Rush is wrong?
Not long ago, Rush Limbaugh recorded a series of public service announcements for the Humane Society (HS press release and audio links here).
The Washington Times is reporting that Limbaugh’s support for the Humane Society isn’t going over well with some who may otherwise agree with him:
Rush Limbaugh’s new pet project — fighting animal cruelty for the Humane Society of the United States — is riling sportsmen from coast to coast, prompting fears that the talkster typically supportive of gun rights is aiding a group they say has a secret agenda to end all hunting in America.
Twenty-eight groups representing millions of hunters and sportsmen are demanding that the conservative radio commentator end his collaboration with the HSUS and stop “helping them to mainstream their image in the minds of reasonable people.”
“Despite a few programs designed to attract support from the general public, HSUS is in fact an organization that opposes hunting, fishing, and trapping,” the groups, including Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, wrote in a letter last week to Mr. Limbaugh.
The Humane Society doesn’t understand the criticism of Limbaugh:
The Humane Society’s president and chief executive, Wayne Pacelle, said the issue shouldn’t be political.
“I’m embarrassed for them that they would criticize Rush for amplifying our message that dogfighting and other malicious forms of animal cruelty are unacceptable in society,” he said.
Considering the animal slaughters that took place around the globe to celebrate the election of the candidate who the Humane Society Legislative Fund endorsed, the Humane Society should be a little more embarrassed by that irony than of any hunter and gun owner backlash against Rush.
Maybe Rush just felt the need to pick up the slack for President Obama’s broken promise to adopt a shelter dog. Who knows.
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I’m not upset with Rush. Not at all.
But there is actually a term (which I can’t recall) for the phenomenon where Leftists will subvert any kind of organization, no matter how apolitical, and co-opt it to be just another Leftist organ.
Case-in-point…
http://www.stillwater-newspress.com/archivesearch/local_story_108002241.html
Do I think Limbaugh is getting soft-headed? Hardly. He’s human, and we don’t all investigate everything to the Nth degree.
People get bent way out of shape to easily nowadays. Besides there is bigger fish to fry in higher places.
If you listen to Rush, you know he is a proud supporter of PETA.
People
Enjoying
Tasty
Animals
Is this the part where we were supposed to get all mad?
At some level a little like all the people who think they are supporting breast cancer research through the Komen foundation. I’d be willing to bet if they actually knew how much money was going to planned parenthood (I mean planned abortion), a substantial amount of the Komen giving would dry up.
Rush thinks (and has thought for a long time) that he’s above worrying about the loyalty of his followers. I quit listening to him years ago, so I guess I can’t boycott him. Hope the rest of you can have some impact.
This is the part where the Ron Paulians come out and scream about Rush being a liberal and also a part of the Illuminati and New World Order Conspiracay.
Definitely your loss, both in terms of entertainment and knowledge.
There is an anti-hunting element in the AHS-how big I do not know and there are people whose idea of animal cruelty is bazaar to say the least.
But RUSH ROCKS and I have the T-shirt to prove it. And in solidarity with El Rushbo I am NOT going to drop kick my neighbors cat over the fence again today-so there. (I think I hurt my foot)
People
Enjoying
Tasty
Animals
Yummy.
It was a big blunder by Rush; but a mistake often made by many. The HS of America or your local shelter are not the same as the HSUS. HSUS is a radical left wing political group; these are the people who burn animal research facilities. I think Rush got sucked-in my the name confusion.
I see their point, but they are acting like liberals.
The Humane Society backs up enviromentalist rubbish like the ‘global warming’ hoax as well as legitimate causes like the ones that Limbaugh was speaking on (and many others).
I used to donate $$ to the HSUS, then found out that none of that is given to my local Humane Society shelter. Now I give directly to my local site.
I will give Limbaugh a pass on this one, as I actually think it does more good than harm.
So now there’s a secret conspiracy to turn dogs and cats into anti-gunners? I just can’t keep track of all this. How is a busy man like Rush supposed to know?
Re: BHO’s promise to adopt a shelter dog.
IMO, don’t go there. If he had truly adopted a shelter dog, imagine all the ‘droids’ that would have to do the same thing? Adoptions galore to people who have no idea of the responsibility….same people who bought houses they couldn’t….now I won’t go there.
It will be bad enough with the ‘run’ on water dogs…but at least the cost may discourage.
Rush will handle this storm in his way. He’ll see it as great fodder for at least a week of shows.
I’m a big fan of the local Humane Society groups. But I steer clear of the national Humane Society organizations. (there are several). I know that the local groups are just individuals whose sole goal is to save animals.
The national groups (just like most national charities) are either political or just money making operations.
And I agree with the person’s comment about the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I’ve been thinking that was a big scam for a long time.
meangreenfan, I graduated from the meangreen! Won’t say when…ok, back to the Rush show..
The problem with organizations like the Humane Society is mission creep that extends into party politics. One they start endorsing candidates and funding political initiatives (anti-hunting, anti-gun e.g.), they deserve what they get. I have the same problem with many of these “charitable” organizations. Stick to the charity part and skip the politics.
That would be TACOs lad. You turn dogs and cats into TACOs, Korean and Viet Namese dishes at times. Even hear of Hush Puppies? Now you know.
I know, it starts with an R.
LOL. Anybody who listens to Rush even infrequently knows he has a soft spot for critters and has caught his mentions of his cat. I wouldn’t have figured him as a cat person, but being a diehard cat person myself I can’t get too enraged over this. Especially since we got Obama sending AF One to buzz NYC into panic while he’s schmucking up the country every way possible to fume about instead.
But isn’t it telling, and very revealing of the nature of our enemies on the Left, that they will take any fine, innocuous organization or movement and intentionally politicize it and bend it to their agenda?
I could name dozens of out-fits that have had that happen to them, including the Girl Scouts, United Way, HSUSA,…even publications like Popular Mechanics, which became nothing but a Gorebal Warming repeater decades ago…
I am a hunter, shooter, and an NRA member. I am against animal cruelty, as in. deliberately being mean to an animal. I’m sure that’s what Rush is against, too.
Someone on the other side of the globe performed an animal sacrifice, which by the way is not a bad thing in and of itself, it is in the Bible. And, often the sacrificed animals are eaten.
The Humane Society should be embarassed because of what a third party did in the name of their endorsed candidate? Why, when it was not cruel? And, did Obama know about, or endorse, the sacrifice?
There are prescribed methods for performing animal sacrifices and are not cruel, something that the Humane Society would object to.
The Humane Society does not object to all hunting, just certain types of hunting.
As for Rush, why can’t he support part of what the Humane Society does?
Chalk this up as another fine example of people getting mad at Rush because they don’t understand his motives. They will never understand Rush because they will never listen to him.
Stupidity breeds stupidity.
Totally agree. I’m a current donor to an animal rescue that I’ll just say is in Utah. They do a fantastic job of bringing in the money and wisely using it on animals and trained staff. Just before the election, they sent out a email gushing over the prospect of BHO adopting a shelter dog. There was no mention of McCain’s menagerie of special needs and other animals. A couple of us gripers contacted them and they quickly buttoned it and acknowledged the McCain family. Donors should watchdog their charity and keep them on the straight and narrow.
ASPCA = great
HSUS = ok
PETA = evil
I believe Rush is wrong to partner with HSUS.org. I listened
to both audio recordings. Basically he spent 4 minutes talking
about supporting law enforcement to go after dog fighting
(because 60% + are in gangs and repeat violent offenders). The
other part had to do with a faith outreach ideology. I guess
that means Democrat ELF atheists and Christians can team up to
fight animal cruelty.
I read the “ACTION ALERTS” on HSUS website. AA’s are online
submission forms to lobby on behalf of legislation in complete
opposition to Conservative ideology. In this case, hunters
rights that have existed since the beginning of man.
Case in point: HSUS.org wants to outlaw bear hunting in New
Jersey. They purposefully mislabel it “Trophy Bear Hunts”. As if a hunter will take a photo op with the dead bear, behead/skin it and leave the carcass in the woods to rot. Hunters actually eat bear meat. What they intentionally leave out is NJ’s out of control bear population. Do we let them roam the streets to attack dogs, cats, (Alpaca’s lol) and little children?
Also, they want to outlaw the humane culling of wild horse
herds in Montana and other western states. The horses are overpopulating the grazing land available. Other animals like elk, deer and bison will starve. Messiah Obama just passed his “Anti-Rancher Phase I: Do Not Cow Graze this 2 Million Acres”. But I guess wild horses should be allowed this right.
Humane Society of the United States is a FRAUD.
Tre got it right. Culling populations of wild animals that outgrow their natural food supply is considered sound wildlife management, which is why hunting licenses go hand in hand with conservation programs.
Tony, please follow the link I posted at the top of the thread.
After you read that letter, let me know if you still think HSUS is OK, please.
It is also the humane thing to do. Too dense populations of animals…even Bambi…have disease, parasite, and nutrition problems that mushroom.
But, like a lot of environmental crap, this is NOT about rational stuff…it is religion.
But that legitimizes gun ownership, and that can never be tolerated.
I tried dynamite a time or two, but has a profound effect on carcass quality and cut-out ratio…
Sorry if I repeat someone’s thought here…I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments yet. Is Rush wrong? NO. He is seldom, if ever, wrong. Many of these great-sounding organizations actually get “infiltrated” with wackos who try (and sometimes succeed) in pushing an agenda under the umbrella of a legitimate group. Sounds like this may be the case here. I always cut Rush a lot of slack because he is, after all, a gift on loan from God!
Are you kidding me? No one is going to boycott el Rushbo. No one. If you don’t listen to him, you are missing a lot of great stuff.
In the context here, Rush’s PSAs, my thinkin’ is that only hunters of household pets – cats, dogs, parrots, goldfish, etc, might have reason to be furious at Rush. Otherwise, it’s a just a wee bit of over-reaction.
The Malthusian Doctrine in practice.
So what happens when the animals are humans?
Then their actions shouldn’t be either.
The director of the Humane society in this area was famous for a long time for euthanizing every hunting dog to come in immediately regardless of the contact information on their collar.
After 20 plus years of vehement complaints she was removed from her position now this person is just an “adviser”.
To think the Humane society doesn’t have an agenda that most would think is wrong is very naive.
We have the Industrial Revolution.
And the Agrarian Revolution.
We use rational thought to change our environment and adapt.
Malthus was just wrong. The standard of living is a upward trend-line.
Al Gore is an example of modern Malthusian “thinking”.
Animals! It’s what’s for dinner!
No need for me to defend Rush. He’ll handle this outcry just fine. He knows liberals like every square inch of his naked body.
He knows liberals like every square inch of his GLORIOUS naked body.
Not my thinking, just correcting the quote.
I keep my contributions local and focused. It seems once they diversify and get big, they go liberal and political. Remember when the United Fund was a charity? Now it is a pathway to liberal political power and many employers still insist on 100% “voluntary” employee participation. What a racket.
And that is a market model of FEDERALISM.
The same structural forces apply in both models.
I’m ok with Rush supporting the Humane Society. All of my current pets, 2 dogs, 4 cats, are from the Humane Society because I too support them.
Part of the problem with this “reaction” to Rush is the false assumption that as conservatives we sing a one note song and as a result are intolerant and inflexible. So to support anyone, including the Humane Society, EVERYTHING about them we have to agree with 100 percent.
The idea that Rush is unaware of anything us yahoos might find in our research about the Humane Society is absurd. It is very much the case the Mr. Limbaugh is more aware of details than most of us.
That does not mean he can not reasonably support them.
Thanks tonyr951 – I did not know there were two different organizations–so I guess I was too critical AND too generous. Rush is a major benefactor and fund raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society–I guess some freaks consider cancer cells equal with human life and should be treated equally and better than the unborn. But as Rush Runs America it does not matter what the twits think.
But I think my dog is going to report me for animal cruelty as I won’t let her drive. She doesn’t believe me when I tell her a Rabies tag is not a drivers license.
What this thing with Rush shows is how carefully we have to vet outfits that we naturally are inclined to support.
There are wonderful Catholic charities (I’m not a Catholic). They have great pass-through rates, and your money goes where you expected it to. But SOME Catholic charities are riddled with “liberation theology”, which is Marxist. You don’t want to put money in those. So you have to work at finding good places to support, and you have to do some drilling.
Caveat emptor was always good advice. Never more so than today.
Yup, JSM, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with any organization with which I’m happy about everything they say or do.
Yup again.
Rush is on in about 5 minutes. I will see what he has to say on the subject. In the meantime, we support the Heritage Foundation and our local food shelf.
I think I can trust me…
but sometimes…
I said they are ok, not perfect.
Too late, my perception is that people already consider the HS mainstream, though I doubt they give much thought to their stance on hunting and fishing.
But let’s face facts, some/most methods of trapping are inhumane and are frowned upon unless a person is at risk of starvation, and most people find practices like bear baiting morally reprehensible—and hiding out in a tree-blind, getting drunk, waiting for a deer to come along to kill if you can still see straight enough is considered ethically-challenged as well.
“Sportsmanship” means something to most people.
But all of this is beside the point. Most people associate the Humane Society with animal shelters and their fight against abuse and neglect of domestic animals, not their position on hunting and fishing. Fighting against that will get you nowhere because nearly everybody agrees with that portion of their agenda.
Tony,
I consider what they did in Oklahoma way past OK…
It was evil. It was a lie, and it hurt good people, a fine institution, and is being used to perpetrate a fraud.
That is not “OK” by my lights, but that’s just MNHO.
I really applaud Rush’s support for the Humane Society. As both an owner of two pugs and a gunowner/gun rights supporter, I would like to see what some hunters find wrong with the Humane Society. I would like to see the evidence that some hunter affiliated groups have for their distrust.
I’ve never really associated the Humane Society with cracking down on hunting. Hunting is a valuable tool, when done properly, of keeping deer and other animal populations healthy and in balance with their environment.
The Humane Society does some really good work bringing awareness of puppy mills and those who seek to make a profit off of overbreeding the dog population. Many dogs (and cats) are put down every year because they had the misfortune of not being wanted or were created as a result of careless overbreeding.
I would like the Humane Society to work on bringing more acceptance of dogs/cats in relation to the housing market. What many people don’t realize is that renters with pets have an awful time finding homeowners/landlords who will rent to them because they have a dog or cat. Many prospective renters with pets, especially in urban locales, end up relinquishing their pets, which is a painful process (especially if you love the pet). I would like the Humane Society to do more work on making people aware of responsible pet ownership, and, for those landlords/homeowners who rent out their homes, how to detect who would be a perfect pet owner candidate to rent to.
People can disagree with Rush about his politics but the Humane Society does some good work.
emj
http://www.stillwater-newspress.com/archivesearch/local_story_108002241.html
Read that, and tell me what you think.
I kind of skimmed the posts, so I don’t know if this was addressed.
The Humane Society of the United States is not to be confused with the various other humane societies across the country. HSUS is truly an animal rights group that believes in the same goals that PETA does, just a little more restrained. Here’s a list of the 7 things that you might not know about HSUS: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/downloads/reference/docs/200810_CCF_7Things_HSUS.pdf
Big deal. It’s not as though Rush did one of those “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” ads for PETA.
Thanks Scoop…
that seals the deal for me. My intuition has been vindicated again.
g
Now, that I would complain about!!
And for any number of reasons…
Hey Rags,
You’ve posted some really good stuff lately. Keep up the good work!
As to the Humane Society and the incident in Oklahoma, I’m going to say that they’re “barking up” the wrong tree. Vet schools aren’t the problem. Sometimes people use once good organizations as a front for their own misdirected ignorance. Was this “whistleblower” complaining about how they train future veterinarians? How do these people think we train doctors? Crash test dumbies?
I’m originally from Ithaca, NY where the Cornell Vet School is located. When I was a kid, my Yorkie got hit by a car (this wasn’t the first time… she liked to chase cars), and my father took her to the Cornell Vet School and they saved her life. So, yes, what the HS did in Oklahoma was not only misleading it was wrong.
I do like what organizations like ASPCA and local chapters of the HS do but I do not support the Oklahoma example. I do not give to them anyway, even though they’ve solicited donations from me in the past. Hell, I don’t give to my college and graduate school alma maters so there’s no way I’ll give to the HS.
I do, still, think they do good work when it comes to puppy mills. I would suggest to anybody who cares about certain breeds of dog (like the pug) or shelters, give on a local level and not on a national one. I’d rather give to my local pug rescue (which I have) because, in the past, I had to relinquish two pugs, which was very hard. Pug rescues, like other purebred rescue organizations, do good work on a local level and sometimes work with the HS local chapters and animal shelters in cases of puppy mill investigations.
I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear before.
I guess this is a great example of why we have to be careful. We tend to look at the veneer of what an organization is, and not do the work of really drilling down into the facts. It stinks that we live in a time where duplicity is the norm, that that is reality. We have to deal rationally with reality.
When I was a pre-vet type (a previous iteration of mi-sef), I worked at the Vet School at TAMU. It fell to me at one point to figure out how to frost all the windows in the operating rooms at the Large Animal Clinic. Before, these windows allowed students and others to observe the procedures. This was back in the 1970s. Anyhow, animal rights idiots had burst into the operating rooms during procedures to do their little tantrums…while also endangering the animals being treated. So, the school’s response was to become less transparent, less able to do the work of teaching students their healing art.
What HSUS did in this Oklahoma incident was no different in effect, and less honest.
Thanks Rags, I just didn’t want people to think I thought his naked body was Glorious, even though I’m sure it is.
Also, sometimes when I look at my cat, especially after he has once again cacked up on the rug, and I think to myself, you know, you’d make a fine pair of slippers. Does thinking like this make me a bad person?
Be careful not to confuse the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) with your local Humane Society.
HSUS does not house or care for one cat, dog, rabbit, rat, hamster, or other animal in the entire United States. Even though every fundraising campaign they do displays pictures of cats and dogs on their envelopes they don’t do the work or are affiliated with your local shelters, humane society.
HSUS is primary a lobbying group funding the change of laws in many states. Their goals appear to end hunting, raising animals for food, and the use of animal products in clothes. They raise about 115,000,000 dollars per year to lobby congress and state and local governments.
Support your local Humane Society who does the best for the animals in your community. If you think about it, if the $115,000,000 raised was spent on spay and neuter clinics across the nation instead of lobbying animal rights many of the issues that exist in local communities would be moot.
Only if you now own a fine pair of slippers with whiskers sticking out of ‘em. Otherwise, naw. I used to tell my cat I was fattening her up for Thanksgiving whenever she got out of line.
Like the Red Cross, the National Humane Society is deeply compromised. Even the local society across the river follows questionable policies. In the little burg north of me, a terrific woman runs a small charity that does nothing more than fund spay and neuter campaigns for the local shelter as well as volunteer to keep the shelter shipshape. She must be a real burr in the saddle of the political appointee that runs the place. Plus, she was the county chair for the RNC so she’s all right in my book all the way around.
As for Rush, he’s a fine individual and undoubtedly directed his staff to check out the Humane Society for rash activities.
I was appalled when I heard that ad for HSUS! I cannot imagine that Rush didn’t know their opposition to not only hunting, but to breeding & kennels!
Cogs, you’re so right! Even my conservative hubby told me he was going to donate to them, until I set him straight.
I makes you an optimist. A pair of gloves, perhaps…
You’d need two of Muffy for good slippers…
The Humane Society of the US wants to end sport hunting. I do recall a couple of their volunteers asking me for donations while in the supervision of a German Shorthair dog…I commented “What a fine hunting dog he is !” The looks on their faces went from smiles to dirty looks immediately, so I do know what is in their hearts and minds.
The Humane Society is Anti-Hunting, folks….Why is Limbaugh having anything to do with them??
His association with them is an eyebrow raiser.
Paging Pam Anderson…
#5 – conservativesRus
While it is true that Susan G. Komen provides funding to Planned Parenthood, it is not as black & white as you make it sound. From the Susan G. Komen website:
Additionally, it sounds like the Catholic Church feels this is all on the up-and-up:
So I have to disagree with your blanket disapproval of Susan G. Komen’s actions. I feel they are doing what is necessary to make sure their mission is reached in all areas of the country.
I’m sorry, but this kind of moral rationalization is what has gotten the Church into trouble to begin with. That’s like the gangster that lives in my neighborhood is an okay guy because he keeps the streets free from other trouble makers. Sheesh! Sometimes we need a little more black and white and less shades of gray.
No need, these guys could use your money…
Certainly, if you want to give to Cancer research, there are likely places your dollars could be better spent. But I believe this for other reasons than anything related to Planned Parenthood.
Our military bombs weddings in Iraq and he doesn’t have a problem with that – the man likes animals more than Iraqis.
…and you. tool
Stillwater? Is Ragspierre a Cowboy?
Exhibit A of what is wrong with this country is any American can say such a comment with a straight face.
Looks like America is ever closer to circling the drain with willing accomplices like you waiting to flush it down the toilet.
Just your “patriotic duty” I suppose, right?
Good grief, what a deplorable and disingenuous thing to say. You should be ashamed of yourself.
It’s breathtaking how such a little statement can be such a profound fallacy.
BTW I do believe that the way people treat domesticated animals is an index of those people’s humane spirit. If Rush has made a mistake by partnering with a purported left-wing organization on this one isolated issue, it’s far from the worst thing he could do.
The impulse to act against the malice and cruelty to animals is the right impulse even if Rush may have taken a questionable political step in the form of this particular public advocacy.
Do some research Rush, jeez.
the bad guys
What a boneheaded move, El Rushbo.