Wash. Times editor rips HSUS (Des Moines Register)‏


Des Moines Register (IA)
Mastio: It's not all about saving puppies at the activist Humane Society
DAVID MASTIO IS DEPUTY EDITORIAL-PAGE EDITOR AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES.
CONTACT: DMASTIO@WASHINGTONTIMES.COM. •
APRIL 11, 2010
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article...-Humane-Society

The Humane Society of the United States sparked quite the controversy
last week, beginning with accusing the Iowa egg industry of animal
abuse and ending with sniping between the group and Rep. Steve King.
King charged the group is run by vegetarians who want to take meat off
American tables. The Humane Society claimed King is among America's
most anti-animal politicians.

So who is right?

The Humane Society defines anti-animal politicians based on a
scorecard. In the latest annual report on its Web site, no Iowa
representative or senator gets a passing grade, though King gets a big
fat zero. Of course, plenty of the grade has little to do with
animals. Expecting Republicans to sign on to global warming, gun
control and expanded federal spending guarantees GOPers won't do very
well.

When King alleges the group is run by vegetarians intent on taking
meat off America's tables, he is just taking Humane Society honcho
Wayne Pacelle at his word. Pacelle is a vegan - a vegetarian who not
only doesn't eat meat but also refuses cheese, milk and eggs. In a
long interview with Vegan.com, Pacelle says he wants to bring people
along to "as compassionate a diet as they can handle." His own vegan
diet being the most compassionate.

And then, of course, there is the fact that the Humane Society funds
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, according to its most
recent IRS disclosure forms posted on the group's Web site. PETA
openly campaigns to stop the consumption of meat. "Meat is Murder,"
you know.

The Humane Society defends itself by arguing it isn't extremist, but
rather a mainstream charity, focused most on providing direct care for
animals: "The Humane Society of the United States provides direct care
to more animals than any other animal welfare group in the nation,
spending more than $20 million annually supporting local animal
shelters and running our own hands-on animal care programs and
providing other direct-care services."

And here is where the real problem with the group can be found. The
Humane Society runs television ads on national networks focused on
abused, neglected and abandoned dogs and cats - the sympathetic pets
most likely to open people's wallets - but then turns around and
spends the bulk of its money on other things. The shelters it directly
runs are not for pets, but rather primarily for wildlife and farm
animals.

The latest data publicly available show that the Humane Society spent
$24 million on fundraising expenses, roughly a quarter of its budget
and more than the $20 million it claims to directly spend on animals.
This is one reason that this year Charity Navigator downgraded both
the Humane Society of the United States and its international
affiliate.

According to the group's IRS disclosures, only 40 cents on the dollar
from telemarketing actually went to the Humane Society of the United
States. The group raised $1.2 million from public events, but none of
that money went to charitable work because the fundraising events cost
even more to put on.

Even the money that gets sent to local animal shelters is dubious. For
instance, the largest grant from the Humane Society of the United
States in Iowa, disclosed in the latest IRS forms, is $9,044 to a
shelter in Fairfield. According to the shelter's Web site, the money
was used to give Humane Society-produced propaganda to grade school
teachers for use in classrooms. Among other things it asks children to
pressure their schools to use only cage-free eggs and write to their
congressional representatives.

Turning kids into little lobbyists isn't direct animal care. Paying a
local animal shelter to distribute literature encouraging political
activism isn't supporting the shelter. And that's the Humane Society
of the United States - politics hiding behind precious little actual
charity.

Thanks for posting Mira Trapper. This needs to be spread far and wide. Copy and sent it with your kids to school. Could be that some teachers still have a burger and fires, with a milkshake.

Could be that this is too political for this blog.

Crowkiller

Thanks Mira...we need to make sure folks dont associate this group with the local humane soceties that do good work sheltering animals. Folks see the name and think they take care of homeless animals. Nothing could ne less on their agaenda.

Mira,
Thank you again.
Tom

This is in this month's NTA board mailing i got today, so it's going to every state director, what they do with it??????????

Just posted the story on my facebook, maybe a few more will see it... Thanks Mira!

Politics is being used to bury us. We must learn how to present a case for trapping POLITICALLY and JUDICIALLY or this forum will no longer exist after H$U$ wins their political gamesmanship. Our very existance depends on being politically informed and willing to create the political clout required to defeat groups like H$U$.

Representative Steve King was also the one that took a LOT of heat for "protecting his home from an invading" coon. The coon tore into his attic so he shot it with a 9mm pistol and got a bunch of grief from those idiots about it. I wonder if Wayne Pacell wears leather shoes?

About time someone wrote the truth about them,thanks Mira..

If he does wear leather shoes they have been marching to the political offices of folks that will support his cause to end all animal use.We would be naive to think that our speaking out against him is to much friction to debate as we set about finding ways of defeating him.