Jun 08 2010
Buckeye Collusion?
A few weeks ago when the "Mercy For Animals" animal rights group unveiled its undercover video of an Ohio dairy farm, the news was met with a mixture of anger, anger, and anger.
Animal activists, of course, were angry at Billy Jo Gregg Jr., an Ohioan who worked at the Conklin Dairy Farm for nine months before his arrest for abusing dairy cows. And the public was angry at farm owner Gary Conklin for allowing such a monster to get anywhere near his livestock in the first place.
Many farmers, though, were angry at Mercy for Animals. The group appears to have sat on its video for several weeks, allowing Gregg to come back to work again and again (and again) instead of taking immediate action. Questions have been raised about whether the video in question was staged, orchestrated, creatively spliced, or otherwise phonied up by Mercy for Animals, its president Nathan Runkle, and its hired "investigator" Jason Smith. No one should defend what was depicted in the movie's final cut, but it's fair to ask about how it was put together.
If nothing else, the timing of it all made us wonder: Was the Mercy For Animals video pushed into the spotlight in order to give the Humane Society of the United States some new talking points for its Ohio political signature-gathering campaign? Was HSUS and its "Ohioans for Humane Farms" front group behind the whole thing? Is Mercy For Animals just the larger group's current proxy for this sort of tactic in Ohio?
HSUS's Paul Shapiro says his group was clueless about the Mercy for Animals investigation until just before the video was released. He told Buckeye Ag News the day after the video surfaced that "it’s a coincidence. We didn’t learn about this case until just a few days ago."
Here's why we don't believe him.
First, barring an incredible coincidence, it looks like the Jason Smith hired by Mercy For Animals to do its Ohio videotaping is the same person hired by HSUS to videotape the conditions inside a Vermont slaughter facility last September.
And second, when HSUS began notifying the State of Ohio that it intended to pay signature-gatherers for its ballot campaign, several of the "Form 15" filings authorizing this political gravy train were completed by Mercy For Animals. The group is paying at least three of its employees to gather signatures for HSUS.
One person's "Form 15" is worth special attention. Remember Nora Kramer? She ran HSUS's 2008 signature gathering operation in the San Francisco Bay Area, and moved to Cleveland, Ohio in April to do the same job.
On the day before she announced her transfer, Kramer filed a Form 15 with the Ohio Secretary of State. She gave her e-mail address as "nora@ohiohumane.com" (check). Her phone number had a San Francisco area code (check). But her mailing address was the Columbus, OH post-office box of Mercy For Animals (uh-oh).
Don't tell us these groups aren't connected, collaborating, and collusive. And don't tell us Jason Smith isn't busy videotaping some pork producer at this very moment.
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Posted on 06/08/2010 at 03:34 PM by the HumaneWatch Team
Document Analysis • Animal Agriculture • Gov't, Lobbying, Politics • (9) CommentsComments
Like the garden-variety Jihadists, Vegan Jihadists will do anything for “The Cause”, including going to jail.
What I want to know is, who paid Billy Jo Gregg, Jr. to seek a job at the dairy farm. Was it the H$U$ or was it “Mercy” for Animals?
Wow. The connections are more than coinincidental! So, let me get this straight…the head of a group to protect animals from abuse continued to let animal abuse go on and on, so that they could gather evidence first? Unbelievable. There is no justification for that. The way it should have been dealt with was…approach the employee and confront him with what you, yourself witnessed and go from there. Do the right thing, then consider the politics, etc.
YOU F***ING MORONS, DIE PLEASE!
Nathan Runkle, MFA is bad news. He was the one committing crimes years ago breaking into several Ohio poultry farms staging video, paid by PETA. The only reason the poultry industry did not press charges back then was because that would draw media attention, which would fuel the activists further. Nathan went on to be rewarded for his crimes by becoming the President of MFA. Nice payback.
This whole Conklin video was staged in my opinion. It appears Jason Smith was conversing with the abuser, possibly encouraging him on. I beleive both Billy Joe and Jason should be charged with crimes. They were both there and did nothing to stop the abuse.
This was very timely considering the HSUS initiative to gather signatures. Then the following holiday the Sheriff and State Patrol had to guard the Conklin farm from the Animal Rights mob trying to physically tear down the family farm diary. I am sure they came prepared with blank signiture forms as well for all the passer-bys.
Doesn’t anyone see something fishy here? A kid from GA moves to Ohio and get hired on the dairy. Then an MFA undercover person came to film away. Both leave the farm in shambles so Jason can move on to another target. Ohio agriculture is on guard and Jason has tried to get hired on at other facilities just last week. Even some undercover are giving false names and legal name changes. How ethical is this?
It is aparent to me that HSUS, OhioHumane, PETA and MFA are all in bed with one another playing havoc in Ohio. Follow the money.
Has Secretary Of State Brunner filed an appeal of the HSUS court decision?
Jason Smith was the ‘undercover’ videographer who worked for CAPS and filmed the Kathy Bauck kennels in MN. Busy Boy!
So…....what is the problem? They HAVE to have proof of these horrible beatings and misuse because the uneducated, ignorant consumer won’t believe it otherwise. This abuse is the NORM not the exception on these farms…...get with it…..someone HAS to protect these animals….who cares if the groups team up for the fight against animal cruelty on American Farms. At lease someone is trying….what are YOU people doing? Is it really OK to punch a baby calf in the head repeatedly? Billy Jo Gregg, Jr. is a monster, plain and simple….and there are thousands just like him on farms across the country. For the Farmers who actually care for and do not abuse their animals….thank you.
I don’t think there are too many people out there with the skill set required to work undercover like this - I certainly couldn’t do it. It seems far-fetched to be concerned that someone who worked for one entity then gets hired by another entity in the same field. In today’s society people switch jobs more often and Mercy for Animals is certainly documenting abuse. I think it’s shameful to suggest the investigator is involved in this because if he was, he would be charged. Same with the organization. These articles often go too far. This one is an example. And of course these folks likely talk. They have the same mission, so why wouldn’t they? It’s just like the Ag alliance summits….it’s time to talk about protecting animals and stop attacking the messengers.
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....Ahem…..uh…..it’s called collusion. There is no coincidence that large, of that exact magnitude. And why was the perp wearing the same shirt for 4 weeks in the video. Should “animal rights” groups be allowed to continuously witness alleged abuse for a month and not be arrested for collusion, while an animal owner can be arrested only upon a warrant for probable cause, without ANY evidence but the testimony of an animal control or humane officer????