icnmgrjill
11-13-2006, 12:37 PM
(Two Notes From the Humane Society)
November 10, 2006
DES MOINES, Iowa — In the wake of a landslide vote in Michigan this week to continue the state's 100-year tradition of protecting mourning doves from being shot for target practice, the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies and The Humane Society of the United States appealed to Iowa lawmakers to heed the call to keep doves protected.
Like Michigan, Iowa has protected mourning doves for many decades, but national hunting organizations have tried to repeal those protections in the legislature. In 2001, the Iowa legislature narrowly passed legislation to allow dove hunting, and Governor Tom Vilsack vetoed the bill. Vilsack, who hunts pheasant and grouse, stated in his veto message, "The majority of Iowans do not support changing the current law to legalize dove hunting. My office has received contact from thousands of concerned Iowans regarding this issue, and my conclusion is that this policy is not right for our state at this time."
"With Governor Vilsack leaving office, and a new Administration coming in, it's more important than ever that Iowa lawmakers know where the people stand on the hunting of mourning doves," said Jerry Dominicak, vice president of the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies. "Sportsmen have dozens of species to hunt in our state, and there's no reason to add the mourning dove to that list. Doves are not overpopulated, they are not a nuisance, and they are so small that there is very little meat on their bodies. They would be shot only for target practice."
On Tuesday, Michigan voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposal 3, which would have opened a new dove hunting season, by a landslide vote of 69 percent to 31 percent. Proposal 3 was backed by the National Rifle Association, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, Safari Club International, and other national hunting groups, and was opposed by The Humane Society of the United States, Michigan Humane Society, Michigan Audubon Society, Michigan State Grange, and a diverse coalition of organizations and businesses. Michigan is one of the biggest hunting states in the country, but voters rejected dove hunting in each of the 83 counties in the state, from the most urban to the most rural.
"Lawmakers have often wondered where the voters would stand on the issue of dove hunting, and now they have their answer," said Scott Wilson, Iowa state program coordinator for The Humane Society of the United States. "Sportsmen, farmers, and many other citizens joined together in Michigan to keep the state's 100-year tradition of protecting doves. We hope Iowa lawmakers heed the call as well, and agree that there's no good reason to shoot doves for target practice."
November 12, 2006
Our campaigns to abolish horse slaughter, stop animal fighting, and end the Canadian seal hunt are all at critical stages. With Congress returning today for its “lame-duck” session, we have just a few days left to push key bills over the finish line to protect horses and dogs. We are so close on both! And Canada’s baby seals received some good and bad news over the past few weeks. On the heels of our historic Election Day victories for farm animals and mourning doves, I want to update you on what is happening right now:
Call Today to Save America's Horses
In 2006 alone, America’s three foreign-owned slaughterhouses have sent more than 100,000 American horses to dinner tables overseas. To end this cruel slaughter, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act on September 7. But the U.S. Senate has just days to pass its version of the bill before it adjourns for the year. Time is running out, and a tragic accident involving a trailer carrying horses to slaughter underscores the need for the Senate to act now.
Today is our National Call-In Day for Horses, and we must flood Senate offices with phone calls. Your calls and emails were instrumental in getting the bill through the House of Representatives and ready for Senate action. Thankfully, your two current U.S. Senators already cosponsor the bill, S. 1915, but I strongly encourage you to call them to say thank you and to urge them to work to pass the bill during this session. So please call Dianne Feinstein at (202) 224-3841 and Barbara Boxer at (202) 224-3553 today -- or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Again, thank them for their cosponsorship and ask them to do everything they can to get the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act passed before the end of the year.
Urge the House to Clamp Down on Animal Fighters
Animal fighters involved in the brutal underground industry of dogfighting and cockfighting often make thousands of dollars in a single night. But when they illegally ship animals for fighting across state lines, a misdemeanor -- essentially a slap on the wrist -- is the only penalty they will possibly face.
The law must change, and the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act would make trafficking in fighting animals a felony, with stiffer penalties. The bill would also make it a crime to move cockfighting implements in interstate or foreign commerce. It's down to the wire for this bill, which passed the Senate unanimously but has been inexplicably bottled up in the House Judiciary Committee by Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).
Please contact House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and urge him to bring this critical legislation, H.R. 817, to the floor for an up-or-down vote immediately. The bill is supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association, National Sheriffs' Association, and more than 400 state and local law enforcement agencies. It’s also co-sponsored by three quarters of the entire House, making the delay unconscionable. It’s time for the House of Representatives to pass this bill.
Stop Canada's Massive Seal Hunt
First, the good news: In a historic move, the European Union recently passed a declaration calling for a ban on all trade in harp and hooded seal products. This is a crucial step toward closing off one of the major markets for the Canadian commercial sealing industry. In addition, more than 330,000 consumers and more than 1,000 restaurants, grocery stores, and other seafood distributors have joined a boycott of Canadian seafood -- a boycott that we hope will show Canadian fishermen that they cannot afford to continue killing baby seals.
Now the bad news: Canada intends to place more restrictions on the legal and peaceful observation of the commercial seal hunt in 2007. The Canadian government knows the horrific images of this hunt are closing markets for Canadian seal products and Canadian seafood around the world -- and that is why it is determined to stop observers from filming the seal hunt. But these cynical attempts to conceal cruelty will fail. If the 2007 seal hunt goes ahead, our ProtectSeals team will be there to show the world what the Canadian government is so desperate to hide. With your help, we will end the barbaric hunt forever.
Thank you for taking action today, and for all you do for animals.
----
Submitted at the urging of Samantha "aka Sammy Whammy or Precious" Osborne, the true queen of the Osborne House who believes that felines reign over humans!
November 10, 2006
DES MOINES, Iowa — In the wake of a landslide vote in Michigan this week to continue the state's 100-year tradition of protecting mourning doves from being shot for target practice, the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies and The Humane Society of the United States appealed to Iowa lawmakers to heed the call to keep doves protected.
Like Michigan, Iowa has protected mourning doves for many decades, but national hunting organizations have tried to repeal those protections in the legislature. In 2001, the Iowa legislature narrowly passed legislation to allow dove hunting, and Governor Tom Vilsack vetoed the bill. Vilsack, who hunts pheasant and grouse, stated in his veto message, "The majority of Iowans do not support changing the current law to legalize dove hunting. My office has received contact from thousands of concerned Iowans regarding this issue, and my conclusion is that this policy is not right for our state at this time."
"With Governor Vilsack leaving office, and a new Administration coming in, it's more important than ever that Iowa lawmakers know where the people stand on the hunting of mourning doves," said Jerry Dominicak, vice president of the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies. "Sportsmen have dozens of species to hunt in our state, and there's no reason to add the mourning dove to that list. Doves are not overpopulated, they are not a nuisance, and they are so small that there is very little meat on their bodies. They would be shot only for target practice."
On Tuesday, Michigan voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposal 3, which would have opened a new dove hunting season, by a landslide vote of 69 percent to 31 percent. Proposal 3 was backed by the National Rifle Association, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, Safari Club International, and other national hunting groups, and was opposed by The Humane Society of the United States, Michigan Humane Society, Michigan Audubon Society, Michigan State Grange, and a diverse coalition of organizations and businesses. Michigan is one of the biggest hunting states in the country, but voters rejected dove hunting in each of the 83 counties in the state, from the most urban to the most rural.
"Lawmakers have often wondered where the voters would stand on the issue of dove hunting, and now they have their answer," said Scott Wilson, Iowa state program coordinator for The Humane Society of the United States. "Sportsmen, farmers, and many other citizens joined together in Michigan to keep the state's 100-year tradition of protecting doves. We hope Iowa lawmakers heed the call as well, and agree that there's no good reason to shoot doves for target practice."
November 12, 2006
Our campaigns to abolish horse slaughter, stop animal fighting, and end the Canadian seal hunt are all at critical stages. With Congress returning today for its “lame-duck” session, we have just a few days left to push key bills over the finish line to protect horses and dogs. We are so close on both! And Canada’s baby seals received some good and bad news over the past few weeks. On the heels of our historic Election Day victories for farm animals and mourning doves, I want to update you on what is happening right now:
Call Today to Save America's Horses
In 2006 alone, America’s three foreign-owned slaughterhouses have sent more than 100,000 American horses to dinner tables overseas. To end this cruel slaughter, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act on September 7. But the U.S. Senate has just days to pass its version of the bill before it adjourns for the year. Time is running out, and a tragic accident involving a trailer carrying horses to slaughter underscores the need for the Senate to act now.
Today is our National Call-In Day for Horses, and we must flood Senate offices with phone calls. Your calls and emails were instrumental in getting the bill through the House of Representatives and ready for Senate action. Thankfully, your two current U.S. Senators already cosponsor the bill, S. 1915, but I strongly encourage you to call them to say thank you and to urge them to work to pass the bill during this session. So please call Dianne Feinstein at (202) 224-3841 and Barbara Boxer at (202) 224-3553 today -- or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Again, thank them for their cosponsorship and ask them to do everything they can to get the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act passed before the end of the year.
Urge the House to Clamp Down on Animal Fighters
Animal fighters involved in the brutal underground industry of dogfighting and cockfighting often make thousands of dollars in a single night. But when they illegally ship animals for fighting across state lines, a misdemeanor -- essentially a slap on the wrist -- is the only penalty they will possibly face.
The law must change, and the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act would make trafficking in fighting animals a felony, with stiffer penalties. The bill would also make it a crime to move cockfighting implements in interstate or foreign commerce. It's down to the wire for this bill, which passed the Senate unanimously but has been inexplicably bottled up in the House Judiciary Committee by Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).
Please contact House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and urge him to bring this critical legislation, H.R. 817, to the floor for an up-or-down vote immediately. The bill is supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association, National Sheriffs' Association, and more than 400 state and local law enforcement agencies. It’s also co-sponsored by three quarters of the entire House, making the delay unconscionable. It’s time for the House of Representatives to pass this bill.
Stop Canada's Massive Seal Hunt
First, the good news: In a historic move, the European Union recently passed a declaration calling for a ban on all trade in harp and hooded seal products. This is a crucial step toward closing off one of the major markets for the Canadian commercial sealing industry. In addition, more than 330,000 consumers and more than 1,000 restaurants, grocery stores, and other seafood distributors have joined a boycott of Canadian seafood -- a boycott that we hope will show Canadian fishermen that they cannot afford to continue killing baby seals.
Now the bad news: Canada intends to place more restrictions on the legal and peaceful observation of the commercial seal hunt in 2007. The Canadian government knows the horrific images of this hunt are closing markets for Canadian seal products and Canadian seafood around the world -- and that is why it is determined to stop observers from filming the seal hunt. But these cynical attempts to conceal cruelty will fail. If the 2007 seal hunt goes ahead, our ProtectSeals team will be there to show the world what the Canadian government is so desperate to hide. With your help, we will end the barbaric hunt forever.
Thank you for taking action today, and for all you do for animals.
----
Submitted at the urging of Samantha "aka Sammy Whammy or Precious" Osborne, the true queen of the Osborne House who believes that felines reign over humans!