Five Questions For Wayne Pacelle

For the benefit of anyone attending the HSUS "town hall" meeting in Lincoln, NE on Sunday night, here are five questions that someone should ask Wayne Pacelle.

We're not going to get the chance to do it, of course; but it really doesn't matter who does the asking, as long as the questions are asked.

1. “In 1980 at HSUS’s annual meeting, the group made it official policy to – and I quote – ‘pursue on all fronts … the clear articulation and establishment of the rights of all animals … within the full range of American life and culture.’ Is this still HSUS’s goal? If you’re trying to give so-called ‘rights’ to cows, pigs, and chickens, why wouldn’t that completely destroy the entire livestock industry?”
2. “Can you name a specific meat, dairy, or egg brand that you and the Humane Society of the United States have endorsed?”
3. “If you got a federal law passed that demanded a nation-wide switch to the kind of livestock production mandated by California’s ‘Proposition 2’ law, would you and HSUS be satisfied with your achievement and completely dissolve the animal-agriculture part of your organization?”
4. “Is there such a thing as meat that’s ‘humane’ enough that your ethics permit you personally to eat it? If so, where can we buy some? If not, what’s the difference between your group and PETA?”
5. "In HSUS's Articles of Incorporation – its founding documents – you'll find the following declaration: 'No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall consist of the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation.' Has that been changed since 1954? If not, what on earth have you been doing all these years? Isn't your job to propagandize and influence legislation? Isn't that what Prop. 2 in California and Prop. B in Missouri were all about?"

We recommend printing this list out and bringing it to the downtown Lincoln Holiday Inn on Sunday evening at 5:00. HSUS has reportedly received 150 RSVPs for this meeting, and many HumaneWatchers will be in attendance. There's no need to credit us (or even mention us) if you are permitted to ask one of these. 

If none of these questions is heard during the three-hour event, it will be a good indication that the entire Q&A was scripted, or at least tightly controlled.

And no, we're not concerned about Wayne Pacelle seeing these five questions ahead of time. If he has good answers to any (or all) of them, he should share them with the audience. A nationally publicized "town hall" meeting seems like the perfect place to clear the air.