Novalex
02-08-2004, 04:50 PM
Dear SAOVA Waterfowler:
It's been several months since a Sportsmen and Animal Owners' Alliance nationwide report. Here's what's happening that affects your hunting and animal ownership.
We'll again divide this year's federal election campaign analyses into primary and general election phases. A group of SAOVA 2002 veterans and new volunteers are canvassing candidates in 20 states with open seat elections, using the attached 2004 questionnaire. We've already sent two messages on KY6's February 17th special election and plan to have our http://saova.org website changed to its primary mode for the March primaries in CA, TX and IL.
Looking Back
All but one of Humane USA PAC's Virginia and New Jersey largely incumbent state legislature candidate endorsees won election in 2003.
Last year was mixed legislatively for SAOVA's constituency; we won more battles with those wanting to limit our rights than we lost, but not by a wide margin. There were only a few federal struggles, but those were extremely important. We won a key test for hunting sportsmen in a July fight over an animal rightist (AR) effort to federally dictate local game regulations. see http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll382.xml The ARs passed a bill forbidding the private interstate shipment of exotic animals and their campaigns against "dog fighting implements" have caused at least one locality to issue misdemeanor citations to dog owners using roading harnesses.
State legislation was much more active. We prevailed in a stunning series of CA wins, employing unprecedented large and varied interest coalitions. We had other wins in NY, RI, MI and AL, but lost some important fights in TX, IL, NJ and smaller ones in LA and WA.
Looking Ahead
The AR's 2004 federal legislative agenda appears focused on banning the interstate shipment of horses to slaughter, HR857, some aspect of downer livestock regulation and the revived "puppy protection act," HR3484. To see that ill-conceived bill's slowly growing cosponsor list, input HR3484 at http://thomas.loc.gov/
The ARs are currently very much more active at the state level than they are in Washington. Numerous mandatory spay-neuter, breeder licensing, breed specific laws and vaguely defined felony animal cruelty struggles are being waged across the country. Virginia has one of the earliest, shortest and most intense General Assembly sessions in the U.S. We've killed a spay-neuter bill, an open season on dog killing bill and two other bad bills here, but several AR measures remain alive. More on this below.
IAMS & HSUS Alliance
Most pet owners are aware that the maker of Iams and Eukanuba feeds has joined with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the largest and most effective animal rights lobbyist, in a promotional alliance. In my experience, the animal food company managements that are truly hunter-supportive and politically active on our side of the AR fight are Blackgold and Royal Canin (Kasco Foods). If you're disturbed by Iams' actions, see if our supporters' products feed well.
A Personal Request
I and other Virginians could use your help in defeating a particularly bad ASPCA and PETA initiated bill, HB646. Under the disguise of addressing insurance fraud, this bill creates new Class 5 penalties for injuring or killing a dog, feral or owned cat, rabbit, hamster or pet bird. "Injury" isn't defined. Virginia Class 5 felony convictions may result in 10 years hard time state imprisonment, plus the felony loss of voting and associated citizenship rights. Please assist our fight against this animal rightist supported bill.
HB646 will be on the Richmond House floor this week and all of the Virginia Delegates need to be contacted, asking them to vote no on HB646. A copy and past address list is attached for use in your To: or BCC: mailer header. Modify the semicolons to commas, if necessary.
Simply send a message titled "Vote No on HB646," with the salutation "Dear Delegate" and indicate in your own words why you consider the bill's penalty to exceed the crime, the crime poorly defined and the change providing no improvement in animal protection. Be sure to sign your name.
Thank you. May your 2004 be a great one.
Sincerely,
Bob Kane
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance
http://saova.org
Forwarding and cross posting encouraged.
It's been several months since a Sportsmen and Animal Owners' Alliance nationwide report. Here's what's happening that affects your hunting and animal ownership.
We'll again divide this year's federal election campaign analyses into primary and general election phases. A group of SAOVA 2002 veterans and new volunteers are canvassing candidates in 20 states with open seat elections, using the attached 2004 questionnaire. We've already sent two messages on KY6's February 17th special election and plan to have our http://saova.org website changed to its primary mode for the March primaries in CA, TX and IL.
Looking Back
All but one of Humane USA PAC's Virginia and New Jersey largely incumbent state legislature candidate endorsees won election in 2003.
Last year was mixed legislatively for SAOVA's constituency; we won more battles with those wanting to limit our rights than we lost, but not by a wide margin. There were only a few federal struggles, but those were extremely important. We won a key test for hunting sportsmen in a July fight over an animal rightist (AR) effort to federally dictate local game regulations. see http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll382.xml The ARs passed a bill forbidding the private interstate shipment of exotic animals and their campaigns against "dog fighting implements" have caused at least one locality to issue misdemeanor citations to dog owners using roading harnesses.
State legislation was much more active. We prevailed in a stunning series of CA wins, employing unprecedented large and varied interest coalitions. We had other wins in NY, RI, MI and AL, but lost some important fights in TX, IL, NJ and smaller ones in LA and WA.
Looking Ahead
The AR's 2004 federal legislative agenda appears focused on banning the interstate shipment of horses to slaughter, HR857, some aspect of downer livestock regulation and the revived "puppy protection act," HR3484. To see that ill-conceived bill's slowly growing cosponsor list, input HR3484 at http://thomas.loc.gov/
The ARs are currently very much more active at the state level than they are in Washington. Numerous mandatory spay-neuter, breeder licensing, breed specific laws and vaguely defined felony animal cruelty struggles are being waged across the country. Virginia has one of the earliest, shortest and most intense General Assembly sessions in the U.S. We've killed a spay-neuter bill, an open season on dog killing bill and two other bad bills here, but several AR measures remain alive. More on this below.
IAMS & HSUS Alliance
Most pet owners are aware that the maker of Iams and Eukanuba feeds has joined with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the largest and most effective animal rights lobbyist, in a promotional alliance. In my experience, the animal food company managements that are truly hunter-supportive and politically active on our side of the AR fight are Blackgold and Royal Canin (Kasco Foods). If you're disturbed by Iams' actions, see if our supporters' products feed well.
A Personal Request
I and other Virginians could use your help in defeating a particularly bad ASPCA and PETA initiated bill, HB646. Under the disguise of addressing insurance fraud, this bill creates new Class 5 penalties for injuring or killing a dog, feral or owned cat, rabbit, hamster or pet bird. "Injury" isn't defined. Virginia Class 5 felony convictions may result in 10 years hard time state imprisonment, plus the felony loss of voting and associated citizenship rights. Please assist our fight against this animal rightist supported bill.
HB646 will be on the Richmond House floor this week and all of the Virginia Delegates need to be contacted, asking them to vote no on HB646. A copy and past address list is attached for use in your To: or BCC: mailer header. Modify the semicolons to commas, if necessary.
Simply send a message titled "Vote No on HB646," with the salutation "Dear Delegate" and indicate in your own words why you consider the bill's penalty to exceed the crime, the crime poorly defined and the change providing no improvement in animal protection. Be sure to sign your name.
Thank you. May your 2004 be a great one.
Sincerely,
Bob Kane
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance
http://saova.org
Forwarding and cross posting encouraged.