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January 7, 2008

Hi All, here are three extracts from the brief files below. Not a long read but most useful and interesting read! I know we'll all vote with our hearts and our minds FOR the last down under the gigantic mountain of exploited! Happy Primary and General voting! :o) Adela

BARAKA OBAMA: SOME OF HIS MANY VERY GOOD QUALITIES: :o))

<<In his eight years as an Illinois state senator, Obama voted for at least a dozen animal protection laws that came up during that time... to upgrade the penalties for cruelty to animals; to require psychological counseling for people who abuse animals; to require that veterinarians report suspected acts of cruelty and animal fighting; and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption...After being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Obama has continued his record of support for animal protection laws....In his questionnaire response, Obama pledges support for nearly every animal protection bill currently pending in Congress, and he says he will work with executive agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture... .He says "Strong [animal cruelty] penalties are important and I support them...As president, I'd continue to make sure that we treat animal cruelty like the serious crime it is and address its connection to broader patterns of violence.">> [Bless your tender heart, Baraka!!! I'll vote in the Primaries on February 5 and it will be for YOU! Adela] ;o)

http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2007/12/the-president-3.html

MIKE HUCKABEE: SOME HIS MANY VERY BAD QUALITIES: <:-(((

<< His son David did SOMETHING, the Boy Scouts fired him. It was reported that he took a stray dog, hung it, stoned it, and slit it's throat. The Prosecutor that wanted to file charges against 18 year old David Huckabee was fired after being told by Gov. Huckabee to back off....Ask this "man of the cloth" why he thought spending Christmas Day killing pheasants, was an appropriate way to spend his time? and why killing animals for "fun", or recreation is ever the way to treat God's beautiful creations.>> Anyone voting for this pathetic things calling himself a "man" doesn't belong to the animal rights not even to the animal welfare movement! Down with him. For the sake of the animals AND of the humans who'll be attacked and murdered by the animal psychopaths... please please DO NOT VOTE FOR Huckabee!

http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2007/12/the-presidentia.html

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ANIMAL ACTIVISTS READ THIS AND THEN VOTE!!!

The Presidential Files: Barack Obama and the Dog-acity of Hope Posted: 31 Dec 2007 12:00 PM CST Democratic Senator Barack Obama's 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope," is a story about his dogged optimism in the future. But it's his other work of writingthis one in response to a Humane Society Legislative Fund questionnairethat has given dogs and other animals hope in this country. At this time, three other presidential candidates John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Bill Richardson have issued campaign statements telling voters where they stand on animal welfare. Obama's statement is a welcome addition, and it is an indicator of the growing importance of humane issues in presidential politics. We hope the other presidential candidates will let voters know where they stand on animal issues, too. In his questionnaire response, Obama pledges support for nearly every animal protection bill currently pending in Congress, and he says he will work with executive agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make their policies more humane. He writes of the important role animals play in our lives, as companions in our homes, as wildlife in their own environments, and as service animals working with law enforcement and assisting persons with disabilities. HSLF Obama also comments on the broader links between animal cruelty and violence in society: "I've repeatedly voted to increase penalties for animal cruelty and violence and, importantly, to require psychological counseling for those who engage in this behavior as part of the punishment. In addition to being unacceptable in its own stead, violence towards animals is linked with violent behavior in general, especially domestic violence, and we need to acknowledge this connection and work to treat it. Strong penalties are important and I support them, but we know that incarceration alone can't solve all our problems. As president, I'd continue to make sure that we treat animal cruelty like the serious crime it is and address its connection to broader patterns of violence." In his eight years as an Illinois state senator, Obama voted for at least a dozen animal protection laws that came up during that time. He supported measures, among others, to allow the creation of pet trusts to provide for the long-term care of companion animals; to upgrade the penalties for cruelty to animals; to require psychological counseling for people who abuse animals; to require that veterinarians report suspected acts of cruelty and animal fighting; and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption which was significant because, at the time, Illinois was one of only two states (with Texas) where horse slaughter plants operated. After being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Obama has continued his record of support for animal protection laws. He voted to end the federal funding of horse slaughter in 2005, and he is currently a co-sponsor of new legislation to stop horse slaughter and the export of horses for human consumption. He co-sponsored legislation which was enacted this May to upgrade the federal penalties for dogfighting and cockfighting, and he is a co-sponsor of new legislation to ban the possession of fighting dogs and being a spectator at a dogfight. He signed a letter requesting increased funds for the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and the federal animal fighting law, and he also sent a letter to the National Zoo expressing his concern for the care of Toni the elephant. Senator Obama scored 20 percent on the 2005 Humane Scorecard because he voted to end horse slaughter, but at the time, had not yet co-sponsored bills dealing with animal fighting, puppy mills, or downer livestock, or signed the enforcement funding letter. His score improved to 60 percent on the 2006 Humane Scorecard, as he signed onto the animal fighting bill and the funding letter. For 2007, Obama will receive credit on the scorecard for co-sponsoring the animal fighting and horse slaughter legislation, but he has not yet co-sponsored major animal welfare bills such as the Pet Safety and Protection Act. While Obama has said that he supports the rights of hunters and sportsmen, he has not gone out of his way to stress the point, and has notas some other candidates have dressed up in camo and gunned down animals with the television cameras in tow. Obama's personal interactions with animals, in fact, appear to be much more humane. He has joined the fight against puppy mills, and will appear in a new book by my friend Jana Kohl about her rescued dog, Baby, who survived a decade in a puppy mill. And Obama has said that "as a condition for letting me run for President, my daughters Malia and Sasha extracted a promise from Michelle and I that they could get a dog after the election, win or lose. So they're heavily invested in this campaign, if only for it to be over so we can get our dog." Now that's a photo op I'd like to see. ............................................................................................................................

Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics: The Presidential Files: Mike Huckabee's Do-Nothing Approach to Protecting Animals

1) Mike HUCKABEE 2) John EDWARDS (see link below)

(I tried, but could not, remove the blue background from the text below, so I've changed the text to white to make it more easily legible. Webmaster)

The Presidential Files: Mike Huckabee's Do-Nothing Approach to Protecting Animals

The presidential primaries are nearly upon us, and its time to take stock of the candidates on animal protection issues. The Humane Society Legislative Fund has queried all the major candidates and asked for their positions on animal welfare, and has also examined the records of those who served in Congress or as governor.

For this first entry Im going to take a look at former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who has been surging in the polls and who is in the news today for his sons alleged history of animal cruelty. Huckabee was the states chief executive for more than a decade, and was largely viewed by animal advocates as an impediment to moderate reforms, or at the very least, someone who never lifted a finger to advance animal welfare. The governors record on animal issues was further tarnished in 1998 when the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Huckabees 17-year-old son, David, was fired from his job as a Boy Scout camp counselor because he and another teen allegedly killed a stray dog. Animal protection groups reported that the boys hanged the dog, slit his throat, and stoned him to death but the teens were never charged with any crime.

I generally believe the lives of candidates family members are off limits, and I cringe every time the media scrutinizes Chelsea Clinton or the Bush twins. But there are some aspects of history that are pertinent, and this is one of them. Its especially relevant because it has policy implications on animal cruelty issues, and there are accusations that Governor Huckabee personally mishandled the situation. And for HSLF, any indication of a family tolerance for malicious animal cruelty sets off alarm bellscruelty to animals is a sign of an empathic disconnect and is often an indicator of broader violent tendencies.

The story about Huckabee's son has been circulating on some blogs, like Dogster for the Love of Dog Blog and The Real Mike Huckabee, but new information has come to light. At the time of the camp incident, a local prosecutor apparently asked the Arkansas State Police to investigate whether David Huckabee violated state anti-cruelty laws. Newsweek broke the story this week that the former director of the state police, John Bailey, says that Huckabees chief of staff and personal attorney leaned on him to drop the investigation. According to Bailey, he refused to play ball, and was fired seven months later. It seems that the governor tried to stop the state police from investigating the cruelty charges against his son, and Baileys story is corroborated by the former FBI chief in Little Rock.

At worst, the governor acted unethically and obstructed the police investigation, but even at best, Huckabee and his staff took a boys will be boys attitude toward malicious animal abuse. The governors then-chief of staff Brenda Turner belittled the accusations, asking, Is it normal for the state police to investigate something that happened at a Boy Scout camp? Well, it should be. The public wants nothing less, in fact. The Michael Vick case demonstrates what happens when the justice system is allowed to work and when animal cruelty is taken seriously a star quarterback is brought down to serve a 23-month prison sentence, an example for countless thousands of young Americans. The Huckabee case shows what happens when the system is thwarted or when cruelty doesn't occupy a serious place in the political arena.

This flippant attitude toward a heinous act has apparently presented itself in Huckabee's views toward state policies on cruelty to animals. During Huckabees administration, Arkansas state lawmakers tried several times to pass legislation upgrading the states anti-cruelty law from a misdemeanor to a felony offense. Armed with studies about the link between cruelty to animals and violence toward people and recent incidents that had horrified people across the state, such as kittens thrown from a vehicle and the torture and decapitation of dogs animal advocates hoped that Arkansas would join the growing number of states that provided a strong deterrent to animal abuse. They received no help from the governor, and were unsuccessful every time. Stymied by the legislative process, animal advocates collected signatures to place an anti-cruelty and anti-cockfighting measure on the statewide ballot in 2002, asking the states voters to do what lawmakers would not.

All that came from Huckabee during the ballot campaign was a deafening silence. The measure went down in flames, largely because of a scorched earth campaign run by groups such as the Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Cattlemen's Association, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Ducks Unlimited, groups with which Huckabee associates himself falsely, claiming that this modest proposal to upgrade the penalties for animal cruelty would have adversely impacted hunting, fishing, farming, and other Arkansas traditions. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a staunchly conservative newspaper, opined again and again in favor of the measure, but it was not enough to counter the misinformation. And Governor Huckabee stood on the sidelines the entire time a glaring failure of leadership to be sure and perhaps a marker of his own hostile views about animals.

Arkansas is now one of only seven states that consider deliberate, malicious acts of cruelty to animals a misdemeanor offense. Setting fire to a painting of a dog is a more serious crime in Arkansas than burning the dog himself. In 43 statesincluding all the early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina animal cruelty is a felony, because voters and lawmakers have decided that its a serious crime that deserves serious consequences. In fact, 29 of those 43 felony cruelty laws have been passed during the last decade, while Huckabee and Arkansas did nothing.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Huckabee's pandering to the sport hunting lobby. Its not uncommon for presidential candidates to play up their sportsmens bona fides. But for Huckabee, it seems to be a standard talking point. His first television ad in Iowa aired in November and featured action star Chuck Norris, who stated, Mike Huckabee is a lifelong hunter And during a speech to the NRA in September, Huckabee sounded almost giddy when he talked about shooting a bullet that was guided by angels to pierce an antelope, and he exclaimed, Im pretty sure there will be duck hunting in heaven, and I cant wait. The Daily Shows Jon Stewart had fun with this, and asked, Governor, are you saying that our heaven is duck hell? Is there any place a duck can go to not get shot?

A former pastor, Huckabee makes a special appeal to people of faith. At HSLF, we do the same. Some animal protection groups are launching new programs that specifically aim to engage religious people and institutions on the principles of mercy and compassion. Americans of conviction bear a moral responsibility to the vulnerable and the weak.

The hunting lines might be laughable, but there's nothing funny about an alleged family history of cruelty to animals, or the suggestion that the governor obstructed justice. Huckabee should apologize or explain the specifics regarding the camp cruelty allegations. Call his Iowa campaign office at 515-288-3708 and tell him that animal abuse is a serious crime, not a laughing matter.

http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2007/12/the-presidentia.html

You need to know, and perhaps call to let Huckabee know WHY you won't be voting for him,

1. Why he covered up his son's involvement in an animal cruelty case in 1998? His son David did SOMETHING, the Boy Scouts fired him. It was reported that he took a stray dog, hung it, stoned it, and slit it's throat. The Prosecutor that wanted to file charges against 18 year old David Huckabee was fired after being told by Gov. Huckabee to back off.

2. Why did former AR Gov. Huckabee continously vote against making animal cruelty a felony? In Arkansas, you get more time for lighting a picture of a dog on fire, than setting an actual dog on fire.

3. Huckabee is a huge NRA and Duck's Unlimited member, how can he be trusted to vote unbiased on any animal welfare issues? He even stated " I know duck hunting is in heaven!"

4. Ask this "man of the cloth" why he thought spending Christmas Day killing pheasants, was an appropriate way to spend his time? and why killing animals for "fun", or recreation is ever the way to treat God's beautiful creations.

The hunting lines might be laughable, but there's nothing funny about an alleged family history of cruelty to animals, or the suggestion that the governor obstructed justice. Huckabee should apologize or explain the specifics regarding the camp cruelty allegations. Read article:

http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2007/12/the-presidentia.html

Call his Iowa campaign office at 515-288-3708 and tell him that animal abuse is a serious crime, not a laughing matter


"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing" --Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

also : http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2007/12/the-president-1.html on John Edwards