Rick Berman Attacks the Humane Society

by Anne Landman — February 17, 2010 - 12:39pm
  • Topics: Animal Rights, Corporations, Propaganda
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    Sad puppyFront group man extraordinaire Rick Berman and his attack group, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), have launched a new Web site, HumaneWatch.org, to harass the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the country's largest animal welfare organization. In pursuing its mission of stopping animal cruelty, HSUS has apparently run afoul of some large, wealthy business interests, and now it is getting some major pushback.

    The Humane Society works to stop egregious, ongoing animal abuse, particularly in money-making enterprises like puppy mills, factory farming, dogfighting, cockfighting, and unsporting hunting practices like "canned hunts," where hunters pay to shoot at captive, domestically-raised, exotic animals. While this is a laudable goal, it pits HSUS against a significant number of wealthy, powerful businesses that engage in animal cruelty practices, like meat and egg producers, factory farmers, canned hunting businesses, contract research labs that do animal testing for big corporations and pharmaceutical companies that exploit animals to manufacture drugs like Premarin, which is used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Premarin is made from pregnant mares' urine and is marketed by Wyeth Pharmacueticals, one of the world's largest drug companies.

    People Love Animals

    HumaneWatch.org may have a hard time trying to build public animosity towards the Humane Society, since most of civil society cannot countenance the extreme cruelty against animals that occurs in these facilities. (There are now a number of videos showing such treatment posted at SourceWatch.org). At present, Berman's site, HumaneWatch.org, is trying to generate outrage against HSUS by ridiculing the group's recent activities, like raising funds for animal relief in Haiti and marketing its own brand of cruelty-free, all-natural dry dog food that does not support the factory farming industry. HumaneWatch is also trying to hurt and embarrass businesses that donate to HSUS, like the Yellow Tail Wine company, which recently donated $100,000 to HSUS's Animal Rescue Team. To target Yellow Tail, HumaneWatch.org posted a video of a cowboy standing in a manure-filled pen surrounded by cows, and pouring a bottle of Yellow Tail wine on the ground, while explaining that he is doing it to retaliate against the company for supporting the Humane Society. The video makes you want to donate to HSUS and go out and buy Yellow Tail wine to thank them for caring about animals.

    Who is Funding HumaneWatch.org?

    Money bagsBerman typically sets up his front groups as 501(c)4 organizations and then carries out his attacks through these groups to avoid disclosing his donors, so we have no way of knowing which industries or companies are funding Berman's attack on the Humane Society. We can probably get a good idea, though. Just determine which businesses profit most from animal cruelty, and you'll likely find the funders among them.

    One thing we can be certain about: the Humane Society must be doing a decent job of lobbying on behalf of animal welfare, or it wouldn't have found itself in Berman's crosshairs.

    Comments

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    'Shake and shake the catsup bottle.'

    Submitted by Mutternich on February 19, 2010 - 3:20pm.

    "None comes out, and then a lottle." --Ogden Nash

    Comments had gotten pretty few and far between by the time CMD eliminated the registration requirement.; I imagine that's why they did it.

    So, Burt, how about registering yourself?

    You need glasses

    Submitted by Roan Badger (not verified) on February 17, 2010 - 6:40pm.

    You need to go watch that cowboy video again. Is in not filled with manure. They are huge pens, most likely coming from large pastures and are used to feed their cattle during the winter months. You did notice the snow on the ground? I did not see a manure filled pen like you quoted. You do know that cattle have to be fed during the winter months? Or are you just another apartment dweller with no cattle experience?

    Manure

    Submitted by Anne Landman on February 18, 2010 - 8:52pm.

    As you suggested, I returned to HumaneWatch.org to view the video again and critically evaluate it for the presence or absence of cow manure, but the video had been removed from the site. I live in rural Colorado and can definitively say that the presence of snow on the ground does not prevent cows from excreting, even if they are in feed pens. Nor does the size of a pen have any bearing on whether they or not they choose to excrete in it.

    Go, Cows.

    Anne Landman

    Yellow Tail got rattled.

    Submitted by Roan Badger (not verified) on February 19, 2010 - 12:40pm.

    Yellow Tail getting a backlash from donating to HSUS:

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/19/2824910.htm?section=justin

    Animosity? Or defensiveness?

    Submitted by Jeanette (not verified) on February 17, 2010 - 6:28pm.

    I often wonder when I hear people speak out against HSUS why they so vehemently oppose it. I mean, people say they're extremist and fringe and all of this. But if that were the case, how could they have so many supporters? Do you really think that we are all brainless and unable to think for ourselves? I suspect that it's more a case of not wanting to face reality. The HSUS through education and outreach shows us how cruel of a species we really are, and we just don't want to own up to that.

    You might not find canned hunts, which is a term used by many groups around the world, not solely HSUS, to be moral, but most people find them to be the realm of lazy "sportsmen". Please don't pretend that canned hunts don't simply toss animals in an enclosure where they are, pardon the pun, sitting ducks. Let's also not ignore the fact that rich men from the US travel to Africa for canned hunts of big game. There is no sport in hunting anyway, because you are smarter and better equipped than any animal out there. Congratulations.

    As for the dove hunting, or pigeon hunting, they are often used for fun or target practice to deal with "nuisance" populations. You might eat your doves, but most people don't. From a purely logistical standpoint, it's a lot of work to get a little bit of meat. It's not propaganda if it's true.

    As to the point of this article, I find it truly hysterical that the same people, with few exception, who bash the HSUS get their facts straight from the mouth of the CCF, which is funded by the very industries that stand to lose profit if the HSUS is successful in assisting voters, with many other agencies, in demanding more humane standards. So the CCF is anything but, because they don't want consumers to know the truth.

    I do not know where you get

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on June 6, 2010 - 4:10am.

    I do not know where you get your facts. The HSUS is not being questioned because CCF or anyone else is opposed to the proper care of animals, it is being questioned because in plain black and white on their own page (look it up) is their tax documents that show the absurd amount of money that is being spent on salaries, benefits, lockboxes(REALLY) and other questionable expenditures. I am sure the top brass there will fight to the bitter end to try and convince you that this is about the animals, but believe me it is about the "fox in the hen house". Imagine the animals that will continue to suffer because a rogue organization is never called out. Read the information, with an open mind. Then come to your own conclusion. I have been upset about this LONG before CCF or Humanewatch or anyone else started talking about it. I asked many people to read the documents and then donate accordingly. I handled Corporate donations for 20 years and I have learned something, ASK QUESTIONS. By law they have to tell you what percentage of your donation goes Directly to the care of animals, and what percentage goes directly to the deep pockets of the greedy CEO's. And by the way why would anyone want to stand in the way of stopping undue hardship to the animals. What would anyone gain by that?

    Hunting and trapping

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on June 3, 2010 - 7:59am.

    Just as you do not know me I do not know you. I have hunted all my adult life and never have known anyone who hunted and left the game lay. In most states it is illegal to do as you claim, the people who engage in such activity are neither hunters or trappers, they are criminals. In that I don’t know you I can probably say with some certainty that you have never hunted or trapped. To me it seems odd that so many non hunters or trappers have expert knowledge on how others feel and act when they hunt. My way of fighting the great polluted food mills, as you call them, is to provide as much as I can from nature. Your right to not hunt is as important as mine to hunt. You have every right to choose you own path, not mine. As for the cruel food industry. Since so many people can not and do not provide for themselves, you tell me who should die so animals will not suffer.

    Anomosity or defensiveness.

    Submitted by Nancy63 (not verified) on March 5, 2010 - 4:29pm.

    Jeanette,

    1. Yes we eat dove. It is very good BBQ'd. We then dry and use the wings to train our hunting dogs. Most people who hunt doves EAT them afterwards. Pigeons are another story and yes they are usually pegged off for nuisance issues as well as HEALTH issues and no they are not eaten. You will find however that it is the government that is killing these birds and not individuals.

    2. HSUS tried unsuccessfully to ban dove hunting in several states including Michigan. Wayne Pacelle is anti meat anti hunting anti companion animal all the way around. He has said the following:
    a. He has NO hands on fondness for animals.
    b. If he has his way there will be no companion animals.
    c. He does not like his girlfriends cat.
    d. He lied to Congress and was caught.
    .... I could go on but this is enough for now.

    3. Canned hunts do not exist except in the Animal Rights world of fantasy. No one hunts an animal in an enclosure. This is pure propaganda and shows your ignorance of hunting heritage.

    4. My facts come straight from the mouth and actions of HSUS, Whiney Wayne and his ilk. Please feel free to read some of his material that is not propaganda on the HSUS website. Maybe read the story about Wayne and the Black Beauty Ranch. That one is a true eye opener ... written by one of your Animal Rights ilk.

    5. HSUS has John Goodwin. Remember him he is a terrorist and a former member of Animal Liberation League. You know the group that went around bombing buildings, burning homes, and releasing mink -(who ultimately died from inability to survive in the wild).... There are two or three other terrorists in that group of individuals as well.

    People who support HSUS support the total annihilation of Companion Animals. The total devastation of the family farm and our meat supply. And they don't even suport a single shelter in the entire country. All their money is spent on lobbying for their Animal Rights agenda.

    Support your local NO KILL rescues and shelters....

    Nancy

    Nancy's House of Nuts

    Submitted by Leslie99 (not verified) on June 17, 2011 - 3:55pm.

    Nancy..If WP said those quotes that you've listed, well I think we would all like to see them in a real publication. Can't imagine why we wouldn't take your word for it...Send ONE of them from the publication or news organization from which it came. Oh yes let me qualify that...From a reputable publication or news source.

    Sounds to me like you are an employee of Rick Berman and his CCF going online and looking for ways to infiltrate? Everybody know he hires people to troll the internet posting strange reactive comments like yours on sites he knows are against his clients beliefs.

    "he doesn't like his girlfriends cat?" and "canned hunts don't exist?" where did these come from? People like you get a bug up their *&% on one thing, in your case "dove hunting" and then decide to go off on the whole organization. If your such an internet lover and love posting comments, do some research for yourself online and goggle Center for Consumer Freedom.

    nancy i've got 2 words for you!!! GOOGLE IT!!!!

    hsus

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 27, 2011 - 8:48pm.

    Anyone who does not believe what humanewatch says needs to read the tax and donation reports for hsus. I have and when I see their commercials showing poor little puppies and kittens I can't understand why they aren't sued for false advertising. Donate to your local shelter, that money WILL help an animal. The only thing hsus wants is an end to animal agriculture and pet ownership.