Reptile & Amphibian Forums

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HSUS and PETA have been trying to eventually put an end to our hobby by trying to get laws passed. What if we fought to get a law passed that prohibbited charities from getting politically involved?
Just a thought.

There already is an effort underway to do this, especially with HSUS, since Federal law prohibits tax-exempt charities from lobbying, something HSUS has circumvented by having several non-exempt "umbrella" organizations(none of them animal shelters, mind you) that they fund. An attorney, Mr. Frank Losey, is spearheading an effort to fight HSUS's lobbying and expose their deception and is currently collecting as much evidence as possible of their illegal lobbying efforts. HSUS is much more of a threat than PETA, even though they share the same core beliefs and strive for the same goals. Most people don't take PETA seriously, because of their outrageous tactics, but most people still believe that HSUS acts as a group that oversees and operates locale Humane Societies nationwide, that rescues and finds new homes for all those sad-eyed, pitiful cats and dogs on their tv commercials, and that they have the best interests of animals in mind. All of that is totally false, of course. They don't operate a single shelter, don't adopt out any animals, and animals that they do "rescue" either wind up being dumped on cash-strapped, high-kill local shelters, or are killed immediately once those cameras stop rolling. Some "rescue", huh? Few people realize that HSUS is an Animal RIGHTS organization, and that "Animal Rights" equals NO animal ownership/use by humans, for any reason.

Now, here's the problem with fighting HSUS; to quote the old comic strip, "Pogo", "We have met the enemy, and he is US". That's right. WE are our own worst enemy, folks. The Animal Rightists are absolutely unified in what they want to achieve. They might disagree a bit on how to achieve it, but they all want the same thing: an absolute end to all human/animal interactions, an end to all human ownership and use of animals, for any reason, and a a world in which the only animals we see are either wild animals from a distance, or pictures in books and on the internet. (Part One...)

(Part Two...)
The AR's don't waste time pointing fingers at each other and accusing each other or laying blame on each other. They just do what they need to do, and even when they might disagree publicly, they support each other financially behind the scenes. PETA and HSUS might claim to distance themselves from ALF, for instance, but both employ known ALF terrorists and give money to members of ALF who have been arrested.

WE, on the other hand, are not united in the least, and by "WE" I mean all animal owners/breeders, regardless of species. WE are all too eager to toss one another under the bus. I see on here, all the time, people who own large snakes or "hots" complaining about how their animals are being targeted, while the AR's are ignoring what they perceive as the much-greater threat from "pit bulls" or other breeds of dogs. Breeders of dogs and cats see US, the reptile owners, as a threat, believing the AR hype about we are bloodthirsty monsters who steal innocent puppies and kitty-cats to feed to our horrible cold-blooded killer snakes. Ranchers and hunters disagree over land use. Owners of traditional pets are outraged at the ownership of "exotic" animals. Zoos want a monopoly on ownership of anything other than a cat or dog. Animal rescue groups hate animal breeders. Most groups fail to even see a connection between themselves and all the rest. On one of the forums I'm on, Arachnoboards.com, one of our members lambasts "exotic" pets and "pit bull" ownership, repeatedly calling me "stupid" for having both, saying it's only "common sense" to ban both in the name of public safety...while he himself keeps tarantulas and scorpions, two animals which are often included in "exotic" or "dangerous" animal bans, and collects high-powered and automatic firearms. He can't see a connection between them at all, and believes that HIS animals will never be targeted by the AR's. He is a case-in-point why the AR groups like HSUS are winning, and we aren't.

How right you are on ALL points. If only there was some way to divide the AR groups against each other.

They are too slick for that. We need a mole. A inside man. A bigtime powerfull and super rich guy like the late Arthur Jones with gutts and intelect to whipe the floores of Congress with them. They are world class underminders. The Merdoulf's of freedom. Cold hearted self absorbed misfitts with government approvel by design. That is what NGO's are, evil government allined pulp. And that is no "fixtion." joe6pax

I agree with most everything you said. Nothing pisses me off more than hearing something like, "I have no problem with banning with the bill that bans pythons and boas.. well, except that boas are included. We need to get boas off the list."

However, imo, this is all just a symptom of the real cancer, which is a gigantic, out-of-control and oppressive government (on all levels) that has created and fostered an environment where groups like HSUS and PETA not only exist, but thrive. Limiting the scope of the fight to very specific issues like reptile ownership or animal ownership might help in the short term, but won't stop anything in the long term. In my opinion, the only things that should unite all Americans is the concepts of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Then we might get somewhere. Of course, now that half the population receives "government assistance," that seems pretty far fetched as well.

PETA and HSUS aren't only allowed to exist and thrive. They seem to keep getting more powerful.