[ SHOWGSD-L ] Response to MO: Re: Report: House leader has tie to dog-breeding business
- From: "Ginger Cleary" <cleary1414@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'showgsd L list'" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:53:30 -0500
**permission to forward and cross-post is granted**
This is the official response from Karen Strange, President of the
Missouri Federation of Animal Owners, regarding the news reports of Rep.
Jason Smith of Missouri and his alleged conflict of interest with Prop B.
Kim Krohn
********************************************************************************************
February 25, 2011
From: Karen Strange, President - Missouri Federation of Animal Owners
Re: Representative Jason Smith (R-Salem) and Media Reports of Conflict
of Interest with Proposition B
The Rep. Jason Smith story is sensational journalism in its most sleazy
form. Instigated by animal rights activists, there is no story there;
however, the media tried to create a story. The accusations of a
conflict of interest are manufactured and without merit. It should be
noted that the proposed changes to Proposition B, also known as the
Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act ballot initiative, are stronger than
the original language and will address all licensees that operate
substandard facilities. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),
the Humane Society of Missouri (MHS), and their supporters testified in
the House Agriculture Committee hearing during Rep. Smith's questioning
that they did not want the provisions in Proposition B that would apply
to breeders to also apply to humane societies. In short, they cannot
comply with all the requirements and do not want Proposition B changed
because the rewrites include them, which would require that ALL dogs in
licensed facilities have the same required care, whether intact or
altered. They are targeting Rep. Smith and his mother as a smokescreen
to take the heat off of themselves.
As House Majority Whip, Rep. Smith has every right to legally sit on any
House Committee of his choice and question any witnesses appearing
before that committee. He cannot vote on any committee of which he is
not a sitting member, but he may sit with the committee and ask
questions during public testimony. Because of his knowledge about
Proposition B and the animal rights movement, along with his degree in
law, he was asked to sit on the committee not only to educate the
committee members but to ask pertinent questions of witnesses concerning
Proposition B. It is no more a conflict of interest for him to question
them than for a lawyer to sit on a judicial committee, a doctor to sit
on a healthcare committee, or any legislator to vote on tax issues
because they are taxpayers in the state of Missouri.
Animal rights activists have whined and complained because they don't
like to be challenged concerning facts. The necessary changes to
Proposition B are bringing their unfounded accusations under public
scrutiny. Their true agenda of attacking agriculture has also been
brought to the publicâ??s attention.
The news stories concerning Rep. Smithâ??s motherâ??s kennel were misleading
and led viewers to assume the kennel and dogs presented were Mrs.
Smithâ??s, when in fact they were not her dogs! The images were file films
and the dogs presented were not even her breeds, much less her dogs or
kennel. As I told the news director at KRCG-TV (Channel 13, Jefferson
City MO) it was a stretch to make a story of absolutely nothing and they
were guilty of exploitative and misleading journalism. The same is true
of Channel 2 in St. Louis, MO (FoxNews2 KTVI). Mrs. Smithâ??s kennel was
immediately inspected three times by different agencies following the
release of the â??Dirty Dozenâ?? HSUS propaganda. Her facility was clean and
the animals had exemplary care. The only write-up was because Mrs.
Smith did not have a fire extinguisher in one building, and she was not
aware she needed one.
The news stories this week were inaccurate to say the least, and were
intended to take heat away from HSUS and their losing battle to continue
using propaganda to raise funds from the unknowing public in order to
pad their coffers. They are being investigated on a number of levels for
good reason.
------------------------------------
Ginger Cleary, Rome, GA
<http://craftyk9-gingerc.blogspot.com/> My Blog
Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from
themselves. ~Thomas Jefferson
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