While People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is busy planning its next radical move to gain media attention, employees for the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) are going to work in business suits gearing up to tie folks to a vegan lifestyle and abolish animal agriculture in this country. With their $200 million annual budget, these boys mean business; HSUS worked to pass 97 animal rights laws across the country in 2010. Last week, I attended the South Dakota Humane Lobby Day, where the state HSUS group spoke with legislators. While there, I got a first-hand glimpse at the organization’s priorities, and I’m deeply concerned about its agenda. Jeff Ondrak, a beef cattle clinical veterinarian and University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty member at the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center in Clay Center, feels the same way. He spoke with Lori Potter of the
Kearney Hubb about HSUS, saying,
"They Are Here To Stay."
Ondrak explains that PETA and HSUS have a common goal to eliminate animal agriculture, but utilize different approaches.
“PETA is an overtly animal rights organization,” Ondrak says. “PETA is upfront about its mission. They’re so goofy that most people don’t take them seriously. They really make us look rational and reasonable because they aren’t, obviously.”
He adds that the greater concern is with HSUS, because it appears to be a more reasonable organization and has a $200-million budget. A big issue with HSUS is name confusion.
"Many people falsely believe that the organization supports local animal shelters. HSUS owns no shelters," Ondrak says. "And, most of its revenues go toward employee salaries and benefits and to lobbying. If you get a letter from HSUS, please don’t send them money."
HSUS is certainly a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I’ll never forget the email I received from a beef producer and reader who urged me to focus on different topics because, “HSUS isn’t even in my top-10 list of concerns or priorities.” To that I say, if you aren’t worried about this organization, it’s high-time you start. I know it’s easy to forget about the political agendas of others when you’re busy calving out cows and feeding hay, but HSUS wants to regulate all of us out of business, and that’s something that’s getting more difficult to ignore. Talk to your friends and neighbors about the true agenda of this organization. For more information on this topic, link here.
