majority of lawmakers and now the governor subverting a vote of the people; and the most intimidating and chilling of all quotes:  "We will hold accountable the public officials."

DECEMBER CALL TO ACTION by Frank Losey

ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995 BY THE HSUS

If you believe that the Senior Leadership of the  Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) has made more than one "Lobbying Contact" with Members of Congress or their respective staffs in the last five years, then there is reason to believe that the HSUS and its Senior Leadership have failed to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 because they have never registered as a lobbying organization or as lobbyists with the appropriate Congressional Offices.

If every Member of Congress were to receive Hundreds, or possibly thousands, of E-Mails from their constituents which asks Six Pointed Questions, those E-Mails may shine a BIG BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT on the fact that the HSUS has been acting "ABOVE THE LAW" and should be held accountable.

You will help to BRIGHTEN THAT SPOTLIGHT if you will take less than 20 Minutes to send an E-Mail to your two U.S. Senators and to your U.S. Representative and ask six pointed questions.  If you wish to do so, follow the instructions set out below and use the suggested Text for your E-Mails.  And yes, send E-Mails to the Members of Congress who are supporting the HSUS Legislative Agenda.  LARGE NUMBERS OF E-MAILS CAN AND DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS!!!!!!  That is why the HSUS literally generates Millions of E-Mails going to Members of Congress. 

1.   To send an E-Mail to your U.S. Representative, Log onto www.house.gov/writerep/

2.   Fill in your state and ZIP Code on the prompt that appears.

3.   Add your name, address and E-Mail address on E-Mail Form for your U.S. Representative; and on the Subject Line add: LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995; and then add then add the message set out below.

4.   To send an E-Mail to your Two Senators, Log onto:    www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

5.   Click onto the E-Mail Address for each of your two U.S. Senators.

6.   Add your name, address and E-Mail address on E-Mail Form for your U.S. Representative; and on the Subject Line add:  LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995; and then add then add the message set out below.

7.   So that a running count of total E-Mails may be maintained, send a confirmation that the three E-Mails were sent from which State to Frank Losey: <f.losey@insightbb.com>

Suggested Text of E-Mail Message

NOTE:  Resist the temptation to mention your parochial "beef" with the HSUS.  This "High Road" Approach is designed to,  in essence, eliminate the opportunity for a "boilerplate" response to be sent back to you which merely states "Thank You for bringing your issues of concern to my attention."  Instead, the "Suggested Text" raises questions that will increase the likelihood that the Members of Congress will need to address a very, very specific  violation of the Law by the HSUS, which violation is not directly related to any specific Bill in Congress.  The GOAL  is to raise a serious question as to the "credibility" of the HSUS.  If successful, it will affect the ability of the  HSUS to influence Congress.  And if it results  in the HSUS "registering" with Congress, this could affect its IRS "public charity" status!!!

Dear Representative/Senator______________

I would appreciate receiving your responses to the following Six Questions that relate to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.  This Act, as currently written, provides that a person or organization that makes more than one contact with a "Covered Executive Branch Official" or a "Covered Legislative Branch Official," such as Members of Congress and their respective Staffs, must register as a Lobbyist or a Lobbying Organization with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate.

QUESTION 1:  Do you believe that the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 should be strictly enforced?

QUESTION 2:  If you believe that the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 should be strictly enforced, why has neither the Clerk of the House nor the Secretary of the Senate published specific procedures that would permit concerned citizens to report apparent violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to an appropriate Congressional Office?

QUESTION 3:      Do you believe that a tax-exempt, public charity and its senior leadership should be required to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 and register as a lobbying organization and as  lobbyists with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate if they have more than one contact with Members of Congress or their respective staffs for the purpose of influencing legislation?

QUESTION 4:  If you believe that a tax-exempt, public charity and its senior leadership should be required  to register as a lobbying organization and as lobbyists if they have had more than one contact with a Member of Congress or his or her staff for the purpose of influencing legislation, why has the Humane Society of the  U. S. (HSUS) and its Senior Leadership been permitted to ignore the registration requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 when they have literally made thousands of contacts with Members of Congress and their respective staffs during the last five years?  For example, in March of 2011 the Humane Society of the U.S. hosted an Awards Banquet during which they honored the 146 Members of Congress who best supported the Legislative Agenda of the HSUS in 2010.

QUESTION 5:  If the  Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia is the Office in the Justice Department that is responsible for enforcing the Lobbying Disclosure Act of  1995, why has Mr. Keith Morgan, the Assistant U.S. Attorney in that Office not acted on a Complaint that he received during the first week in August of 2011 - - more  than four months ago - -  which documented the thousands of lobbying contacts  made  by the Senior Leadership of Humane Society of the U.S. , and its self-described "Lobbying Arm," the Humane Society Legislative Fund that has oversight over three PACs  that have submitted over 2,300 pages of lobbying-related documents to the Federal Election Commission?

QUESTION 6:  Will you call Mr. Morgan or someone else in the Justice Department and ask why no action has been taken on the documented Complaint received by Mr. Morgan in early August of 2011 so that you and your colleagues in Congress may decide whether or not to repeal the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 or to ensure that it is strictly enforced?

                                                      Respectfully submitted,

PARVO -- The Untold, Unconscionable and "Inhumane" Silence of the HSUS

Shame on the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS)!!!!!  If the HSUS truly cared about the health and welfare of puppies and dogs, why has it never spent a single penny from the more than One Billion Dollars ($1,000,000,000) that it received in the last 10 years to publicize and tell Millions of Dog Owners and the American Public about the true causes of PARVO??????????   In this regard, PARVO is highly contagious and results in "sick" puppies and dogs.   Instead, the HSUS distorts the TRUTH and disparages thousands of caring and responsible breeders with the accusation that all "sick" puppies and dogs come from "puppy mills" (PMs), and then it uses that deceitful lie to urge Millions to boycott pet stores that sell puppies because of its libelous claim that all pet store puppies come from "PMs."

The HSUS and other "Charlatan" Lap Dog Organizations that follow the lead of the HSUS never miss an  opportunity to trash "ALL" breeders - - "ALL" Breeders, and not just commercial  breeders who are licensed and inspected by State and Federal Inspectors.  And they post on their Websites "unsanitary conditions" citations issued by APHIS Inspectors to Federally Licensed and Inspected Breeders.  However, they never tell the Members of the American Public, who contribute Several Hundred Million Dollars each year to support their deceitful Propaganda Campaigns, that many of the "unsanitary conditions" citations are related to "discrepancies" as  minor as a cobweb or a dead fly being found in the kennel.  Instead, they weave a web of lies  that suggest that "sick puppies" come from these kennels which they label as "PMs."  Perhaps the most egregious allegation that has ever been made about responsible breeders occurred when a USDA Licensed and Inspected Breeder, who is also Licensed and Inspected by State Inspectors, was listed on the Internet as a "HALL OF SHAME" BREEDER.  And how many citations has this  breeder recently received?  NONE.....ABSOLUTELY NONE IN THE LAST 13 YEARS!!!!!

Stop and ask yourself - - if the name of such an exemplary breeder may be Googled on the Internet and be found on the "HALL OF SHAME,"  what breeder in the U.S. is  immune  from such disparaging  and libelous comments by organizations that DO NOT "Tell the Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth?"

So what is the "TRUTH" about "sick" puppies and dogs?  The "TRUTH" is that most of the so-called "sick" puppies and dogs have been exposed to the highly contagious PARVO Virus, which is spread by puppies and dogs coming into contact with and sniffing other dogs and feces that are contaminated with the PARVO Virus.  Thus, it would logically follow that if the kennels were not sanitary, well maintained and clean, such unsanitary conditions would create a "Perfect Storm" environment for outbreaks of PARVO at all kennels.  This UNTOLD "TRUTH" begs the question:  "If all so-called "PMs" were snarly, unsanitary kennels, why do they not all have outbreaks of PARVO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Another "TRUTH" is that outbreaks of PARVO in commercial breeding kennels are rare and isolated, which suggests that sanitary housekeeping is the common practice within all such kennels - - not only because it is economic suicide to allow unsanitary conditions to destroy your breeding stock and puppies as a result of an outbreak and epidemic of PARVO, but because the overwhelming number of breeders, with rare exceptions, truly care about the health and welfare of their puppies and  dogs.

Yet another "TRUTH" is that the fundamental cause of most "sick puppies" may be traced to the fact that the puppies and dogs became sick with PARVO because the Dog Owners did not follow-up with the PARVO Booster Shots for their puppies, and then unwittingly, with no malice aforethought, the Dog Owners took their puppies for walks in parks where the puppies are exposed to other dogs and  dog droppings that were contaminated with PARVO.  Tragically, the adorable  puppies were perfectly healthy and well socialized when they left the kennels of the responsible breeders; and were perfectly healthy when they left the pet store, but were then exposed to the PARVO Virus while under the unfettered care and control of the Dog Owners who innocently did not understand or knew about the silent threat of PARVO, and how it is contracted by young puppies and dogs.  However, this "TRUTH" has never been the subject of "Educational" Articles posted on the Websites of the HSUS or other Lap Dog Followers of the HSUS disparaging "PM" dogma.

And yet another "TRUTH" is the fact that the HSUS has Outreach Programs that reach out to Millions of Dog Owners, and the HSUS could use those Outreach Programs and the functionality of its Website to educate Millions of Dog Owners about risks of the highly contagious PARVO, which is a major cause of "sick" puppies and dogs, and how best to minimize that risk for their puppies.

Despite the fact that the tax-exempt, public charity status of the HSUS is based in large part on its representations that the HSUS provides an educational service, the HSUS is woefully "Absent Without Leave (AWOL)" with respect to fulfilling the IRS mandate to provide "educational " information on critically important issues such as PARVO, which poses a serious risk to the health and welfare of puppies; and is woefully AWOL in its failure to provide invaluable, educational information to Dog Owners as to how best  to protect their puppies and dogs from the risk of contracting PARVO.    Instead of using its Outreach Programs and the functionality of its Website to "educate" Dog Owners, the HSUS has consciously chosen to remain silent on the issue of PARVO so that it may continue to falsely accuse responsible breeders of breeding "sick puppies," which is a blasphemous lie!  In short, the HSUS has chosen to keep the American Public and Millions of Dog Owners in the dark about the true causes of PARVO  as part of what could be and should be a laudable "Educational and Preventive Health Program."  Instead, the HSUS has chosen to libelously accuse all responsible breeders as being "PMs" because that allows the HSUS to continually misuse the images of "sick" puppies and dogs as part of its illegitimate and deceptive Fundraising Campaigns, which some have described as Fundraising Schemes.  In a word, the "silence" of the HSUS about the true causes of "sick" puppies and dogs, and its failure to "educate" the American Public and its donors who have contributed over One Billion Dollars ($1,000,000,000) over the last 10 years to the coffers of the HSUS may best be described as:   "INHUMANE!" 

Yes, such a callous and insensitive desire to place a higher "Soundbite" Priority on its Fundraising Campaigns rather than on the need to educate the American Public about the true causes of PARVO is not only unconscionable, but it is "INHUMANE!!!!!"  Shame on the HSUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

The American Public deserves to receive the "TRUTH" from organizations that have been designated as tax-exempt, public charities by the Internal Revenue Service!!!!!  So "Why Doesn't the HSUS Tell the Whole Truth?"  Perhaps the "WHY" is because the "TRUTH" would undermine its deceitful Fundraising Campaigns that are based on libelous lies.  Furthermore, if details of its  inhumane act of silence and its failure to educate the American Public about the true causes of "sick" puppies became common knowledge, such knowledge would undoubtedly jeopardize the ability of the HSUS to persuade the American Public to continue to donate over $130 Million Dollars a year that is used to support the Propaganda Campaigns and the Political Agenda of the HSUS to the detriment of ALL Dog Owners throughout America.

If the HSUS does not care about ensuring that all Dog Owners become aware of the safeguards to follow to avoid putting their puppies at risk of contracting PARVO and becoming "sick," what else has the HSUS failed to tell the American Public?!?!?!?!?

Intended Consequences by Mindy Patterson

It did not require rocket science to conclude that the consequences of the 2007 ban on horse processing would produce bad results for the U.S. horse industry, but no one could have predicted the horrific outcome that haunts America and the welfare of horses today. Resulting in today’s estimated three hundred thousand unwanted, and infirmed horses nationwide, their unfortunate destination has been that of abandonment on public and private lands, only to face unnecessary and painful death from starvation and thirst. Meanwhile, the increasing population of un-adoptable horses are left to live out the last of their years in crowded shelters across our nation, many requiring financially burdensome care, costing tax payers a pretty penny, and in many cases, are forced to suffer further when funding is not available. That sure doesn’t sound like a ‘humane’ outcome to me.

One could argue that these circumstances are the ‘unintended’ consequences resulting from the 2007 ban on horse processing. However, things just don’t add up to support that argument. Horses are definitely suffering. Isn’t that the cue for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to come galloping to the rescue and deliver on their fund raising promises to “help protect America’s horses?” So, where is the Humane Society of the United States and their millions of dollars to stop the pain and distress of horses nation-wide? 

The silence is deafening. Further proof that HSUS is a fraud.

Gee, you don’t suppose HSUS is using the images of distressed horses from circumstances they created to raise more money? Sadly, they probably are and therein lies their true intentions… the real ‘intended’ consequences.

HSUS pretends to be the savior of distressed animals, but in actuality they  spend only half of one percent of their $130 million intake of annual donations for the hands on care of animals nationwide. The rest of their massive budget goes toward lobbying, funding ballot measures state by state (they spent over $4.85 million here in Missouri for Prop. B in 2010), media and commercial advertisements, celebrity endorsers, employee pension plans, and public stockholding in restaurants, grocery store chains, and pharmaceutical companies.

Hopefully Americans are waking up to the real intentions promoted by this radical animal rights organization. HSUS uses emotional images that border on outright fraud in order to procure donations from caring, animal loving people who believe that their contribution will go directly to the hands on care of distressed animals. The money instead money goes to funding the advancement of an animal rights agenda, and their tactics include coercing legislators and voters with their emotional messages to further regulate farmers, livestock producers and domesticated animal breeders with their so-called “anti cruelty” campaigns imposing unnecessary, onerous, prohibitive and costly regulations that will result in the complete elimination of all pet and livestock breeding, farming and agriculture in America.  This strategy follows a pattern in many states across America, which have already fallen to HSUS-driven campaigns at the expense of fewer farms, fewer farmers, higher food prices, and a growing concern of a domestic food shortage.

It is difficult to argue that these are not the intended consequences of HSUS’ anti-meat, animal rights activist agenda, and it all presents a very grim future for animal agriculture in the United States.  Just consider the goal of HSUS’ lead policy director and vegan activist, J.P. Goodwin who has gone on record by saying, “My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture.”

Tragically, the horse industry has diminished at lightening speed since the 2007 ban on horse processing. Today, more than three hundred thousand horses across our country face dire circumstances as the direct outcome of federal legislation resulting from the reaction to dishonest emotional propaganda driven by the radical animal rights organization, HSUS and their well funded campaign using emotion and misinformation to pressure lawmakers to outlaw horse processing in the United States. The results have not only created a horrible situation for horses, but have deflated the horse market and have devastated all the horse related industries from saddle makers to feed producers.  Meanwhile, HSUS continues their emotional campaign without taking responsibility for the heartbreaking circumstances that they have created, leaving those who own horses, or who are a part of the horse industry, to solve this disgraceful dilemma.

As indicated by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) report released in June 2011, and as testified to by practically every horse industry and agriculture organization in the U.S., appropriation-riders and bills that seek to eliminate any possibility of humanely processing horses in the U.S. offer zero solutions. The GAO report also revealed that the lack of horse processing in the U.S. has exacerbated the suffering of horses, increased the number of needless and wasteful deaths, and has caused more abandonment, neglect, pain, and misery for horses nation-wide.

Reestablishing humane horse processing in America is a viable solution, one that would restore much needed balance in the horse markets and horse industry, while profoundly improving the state of horse welfare. We are currently witnessing the outcome of the alternative.  In order to avoid the ‘intended’ consequences of the HSUS agenda, it is essential that animal agriculture policies are driven by people who understand, and who are a part of the industry, not by elitists who live behind a desk and know nothing about animal husbandry or agriculture, but claim they know “what’s best.”

United Horsemen is a national organization run by professional and knowledgeable horsemen and horsewomen who have been working with legislators at the federal level to restore humane and regulated horse processing in the United States. United Horsemen is a growing grassroots member based organization striving to ensure the best possible fate for all horses nationwide, and to protect America’s vibrant horseback culture, heritage, industries, and its people.

Mindy Patterson  is the president and co-founder of The Cavalry Group and the director of development for United Horsemen, a national member-based organization working to preserve America’s horseback culture and heritage, and to revive the horse industry in order to ‘Build A Better Future For Horses’.  www.united-horsemen.org . Mindy also serves on the board of directors of the Missouri Equine Council, and as communications director for Missouri Federation of Animal Owners.