http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0

Humane Society of the United States Fundraising Scandal!

When you hear the words “Humane Society,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it a pet shelter where families can adopt unwanted dogs and cats? Or is it a super-rich animal rights lobbying group that runs absolutely no pet shelters, and gives less than 4 percent of its $100 million budget to those who do?

We thought so.

Meet the Humane Society of the United States. This slick and moneyed PETA clone has pulled the wool over the eyes of countless Americans—including Rush Limbaugh, who recently recorded two public service announcements for the group.

Last week WSB-TV in Atlanta uncovered what Rush has somehow been unable to see: that HSUS is “an organization actively misleading donors to get money.”

HSUS_Expose.jpgIf you enjoy a good steak, if you hunt or fish, if you wear leather shoes, if you take your kids to the circus, if you (or a family member) owe your life to medical research that involved lab animals—the Humane Society of the United States doesn’t share your values. The group has the same agenda as PETA and the rest of the animal rights industry. And it is an industry. The Humane Society of the United States has an astonishing $200 million in the bank.

If you are a Humane Society of the United States donor, it’s time to reconsider that decision. Thousands of struggling pet shelters—legitimate Humane Societies—could use your help. There’s a good chance at least one of them is in your own community. And unlike the Humane Society of the United States, they’re not working overtime to ban hunting & fishing, cancel the circus, turn your boots into contraband, or stop cancer research in its tracks.

The next time a solicitation e-mail comes from the Humane Society of the United States, watch this video from WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Better yet, send this link to everyone in your address book: http://tinyurl.com/HSUS-WSB.

You could be saving a friend or loved one from making a big mistake.

For more information about the deceptive Humane Society of the United States, including the “7 Things You Didn’t Know” about the group, visit http://www.HumaneWatch.org.

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting personal responsibility and protecting consumer choices. Please support our work by donating online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta8GdABQPHA

that story should be on every news channel there is

Wayne Pacelle and his staff are beginning to remind me of a cat trying to bury their crap under whatever duff they can find. Wayne stated in a Washington post interview that he felt he was hired because he is good at thinking stuff up. Seems the things he thought up are coming back to haunt him. Three more articles beginning with Pacelle's shallow attempt to bury the truth.



HSUS
Response to WSB-TV's May 14, 2009 Report
May 15, 2009
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/response_to_.html

WSB-TV reporters should have checked their sources when they relied on
information from the widely discredited Center for Consumer Freedom
(CCF). While organized as a 501(c) (3) charity, CCF is a front group
for a wide range of animal abuse industries and other corporate
interest that wish to conceal their attacks on public interest groups
and government. The group’s stock-in-trade involves taking aim at
organizations that promote food safety, public health, or animal
welfare. CCF has even attacked the National Cancer Institute, Mothers
Against Drunk Driving and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for their anti-drunk driving and public health campaigns.

CCF has consistently sought to undermine The HSUS’s work to combat
factory farming, puppy mills, the Canadian seal slaughter, commercial
whaling, and other large-scale cruelties, and it would be most
satisfied if we spent all of our money on animal sheltering instead of
these industries that it so dutifully defends. The group attacks The
HSUS precisely because we are effective and diligent, and because we
pose the greatest threat to businesses that choose to continue to
abuse animals as a core part of their operations.

The WSB-TV story is chock full of inaccuracies, one of which concerns
the HSUS response to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. HSUS was
recognized nationwide for its enormous deployment in response to the
crisis created by Katrina. Since Sept. 1, 2005, The HSUS has committed
or spent more than $34 million on general disaster relief and recovery
efforts in the Gulf Coast states, the enhancement of its disaster
response capacities, and the transformation of public policy
concerning animals in disaster. The most recent accounting is
available to the public here.

The line of argument that we did not spend money properly was promoted
by Louisiana cockfighters, CCF, and other political opponents of ours,
and it never had a basis in fact. These groups exhibited little
knowledge of our actual spending practices—they just did not like the
level of public support and media attention we received during the
Katrina crisis. The HSUS and state authorities in Louisiana and
Mississippi work very closely on disaster planning and response, and
we continue to fund a range of projects to help shelters, vet schools,
and other institutions in the Gulf Coast. The HSUS is the lead
disaster response agency for animals in the nation.

The HSUS has invested millions of dollars in local spay and neuter
programs and is about to launch a national public service campaign
encouraging people to adopt dogs and cats from their local animal
shelters. We gave more than $6 million in direct grants to those
organizations in 2007 alone and provide extensive ongoing training,
evaluations, and other support. The HSUS also operates a network of
animal care centers, provides rural veterinary services throughout the
country, and offers a range of other hands-on programs. In 2008, we
rescued and/or cared for 70,460 animals. We also work with law
enforcement agencies to rescue animals from dogfights, puppy mills,
and other large-scale cruelties. We are rated a four-star charity by
Charity Navigator, the highest possible rating, and in 2007 w084
percent of our costs were spent on animal protection programs.

In no written materials do we claim that all of our money goes only to
animal shelters. Rather, we provide a wide range of support services
to shelters because they serve critical functions in their
communities. But they would be the first to concede that they do not
have the reach or the resources to tackle the national and
international problems of animal fighting, puppy mills, inhumane
slaughter and transport, canned hunts, the fur trade, and other
problems—campaigns that we work on every day. Through our wide range
of programs, we help tens of millions of animals every year and
prevent cruelty to countless others. Our work is complementary to
these organizations, and we work with them throughout the nation.

The HSUS is very active in Georgia, particularly on anti-dogfighting
efforts. We staff a 24-hour hotline for Atlanta-area residents to
report dogfighting activity, and we offer up to $5,000 for information
leading to arrests and convictions in dogfighting cases. We’ve paid
four rewards and provided information to law enforcement agencies
resulting in seven dogfighting busts in Georgia alone. We also run a
community-based program that reaches young people on the streets of
Atlanta to make sure they don’t get involved in dogfighting in the
first place.

The full range of our programs is set out on our web site, and we
invite people to participate in the wide range of programs that make
The HSUS the largest and most effective animal protection group in the
world.

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO

NOTE: The WSB-TV story "Where Humane Society donations really go" was
May 15, and is reproduced below, along with Wayne Pacelle’s
response. For more on H$U$'s 2007 tax returns, including a flyer
formatted as a handout, see
http://www.furcommission.com/resource/perspect999cl.htm
----------------------------------------

Animal Rights Human Responsibility
WSB-TV Aftermath: The Knives Are Out At HSUS
By ESaunders AR-HR.com
May 19, 2009
http://ar-hr.com/2009/05/19/wsb-tv-aftermath/

It has been an interesting weekend since the May 14th release of the
WSB-TV investigation of the Humane Society of the United States’
fundraising practises and the use of those funds. The reaction of the
Humane Society of the United States executive team and employees has
been dramatic, if not over the top.

Apparently the HSUS executive has not been content to stop with the
rumored unleashing the HSUS legal team on WSB-TV. This is a rumor
supported by the swift removal of both the text, viewer comments and
video from the WSB-TV website by the afternoon of Friday, May 15th and
the subsequent removal of the text article from Google’s cache system
by Saturday, May 16th. The speed of this has been startling
considering that images in Google’s cache can linger for days, weeks
and even years in some cases. This process can be accelerated by
website owner request.

Since May 14th, the number of personal attacks by both the HSUS
executive and employees has been escalating and even some of their own
supporters have not been safe from the spatter. Consider the
following:

--The article posted on “Civil Eats” by the Senior Director of the
HSUS factory farming campaign, Paul Shapiro. Aptly titled, “Lose
Pretty or Win Ugly”<http://civileats.com/2009/05/18/lose-pretty-or-win-ugly-big-ag%E2%80%99s-attacks-on-americans-concerned-about-factory-farming/>,
Mr. Shapiro proceeds to launch a series of attacks that could as
easily describe HSUS tactics as the opponents named in the article.
The comment, “When it comes to campaigning, CCF isn’t exactly known
for its fidelity to the truth.” is particularly ironic after the
admissions of HSUS Georgia Director Cheryl McAuliffe that most of her
job entails activist planning and lobbying. With her further
admission that all finances are controlled from Washington
headquarters, it seems unlikely that Georgia is the only state with
this proportion of political activity. It is even more ironic
considering the HSUS ran an online fundraising campaign using the
following soliciting statement beside the donation check box
“Yes! I want to make a special gift to help The Humane Society of the
United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case and to
support other vital animal protection programs.”
As I have written before, HSUS was not the agency caring for the dogs
but instead it was the organization Bad Rap in association with the
ASPCA, while HSUS was recommending the Michael Vick dogs be
euthanized.

--HSUS Chief Operating Officer Michael Markarian and HSUS Internet
Brand Manager Carie Lewis were actively forwarding the article “CCF
Continues to Decieve Journalists, Public”<
http://diggingthroughthedirt.blogspot.com/2009/05/ccf-continues-to-deceive-journalists.html>
from the blog, Digging Through The Dirt through the social networks
via Twitter (pdf of image available in case Twitter post disappears)
yet never acknowledge that the CCF statistics are independently
confirmed through this website. This raises the question, if the CCF
data is accurate (which it is) then why does HSUS continue to claim
deception? The “Digging Through the Dirt” Blog even accused CCF of
attacking HSUS with Craigslist postings. However, there is one
problem with this accusation. Its not CCF, which I know for a fact.
No, it isn’t me either but I’m going to leave it at that for now.

--HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle has attacked the Center for Consumer
Freedom’s status as a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt charity despite the evidence
provided by WSB-TV which throws the HSUS’ own 501(c) 3 tax-exempt
staus into doubt.

--Andy Vance and I were called the “Limbaugh and Coulter of the meat
industry” by HSUS employee Barbara Henderson. This was by far the
mildest and most entertaining of the attacks to date for a couple of
reasons. (1) I’m not certain that the meat industry really knows or
cares much about either AR-HR.com or myself. (2) Didn’t Rush Limbaugh
just do a couple of public service announcements for the Humane
Society of the United States that he has taken ALOT of heat for? It
probably isn’t good policy to use a celebrity supporter’s name as an
insult attempt, even in jest.

WSB-TV may have pulled their very brave report from public viewing,
but the awareness this story has raised has certainly struck a nerve
up to the highest levels of the Humane Society of the United States.
If there was nothing to the story or the questions it has raised, why
are they waging a war of personal attacks instead of simply laying out
the numbers and the data? Equally interesting is the question, “Why
are the HSUS executive leveling accusations that match the HSUS as
closely, if not more closely, than those they are attacking?”

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders http://AR-HR.com

WSB-TV2 (ABC-Atlanta)
Where Humane Society Donations Really Go
Updated: 6:24 am EDT May 15, 2009
http://www.wsbtv.com/sports/19463509/detail.html

ATLANTA -- A Channel 2 investigation is looking into millions of
dollars in donations given to the Humane Society of the United States.

A national consumer organization says the society solicits pet-lovers
for money, but little to none of that money ever goes to help local
shelters.

Critics tell Channel 2 Action News reporter Amanda Rosseter that this
isn't just consumers misunderstanding who they are giving to -- but an
organization actively misleading donors to get money.

“They do their marketing very well, that's for sure,” said Trey Burley
of PAWS Atlanta.

Critics say the national organization takes advantage of people who
think they are giving to local shelters. DeKalb's "PAWS" shelter says
there is no regular funding help from the $100 million HSUS budget.

“I think that some of the folks who donate to the national
organization may be under the false pretense that that money is going
to a local cause,” said Burley.

While the HSUS does work to stop puppy mills, it also gets media
coverage and donations doing it. But the puppies then go to local
shelters who have to pay and care for them.

“They may initialize the resources for a rescue, but again the animals
go to a shelter somewhere in the country,” said Richard Rice, VP of
the Atlanta Humane Society.

Critics said HSUS also takes advantage of high-profile events. After
hurricane Katrina, HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle promised on national TV to
reunite pets with their owners -- and raised $34 million for the
cause. But public disclosures of where that money went add up to less
than $7 million.

The Louisiana attorney general launched an 18-month-long
investigation, and then ended it, when HSUS offered to build the state
a new shelter.

The HSUS annual report for 2007 showed $120 million in revenue,
including $5.4 million just from online donors.

Then there's $112 million in expenses -- most of which appears to have
gone to legislation for animal rights bills. The list includes
raccoons, mice, wild horses, burros and primates. The center for
consumer freedom says all worthy causes, but HSUS shouldn't mislead to
get money.

So where does all the money go?

“It goes to lobbying, it goes to political contributions, it goes to
pay huge staff salaries and benefits," said David Martosko with Center
for Consumer Freedom.

Channel 2 Action News went to a local HSUS meeting to find out. The
two hour discussion was about activist plans and lobbying. The Georgia
director for the HSUS agrees that's mostly what she does.

“I think that in all of our literature, it is very explicit as to what
our campaigns are and what we are doing,” said Cheryl McAuliffe,
Georgia Director for HSUS. “We help where we can and focus on our
programs, which are national and international.”

McAuliffe said there are just too many local shelters to help.

“I always tell people, contribute to your local shelter first,” said McAuliffe.

When asked how much her budget is for the state of Georgia, McAuliffe
said she didn't have a budget and neither did other states. McAuliffe
said all money is controlled from headquarters in Washington, D.C.

HSUS later contacted Channel 2 about their work during hurricane
Katrina. They say all of the money they collected has been spent since
the initial crisis on helping Katrina families and pets.

Copyright 2009 by WSBTV.com.

HSUS pulling all stops to bury critical TV report (Blog)&#8207;

Sent: May 20, 2009 3:30:28 PM



NOTE: Blogs are burning up over the rapid and systematic removal of
the WSB-TV report on HSUS fundraising from public view. Please direct
your inquiries to WSB-TV at talk2us@wsbtv.com.
-----------------------

Animal Rights or Human Responsibility (Blog)
WSB-TV’s HSUS Investigation Aftermath: It Isn’t Over
By ESaunders AR-HR.com
May 20, 2009
http://ar-hr.com/2009/05/20/wsb-tv-investigates-the-hsus-part/

Welcome to the jungle … we’ve got fun & games. They claim they’re
saving animals but politics pulls the reins. (Apologies to Guns n
Roses, I got carried away for a moment)

Its amazing how this story just keeps on rolling, and its really the
Humane Society of the United States that is driving it. A cone of
silence continues to descend over the original WSB-TV story on HSUS
fundraising practises that continues to support the rumor of the
unleashing of the HSUS legal team on WSB-TV for their researched &
fact-supported story.

As I previously mentioned, the original story been removed from the
WSB-TV website. When I wrote to WSB-TV that I was saddened to see the
story removed from their website, I received the following response.
A response that has been sent out to others who wrote in to WSB-TV
over their disappointment as seeing the story vanish from view.

“Thank you for writing to Talk2Us. We appreciate hearing that you were
engaged by the report about HSUS. We put up and pull down stories as
part of our daily editorial process. We are working on an additional
story about HSUS. - WSB-TV”

Its an odd response. How often does a network pull a story after less
than 24hrs where the viewing is accelerating and the comments are
still being logged at a rapid pace. (mostly supporting the article I
might add. I have copies of the comments, just in case this is
contested) Furthermore, the Youtube copies of the WSB-TV video have
all been taken down by WSB-TV request through a copyright claim.
Funny thing though, at last my count there were 254 Youtube video
links that were WSB-TV video. Yet the video that they have taken down
is the one with the HSUS investigation? Considering the current
evidence, I fear a much less accurate follow up. I hope to be wrong.

David Martosko of the Center of Consumer Freedom has not been immune
from the attacks either. Alot of people on Twitter were surprised to
find that his accounts had been suspended for “Suspicious Activity”,
allegedly at the behest of the HSUS. Given that (a) his Twitter
activity does not appear to violate Twitter terms of service and (b)
the Humane Society Twitter users have the ability to block his
messages if they don’t want to see them, it is difficult to interpret
this as anything but a message that the HSUS doesn’t want anyone one
Twitter to be able to see his messages.

I’ve been noticing a significant amount of activity on this website as
well, with a minimum of 15 visits from the Humane Society of the
United States server this morning already. They are spending a lot of
time on the two most previous blog articles as well as on the About
AR-HR page. I’ve publicly asked (via Twitter) if there is something
in particular that they are looking for, but have not yet received a
response

The usual recommendation to corporations facing this kind of media is
to ignore it, since attempting to make it go away usually makes the
process worse. I’m becoming increasingly curious why they are
actively choosing to forego this normal, and wise, course of action.
Why is fighting to make it seem like this report never happened SO
important to them up to the very highest levels?

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

H$U$ is taking some major heat and deservedly so.



Call to re-open HSUS Katrina investigation (email)&#8207;

Sent: May 21, 2009 3:42:27 PM


NOTE: The link to the ABC Atlanta Report on H$U$ as noted in the
following from David Martosko at the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF)
is not presently working. But new sites have popped up. Try these:

http://www.toofiles.com/en/oip/videos/wmv/wsbonhsusreport.html
http://www.toofiles.com/en/oip/videos/wmv/wsb-tvonhsusreport.html
http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=496392

For more on H$U$, visit: H$U$ Watch on their strategy and 2007 tax
returns at http://www.furcommission.com/resource/perspect999cl.htm and
Rush is Wrong! at http://www.furcommission.com/news/newsF11j.htm
-----------------------------

PLEASE CROSS-POST

The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom has learned that the office
of Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell is considering
whether to re-open an investigation into the Humane Society of the
United States (HSUS). The investigation concerns whether HSUS
improperly spent some of the $34 million it raised for the benefit of
pets displace d by Hurricane Katrina.

Apparently, Caldwell's office received a deluge of phone calls last
week, beginning the day after Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV aired an
exposé of HSUS's fundraising activities. In that report, WSB called
HSUS "an organization actively misleading donors to get money." The TV
station also explored just how little of HSUS's "Katrina" fundraising
appears to have been spent on genuine Katrina-related disaster relief.

This was a fabulous piece of journalism on a subject many news outlets
have been too intimidated or too biased to cover. (WSB-TV is working
on a follow-up story, but we'll all just have to wait patiently for
that.)

An anonymous animal lover has made the video of the May 14 report
available at http://is.gd/BQGu -- Note that there's no way to know if
HSUS will be successful at continually censoring this video. (At least
one previous version was pulled from YouTube this week after being
viewed more than 50,000 times.)

Here's what you can do to help:

(1) CALL the Consumer Protection Section of the Louisiana Attorney
General's Office ,
<http://ag.state.la.us/Article.aspx?articleID=28&catID=12&printer=1#ConsumerProtectionSection>
during regular business hours. The toll-free number is 800-351-4889.
If you live in Louisiana, please call the local number at
225-326-6465, or the general office number at 225-326-6200.

Tell whoever answers that you would like the Attorney General to
re-open his investigation of the Humane Society of the United States.
Remind him/her that there's no official accounting of how HSUS spent
most of the $34 million it raised after Hurricane Katrina.

Before you hang up, ask to be transferred to Assistant Attorney
General Mimi Hunley. If you get through to Ms. Hunley, please be
polite and make the same request of her or her staff.

(2) Please follow-up with a polite e-mail to
ConsumerInfo@ag.state.la.us, and let the A.G.'s office read your
request in your own words. Drop me an e-mail
atMartosko@ConsumerFreedom.com and let me know how everything went.
(Or just "BCC" me on your follow-up e-mail.)

(3) Share the video of WSB-TV's exposé with your friends, colleagues,
family, and neighbors. It remains available (for now) at
http://is.gd/BQGu -- If this video should disappear, feel free to
e-mail me and ask if another version has popped up anywhere.

(4) If you are able, please consider making a donation to the Center
for Consumer Freedom so we can keep putting pressure on the Humane
Society of the United States. We've got some exciting plans for the
months ahead, but we need additional resources to make it all work.
For every dollar we raise, HSUS typically raises about $30.

Donations can be made at http://www.consumerfreedom.com/donationscfm
and they are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The Center
for Consumer Freedom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Thanks for all you do to provide for animals. Remember: You are the
real animal advocates. And we're on your side.

David Martosko
Director of Research
The Center for Consumer Freedom
martosko@ConsumerFreedom.com

www.Twitter.com/DMartosko
www.ConsumerFreedom.com
www.PETAkillsAnimals.com
www.HumaneWatch.org

H$U$ doesnt like the exposure but it seems they are getting it anyway.




Humane Society Cover-up?&#8207;
From: Townhall Spotlight (townhallmessage@TownHallmail.com)



The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom has been working to expose the hypocrisy and fundraising deceptions of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). This is the group that many donors THINK is their local animal shelter. It’s really a $100-million-dollar animal rights lobbying group. Think PETA with a fancier pair of plastic shoes.

DonateGraphic.jpgYou may have recently seen WSB-TV’s exposé on this radical animal rights organization. (WSB is Atlanta’s ABC affiliate.) The Center for Consumer Freedom was featured in the piece, which aired last Thursday. It was hugely popular, attracting more than 50,000 viewers on YouTube in addition to WSB’s regular TV audience and resulting print coverage.

Since the report first aired, HSUS has been working feverishly to silence it. The group bullied the TV station into removing the video and the text of the story from its website. HSUS even convinced the station to contact YouTube with copyright claims to have the news segment removed from public view. The video is no longer available anywhere on the Internet. All because HSUS is afraid of the truth.

WSB-TV called HSUS “an organization actively misleading donors to get money.” We added that most of the proceeds from HSUS’s massive fundraising operations don’t benefit homeless cats and dogs: “It’s very deceptive … [the money] goes to lobbying, it goes to political contributions, it goes to pay huge staff salaries and benefits.” This was a great piece of journalism on a subject most news outlets are too intimidated or biased to cover.

Click here to read “The Seven Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS”

To say we struck a nerve would be an understatement. HSUS’s aggressive response is a testament to our strategy and effective messaging. HSUS’s biggest vulnerability is the public discovering that it is not a pet shelter. If we can bring that message to the public, we can seriously undercut HSUS’s credibility and expose them as the radical animal rights group that they really are.

In addition, the Louisiana Attorney General's office has been receiving a deluge of questions about one of the WSB-TV report's claims: That HSUS misused money it promised to spend helping reunite Hurricane Katrina victims with their pets. Louisiana A.G. Buddy Caldwell is considering whether to re-open a full-scale investigation into this. if you feel as strongly about it as we do, PLEASE CALL his office’s Consumer Protection Section at 800-351-4889 and let them know.

Click here to read an in-depth “ActivistCash.com” report about the Humane Society of the United States

Can you help the Center for Consumer Freedom? We are seeking one-time contributions to finance the production and distribution of our own short online documentary about the Humane Society of the United States. It will be similar to the news coverage HSUS has managed to bully off the Internet, but the group will not have any legal right to impact its distribution.

We are trying to raise $75,000 during the next week to finance this project, and we need your help today! Click here to make a tax-deductible online donation to assist with our efforts.

Sincerely,

The Center for Consumer Freedom

CCF responds to HSUS claims (Blog)&#8207;

Sent: June 3, 2009 6:34:24 PM

NOTE: The comments to this post can be viewed by visiting the URL
below. One comment in particular raises interesting questions as to
the extent of HSUS’s actual presence in New Orleans after Katrina;

SNIP
“Remember all those news photos of HSUS rescuers during Katrina? I
know of a group of bird rescuers who were given blue HSUS tee shirts
to wear when they went into New Orleans. They were told that way they
could be identified as legitimate rescue people. Duh….it also
guaranteed more of those blue tee shirts would be on the news.”
SNIP
--------------------------

Ohmidog! (Blog)
HSUS-basher seeks equal time, gets it
jwoestendiek
May 29th, 2009
http://www.ohmidog.com/2009/05/29/hsus-basher-seeks-equal-time-gets-it/

Since we reprinted the Humane Society of the United States full
response to allegations made in a since-retracted piece of
investigative journalism by Atlanta’s WSB-TV, the Center for Consumer
Freedom has asked that we reprint their entire response to that
response.

So, being entirely responsible, we’re doing so.

It comes from David Martosko, director of Research for the center, who
appeared in the WSB report and is a longtime critic of HSUS:

“The level of deception exhibited by the Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS) never ceases to amaze us. Its baseless attacks on the
Center for Consumer Freedom are a good indication of the
organization’s shrill tone, and the desperation it must be feeling as
its house of cards begins (finally) to tumble.

“If there’s a “front group” in this story, it’s HSUS. The organization
“fronts” for the PETA-approved vegan way of life while pretending to
represent average pet owners. Conversely, we are very open about who
we are, what we do, and why. It seems HSUS has no stomach for
answering charges — only making them.

“HSUS complains so bitterly about our work because we are the only
voice pointing out the dishonesty inherent in raising money for one
thing and spending it on another. We’re happy to absorb the
rumor-mongering and false innuendo of HSUS and other groups that
jealously guard their unearned public credibility if it means we can
continue to shine disinfecting sunlight on HSUS and the rest of the
animal rights industry.

“WSB-TV is to be commended for its daring report. Few American
charities engage in fundraising as brazenly deceptive as HSUS’s. For
in-depth information about HSUS, readers can visit
http://www.HumaneWatch.org.

“While routinely pretending to be a traditional pet-sheltering “humane
society,” HSUS spends precious little of its resources caring for
homeless pets. Our analysis of HSUS’s 2007 tax filings indicates that
less than 4 percent of its spending consisted of financial assistance
to genuine humane societies and other hands-on dog and cat shelters.

“Yet a majority of Americans, when polled, indicate the mistaken
beliefs that (1) HSUS is a legitimate umbrella group for local pet
shelters, and (2) a significant portion of HSUS’s fundraising directly
benefits pet shelters in their communities. This misperception only
serves to benefit HSUS and the rest of the well-heeled animal rights
industry. It certainly doesn’t benefit America’s needy pets.

“HSUS currently has over $200 million in assets. It pays nearly $22
million each year in salaries and benefits. That’s more than five
times what it gives to pet shelters that do the real work of caring
for dogs and cats.

“According to a 2008 Los Angeles Times investigation, less than 12
percent of money raised for HSUS by California telemarketers actually
ends up in HSUS’s bank account. The rest is kept by professional
fundraisers. Excluding two campaigns run for HSUS by the “Build-a-Bear
Workshop” retail chain, which consisted of the sale of surplus stuffed
animals (not really “fundraising”), HSUS’s “yield” number from this
telemarketing shrinks to just 3 percent.

“In 2004, HSUS ran a telemarketing campaign in Connecticut with
fundraisers who promised to return a minimum of zero percent of the
proceeds. The campaign raised over $1.4 million. Not only did
absolutely none of that money go to HSUS, but the group paid $175,000
for the telemarketing work.

“HSUS has built and maintained its position in the animal rights
industry through a consistent pattern of subtle but effective
fundraising manipulation, portraying itself as the savior of displaced
dogs and cats while leaving the real heroes—local humane societies and
other pet shelters—to wither on the vine. The United States
desperately needs a real national humane society that will singularly
devote itself to funding pet shelters. At present all we have is HSUS,
which is far more concerned with funding its own crusade against meat,
eggs, dairy foods, fur and leather, circuses, rodeos, hunting and
fishing, and lifesaving disease research that depends on the judicious
use of laboratory animals.

“Practically speaking, HSUS functions as a bigger and more media-savvy
version of the more familiar People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA). The principal differences are in scale (HSUS is far
richer), tone (HSUS appears more moderate for the sake of
fundraising), and a greater emphasis on political activity. During the
2008 federal election cycle, HSUS spent more money than ExxonMobil,
Citigroup, or General Motors.

“HSUS’s public deceptions go far beyond its apparent hoarding of cash
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Beginning on the day of NFL
quarterback Michael Vick’s 2007 dogfighting indictment, HSUS raised
money online with the false promise that it would “care for the dogs
seized in the Michael Vick case.” The New York Times later reported
that HSUS wasn’t caring for Vick’s dogs at all. And HSUS president
Wayne Pacelle told the Times that his group recommended that
government officials “put down” (that is, kill) the dogs rather than
adopt them out to suitable homes. HSUS later quietly altered its
Internet fundraising pitch.

“If HSUS wants to be taken seriously by Americans who care about
animals, it should designate a majority of its fundraising as
pass-through grants to pet shelters in the communities of its donors.
Anything less will be insufficient in our present era of political
accountability and transparency.”

Animal Rights or Human Responsibility (Blog)
Did the Humane Society Fail to Account for Political/Lobbying Activity
of Personnel on IRS Tax Filings?
By ESaunders AR-HR.com
http://ar-hr.com/2009/05/31/did-humane-society-fail-irs/

As many readers know, the issue of how the Humane Society of the
United States continues to maintain its 501(c8 3 tax-exempt status is
one I have found continually perplexing. After further review of the
HSUS tax filings, I have a new question.

“Did the Humane the United States fail to account for Political and/or
Lobbying activity of Paid Personnel and Volunteers on their 2005, 2006
& 2007 IRS Tax Filings?”

According to the IRS website, “Whether an organization’s attempts to
influence legislation, i.e., lobbying, constitute a substantial part
of its overall activities is determined on the basis of all the
pertinent facts and circumstances in each case. The IRS considers a
variety of factors, including the time devoted (by both compensated
and volunteer workers) and the expenditures devoted by the
organization to the activity, when determining whether the lobbying
activity is substantial.”

Yet, when looking at the 2007 IRS 990 forms filed by the HSUS, I
noticed the following information in the statement of Lobbying
Activity by Non-Electing Charities:

Scanned page of 2007 tax return:
http://ar-hr.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/hsus-2007-lobbying-part-vi-b.jpg

The question for this section reads: During the year, did the
organization attempt to influence national, state or local
legislation, including any attempt to influence public opinion on a
legislative matter or referendum, through the use of (a) Volunteers
(b) Paid staff or management. The response to both sections was No.
This was the response in 2007 as well as in 2006 & 2005 despite the
following examples:

--May 8 2007 HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle, testified before Congress to
“urge the Congress to pass legislation” as stated in his HSUS blog
Humane Nation, introducing himself as representing the Humane Society
of the United State and submitting a 52 page report
(http://agriculture.house.gov/testimony/110/h70508/Pacelle.pdf)
including his testimony and supporting documentation
--November 8, 2005 HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle testified before Congress on
the issue of the Pet Animal Welfare Statute
--On the Ballot Initiative section of the HSUS website, one may access
a list of Ballot Initiatives where HSUS claims central involvement
extending from 1990 through 2008
--On the Enacted and Vetoed State Legislation section of the HSUS
website, the following statement is found, “The Government Affairs
section of the Humane Society of the United States tracks, reviews,
drafts, comments, lobbies and testifies on legislation that impacts
animals in almost every state. We also keep a record of certain
priority legislation on this website so citizens can take action.”
This page includes the lists of Enacted and Vetoed Legislation from
2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008.

All of the above cited items could not have occurred without the
involvement of paid and/or volunteer personnel. All were claimed
under the auspices of the Humane Society of the United States, not the
Humane Society Legislative fund or one of the other HSUS sub-entities.

It appears that these activities continue, as was observed by the
investigative team who attended a Georgia state HSUS meeting and found
it to be primarily involved in activist plans and lobbying, an
assessment agreed with by HSUS Georgia State director Cheryl McAuliffe
who also acknowledged that this forms the majority of her work-related
activity and that all budgeting is controlled from the HSUS Washington
headquarters. It is reasonable to believe significantly greater
volunteer involvement, especially when one considers emails such as
this one being sent on the behalf of the HSUS:


From: Jordan Matyas [mailto: jmatyas@hsus.org]
Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 2:51 PM
To: Jordan Matyas

Subject: Legislative Update from Springfield

It has been a very busy few months at Illinois’ state capitol. Because
of your help, we are having a great year in Springfield. The summaries
below provide a blurb about each bill - for more information on any
particular legislation, feel free to contact me. Thanks so much to all
of you for your phone calls and emails to legislators – but remember
the fight is not over! (See here for remainder:
http://ar-hr.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/hsus-matayas-springfield-il.pdf)

If the HSUS has not accounted for the activities of paid employees and
volunteers, and this lack of accounting causes the HSUS to fail the
“Substantial Part of Activities” standard set by the IRS, the HSUS
could be subject to back-taxes on the $152 million in gross receipts
for 2007 alone. Considering the increase in lobbying activities in
2008 and 2009, will the HSUS continue to claim that there is no
activity by either volunteers or paid personnel that is occurs under
the auspices of the HSUS? Will the HSUS executive explicitly
reference the sub-entity that they are representing, as Patricia
Forkan did in 2006
(http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=5097),
without invoking the authority of the HSUS?

Will the HSUS pay taxes on its 2008 filing or 2009?

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved

That's amazing. At a time when our national debt is soaring, our government allows these criminals to cheat us all!

The IRS should "hang em high".

They oughta hang em but like always they will not even be investigated just like PETA when folks got an online petition to strip them of their tax exempt status.

Drifter