Reporting Abuse Is Everybody's Fight

I was talking to a friend today about HSUS and the Animal Abuse Reporting bill in Tennessee and she said that she felt helpless and hopeless. Afterall, HSUS is spending at least $100,000 on ads in the state. They have their pet celebrities asking people all over the country to contact the governor. Even my friend's first-term state legislator is now cheering on a veto for the bill -- and she seemed like someone unaffiliated with HSUS previously. And, lo and behold, the USDA even makes the most conveniently-timed arrest of a Tennessee Walking Horse trainer that just happens to garner more publicity for HSUS, though it has nothing to do with the bill in question.

Yeah, that's all true. HSUS is a monster. And like most monsters, it's not easy to fight. But I think a lot of people are fed up. Fed up with an anti-agriculture organization that has no real love for animals trying to dictate to farmers and other animal people how they should raise and handle animals. Fed up with a wealthy, out-of-state special interest group fighting against a bill that we need in Tennessee to help stop animal abuse as soon as it's discovered.

This bill is very simple: Do you want to report animal abuse NOW, as soon as it's discovered? Or, do you want animals to go on suffering for weeks or months? Because if you want animals to go on suffering in an abusive situation, there could be cases where some animals die. It's that simple. That is what HSUS is advocating for their own purposes -- publicity, fundraising, "gotcha" moments. If you really care about animals then you MUST want the abuse to stop. You MUST demand that the abuse be reported as soon as possible. That's what this bill does. It requires someone working undercover to report the abuse and turn over copies of their photos or video within 48 hours to authorities SO THE ABUSE CAN STOP. People who really care about animals want the governor to SIGN THIS BILL.

I don't think it's hopeless. I don't know what the governor will do but he's certainly taking his time. Other states have beaten HSUS. Six states have passed similar laws. That first-term legislator who wants to veto this bill can be kicked out or she can learn more about HSUS so she knows what they're really like. HSUS claims they have 160,000 supporters in Tennessee but they barely have 800 fans on Facebook. I have nearly that many Facebook friends myself. Everything HSUS does is built on lies. We can beat them -- the collective "we" in this country. It will just take time. One bill, one case at a time.

Somebody replied to me the other day and said they had called the governor. They said, "This isn't Tennessee's fight. It's everybody's fight." I thought that was cool.

Please call or e-mail Governor Haslam and ask him to SIGN TN HB 1191/SB 1248, the Animal Abuse Reporting bill!  (615) 741-2001; e-mail bill.haslam@tn.gov  It only takes a minute of your day.