Help Us Win the Tough Fights for Animals
The HSUS works to provide hands-on care to tens of thousands of animals a year. But our greatest charge is to prevent cruelty, so that animals are not harmed in the first place and so that we can improve the lives of billions of animals at risk. And we do that by tackling large-scale, institutionalized cruelty such as seal killing, extreme confinement on factory farms, captive hunting, and puppy mills.
My old boss, Cleveland Amory, liked to say that you can tell a lot about someone by his friends, but also by his enemies. That’s definitely true of The HSUS. There are millions of self-sacrificing people who support our animal welfare work. But we’ve also got a good, long list of companies and individuals who profit from animal abuse and who sometimes tell it like it is. They all strike a similar tone, and here’s just what some of our traditional adversaries in the agribusiness sector have to say about the organization they dread most.
"Of all the animal organizations, HSUS has the money and the political savvy to be problematic for my clients going forward," said Michael Boccadoro, a poultry industry lobbyist. "They are on another level. We are aware of it and are watching in terms of their actions." – The Associated Press, Nov. 13, 2011
“HSUS is by far the most powerful animal rights organization in the country…” – Summary of comments by Animal Agriculture Alliance, an agribusiness lobbying group, in Capital Press, Nov. 23, 2011
“HSUS is clearly the nine-million-pound gorilla. They are powerful, sophisticated and rich and they are good at what they do. They are good at building the agenda, good at framing issues, they know how to talk about issues, which is why they are effective.” – Wes Jamison, communications and public relations professor, Meatingplace, Jan. 8, 2010
“‘The Humane Society of the United States is one of the largest, richest and most powerful organizations in the country,’ Michigan state Rep. Brian Calley (R-Portland) said. ‘They can shove a ballot initiative down your throat like they did in California.’” [Referring to Prop 2, California’s widely supported ballot initiative to phase out cramped cages and crates for farm animals] - Ionia Sentinel-Standard, Sept. 18, 2009
“The big problem today is the Humane Society [of the United States].” – Rick Berman, frontman for agribusiness and other industry groups, in September 2009 Meatingplace magazine
“Fifteen years ago we were confronted by about 150 animal rights organizations, subject to infighting and competition. Today, the movement is defined by the Humane Society of the U.S. and its president, Wayne Pacelle.” – Steve Kopperud, agribusiness lobbyist, Cattle Network, Nov. 7, 2008
More than anything, animals need a powerful force that can stand up and tackle the biggest problems that affect them in society. When you support The HSUS, you enhance our strength and provide a greater measure of hope that the circumstances for animals can change for the better. I hope you will consider making a generous year-end gift supporting our programs to improve the lives of all animals, no matter what powerful and entrenched interests try to stand in the way of common-sense reforms.
