[accmemberdiscussion] Pet Legislation 2011: Tip of the Iceberg! - National Animal Interest Alliance

From: Baba Monk <babamonk@xxxxxxx>
To: accmemberdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:20:02 -0600


NATIONAL ANIMAL INTEREST ALLIANCE For the welfare of animals, to safeguard the 
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01/26/2011

Pet Legislation 2011: Tip of the Iceberg!
Lots -- and I mean lots -- of contentious, high-profile animal legislation is 
on the table right now, and this is just the start.

Currently, the most high profile is in Missouri, where there was a hearing on 
Prop B yesterday. Arguments were heard from virtually anybody with an opinion 
-- calls to overturn the bill, emotional pleas to keep it as-is, and everything 
in between.

It's going to be a long, bitter fight. Look for our full assessment of Prop B 
and its fallout within the next few days.

One item of interest in this debate is how often the proponents of Prop B have 
been called "animal rights" activists in recent news articles. Up until about 
10 days before the election, the term used was all too often "animal welfare." 
It's a welcome change (if perhaps too little, too late).

Rep. Jason Smith has had the best quote so far regarding how manipulative 
images and language influenced voters to vote for Prop B:

“Who’s in favor of puppy mills?” he asked. “If you want to win a debate, you 
define the terms.”

Ya think? It's definitely an effective method of framing the issue -- though 
it's bound to lose some impact as it is stretched ever thinner and thinner in 
an effort to define more and more individuals and operations; we've reached a 
point where simply owning more intact animals than your local activist group 
deems acceptable* makes you some sort of "puppy mill." When terms become so 
catch-all, much of the original meaning** is lost in translation.

But the Prop B hearing was just the tip of the iceberg. There's also  HB 2482 
in Virginia (animal care; enforcement procedures and standards related to 
animal cruelty), a bill in Maine that creates joint liability for tenants and 
their landlords if a tenant's pet causes damage (this bill has almost no hope 
of passing --but if it did, can you imagine how many rentals in Maine would 
immediately ban pets altogether?), and in Utah, a woman has threatened a 
lawmaker for sponsoring a bill that would legalize the killing of feral animals.

2011 is going to be a long, crazy year in animal legislation. In fact, it 
already is. And by the way... one of the best ways to keep on top of it all is 
to sign up for legislative alerts with NAIA Trust! NAIA Trust can't help you 
protect your rights if you don't sign up!

 

-------------------------------------------------

*  The "acceptable number" is typically zero. 
** The original definition large of "puppy mill" simply applied to substandard 
breeding operations.

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[accmemberdiscussion] Pet Legislation 2011: Tip of the Iceberg! - National Animal Interest Alliance

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