Apr 19 2010
Guest Column: Tagging Along on an HSUS “Lobby Day”
Dannielle Romeo is a professional dog handler and trainer, a regular HumaneWatch reader, and a real-live activist for animals—and we mean that in a good way. She breeds a line of Akitas (under the kennel name Black Knight) for conformation, companionship and working service dogs. That's her at right, along with "Koli."
She is is a columnist for several pet publications, and advocates for the rights of pet owners. She lives in Sacramento, California.
We asked Dannielle to describe her recent experience attending a Humane Society of the United States “lobby day” at the California State Capitol. This is what she wrote:
California Schemin': My Day With HSUS
I recently received an invitation to meet with Jennifer Fearing, the Humane Society of the Unites States’ head-honcho in California. She was diplomatic, but direct. Fearing expressed some interest in hearing what I had to say about conscientious breeding practices, and how to repair what she called a "disconnect" between HSUS and people like myself. But mostly, she didn’t appreciate my open criticism of HSUS and its programs, goals, and operations.
Fearing said she was genuinely interested in building an open dialogue, so I took her at her word.
I traveled to the state capitol on April 8 to see HSUS’s public education programs up close. HSUS had advertised a public “Lobby Day” and even promoted it with a press release, so I thought I’d show up. Considering how cordial Fearing had been just days before, I wasn’t expecting the gauntlet of not-so-welcoming HSUS event leaders that faced me when I arrived. Fearing herself had told me, "Don't believe everything you read on the internet." My only expectation was to learn if perhaps I have been too judgmental of this group and their programs. But there I was, looking up at the whole event staff, literally blocking the door.
First off, I never intended to join HSUS’s lobbying efforts. I figured I’d stay away from the afternoon rally outdoors. And I didn’t expect anyone to invite me to join in the vegetarian lunch. But was it so unreasonable to be a fly on the wall? Fearing had insisted in our meeting that HSUS’s messages and agenda are perfectly clear and in no way deceptive, deceitful, or misleading. I disagreed, but hey—how was I supposed to find out if I couldn’t see and hear for myself?
I did get in. Eventually. But only after declaring loudly that Jennifer Fearing herself had told me she wanted an open dialogue. I suppose her underlings would rather bite their tongues than make the boss look like a hypocrite.
HSUS Knows What It’s Doing
There are definitely things we can learn from HSUS. This organization knows how to leverage its human resources. I have never seen a more effectively run educational seminar. Activists learned how to seek out their representatives, speak with them, and be heard. A process that seems out of reach for mere mortals was coached in a very down to earth manner, using simple language. And HSUS had a host of prepared materials.
These people have large-group lobbying down to a science. The staff had already broken down appointments and drop-in opportunities by legislative districts, based on the zip codes people provided with their pre-registration. Literature packets included a “cheat sheet” on each attendee’s elected representative. I didn't receive one of these packets, of course, but it was explained during the program that they included party affiliation, a “score” the Member had been assigned on “humane” legislative issues, and how many HSUS members were supposedly in each one’s district. There were talking points on each of the four targeted issues.
(HSUS clearly has intelligent staffers, and they’re well-organized. Which is why the end result of all this effort is so disappointing and disturbing. Just because there are a few issues we can all agree on doesn’t mean we should all work together, or that HSUS should appoint itself the spokesgroup for average pet owners.)
Lobbying 101
The “lobbying techniques” portion of the day was a panel led by Jennifer Fearing, Nancy Perry (HSUS Government Relations VP) and Jill Buckley (Legislative Liaison, ASPCA). They identified four major items of interest:
- SJR22, a Ban on the Export of Horses for Slaughter (human consumption);
- AB1656, Truth in Fur Labeling;
- AB2012 Stopping Animal Neglect/Increasing Criminal Penalties; and
- a proposed plan by the California Department of Fish and Game to expand Black Bear hunting.
There was a ton of information that the crowd never saw. No one discussed whether or not there were already laws on the books to address these things. No one from HSUS or the ASPCA talked about how expensive it might be to comply with the new laws. And nobody tried to articulate—much less defeat—any arguments from the other side of these debates. You get the picture.
I’ve come to believe that HSUS's primary goal is to end animal agriculture—incrementally—through legislative processes, and by manipulating public opinion. I saw and heard nothing on April 8 that would make me change my mind. In fact, I came away more convinced of that than ever.
The Issues
SJR22 is actually a resolution aimed at a current item in Congress. Nancy Perry spoke at length about the need for support, claiming that there was "no causal effect" between the banning of horse slaughter and the increase in cases of abandoned and neglected animals. (No one on the panel was about to admit the awful unintended consequences of banning domestic horse slaughter in the first place.)
Perry’s stemwinder put heavy stress on her claim that SJR22 would stop horses from being sold at auction for slaughter, and would prevent long, stressful journeys across the country's borders to processing facilities whose standards we cannot control. But during a brief question and answer session, she conceded that the measure in no way stops any horses from being exported from the United States. A seller would only need to check off a box on a form at the border, saying that the animal was not headed for slaughter. (Who’s going to investigate whether anyone is lying?) People could also truthfully state that they’re transporting the horses for resale. It’s the buyer who will send the horses for slaughter, of course.
Once it became clear that the proposed law offers no guarantees, Nancy Perry re-directed the conversation. No one from HSUS or ASPCA offered the promise of any support services for horse owners or ranchers, to help them find new homes for their unwanted livestock. No one offered a way to provide these animals appropriate care until the end of their natural lives. An ineffective legislative roadblock, without a single visible detour.
The Truth In Fur Labeling Bill discussion was a little bit odd. HSUS is clearly only concerned about making sure every piece of fur trim on the planet is labeled so they can organize people not to buy them. This is a group that has been historically opposed to all fur in fashion. HSUS even has a program to donate old fur garments to wildlife programs—for animal use. (True to form, they don’t offer the coats to people, even in the dead of one of the worst winters in history.)
Organizers put five coats on display that they said were purchased during the last six months in local stores, all supposedly lacking an accurate label description of their fur content. Sales tags were left attached, which gave store names but not locations. Of the five coats, one was clearly created from leather, so the addition of a "genuine fur trim" label isn’t going to be the reason a vegan says “no sale.” Three others contained small bits of fur embellishment. I would think the marketers of these pieces would want you to know you’re getting real fur instead of a knock-off.
The fifth coat's tag (the one attached near the waistline) actually identified the trim as “raccoon fur” (in two languages!), but someone had used a black magic marker to cover up the writing on the tag (click to enlarge).
Let me get this straight: This is the horrible injustice that HSUS needs a state law to fix? We'd be better off just banning black Sharpies in department stores (and HSUS offices).
Next up was a measure to increase criminal penalties for animal neglect. I think the “neglect” angle is often overlooked when animal services and law enforcement respond to single acts of cruelty. But this bill doesn’t define what would constitute neglect. Jill Buckley used words like "starved, "chained outside" and "hoarding cases." But it seems to me that neglect is in the eye of the interpreter. Could someone who has two animals more than a local ordinance allows be branded a “hoarder”? It already happens. Would that person wind up in the dragnet of increased criminal penalties? Who knows? Buckley claimed the bill would increase fines and jail time to the level of "similar crimes," and the other panelists agreed that it was "not too drastic." Oh, goodie.
Da’ Bears
The final issue was a state Department of Fish and Game proposal to increase the number of black bear hunting permits, increase the “take” numbers, and expand the list of allowable hunting methods. HSUS also held an outdoor rally about this issue.
Perry and Fearing presented materials stating that 1,700 bears are hunted annually in California, and that the new plan would allow “unlimited” permits and “unlimited” take numbers. They actually claimed the new rules would result in black bears going extinct.
Fearing claimed the Department's rationale was the "alleged overpopulation" of bears and that "we think they've failed to demonstrate compelling need, or that this decision would not negatively impact the species." She didn’t have any documentation to support this claim. Answering one question from the crowd, Fearing claimed that black bears have never been endangered in California, but that she wasn’t familiar with the actual population counts.
HSUS seems unusually interested in the use of "expanded technology," including GPS locators for hunting dogs and "tip switches" (devices that send signals when a hunting dog has treed an animal). And I heard over and over that quotas for bears would be eliminated, and that packs of dogs would be released without supervision. Perry was quite vocal, shouting "50 percent more dead bears!" over and over. But she had no answer for a question about how many bears were actually killed in California in recent years.
Speaking from the rally podium, Fearing said that "high tech hunters can use global positioning collars and tip switches to hound bears to death ... trophy hunters can climb back into their heated trucks [and] when bears are treed they can bring their rifles." I saw a group of children on the capitol lawn, obviously shaken by the shouts that black bears would be immediately "hounded to extinction.”
If HSUS actually wants some facts to bolster its bluster, here they are. (This information took me just a few minutes to find and confirm independently.)
In 2009, the "take" report number set by the Fish and Game Commission was 1,700 Black Bears. That number was reached on Dec 16, 2009, an event which immediately ended the season. The total take ended up being 1,900 bears, since it took time to relay the closure of the season to hunters in the field.
The total number of bear tags for 2009 was 24,724. (In 2008, 25,381 tags were issued.) There is no reason to believe that strict “take” limits won’t continue to be enforced. And it should be clear that only a tiny fraction of permit holders actually hunted a bear successfully.
A representative from Fish and Game has also confirmed that hunters cannot simply release hunting hounds without general supervision; they must also be responsible for them at all times. HSUS paints a made-up image of permit holders idly hanging out at their local Starbucks until a pager tells them to come shoot an animal. It's not just a misunderstanding. It's a work of fiction.
Lunchtime!
Boxed lunches, vegetarian meals pre-ordered by those who registered, came from Panera Bread. I actually wrote to Jennifer Fearing prior to the event about the vegetarian-only offerings. Here is her reply:
We are under no obligation and have never offered any sort of lunch option at previous Lobby Days. However, we wanted to make something available this year if it was helpful to people participating. It’s a huge event and the only way I could provide this option was to provide ONE lunch option with no substitutions and no changes. Since a number of people participating definitely are vegan, it made the most sense to offer that option since everyone can obviously eat a vegan lunch and vegans cannot eat a non-vegan lunch. Further, there is nothing obligating anyone to buy this lunch… and in fact, most people have opted to get their own lunch or bring one.
Let me get this straight: Everyone had personalized name tags, individually made to include specific senate and assembly districts. HSUS showed incredible attention to detail, preparing each individual legislative packet with personalized information. But providing a check box for more than one type of sandwich was too daunting a task.
I spoke with Panera's catering people, and they informed me that groups of any size could order any item from their sandwich and salads menu for delivery to any location across the city. All they would have needed was a few hours’ notice for up to fifty people and 24 hours’ notice for larger events. And they tell me that HSUS isn’t anti-meat? Hmmph.
Canvas bags handed to each participant included copies of All Animals magazine (produced by HSUS). The articles are heavily infused with a vegetarian influence, praising people who have eliminated meat from their diets, and showcasing only recipes that contained no animal agriculture products. The "less meat is better" message is, on closer inspection, actually a purely vegan directive. Including for your pets. HSUS is now marketing its own brand of "premium” dog food—a completely vegan kibble that isn't even produced in the Unites States. It's imported from Uruguay.
A feature story promoting the new dog food states that “dogs in the wild don't limit themselves to animal protein.” Again, what HSUS leaves out tells the whole story: Dogs in the wild don't limit themselves to food sources derived entirely from plants either, which is what this new product forces them to do. “Don't believe everything you read on the internet,” Jennifer Fearing had told me. Including what shows up on the HSUS website. HSUS is clearly promoting an all-vegan world.
And the Sun Set on Sacramento
After spending an entire day observing HSUS’s tactics in action, I've come to the conclusion that HSUS’s leaders are the masters of contradicting what they say with what they do. HSUS representatives have graduated (with honors) from the smoke-and-mirrors school of public speaking. Their standard m.o. is to leave as much unsaid as possible, leaving themselves an exit strategy to in case someone actually “plays the tape forward” and figures out where they’re headed.
And why not? So far, it's been working for them. Now that the public is beginning to understand it, though, maybe that can change.
Posted on 04/19/2010 at 08:57 AM by the HumaneWatch Team
Fur & Fashion • Gov't, Lobbying, Politics • Horses • Hunting & Fishing • Pets • (26) CommentsComments
Great article. Very informative. Thanks.
Very good read, thank you for your efforts! I would have a hard time doing what you did, I have a very low tolerance level for stupidity.
As to this
“I saw a group of children on the capitol lawn, obviously shaken by the shouts that black bears would be immediately “hounded to extinction.”
If it was my child that was bothered by this, I would explain to them what these people were (activists) and why they were doing it (squeaky wheel gets the grease) and then the TRUTH.
Teach your children young about proper husbandry practices. Show them how to reason and use common sense. They are our future handlers and politicians, don’t let them drink the kool-aid.
Keep up the good work!
I think this article “hits the nail on the head” so to speak with regards to just how the reps from the HSUS operate. There is no doubt the reps from the HSUS have all graduated from the school of “smoke and mirrors”. In all of the articles I have ever read that attempted to ask direct questions to the HSUS, no rep from the HSUS including the Grand Poobah (Wayne Pacelle) himself, has ever answered the questions without leaving a lot of ambiguity in their answers. No one should buy into their rhetoric when they cannot even provide a clear answer to the questions they are asked.
It’s great to see some of what the HSUS is up to is finally getting out I only hope its not too late
Amazing! This is one of the best discussions about HSUS’s tactics that I have seen in a long time. A very nice piece of writing and of capturing the details that expose HSUS’s agenda.
I was also at the event and I URGE everyone of you who can.. to GO… and learn.. and of course fill up a seat. Great article Dannnielle.. You really captured the essence of the day. I was told by Fearing and her “crew” that I would be “allowed in because I did not cause a disturbance at the last event” ( yes I have been before) and that they would not tolerate any “disturbances ” at this one. We were the darlings of decorum although i did say I would love to own the leather jacket with the fur trim and wondered aloud if it was my size.. while another woman stroked the the tiny bit of “fur’ on another and muttered “I am so sorry my poor darling” and then went back to her seat and pulled a pen out of her leather purse..
By the way.. my dress for the day was a black skirt, black jacket.. and my ever so stylish light blue HUMANE WATCH.ORG tee shirt..I had my picture taken beside the “golden bear” statue in the building.. Hey.. it was a proud moment!..We also visited a few legislators before leaving and gave them copies of the HW poster.. and asked them to join on Facebook.. so who knows.. maybe we will have a few “staffers” among our ranks..
It was a great day..with great companions… give it a go yourself.. and “dress up”!!
PS.. I had a tuna sandwich..
Kudos to Ms. Romero! You are one brave lady to walk into the lion’s den like that. Thank you so much for this report.
Thank you for the courage of your convictions. I don’t disagree with HSUS’s take on some of the inhumane factory farms, but leave my purebred dog and my friends’ pets alone. There are laws on the books to protect them in most situations, and if not, the laws should be passed, but with moderation and specificity, not a shotgun approach.
Any organization which goes out of its way to use gestapo tactics to prevent anyone with a dissenting opinion from even attending their events, much less asking questions at such events, is a criminal organization, so far as I’m concerned, and should be treated accordingly.
The H$U$ is famous (infamous?) for barring the “unclean unwashed unanointed” from their propaganda -er- press conferences, meetings, indoctrina -er- “seminars,” etc.
The IRS needs to step up their investigation of the H$U$, hurry up and revoke their tax-exempt status, and confiscate that entire $100-odd-million dollar budget in fines and back-taxes. The sooner the better.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I find it funny how in bestuvall’s comment she says she was told she could come only if she wasn’t a disturbance. Yet HSUS causes disturbance with protests and undercover video they do. If they were ever kicked out of something, man would their be a media storm. Talk about Irony and arrogance. Thanks again for sharing!
I think those who have never farmed or lived on a farm in the last 3? years….. (including small farms and large (factory) farms) should leave farming to those who have. Farmers (perhaps especially factory farms) are only as good as the help they have (in a world where too many people want everything given to them by the owners of businesses) but first and foremost, NO BUSINESS CAN STAY IN BUSINESS if THEY DON’T PROTECT the PRODUCTS! It serves no useful purpose to kill off your animals with neglect or abuse!
Great job, Dannielle….asking for ‘fair’ is more than fair.
I can’t think of a better way to describe what you saw first-hand: graduates of ‘the smoke and mirrors school of public speaking”. That’s just excellent.
First, groups like HSUS promote vegetarian meals because, frankly, if your belief is in reducing harm and suffering to animals, it would be hypocritical to offer meat-based meals. I speak as a vegetarian and animal welfare worker who’s volunteered at any number of shelters and sanctuaries. It’s common that only vegan meals are offered in the context of animal welfare work. This doesn’t in any way paint HSUS as some nefarious organization.
Second—have you ever attended lobbying conferences for the NRA, or pharmaceutical companies, or the CFC, or any other organization that engages in lobbying? You’d see much of the same thing. I guarantee you that what you saw in the context of HSUS pales in comparison to the big, corporate daddy machinations. I’d like to see you even get this close to the workings of a tobacco lobbying effort. It’s the nature of lobbying that agendas are promoted. You just happen to disagree with the HSUS agenda.
Third, all of you who are so intent on criticizing HSUS, I cannot think of many other organizations that step in as effectively and lucidly as HSUS to protect the interests of animals that are clearly being exploited. As someone who has volunteered in animal shelters all of my adult life, I cringe to think what this world would be without organizations like HSUS providing legislative protection for those who have the least protection in our society: the animals. Local shelters and volunteers simply cannot effect change on that large a scale. And sometimes, large-scale change is needed to address the horrific things we humans do to the animals with whom we share this earth.
Here is another scam
Here is another favorite lobbying scam by HSUS. Contact any state attorney general and offer assistance enforcing dog fighting laws. Inform the AG that you have a 5,000 reward program and want to make that available as a tool to their office. Explain the great press they will receive. bring the HSUS pr team and camera crew. Since the AG office is a natural springboard to become governor it is often held by ambitious politicians. Eying HSUS millions of dollars and claims of millions of members most AGs are hoodwinked. HSUS gains a powerful free lobbyist that can further their agenda that has nothing to do with dog fighting. This scam works great for them. Last October 26 state attorney generals signed on to the HSUS brief supporting unconstitutional Stevens depiction of cruelty case with Supreme Court.
The Arizona Legislature had draft legislation that would ban all “dangerous” animals. This legislation included all carnivores (including your pet dogs/cats) and all bovines (cows). When contacted about this, our state congressman stated that the HSUS had provided the draft legislation.
This has thankfully been changed, but it just goes to show how HSUS tries to sneak in anti-pet legislation.
In Texas the Legislature passed a law (that was signed by the Governor) this was against dogfighting but one of the statutes brought into the bill needed to be more closely inspected by all of them because it makes your dog’s “feeding apparatus” illegal and all of the dog owners are now dog fighters just by having a dog food bowl! and we’re subject to seizure!
Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, FRANK… You poor, naive little twonk… The H$U$ is the propaganda arm of the Veganist Jihad. Nothing more, nothing less.
All they do, all they want to do, all they ever intend or intended to do, is outlaw all human contact with animals, by any means necessary. They hate domestic animals nearly as much as they hate America. What part of “One generation and out…” could possibly lead even a simp such as yourself to believe good ole’ Wacky Wayne gives one fat damn about the welfare of any domestic animal?
The NRA doesn’t bar Sarah Brady’s Stepford Morons from attending its meetings. Pharmaceutical companies don’t ban idiots from “Mother Earth News (snort)” from attending their meetings. Hell, even the tobacco companies don’t ban clods like those “move-on.org” wastrels from attending their meetings.
The only organization I can think of off the top of my head whose members don’t wear white sheets and burn crosses which aggressively bars anyone who might conceivably have anything resembling a dissenting opinion from its meetings is… drumroll please… The H$U$, and their little buddies at PeTA.
Couldn’t pay me to attend any of their cr**, don’t care what they drill into people. OTOH it keeps them from saying too much for fear of being outed. Surprisingly they let people out of the room. (Scientology doesn’t necessarily) Indoctrination at the Hilton might be different.
The bad truth and facts re HSUS have been long known by many animal fanciers. HSUS lobbying has been going for decades. However their bigger $$ and raids post Katrina are newer.
Of course they have a well-oiled machine in lobbying. I have read many HSUS Federal/state lawsuits and from that, one can see how they operate. They pretty much don’t tell the truth. For example, in the Denver BSL breed ban case, they filed amicus brief (despite fact that they advocate to kill generic pitbulls)—and touted DNA testing for canines. I can guarantee that if you read any HSUS lawsuit, you will find tons of allegations and very little factual proof.
It’s a known facts that such testing on many bulls/mixed breeds is sheer folly and would never hold up in court. Yet they failed to mention that material fact and spent oodles of pages on the DNA subject, knowing it wouldn’t even work for the dogs in question.
That is what you call leaving out material information and misrepresents the subject. That is baffle with bullshit. Like the Bichon rescue which buys 300+ dogs per month from kennel auctions, gets 800 free volunteers, and resells the dogs, all the while bringing in more than $500,000 and was “featured” on Oprah. And is a 501(c)(3).
However I am a firm believer that one should not benefit from one’s own wrongdoing. So on that basis alone, I make it a point to tell every person I speak with about HSUS and their lies. Have been doing it for almost 8 years. And 99% of the people are shocked. I also make sure to tell them to tell ALL of their friends/family. Bad news travels fast. One day the 99% will dwindle to 50% and we can congratulate everyone.
Great story, should be Front & Center in major Newspapers for all to see and digest!!!
Sunday Miles
Thank you for standing up for our rights to own,breed,and love our pets!!
The truth shall be the bringer of light!!
Danielle Romeo must be a good dog handler.
Most of those who posted believe HSUS has no vaild positions on animal issues. If that is true. you must also support dog fighting, sale of crush videos, puppy mills, mislabeling of dog anf cat fur from China sold in the US and the list goes on. Hsus is not the enemy. They are an effective lobbying group for animal issues .You may not agree with every position but to bring out such hate from supposed animal lovers is truly amazing
Typical response from an ARA Sandy. If we don’t support HSUS we MUST be involved in animal abuse. If you can’t attack the message, go after the messenger, seems to be the only reaction that works for you and most HSUS minions.
I have understood and spread the word about HSUS’s tactics for many years, ever since I realized that they were the worst exploiters of animals (besides PETA) that I had ever seen.
A little background on me, who you consider a “supporter” of many animal abuse issues as per your above comment. At the age of 5 my dream was to be a Vet, though I did not realize that dream I did become an Animal Care Attendant (certified) at 18 and later went on to become a Veterinary Assistant (certified with honors).
I worked at an SPCA as the Canine Rehabilitation Supervisor and have spent many a spare hour helping animals in need without restitution. From rescuing birds as a child to taking in abandoned animals to this day, I have always put animal welfare first and foremost in my life.
Stop drinking the AR kool-aid and actually try to get to know the people you are fighting against. Most are normal people who support animal welfare and understand that rights need to be understood by those given them for them to be effective, instead of just being tools for those that want to force us to conform to their ideals.
Excellent comments, Janine.
We who give much of our lives to helping animals and animal welfare without asking for anything really appreciate your comments. I meet people every day who do not know what HSUS and PeTA are really about: they watch the ads, send in their money, and voila, only those organizations are believed to be about animal welfare.
I am currently very involved in helping officials understand the need for public animal shelters to move into the No Kill model instead of the killing fields many are today. I am astounded that the so-called animal rights people are opposed to this idea of No Kill. I suspect many don’t understand it, but I also know that many who do understand it see it as a threat to HSUS and PeTA. And it would be: what would happen to all the money they get from people seeing those images of abused animals if those people were involved in helping their shelter be a No Kill shelter?
I deeply believe that their model for shelters, a model that accepts the notion of “saving animals” to “kill them” is extremely unethical. I also know that that idea and the idea that owners are all irresponsible will be supplanted by a true animal welfare approach with members of every community helping and supporting their local public animal shelter.
Yep. HSUS is anti-meat, anti-breeding, and anti-fur. I’m sure once the public realizes that, they’ll be the same. HSUS isn’t fooling anybody. But they sure are changing a lot of minds. As for you, stop lying to yourself about “loving” animals. You love breeding them, eating them and wearing them. In short, you love exploiting them. Just admit it. If you were really so ashamed maybe you’d change your behavior.
Comments are moderated, and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. Extremely lengthy comments and those that contain obscenities may be edited before they are posted.
Add a comment:
Thank you so much for that article and for having sense enough to point out things some of us have no knowledge of!! and getting to the FACTS. This is an excellent article and now I’m going to go be sick <G>....now, go be careful!!!!
OH NOW <G> my spam words at the bottom are was Abused <GGGG>......I think we still ARE <G>