HumaneWatch Does Tinseltown

Thanks for dropping by, LA Times readers. And thanks to Los Angeles Times writer P.J. Huffstutter for helping us get the word out. HumaneWatch is here to stay.

Did you know that if you take up the Humane Society of the United States's call to pledge $19 per month, about $1.03 of your donations during the entire year will wind up at a pet shelter? (At least judging from HSUS's own 2008 federal tax return.)

This is one of the reasons we've been working so hard on this blog. If HSUS wants to turn the United States into a PETA-inspired vegan utopia, they're free to try. It's a free country, after all. But the least we should all expect is a little truth in advertising along the way.

We've been reading HSUS fundraising mailers for the last two years, and a huge majority of them feature photos of puppies and kittens. So it's no surprise that so many Americans think HSUS is an umbrella group for pet shelters. But that image doesn't jive with reality.

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis was fond of saying that "sunlight is the best disinfectant." If the level of vitriol HSUS has been flinging our way in the past week or so is any indication, Wayne Pacelle and Michael Markarian would prefer if everyone was kept in the dark.

Sorry, guys. Game's over. And yes, our libel lawyers are keeping careful track of everything.

P.S. Over at the Center for Consumer Freedom, we're calling Wayne out on his empty "follow the money" threat. We've followed it, Wayne. It leads to HSUS's bank accounts. If you don't subscribe to CCF's Daily Headlines e-mails, click here to get in on the action.