(The Potsdam Potties, an infamous yet entertaining display of yard art not far from the college. If I could I would consign animal rights groups to a venue like this.)Thursday Liz and I spent all day and all evening at meetings....except for when we were milking on both ends of the day. (Yesterday we spent recovering from same.)
The first meeting was an animal welfare conference, which featured David Martosko, Kay Johnson-Smith, Cari Rincker, and Richard MCNally, as well as a number of other outstanding speakers. Evening was county Farm Bureau annual meeting, where we were both elected for new terms on the board of directors.
One of the biggest things I took away from the animal welfare conference was the futility of compromising with animal rights zealots. Moving the goal posts until there are no tame, captive, farm, or pet animals is their avowed agenda. Changing the way you do your job will not stop them. They don't want you better, they want you gone. Too many people simply don't get that, and I was delighted to hear speakers point it out.
I have long thought that well-meaning initiatives put forth by farm and livestock groups to appear more compliant with these groups are misguided, if not downright wrong. If you aren't doing anything wrong, why pretend that you are? Why give them traction to do you further damage? Why not educate the public as zealously as they do?
One thing that separates us from them is dollars. They have them. Most folks don't. And most of us work hard, have lives and are busy living them. We don't have time to lobby senators and congressmen and put our folks in Washington as czars of this that and the other thing.
If you have a few minutes watch this video and hear some of the sort of things we heard.
Today, it's "another day another meeting", this time a milk marketing cooperative meeting, which I must attend with our milk inspector. I am such a stay at home, happiest here in jeans and a ratty old sweater, puttering around feeding critters and taking pictures. However, there is an ancient truism that the world is run by those who show up. I feel that it is my job to show up whenever I can....so I'll see you tomorrow for Sunday Stills.
You hit the nail on the head with this post - out here they want NO farms. Just wildlife and wolves. Meanwhile, the property taxes just keep getting higher to pay for the bureaucrats that HAVE to enforce the rules. Our land has recently been rezoned to forestland only, so farming here now (after more than 100 years)is a conditional use. We now have to prove that we are farming!
ReplyDeleteThe same is happening here in Maine - I have to prove each year that I make x amount of dollars farming or they will charge us more in taxes. It gets tougher and tougher to meet their income guidelines, especially with the economy but we are going to keep trying!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time out of your busy day to attend these meetings. Like you, I'd rather be home but sometimes you just have to put yourself out there. It will make a difference :)
"They don't want you better, they want you gone. Too many people simply don't get that..."
ReplyDeleteThat last bit includes a good portion of those who donate to these folks, too. The donors think they're helping stray dogs and cats and have no idea what the real agendas of the ASPCA, PETA, etc. are.
Those groups are really scary but I have to wonder where their common sense went. So we really just want all animals to run wild?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, these people are nuts.
This stuff could drive me insane. As if it's not hard enough to scratch out a living in this state and nation, we have to battle the man-hating kooks like these...
ReplyDeleteThe AR's not only want farmers gone, they want any use that people make of animals gone. There is no compromising with them. They have the money, but we have the numbers if people can become aware of what dangerous lunatics they are.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and you DID hit the nail on the head.......too bad it wasn't some other heads. It's a good thing the Bossman wasn't there...things like that make him want to eat nails.
ReplyDeleteBeing old and mellow, means I like hiding at home, but if you can go out and Show Up, well, I guess I had better - sometimes I even say things that are helpful and get more done than if unsaid. Back to work, sorry about those Animal Rights folks - they probably never loved them as much as you and Liz do, animals need cared for much. Look what happened to the dinosaurs without people to protect them.... or don't.
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked to think that HSUS is affiliated with PETA, which I have long thought was a buncha nutz.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a target for them...or maybe I am, since I have pets...but it seems like the leap from animal rights to world domination is a pretty large one.
Does a Right-To-Farm law mitigate any of this *stuff*?
Nita, what worries me is that few people, even farm leaders, realize either what their actual agenda is or to what lengths they are prepared to go to achieve it. Sorry to hear about the zoning thing and your land. We don't have much of that here yet, but I am afraid that it is on the way
ReplyDeleteDeb, Wish more folks saw just how insidious the whole movement is. They don't because it is clothed in touchy-feely, oh we love animals cloaking, but it is there and waiting to take away your livelihood and the animals you love. Sorry to hear that you too are in the zoning situation.
Joated, Wish I could have shared some of the video shown at the conference. There was actual footage (and plenty of it) of the leaders of HSUS and other groups admitting, and in fact being proud of, their goal of a vegan USA within the next sixty years.
SC Momma, alas that is just what they want...no more cows, dogs etc. because they are unnatural, because we had a hand in making them the way they are and we are, of course, the number one enemy of everything
Mrs. M, you nailed it!!
Jan, exactly! You do a great job on your blog, one of the reasons I love to read it!
Linda, thanks, it is a nightmare, but far too many people are still asleep I fear.
Earl, the older I get the more I hate to go, but I feel that I must...sort of a put your money where your mouth is sort of thing for me, because I have a sort of a big mouth on issues like this. It got me into trouble yesterday, that whole showing up thing, as I am now secretary of something and I am not even sure exactly what.
June, believe it! They let Peta do the outrageous stunts and they go to work in suits and sound reasonable and sweet and do their best to make it impossible to farm, put on a rodeo, run a zoo, or keep a pet dog in your home. If you have time, click on the link to Jan, above, who runs the Poodle and Dog blog. Search her blog for HSUS and other AR topics to read a great deal of material on what these critters get up to. they went so far as to coerce ABC to take down a video from an Atlanta TV station that revealed just what they do...and don't do...with their money. However it is still hosted in Iran of all places and I think Jan still has a link. Check it out.
I've bookmarked Jan's site. There's a lot to read there! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat summary of the NYFB Farm Animal Cruelty Conference! It was great to finally meet you in person!
ReplyDeleteCari, thanks, I found the conference one of the most valuable that I have attended. Farm Bureau and the presenters all did a fantastic job. Nice meeting you as well.
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