[ SHOWGSD-L ] HSUS is really busy.........
- From: Peggy <pmick@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ShowGSD-L <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 17:40:48 -0500
I don't know if many of you have seen this already...but here's just
some news about all the PETA/HSUS bills being proposed all across the
country. 2005 must be a real target year for the ARistas...
This post came from a hunting lobby, but of course, it impacts dog
show folks, too............
Peggy
I believe that every state legislature is currently in session, except
for those in Florida and Louisiana. Normally there are 5-10 new animal
measures per state, per session. If you scan over the Humane Society of
the U.S. (HSUS) listing
<http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/state_legislation/index.html>,
you'll notice a few states with 20+ animal rights bills already
introduced. This page isn't up-to-date and is never all-inclusive, but
it gives you a feel for what HSUS and its supporters are doing across
the country.
While some of these measures may be helpful to animals, many are poorly
conceived and truly bad bills. There are some worrisome anti-hunting,
breeder restriction, "encouraged" spay-neuter, "potentially dangerous"
dog and new, vague cruelty definition proposals on the table in many
states. A few of these have been the subjects of national alerts,
breed and repeated Yahoo elist postings.
Virginia has one of the earliest and shortest legislative session in the
U.S. Animal owners and sportsmen have beaten back Virginia's problem
bills. We're fortunate here in having a well-developed communication
network and a reasonably conservative legislature. A 2005 Richmond
General Assembly review is included for your information.
Without first hand experience in other state capitols or the advice of a
trusted on-site lobbyist, it's very hard to gauge the likelihood of such
bills becoming law. SAOVA's regional, read-only elists are limited "red
alert" situations in order to not overwhelm subscribers with near-daily
message traffic.
Ultimately, each of us is individually responsible for protecting our
sport, avocation and traditions. Try to develop a local network and your
own expertise in this area. Please don't rely entirely on heads-up
alerts from the AKC, NAIA, NRA, USSA or SAOVA. None of these groups
cover all aspects of problem legislation. In addition, unfortunately,
none of us employ HSUS's level of website sophistication where a
summary, bill text, sponsor info, status and assigned committee are all
readily at hand.
Any serious student of politics will tell you that the strongest lobby
has someone in the capitol, supported by a dedicated grass roots
constituency. Good information and analysis, properly disseminated, are
critical. It's also clear that a small percentage of the millions of
hunting dog owners can make a difference. We can protect our sport. Get
involved.
Help establish a proactive hunting dog association in your state. Learn
your legislators' phone numbers and check their voting records. Be
vocal, organized and dedicated. Where possible, join with groups having
complementary interests, but don't hesitate to strike out in favor of
hunting dog owners' unique interests. Your children's and
grandchildren's hunting legacies depend on you.
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