by Sue Beaulieu
GFN Staff Writer
The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling! Or is
it?
Actually, this article pertains to more than
just “breed specific legislation.” Any breed of any
animal is the target of the animal rights movement.
Slowly, ever so slowly at first, the public was led
to a
steady stream of mis-information and rhetoric that
trickled down from the Olympus of animal rights
founders and leaders. However, these lofty ideals
became polluted by the time they reached ground
level reality; yet the masses still drink at the
muddied
waters that cloud their minds and impair their
judgment.
The animal rights/social engineers have coined hot-
button phrases such as “animal hoarder”, “pit
bulls”, “puppy mills”, “meat is murder”, “save lives,
spay and neuter” and “better dead than bred”, to
name only a few. They bank on these catch
phrases to capture the imagination, mold public
opinion and cash in on guilt-induced donations. The
animal rights movement has invested a great
storehouse of time and wealth into its great work,
and they are reaping their desired results.
When the public reads and hears their slogans over
and over and over again, they consciously and
subconsciously incorporate that information until it is
deeply rooted into their own belief system. No one in
the history of mankind has ever believed they were
brainwashed and none of us are completely immune.
A politically correct infrastructure of such beliefs
has
been erected to imprison us.
Is a person with X number of pets an animal
hoarder? Is there such a breed as a pit bull? Is any
commercial breeding operation a mill? Is meat
murder? Are animals better dead than bred? No, no,
no, no and no.
The term “pit bull” was created to induce a fearful
image of a vicious killer. It once meant any dog used
in pit fighting. Urban Myth #1. There is no such
breed as a pit bull. In an effort to educate
legislators, dog owners and breeders pointed out that
various breeds of dogs are often thought of as “pit
bulls.” The unfortunate result was not better
legislation, but more of it. Now there are over
seventy-five actual breeds of dogs that are
restricted, prohibited from ownership or cost
prohibitive to own due to excessive fines and
restrictions. The number breed specific dogs a
person may own is limited, and some towns and cities
have banned their ownership completely. Needless
to say, breeding these particular dogs is discouraged
and mandatory spay/neuter of pets is often required.
Pit Bulls must be Banned! Pit Bulls must be Banned!
The Dogs are Biting! The Dogs are Biting! Do pit
bulls exist? Have dogs gone wild?
Step by step, the master plan unfolds. Breed specific
legislation is little more than canine profiling.
All dogs
bite, but the media blitzkrieg against certain breeds
of dogs continues to escalate. I have reported on
the animal rights tactics long enough to know that
they feed the main stream press their version of the
news. Same story, different city. It is impossible
for
us to follow up on every news item to obtain all the
facts from differing sides. Sensationalism sells and
bad news travels fast ya’ know.
Various canine organizations have fought the good
fight against the flood of animal rights based
legislation that has swept the country. They have
managed to create their own wave of resistance with
hard work and their own battle cries of “Punish the
Deed, Not the Breed”, “There are No Bad Dogs, Just
Irresponsible Owners”, “Say No to BSL.”
Nevertheless, the animal rights cult has summoned
their magic to turn the tide in their favor once
again.
The problem we are told, isn’t really about laws or
lack of them. Even when good laws are in place
(which they helped put in place!), there is inadequate
enforcement of them. “What need are more animal
control officers,” they tell us.
What they are really saying is, “We want to control
people and their animals.” Many local rescues and
humane societies already perform animal control
services or work closely with city employees
responsible for those duties. Some of the non profit
organizations enter into lucrative contracts with
cities and counties to perform some or all of the
animal related jobs, including law enforcement,
administering license fees and offering spay/neuter
programs.
Many times, these organizations are members of the
state chapters of the HSUS Federated Humane
Societies. The HSUS does not administer or own a
single shelter, but they do provide member
organizations with “educational materials” as well as
opportunities to attend HSUS sponsored workshops
and seminars. The HSUS network is extensive and
well-connected.
Wichita, Kansas is only one example of a city that is
at this stage of the new game plan. There has been
a recent surge of dog bite articles which have
purposely stirred up public emotion and outrage. At
first, the activists demanded breed specific
legislation. When it was brought to their attention
that adequate laws are already in place that cover
vicious and dangerous dogs, they changed their
tune. The new song and dance is that Wichita has
inadequate manpower to properly enforce the laws!
The local HSUS affiliate is the Kansas Humane
Society of Wichita with a budget of several million
dollars. According to an article from the Wichita
Business Journal, the Kansas Humane Society
receives over 13,500 animals yearly. Hey, isn’t that
called hoarding?? There is a wide range of adoption
fees for dogs and cats. Some shelters now charge
more for smaller dogs since they seem to be more in
demand, especially for apartment owners. The larger
dogs are less expensive to adopt because they are a
larger expense for the shelters. They are also the
ones most likely to be euthanized.
In 2004, The K. T. Wiedemann Foundation of
Kansas
made a $25,000 pledge to the KHS’s "New Leash on
Life" shelter campaign. Kim Janzen, the KHS
executive director, told the Business Journal that the
total goal was $3.5 million. The KHS also holds a
yearly fundraiser called Woofstock. In 2003, they
grossed over $84,000 from this event. They also
made over $70,000 for sale of their calendars.
KHS paid Newport Creative Communications
$63,491 for direct mailing services that same year.
John Parnell, who owns Newport Creative
Communications, was the former VP of the Easter
Seals development project. There is no doubt that
this company has excellent direct mail experience,
but they have been tainted by scandal. Earlier this
year, Newport Creative Communications agreed to
pay a $400,000 in legal settlements to 19 states
regarding misleading sweepstakes promotions that
guaranteed prizes.
In addition to the large sum paid for direct mailing
services, the KHS spent $14,000 for newsletter
postage and printing. Another large expenditure was
made in the amount of $69,965 for architectural
improvements. It is interesting to note that this
company is located in Monterey, California. I wonder
why they didn’t hire contractors in their own city of
Wichita? The Wichita community has endured
massive layoffs by its three largest employers in
recent years. The KHS IRS 990 tax forms definitely
raise more questions than they answer.
Can you see the conflict of interest? A HSUS
affiliated humane society, heavily indoctrinated with
HSUS ideals and a HSUS agenda, helps push animal
related legislation and then seeks to gain control over
their enforcement? That is a very frightening
scenario if you ask me.
The animal rights movement has one ultimate
goal – to control and eventually end all animal
ownership and use, period. We, who see nothing
wrong with owning or using animals, generally try to
mind our own business. We work hard to make a
living, raise our families and care for the animals we
do own. We support animal welfare, but resent when
non profit groups use animals to control and
manipulate legislators and the general public – most
of whom are unaware of the motivation, politics,
power and influence of these groups.
