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SeaWorld Incident Breathes New Life Into HSUS

Posted on March 03, 2010 at 1:31 PM

After a series of victories against the Humane Society of the United States, the death of a SeaWorld trainer has given them new life.

 

As I wait for a flight to the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif. at 4:30 a.m. in St. Louis, I can't help listen to CNN in the background. Anderson Cooper diligently cites the "Humane Society of America" (he means HSUS) as an authority on orcas in captivity.

 

Just as I'm about to cry out in disgust, Jack Hanna swoops and notes that HSUS' experience with killer whales is pale in comparison to SeaWorld's. He then continued by discussing SeaWorld's role in donating millions to save aquatic animals.

 

Essentially, Hanna's argument was, without the Shamu show, folks would be ignorant to the needless killing of orcas by fishermen. Thus, put a few in captivity for the sake of thousands. A valid argument, I think.

 

Even though agriculture wasn't mentioned once during this news piece, it shows how dangerous HSUS remains. Their name alone allows them to weasel their way into news casts when they actually have little experience on the actual topic. I loved how Hanna swatted HSUS aside with such ease. However, the fact that Cooper was willing to shamelessly quote HSUS as a factual source is disturbing.

 

To me, this means we've got to keep the pressure on HSUS. Many corporations are starting to realize how dangerous HSUS can be as an ally (just ask Pilot and Yellow Tail Wine).

 

We have to continue exposing HSUS for who they really are. When I post articles from www.humanewatch.org on Facebook, I always get responses from friends who did not realize HSUS' nefarious nature. Keep up the pressure. After all, folks aren't going to get the truth about HSUS from HSUS.

 

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About The Writer
Prairie Gleanings

Josh Flint hails from Rolla, Mo., about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.) with a degree in communication: journalism, he took a job with the Suburban Journals group. Josh began his career covering Belleville, Ill. While at the Journals, he also covered O'Fallon and Fairview Heights, Ill.

In 2006, Josh took a job with Country Journal Publishing in Decatur, Ill., where he acted as the editor of Milling Journal and associate editor of Grain Journal. His writing focused primarily on grain processing and storage.

Josh and his wife, Tiffany, have been married since 2005. They currently live in St. Clair County.

“I’ve been covering Illinois agriculture for over three years now,” Josh says. “I’ve learned Illinois farmers are some of the most honest, hard-working people in the world. I only wish the rest of our state’s population clung to the ideals and work ethic held in such high esteem by our farm families.”

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