A recent USA Today full-page ad went straight for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) jugular vein and decried the multimillion dollar fund raising and animal rights organization for only giving one percent of the millions of dollars it rakes in annually to actual animal shelters. The ad, straight from an HSUS playbook with a sad looking puppy centered on the page, was sponsored by HumaneforPets.com. (click here for the ad)
That site is a subsidiary of Center for Consumer Freedom, also the owner of the HumaneWatch.org website. This is an organization that has been diligently working for years to, as they say “expose the HSUS as a fraud”.
The Center for Consumer Freedom and HumaneforPets.com also placed the advertisement on a prominent billboard in New York City. Similar advertising messages appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Variety, and the Washington, DC edition of The Wall Street Journal. There’s no doubt that the November 30, 2011 ads in national newspapers caught the attention of many, including HSUS president Wayne Pacelle.
Of course, Pacelle and the HSUS came out swinging over the bad publicity. Odd though, HSUS never denied the statement in the ad that HSUS raised more than $131 million in 2010 yet only passed one percent of that amount to animal shelters.
Interesting Pacelle comments (and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance interpretations) include:
“He (Berman) runs “charitable” organizations, like the Center for Consumer Freedom (which fights the HSUS)… yet his groups don’t feed one animal…” notes Pacelle in the direct attack.
USSA – However, nothing in Berman’s literature ever said he feeds or houses animals. Berman’s newly formed group will reportedly help house and fund animal shelters. Animal shelters, and the feeding dogs and cats, are also not listed activities reported in the 2010 IRS form 990 filed by the HSUS. Education and research are listed as HSUS activities.
“He’s (Berman) got the mansion in McLean, Va., and the Bentley in the driveway as the spoils, with his accountant wife standing by to tally the profits,” quipped Pacelle. HSUS actually ran a picture of the guy’s home in what can only be construed as an act of desperation to show a lucrative lifestyle.
USSA – The HSUS certainly knows much about lucrative. The 2010 HSUS IRS form 990 reports that the HSUS spent more than $5.5 million on office expenses in 2010 and more than $3.5 million on travel during the 12 month period. Read it yourself at http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/financials/2010-form-990.pdf.
Another Pacelle quote was “now, this Beltway con artist (Pacelle referring to Richard Berman) –who has probably spent as much time as anyone in recent years fighting against animal welfare–has formed a new supposed animal welfare charity. He’s calling it the “Humane Society for Shelter Pets,” blasts Pacelle.
USSA – The HSUS lobbies against the agriculture industry, hunting, trapping, dog breeders, pet stores and numerous other groups. Their lobbying efforts cost lots of money. In 2010, for example, HSUS reported spending more than $13.5 with a fundraising consultant and more than $10 million on marketing efforts to promote HSUS and its programs. More than $1.7 million was spent on legal fees by the HSUS that year alone.
“In addition to our own full agenda of helping animals through education, advocacy, and direct care, the HSUS gives millions to other organizations. In the last five years, the HSUS has given more than $43 million in grants to other animal organizations,” reports Pacelle.
USSA – Now, the math means with annual HSUS donations received during those five years of approximately $100 million or more, the $43 million came out of a $500 million-plus cash pool at HSUS. In other words, they spent far less than 10 percent of their income helping other animal organizations.
Finally, Pacelle’s blog questions Berman’s expenditures: “According to the most recently available federal tax filings for Berman, the Center for Consumer Freedom devoted massive financial resources—almost $1 million in 2010—to attacking animal charities, and spent an estimated $131,572 to oppose animal welfare legislation and ballot initiatives in 6 states,” Pacelle toots.
USSA – The HSUS should understand what massive really means. When you again look at the HSUS 2010 IRS 990 report, the group received more than $131 million (most from donations) and reported spending only about $4 million on program expenses. That is a real eye opener.
Those HSUS dollars and this Pacelle attack make Richard Berman out to be a real David, and his stone has struck a very BIG Goliath head.
