Missouri Prop B-media lies exposed!

February 25, 2011

 

From: Karen Strange, President - Missouri Federation of Animal Owners

Re: Representative Jason Smith (R-Salem) and Media Reports of Conflict of Interest with Proposition B

 

The Rep. Jason Smith story is sensational journalism in its most sleazy form.  Instigated by animal rights activists, there is no story there; however, the media tried to create a story.  The accusations of a conflict of interest are manufactured and without merit. It should be noted that the proposed changes to Proposition B, also known as the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act ballot initiative, are stronger than the original language and will address all licensees that operate substandard facilities.  The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Humane Society of Missouri (MHS), and their supporters testified in the House Agriculture Committee hearing during Rep. Smith's questioning that they did not want the provisions in Proposition B that would apply to breeders to also apply to humane societies.  In short, they cannot comply with all the requirements and do not want Proposition B changed because the rewrites include them, which would require that ALL dogs in licensed facilities have the same required care, whether intact or altered.  They are targeting Rep. Smith and his mother as a smokescreen to take the heat off of themselves.

   

As House Majority Whip, Rep. Smith has every right to legally sit on any House Committee of his choice and question any witnesses appearing before that committee. He cannot vote on any committee of which he is not a sitting member, but he may sit with the committee and ask questions during public testimony. Because of his knowledge about Proposition B and the animal rights movement, along with his degree in law, he was asked to sit on the committee not only to educate the committee members but to ask pertinent questions of witnesses concerning Proposition B. It is no more a conflict of interest for him to question them than for a lawyer to sit on a judicial committee, a doctor to sit on a healthcare committee, or any legislator to vote on tax issues because they are taxpayers in the state of Missouri.

   

Animal rights activists have whined and complained because they don't like to be challenged concerning facts.  The necessary changes to Proposition B are bringing their unfounded accusations under public scrutiny.  Their true agenda of attacking agriculture has also been brought to the public's attention.

   

The news stories concerning Rep. Smith's mother's kennel were misleading and led viewers to assume the kennel and dogs presented were Mrs. Smith's, when in fact they were not her dogs! The images were file films and the dogs presented were not even her breeds, much less her dogs or kennel. As I told the news director at KRCG-TV (Channel 13, Jefferson City MO) it was a stretch to make a story of absolutely nothing and they were guilty of exploitative and misleading journalism. The same is true of Channel 2 in St. Louis, MO (FoxNews2 KTVI).  Mrs. Smith's kennel was immediately inspected three times by different agencies following the release of the "Dirty Dozen" HSUS propaganda. Her facility was clean and the animals had exemplary care.  The only write-up was because Mrs. Smith did not have a fire extinguisher in one building, and she was not aware she needed one.

   

The news stories this week were inaccurate to say the least, and were intended to take heat away from HSUS and their losing battle to continue using propaganda to raise funds from the unknowing public in order to pad their coffers. They are being investigated on a number of levels for good reason.

 

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 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/ef57fb04-4069-11e0-8250-00127992bc8b.html


Report: House leader has tie to dog-breeding business
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:07 PM PST
JEFFERSON CITY -- When the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on a bill scaling back new dog-breeding rules approved by state voters, the legislator who led the attack on the rules was Rep. Jason Smith