Attention dog lovers!
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 displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Apparently, Caldwell's office received a deluge of phone calls
beginning last week on 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 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 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
http://ag.state.la.us/Article.aspx?articleID=28&catID=12&printer=1#Cons\
umerProtectionSection> of the Louisiana Attorney General's Office
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 at
Martosko@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://tinyurl.com/HSUS-YouSend -- 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 up the 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.
Donations can be made at
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/donations.cfm
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/donations.cfm> 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
martosko@ConsumerFreedom.com
www.Twitter.com/DMartosko
http://www.twitter.com/DMartosko>
The Center for Consumer Freedom
www.ConsumerFreedom.com
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/>
www.PETAkillsAnimals.com
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/>
www.HumaneWatch.org
http://www.humanewatch.org/>
LeeAnn O'Reilly, Pres.DLCC
president@doglegislationcouncilcanada.org
www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org
"Fighting ignorance since 2003..it's taking longer than we thought."
