HSUS and Codefendants Agree to Historic $15.75 Million Settlement

In a landmark settlement, Feld Entertainment, Inc., operator of the Ringling Brothers Circus, has recovered $15.75 million in attorney fees from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and their codefendants. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed against Feld Entertainment in 2000 alleging mistreatment of federally protected Asian elephants.

In order to establish “standing” to sue, the plaintiffs (HSUS, Born Free USA/Animal Protection Institute, Fund for Animals, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and individual citizen, Tom Rider) had to show that a member of their organizations had a personal stake in the case, such as a direct personal connection with the elephants. Those groups pointed to Tom Rider as their key witness. Rider, a former elephant trainer for Feld Entertainment, submitted sworn affidavits alleging the personal connection needed to file the lawsuit.

During the course of the lawsuit, Feld Entertainment uncovered evidence that some of the groups, with the assistance of their attorneys at the Meyer, Glitzenstein and Crystal law firm, were secretly paying Rider’s living expenses and had submitted false information regarding those payments. In total, the payments amounted to $190,000. In response, Feld Entertainment sued HSUS and the other groups under federal anti-racketeering laws known as the RICO Act. Read more

CCRKBA: Obama Rewards Terrorists, Punishes Gun Companies

BELLEVUE, WA – Congress must “suck it up and act now” to rein in President Barack Obama and his administration, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today, because at the same time he turns loose five dangerous terrorists who want to hurt us, his administration has been trying to squeeze the economic life out of gun-related companies that have hurt nobody. “President Obama has broken the law by releasing five Taliban terrorist leaders in exchange for one soldier without notifying Congress, ” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and his administration has been trying to financially strangle gun companies with ‘Operation Choke Point, ‘ and they’ve done nothing wrong. This president’s priorities are way off the grid, and only Congress can stop this nonsense. ” Read more

Why All Hunters Should Care About Ban on Elephant Trophies

DALLAS — Relatively few hunters will ever hunt an elephant. But every hunter who supports science-based wildlife conservation and management has reason for concern about the Obama administration’s recent ban on importing lawfully hunted elephant trophies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in April that elephants hunted in Tanzania and Zimbabwe in 2014 may not be imported to the U.S.

Citizens who are ignorant of the differences between legal hunting and illegal poaching, “May have cheered the ban,” said Dallas Safari Club (DSC) Executive Director Ben Carter, “given all the recent headlines about elephant poaching, wildlife trafficking and the federal government destroying its confiscated stockpile of smuggled ivory.”

“Even most sportsmen, who usually are offended when they’re treated like poachers, didn’t pay much attention, as if the ban would affect only those few hunters interested enough, and wealthy enough, to actually hunt an elephant,” he added.

But Carter said the ban sets a dangerous precedent for hunting and conservation overall.

Here’s why: Read more

Michigan: Firearms Records Confidentiality Package Passes State Legislature, Youth Firearm Education Bill Still Awaiting Senate Action

Today, the final three bills included in the Firearms Records Confidentiality Package, Senate Bills 49834 and 881, passed in the Michigan House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.  These bills will now be returned to the state Senate for a recommendation of immediate effect.  If your state Representative voted for these bills, please call and thank him or her for supporting this important pro-gun reform package. Read more

How Many Animals Does HSUS “Care” For?

This from www.HumaneWatch.org

HSI_StreetDogs

The Humane Society of the United States relies on guile. When HSUS advertises to the public, it implies that it is a cat-and-dog group, one that will “rescue animals now.” Yet only 1 percent of its budget goes to pet shelters, and HSUS doesn’t run a single pet shelter despite having $200 million in assets.

HSUS’s deceptive attitude was on display after the group recently took part in a $15.75 million settlement of a racketeering lawsuit. HSUS told the public that donor money would not go to pay the settlement. Yet HSUS was denied liability insurance for the settlement—a fact it willfully omitted from its statements.

Buy Any New MINOX ZA 5 HD Riflescope Get a Free PUMA IP Elk Hunter Knife

Buy any new MINOX ZA 5 HD riflescope from an authorized MINOX dealer by July 31, 2014, and receive a free PUMA IP Elk Hunter knife.

MINOX USA and PUMA Knives have combined two great German brands into one hunting pre-season special offer: buy any new MINOX ZA 5 HD riflescope from an authorized MINOX dealer through July 31, 2014, and receive a free PUMA IP Elk Hunter knife – a $169.99 value.

The MINOX ZA 5 HD riflescopes, designed and engineered in Germany and assembled in the USA, provide enhanced high-definition optics that meet the demands of hunters and shooters. They offer a 5x zoom range and new long-range reticles, and come in both 1″ and 30mm tube models.

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