Alaskan congressman refuses award from 'extreme' HSUS
U.S. Representative Don Young of Alaska has refused an award from the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund after being recognized this week with 145 other members of Congress, according to a press release from his office.
"HSUS are hypocrites, plain and simple, and I will not join them by accepting this award," said Rep. Young, explaining his refusal. "Local animal shelters and humane societies do excellent work by caring for neglected and homeless animals, and through their spaying and neutering programs. This organization, however, has absolutely nothing to do with animal welfare. Instead they prey on the emotions of big-hearted Americans."
He elaborated on his reasons on the floor of the House:
I've been a hunter all my life. And they're against hunting. And that bothered me.
Humane Society COO and HSLF president Michael Markarian said that while HSUS "[disagrees] with [Rep. Young's] views on most animal welfare policies," they "also believe in giving credit where credit is due and recognizing positive actions."
Rep. Young equated HSUS to "PETA and other extremist organizations", suggesting the award was due to his work on Wildlife Without Borders:
They flash images of abused animals on our television screens to raise money that will eventually go to pay their salaries and pensions, not to helping better the lives of these animals. They run anti-hunting and anti-trapping campaigns and are of the same cloth as PETA and other extremist organizations.
I can only guess that I was to receive this award due to my support of the Wildlife Without Borders program, which develops wildlife management and conservation efforts to maintain global species diversity. That program is true conservation; what this group wants is preservation. To accept this award would be supporting their manipulative ways and misguided agenda, and I want no part of that.
His office also said HSUS "does not own, operate, or directly control a single animal shelter in the USA, despite a budget of well over $100 million."
For those curious about the Wildlife Without Borders program, read the brochure provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which helps countries conserve their wildlife, especially endangered species.
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Comments
I'm ok with hunting so long as the animal is eaten or is killed as part of a cull done by professionals.
:/ I can't say I agree with everything the HSUS does but I haven't ever heard anything about them being extreme in any way. They are completely different to PETA.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
When a small but radical group on any issue gets a lot of attention, there is often a tendency for people on the opposite side of the issue to lump those radicals together with more moderate groups. Thus it's not surprising or unusual to see someone like Young lumping HSUS together with PETA.
Here's how I distinguished them. Both covered (as of last night) seal hunting/killing:
* HSUS had it as the last tab on its front-page slideshow
* On PETA it's the main front-page item and there's an overlay encouraging you to STOP IT NOW
PETA are self-described "press sluts". Frankly I don't see either of them as extremist. If you want that, look at the ALF.
Depends on what you mean by extremist. These days extremist seems to be synonymous with terrorism and violence, in which case that is more an ALF thing (and possibly the others too due to various allegations of connections with ALF, etc.). If going with the more classic sense of just holding extreme views, using radical methods and fanaticism issues, then organisations like PETA and possibly HSUS can come under the name. There are quite a few people who find the publicity activities, especially of PETA, to be misleading or sometimes outright counter-productive, while overshadowing more mundane animal protection activities.
While I wouldn't equate HSUS and PETA, HSUS does have some issues that may lead people to categorize both together as unhelpful. I think the largest issue is that way too many people think by giving to HSUS they are helping local animal shelters, that it is some sort of hierarchical organization. And there have been complaints of more directly misleading advertising campaigns in regards to what the money is actually being used for.
Your money will go directly to telling other people that their money will go directly to animal shelters.
If I remember correctly PETA is known for actually funding terrorist groups that bomb laboratories and such.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
I think the PETA guys can get pretty wacky, but that kind of statement really needs more then just a unsure memory before I'd consider it actually true.
Well they have funded a known arsonist http://www.animalscam.com/references/peta_rodney1.cfm
Been listed as a terrorist organisation by the USDA http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/peta-classified-terrorist-threat.php?cam...
And have also been caught giving money to groups that are known terrorist groups http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/h/2339-peta-and-terrorism-the-rea...
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
ASPCA owns all y'all
Having worked wolf-hybrid rescue for a number of years and having had multiple run-ins with HSUS members, it's my observation that the HSUS would just have soon seen the animals all dead. They don't operate any animal shelters and their main function (as far as I can tell) is furthering extreme animal rights ideologies through political and fund-raising means. The HSUS is to the animal rescue movement as is the RIAA is to musicians. The latter does all the work, and the former takes all of the credit and basks in the majority of the wealth, yet never actually does anything useful to help actual animals.
The HSUS hangs around Washington, DC, prints fancy glossy pamphlets, pays exorbitant salaries to its lobbyists and senior members and meanwhile tries to convince gullible old people to leave them their entire estate. They would really rather not have humans have anything to do with animals at all, including having them as domestic pets.
Google "HSUS" and "fraud," and one will returna a long list of hits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Hn7FdKQqI
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