Rick Berman Attacks the Humane Society

Submitted by Anne Landman on

Sad puppyFront group man extraordinaire Rick Berman and his attack group, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), have launched a new Web site, HumaneWatch.org, to harass the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the country's largest animal welfare organization. In pursuing its mission of stopping animal cruelty, HSUS has apparently run afoul of some large, wealthy business interests, and now it is getting some major pushback.

The Humane Society works to stop egregious, ongoing animal abuse, particularly in money-making enterprises like puppy mills, factory farming, dogfighting, cockfighting, and unsporting hunting practices like "canned hunts," where hunters pay to shoot at captive, domestically-raised, exotic animals. While this is a laudable goal, it pits HSUS against a significant number of wealthy, powerful businesses that engage in animal cruelty practices, like meat and egg producers, factory farmers, canned hunting businesses, contract research labs that do animal testing for big corporations and pharmaceutical companies that exploit animals to manufacture drugs like Premarin, which is used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Premarin is made from pregnant mares' urine and is marketed by Wyeth Pharmacueticals, one of the world's largest drug companies.

People Love Animals

HumaneWatch.org may have a hard time trying to build public animosity towards the Humane Society, since most of civil society cannot countenance the extreme cruelty against animals that occurs in these facilities. (There are now a number of videos showing such treatment posted at SourceWatch.org). At present, Berman's site, HumaneWatch.org, is trying to generate outrage against HSUS by ridiculing the group's recent activities, like raising funds for animal relief in Haiti and marketing its own brand of cruelty-free, all-natural dry dog food that does not support the factory farming industry. HumaneWatch is also trying to hurt and embarrass businesses that donate to HSUS, like the Yellow Tail Wine company, which recently donated $100,000 to HSUS's Animal Rescue Team. To target Yellow Tail, HumaneWatch.org posted a video of a cowboy standing in a manure-filled pen surrounded by cows, and pouring a bottle of Yellow Tail wine on the ground, while explaining that he is doing it to retaliate against the company for supporting the Humane Society. The video makes you want to donate to HSUS and go out and buy Yellow Tail wine to thank them for caring about animals.

Money bagsWho is Funding HumaneWatch.org?

Berman typically sets up his front groups as 501(c)4 organizations and then carries out his attacks through these groups to avoid disclosing his donors, so we have no way of knowing which industries or companies are funding Berman's attack on the Humane Society. We can probably get a good idea, though. Just determine which businesses profit most from animal cruelty, and you'll likely find the funders among them.

One thing we can be certain about: the Humane Society must be doing a decent job of lobbying on behalf of animal welfare, or it wouldn't have found itself in Berman's crosshairs.

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Comments

Anonymous replied on

You're confusing the common usage of the term "lobbyist" with its specific political meaning. An organization is not a lobby group if it doesn't do any "direct" lobbying of government officials. Period. I would hope you go to primary sources (tax returns, FEC records, lobbying disclosure forms) rather than taking the word of comedians and small-town broadcasters. IMHO, the sources you cite all made the same mistake that you're making. I'm looking at CCF's tax returns, and calling it a lobby gorup is not kosher. It's like calling someone an arsonist because a reporter writes that she is a rhetorical "bomb-thrower" ...

Anne Landman replied on

The <em>Journal of the American Medical Association</em> and <em>U.S. News and World Report</em> are authoritative references. In addition, an extensive complaint has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service against CCF for alleged violations of IRS rules regarding lobbying and personal inurement. Stephen Colbert is for fun, but he often hits the nail on the head. Anne Landman

Algiers replied on

Great article! Unfortunately, "no good deed goes unpunished". You've obviously hit a sensitive chord with dedicated dove hunters and others who appear to have a strange, emotional attachment to David Martosko and CCF. I would be interested to know what Rick Berman, a dedicated and well paid fast food, big [[pharmaceutical]] and tobacco shill and Wayne Pacelle have in common? BTW, how is WP "destroying agriculture" as a vegan who promotes sustainability and works tirelessly against atrocious and cruel factory farms? Factory farms, GMO's and chemicals from customers like [[Tyson Foods]], [[Cargill]] and [[ Monsanto]], are exactly what HHS fights against. David Martosko gets his pants in a twist if animals are humanely euthanized, but he doesn't mind if his customers breed dogs to pour chemicals down their throats or otherwise torture them at places like [[Huntington Life Sciences]]. He is a hypocrite. [[Puppy mills]] love CCF too! You can hardly find a dog breeding site that isn't quoting CCF or one of its other sites. Wouldn't it be nice if they could all go out of business and people could just adopt from shelters! I guess that's just another way that HSUS "exploits" animals, (going after abusive puppy mills and other for-profit animal enterprises). I should hope HSUS is well funded, they have 10 million members. How many "members" does CCF have? If an advocacy organization has any business sense, they are now "corporate thugs", otherwise they are simply "extremists" and "terrorists". Animals need voices, particularly in this era of shameless corporate propaganda and shilling. If he were a "corporate" thug, I think that David Martosko and Rick Berman would probably be inviting him out to lunch at one of their favorite restaurants (Wendys', McDonald's), not attacking him and HSUS for the last five years. They are both part of a disturbing, sociopathic culture where profits are everything and any kind of smear or propaganda is justifiable.

Matt in DC replied on

You definitely hit a sensitive nerve with this...keep going!!! the more pushback you recieve typically means your getting somewhere close to the truth (or in rare cases are totally off) that being said Washington hacks like the CCF like to pay PR consultants to post on every website and story that discusses a certain topic etc....definitely should make people register here otherwise you will be the target of highly(though sometimes not so high) paid professionals who just spit out the party line.....frankly, im an insider from dc...that is EXACTLY what happens

The Mad Hatter replied on

Ah, yes, trolls. There are certain subjects, that will draw trolls to an article like flies. Anything against Microsoft or Rick Berman, or anything pro-Linux or pro-consumer brings them out. Good work Anne, if you are attracting trolls, you are doing the right thing.

BS Detector replied on

It's really interesting how accusations are made against HSUS, but no credible sources are cited, whatsoever. None. Notta. That's how it started. When substantiation was requested, the New McCarthyists - for that's what they are - tried a new tactic: instead of citing and answering people's questions about why the New McCarthyists cry about "being tricked" and "deceived" by HSUS, they attacked anyone and everyone who challenged them, asking innane questions, such as "Did you ever kill any animals for HSUS" or PETA or some other organization as if other people now had supposedly injured them. All of these circular "answer a question with a completely implausible accusation aimed at the questioner and accuse them of wrong-doing" merely serves to take over a thread via spamming, and engage in McCarthy-styled circular "reasoning." It's a witchhunt. And why all this sudden flurry of activity to attack organizations who work to stop animal cruelty and bully the people who support them? CCF and its little offshoots and buddy clubs must be getting pretty desperate to maintain their stranglehold on advertising to the public in an attempt to continue inhumane practices against animals designated as "food" for their personal profit. The public is apparently sitting up and taking notice and more people are demanding standards and answers with regard to how animals are treated, and look what happens? The corporate profiteers with no one's "good" in mind except for their own bottom line launches a McCarthy-styled witchhunt campaign out of sheer desperation claiming they are "watching out for the public's interests." Does CCF et al actually hope that the public trusts any corporation to have the public's interests at heart? How delusional are they? Corporate greed, mismanagement and chicanery has been exposed lately to an astounding degree, and CCF is nervous they won't be able to continue to lie and mislead with impugnity the public via slick advertising of their "products" to allow them carte blanche permission to do anything they want to animals AND profit at the expense and misery of these animals. HSUS is exposing CCF "supporters" and "donors." Must be might uncomfortable for them to see their sales dropping because of their abominable practices. Guess they were searched for someone to blame for their own bad karma hitting them, so they decided to attack the good guy (HSUS). So, here's CCF et al trying to launch a McCarthy-styled witchhunt, trying to present itself as the public's friend. And in so doing, cementing the fact that they profit from animal cruelty - they just don't want to remind anyone about that little fact.

Gerri L replied on

This is all propaganda, the Humane Society is a joke and so is the Rick Berman "attack"...I say this as an animal lover who has owned cats, dogs, birds and fish. Hunting has to be done with species. Here in NY the deer population is so high that they're everywhere. This past year, 12 deer were found frozen standing up huddled together. Tell me that's a better fate? The Human Society in Texas sells your pets to the University of Texas for animal testing. After it was widely reported they claimed the stopped doing it! How can we be sure? I've given to the Humane Society only to find out they've done such despicable and evil acts. The claim that animal testing is "necessary" is another lie. The torture and intentional hideous abuse labeled as "research" is anything but "humane". Over 1200 "FDA" approved drugs that used millions of animals for testing have been taken off the shelves or recalled. Only to find out years later that they lied and hid test results. So why does the Humane Society think animal testing is okay yet hunting is not?

All Gods Creatures replied on

The Humane Society of the U.S. is one of the most vocal and active opponents of animal testing in the U.S. and the world. They have a variety of different campaigns to phase out and eventually eliminate all animal testing, for the sake of animals and humans, as do many humane groups, doctors and scientists. Animal testing is a money making scam, designed to push unsafe drugs out onto the market and keep vivisectionists employed. It is cruel, unnecessary and gives conflicting and useless data. 92 % of all drugs that pass animal tests, fail human trials. According to HSUS website: "More than 150 million animals—including mice, rats, birds, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, farm animals, dogs, cats, and non-human primates—are used as experimental subjects each year throughout the world. ....The Humane Society is committed to reducing that number to zero through the use of science, law, educational outreach, government lobbying, and the support of our more than 10 million members worldwide to promote more valid and humane methods of scientific research and product testing." http://www.hsus.org/hsi/animal_experiments/animal_use_statistics/ See also HSUS positions on animal research: http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/general_information_on_animal_research/hsus_position_statements/ The HSUS does not city and county humane societies, in Texas or anywhere else. Local societies are run and supported by what ever jurisdiction they are located in. They have nothing to do with the HSUS. If the HSUS does not support animal testing, they certainly don't support pound seizure. On the other hand, CCF supports any and all animal testing. Their main client, Phillip Morris tobacco, still does tons of animal testing. PM helped delay warnings on cigarettes for 20 years because of animal testing. They are big into monkey and dog torture. One of the many reasons CCF attacks animal groups is because of their position on animal testing. The other one is food issues. CCF is very pro factory farming, meat, dairy, fast food , etc. HSUS has exposed a number of slaughter house and factory farm abuses. (Only the tip of the iceberg as they are all filthy hell holes.) The first and only time in history that slaughter house workers were prosecuted for animal cruelty, was after an HSUS investigation in 2008 of a California slaughter house. It was such a horror show it had to be closed down. It was supplying "USDA certified" meat for school lunches. CCF is there to keep the propaganda machine going. Their one and only reason for existence is to do the dirty work for their corporate masters. The other main opponents of the HSUS are the NRA and the hunting lobbies. Hunters are a loud minority. There is nothing "sporting" or necessary about shooting and trapping defenseless animals. Hunters don't simply shoot deer, they shoot wolves, coyotes, foxes, bears and other natural predators. They participate in many cruel methods of hunting, which can only be described as sadistic torture. That includes "canned" hunting; throwing coyotes and other animals into fenced enclosures so their dogs can "practice" on them by tearing them apart; steel leg hold traps; drowning sets and various other "fun" and sporting activities. Mother nature does not need hunters to thin out deer populations, she needs them to leave wild life alone and stop upsetting the balance by killing animals for "sport". The hunters and the gun slingers are afraid of somebody taking their weapons away or telling them that can't shoot at anything that moves. Nobody can say anything nice about the HSUS or any animal group that doesn't send them into fits of sputtering rage. I hope the next time you watch the news and our daily blood bath of murder and mayhem, you think of the good folks at the NRA and a gun for every criminal that wants one! Those groups are are almost as bad as CCF with their tireless propaganda. How ironic that groups responsible for so much death, who get their kicks out of shooting, maiming and tormenting animals, should call animal rights advocates "extremists". I don't know who is feeding you this line, but it is irresponsible to simply repeat half baked propaganda. In the time it took you to post this disinformation on a public message board, you could have simply visited their website and found this out for yourself. It's not a case of which animals are important and which are not. All animals are suffering now. The last time I looked, they were all God's creatures.

Algiers replied on

The Humane Society of the U.S. campaigns to phase out and eventually eliminate all animal testing, for the sake of animals and humans, as do many humane groups, doctors and scientists. Animal testing is a money making scam, designed to push unsafe drugs out onto the market and keep vivisectionists employed. It is cruel, unnecessary and gives conflicting and useless data. 92 % of all drugs that pass animal tests, fail human trials. According to HSUS website: "More than 150 million animals—including mice, rats, birds, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, farm animals, dogs, cats, and non-human primates—are used as experimental subjects each year throughout the world. ....The Humane Society is committed to reducing that number to zero through the use of science, law, educational outreach, government lobbying, and the support of our more than 10 million members worldwide to promote more valid and humane methods of scientific research and product testing." http://www.hsus.org/hsi/animal_experiments/animal_use_statistics/ See also HSUS positions on animal research: http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/general_information_on_animal_research/hsus_position_statements/ HSUS does not run city and county humane societies, in Texas or anywhere else. If the HSUS does not support animal testing, they certainly don't support pound seizure. CCF 's main client, Phillip Morris tobacco, still does tons of animal testing. PM helped delay warnings on cigarettes for 20 years because of animal testing. They are big into monkey and dog torture. if CCF and PETA supported animal testing, they wouldn't be on CCF's hit list. One of the many reasons CCF attacks animal groups is because of their position on animal testing. The other one is food issues. CCF is very pro factory farming, meat, dairy, fast food , etc. HSUS has exposed a number of slaughter house and factory farm abuses. (Only the tip of the iceberg as they are all filthy hell holes.) The only time in history that slaughter house workers were prosecuted for animal cruelty, was after an HSUS investigation in 2008 of a California slaughter house. It was such a horror show it had to be closed down. It was supplying "USDA certified" meat for school lunches. CCF is there to keep the propaganda machine going. Their one and only reason for existence is to do the dirty work for their corporate masters. The other main opponents of the HSUS are the NRA and the hunting lobbies. Hunters are a loud minority. There is nothing "sporting" or necessary about shooting and trapping defenseless animals. Hunters don't simply shoot deer, they shoot wolves, coyotes, foxes, bears and other natural predators. They participate in many cruel methods of hunting, which can only be described as sadistic torture. That includes "canned" hunting; throwing coyotes and other animals into fenced enclosures so their dogs can "practice" on them by tearing them apart; steel leg hold traps; drowning sets and various other "fun" and sporting activities. Mother nature does not need hunters to thin out deer populations, she needs them to leave wild life alone and stop upsetting the balance by killing animals for "sport". The hunters and the gun slingers are afraid of somebody taking their weapons away or telling them that can't shoot at anything that moves. Nobody can say anything nice about the HSUS or any animal group that doesn't send them into fits of sputtering rage. I hope the next time you watch the news and our daily blood bath of murder and mayhem, you think of the good folks at the NRA and a gun for every criminal that wants one! How ironic that groups responsible for so much death, who get their kicks out of shooting, maiming and tormenting animals, should call animal rights advocates "extremists". I don't know who is feeding you this line, but it is irresponsible to simply repeat half baked propaganda. In the time it took you to post this disinformation on a public message board, you could have simply visited their website and found this out for yourself. It's not a case of which animals are important and which are not. All animals are suffering now. The last time I looked, they were all God's creatures.

katesmock replied on

So, it is safe to assume that you are a vegan, wear and use only synthetic fibers? Nature doesn't need help controlling the deer population? You HAVE to be a city dweller. Spend some time in the woods (in every season) and THEN tell me that. Unless of course you think starvation is a preferred death because it is "natural"?

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