Insidecover story the HSUS Brain You can avoid becoming a Humane Society of the United States statistic. Here’s what you need to know.

By David Martosko, The Center for Consumer Freedom

ike many social Full disclosure, it turns out, is movements, the bad for business. world of animal When PETA co-founder Ingrid rights is Newkirk famously said, “A rat is difficult to under- a pig is a dog is a boy,” she wasn’t stand from the out- making chit-chat. She was de- Lside. And like most animal scribing a moral philosophy—she rights groups, the Humane Soci- and millions of people living in ety of the United States (HSUS) America believe a heifer has the would rather you stay in the dark. same moral value as your child. (Continued on page 18)

National Meat Association 1 7 The animal rights religion Figure out what animals need, raise money Meet the outsiders “Animal rights” is a belief system with to give it to them, steamroll inconvenient For the first 50 years of its existence, the sacraments and high priests like Newkirk and people who get in the way, and remake the HSUS was a moderate, milquetoast animal HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle, and acolytes in world in Peter Singer’s image. protection group. It was started in 1954 by HSUS up-and-comer Paul Shapiro and Mercy Lather, rinse, repeat. For Animals founder, Nathan Runkle, among The problem is that it’s impossible to ask “Wayne Pacelle, Paul Shapiro, many others. It has its Bible (Animal Libera- heifers what they need. Actual animal be- and many other HSUS senior tion) and its catechism (unofficially, PETA’s haviorists make educated guesses, of course. staffers claim repeatedly, almost website). It also has its own very rigid Articles And centuries of trial and error have given us of Faith. Here are the three most basic ones: some insights into what they don’t need. But pathologically, that they represent 1. There is no higher calling in human life divining the wants of livestock is ultimately 11 million Americans—one than the elimination of suffering. a psychological game, like five-year-old chil- out of 28 people in the United It naturally follows from this that vegans dren assigning motives and emotions to their are more virtuous than the rest of us. imaginary friends. Over time, the “needs” States. That’s more than 25,000 2. Animals and humans have the same exact of those friends get more outlandish. At first members in every Congressional moral value. “my imaginary friend” needs a lollipop. Then Therefore, any tactic you would use to it’s a pair of shoes. But when it’s a room and district. The problem with this is save a person’s life, whether legal or il- weekly allowance, the game disintegrates. that it’s not true. Not even close.” legal, is justifiable if you’re trying to save This game of quiet incrementalism is stan- an animal’s life. dard stuff for animal rights strategists. dissident employees of the American Hu- 3. Using animals for any human purpose For cows with supposed “desires,” a quick mane Association who wanted something a always causes animals to suffer. trip to unconsciousness followed by humane bit more radical. So ending the suffering of animals re- slaughter may be the best deal imaginable. It By 1950s standards, they got it. Originally quires that we use fewer of them for sure beats nonexistence, anyway. But do all called the National Humane Society, HSUS food (and eventually none), effectively cows need unfettered access to pasture, and was more effective than AHA, whose advo- eliminating suffering by eliminating the a diet that’s free of corn? Does every heifer cacy mission was (and still is) split between sufferer. need to wean her young for six months? protecting animals and children. HSUS was Read it again. You’re looking inside the Do chickens need to congregate outdoors, more aggressive. It lobbied governments. It brains of both Pacelle and Newkirk. The two at the risk of succumbing to the elements got press. It organized marches. It pioneered are wired identically, even if they promote (and to their cannibalistic kin)? Do sows need the concept of cause-based celebrity spokes- their joint cause differently. the freedom to be unrestrained, even if their persons. Rule #2 gives animal activists the moral own health suffers? Do all livestock need to But underneath, HSUS remained a lum- authority to lobby for changes in the law. It avoid the veterinarian’s antibiotic needle, bering mammoth with a slow-moving internal also gives those who are so inclined the philo- even if it makes them vastly more likely to bureaucracy. Its dues-paying members were sophical “cover” to commit arson, make vi- become ill? more commonly elderly ladies than young cious threats, and call openly for the murder. Fast-forwarding a bit, do farm animals swashbucklers. The organization’s leaders And that bit about “eliminating the suf- need legal personhood, and the right to sue made gobs of money and got the kinds of ferer” is the linchpin of what HSUS is plan- you in court? Do they need assurances that perks normally reserved for ethically compro- ning for the coming decades. Find another they will not be eaten in the first place? mised politicians. explanation for HSUS Outreach Director Josh Except what animals actually need, it HSUS, in short, was animal rights “cor- Balk’s startling ice-breaker during a 2009 turns out, doesn’t matter as much as deter- poratized.” It still is, but a new generation of speech: “It is needed for farm animals mining who gets to decide what they need. leadership stormed into the executive suite that we get people to eat more vegetarian And who’s more likely to know the right an- in late 2003 and promptly took the training meals…We just have to reduce the num- swer: Meat-eaters or vegans? Active ranchers wheels off. ber of animals that are raised for food.” or passive philosophers? A Wyoming native, Wayne Pacelle is the first vegan to lead or someone from Connecticut (like Wayne HSUS and he hires mostly vegans for his in- What cows “need” Pacelle) who has never had a job in agricul- ner circle. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Josh Balk wasn’t recommending vegetari- ture, works in Washington, DC, and admits vegans are vegetarians with a superiority anism for health reasons, or to save the plan- that “there’s no special bond between me and complex. They don’t touch meat, dairy, eggs, et. That would be too “anthropocentric.” He’s other animals”? seafood, animal-tested household products, doing it because he thinks that’s what the Put another way, should real-world stake- leather, fur, wool, or silk (have you seen how animals need. And if you believe the animal holders decide what animals need? Or should they boil the worms?). “Natural lambskin” rights dogma that suffering is unavoidable on it be outsiders—self-styled experts who don’t condoms are forbidden. So is honey. farms and feedlots, not being born starts to work with animals and would never think of Pacelle was asked during a 2007 Farm look pretty good. eating them? Bill hearing to identify the most humanely This line of thought is what drives the Believe it or not, the outsiders are win- raised pork or veal in the world—any prod- leadership of organizations like HSUS: ning. uct that actually met his standards of how

18 www.nmaonline.org livestock should be treated. Something he Pets are “re-wilded.” Predator species are left far greater grassroots support than it actually would consider eating. alone to kill what they can, including human has. Put “HSUS” and “11 million members” He didn’t have an answer. prey. We’re no more valuable than they are, into Google. You’ll see. after all (see Rule #2) and the human popula- Wayne Pacelle, Paul Shapiro, and many What HSUS wants tion is smaller anyway, because vegetarian other HSUS senior staffers claim repeatedly, It would be a gross oversimplification to eating can’t support the global population. almost pathologically, that they represent 11 say that HSUS’s leaders want everyone to But that’s all beyond the immediate hori- million Americans—one out of 28 people in think like they do, although that’s ultimately zon. What HSUS seeks first—what it needs the United States. That’s more than 25,000 what long-term success would look like to as leverage in order to reach its tofu-fueled members in every Congressional district. them. nirvana—are the political trinity of legiti- The problem with this is that it’s not true. In HSUS’s utopia, we limit ourselves to macy, money, and power. Not even close. vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. Like other inside-the-beltway lobbies, In June 2010, Wayne Pacelle signed a We wear cotton and polyester. Wild animals HSUS has long inflated its membership num- fundraising letter that described his goal of are “liberated” from zookeeper “captors.” bers to present the illusion (and legitimacy) of growing his organization “from 1,200,000 to

National Meat Association 1 9 2,000,000 members.” His own number—1.2 Those two numbers are more than 2,400 per- consist of the carrying on of propoganda [sic] million—departs from his P.R. spin by a fac- cent apart. or otherwise attempting to influence legisla- tor of nine. Lobbying your Congressman with the tion.” And HSUS’s 2009 tax return disclosed weight of 25,000 members in his district Fifty-six years ago, HSUS’s founders took that the group only prints 450,000 copies of puts your influence on a par with most labor that maxim seriously. Today, though, the its bimonthly “member magazine,” AllAni- unions. Having just 1,000 constituents on organization’s mission has crept so far afield mals . According to the HSUS website, every your membership rolls puts you in a class that propagandizing and lobbying are Job member who contributes $25 or more gets with the ladies’ garden club, the Church of One and Job Two. the magazine. And AllAnimals is the only Scientology, and the Green Party. Why? Refer back to Rules 1, 2, and 3. place HSUS members can get their ballots to Not that HSUS’s lobbying efforts are legit- vote for board of directors candidates. imate to begin with. When the organization Where you stand Any organization with 450,000 active was founded in 1954, its Articles of Incorpo- The animal rights movement in general members is a force to be reckoned with, to ration included this nugget: “No substantial (and HSUS specifically) is more interested be sure. But that’s a far cry from 11 million. part of the activities of the corporation shall in monkey-wrenching the livestock industry than any other sector of the economy. And the reason comes down to simple numbers. As a nation, our circus elephants and captive marine mammals are measured in dozens, research chimps in hundreds, zoo animals in thousands. Pets and lab rats are measured in millions. But taken together, cows, pigs, and chickens are counted in bil- lions. From HSUS’s point of view, then, there are more collective lives for them to “save.”

Where HSUS is headed Much has been written about Proposition 2 in California, the rise of “the Ohio model” of Livestock Care Standards Boards, and HSUS’s state-by-state march on eggs, pork, and veal. But those who focus laser-like on guessing which state will be next on HSUS’s hit list are missing the forest for the trees. The smart money is on HSUS pursuing a federal legislative strategy, leveraging the state battles as a mere prelude. It’s critical that everyone involved in producing animal protein allow themselves to imagine what is probably coming. HSUS has been working overtime in recent years to cultivate relationships with Congressmen and Senators on both sides of the political aisle, and they’re counting on those allies to introduce a re-written Humane Slaughter Act in the near future. That leg- islation will certainly include a nationwide ban on hog gestation stalls and veal crates; prohibitions on cages for egg-laying hens will mark the first time poultry is included in the law. And even if beef cattle are a numerical afterthought to animal rights leaders, after- thoughts in the fortieth paragraph of a bill can hurt just as much as measures on page one. A ban on subclinical antibiotics will make their wish list. So will new prohibitions

20 www.nmaonline.org on the interstate transport of cattle to slaugh- however—unless you want them to win the When we launched the HumaneWatch ter. They might even throw in new restric- legislative, regulatory, and litigation battles blog in February 2010, we only knew about tions on feedlot water use…and much more. that inevitably develop. So it’s important for half of these things. Now, the million-plus The Humane Slaughter Act is 52 years old, cattlemen, beef processors and everyone else website visitors—and over 200,000 Face- and it hasn’t been significantly amended in in the industry to work to improve their own book fans—are conversant in all of this in- 38 years. HSUS understands that it will only image. formation, and they carry it with them. get one bite at the apple, so its well-heeled But that’s only half the battle, just as a Even as the HumaneWatch effort keeps lobbyists will make it count. football team’s defensive unit is only half of growing, that’s not going to be enough. And here’s where all the state-level ma- a team. At the same time you’re learning to You have to take this raw material and neuvering on hogs and poultry will come tell a better story about what you do, you also turn it into meaningful communication with back to haunt you: In every state where have to be willing to tell the truth about your your elected representatives. You have to HSUS has put its agenda into law (whether attackers. insert it in every comment you leave on a through legislation or at the ballot box), it Why? Because defense alone will not win regulatory docket. You have to put some of has created a class of federal legislators who championships. You can’t reach the playoffs it in every press release you issue. Consider can be given political cover to vote for a na- without a solid offense and animal agricul- how many more people would take your side tionwide adoption of these new laws. ture has never had one. if you found ways to promote the www.Hu- Recalcitrant Republican Congressmen, The playbook for your (as yet nonexistent) maneWatch.org website. for instance, can be persuaded to vote for a offensive side is being written as you read Look at it this way: The Humane Society national law forbidding what their constitu- this. You can find a lot of what is undeniably of the United States only has about 450,000 ents have already banned back home. And true in the document library at active members. But your retail packages, HSUS will make the case to both Repub- www.HumaneWatch.org: labels, billboards, and ads reach somewhere licans and Democrats from urban districts ฀ HSUS shares less than one percent of its around 300 million Americans. You’re sit- (and to U.S. Senators from states without fundraising haul with real humane societ- ting on the mother lode of PR influence in major animal ag interests) that making every ies and other hands-on pet shelters; the form of your commercial contact with state comply with what a few have already ฀ HSUS is not affiliated with any pet shel- ordinary consumers—the vast majority of decided is a great way to level the commer- ters; whom would take your side if they knew all cial and agricultural playing fields. ฀ HSUS does not operate any pet shelters; the facts. Make no mistake: This strategy is al- ฀ National polling shows that 71 percent of It’s no longer good enough to limit your- ready in place, and the finish line is in Americans (incorrectly) believe HSUS is selves to communicating about your “animal sight. The logical holdouts are federal leg- “an umbrella group that represents thou- rights problem” inside the industry. Start islators from the five top-10 beef states but sands of local humane societies,” and 59 reaching out to your real customers: the they are not on the top-10 list for either pork percent (incorrectly) think HSUS “con- American public. or poultry production. But if you think the tributes most of its money to local organi- combined Congressional delegations from zations that care for dogs and cats.”; The bottom line Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Montana, and ฀ According to HSUS’s own tax return, the Like it or not, you’re in an endless war Tennessee can stop a bill in its tracks, think group spent $3,999 for every animal it with the HSUS and its fellow devotees of the again. rescued in 2009; animal-rights religion. In particular, HSUS’s And all those Livestock Care Standards ฀ The animal rights movement’s own inter- 700-plus employees plan to be agitating Boards? A federal law can make them moot nal watchdog publication ( Animal Peo- against you long enough to retire at a ripe faster than you can say “Ohio Farm Bureau.” ple News ) says HSUS spends 50 percent old age, and Wayne Pacelle has already sunk of its money on overhead expenses; more than $11 million into their pension What you can do ฀ Charity Navigator gives HSUS one star plan since 2004. Like it or not, HSUS has more credibility (out of four) for organizational efficiency; Whether you do it in a mild fashion with the American public than you do. A ฀ The American Institute of Philanthropy through your industry associations or with 2010 poll from Opinion Research Corpora- gives HSUS a “D” rating overall; the bare knuckles of third-party organiza- tion (CNN’s political pollsters) found that 83 ฀ One of HSUS’s senior staffers is a former tions that specialize in penetrating the pub- percent of Americans had a “very” or “some- national spokesman for the terrorist Ani- lic consciousness (or better yet, do both), what” positive impression of the group. mal Liberation Front; and the time for sitting on the sidelines is long No matter what you do, you will never ฀ HSUS’s senior staffer in charge of ma- past. poll at 83 percent. That’s what opinion re- nipulating food companies into submis- If you believe in what you do, stand up search professionals call “Mother Teresa ter- sion with shareholder resolutions had the and be counted. And wear a helmet. The ritory.” HSUS’s leaders reached this rarefied same job with PETA until last year. coming battles are not for the fainthearted. air by feeding a pernicious lie about who With bona fides like that, HSUS’s contin- they are and what they do. ued success in fundraising and propagandiz- David Martosko is director of re- You shouldn’t sink to their level, but you ing is nothing short of Orwellian. But without search at the Center for Consumer Free- do need to draw even with animal rights good execution, the best offensive playbook dom, and editor of the HumaneWatch activists in the public opinion category, is just a nice collection of ideas. blog and Facebook page.

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