Because I strongly support local 4-H and don't want to damage their image. (That is the only thing keeping this topic out of the Farm Side. Local 4-H leadership isn't responsible for this nonsense and local kids shouldn't have to suffer for someone else's idiocy)......However, I think it is time that I mention it at least here where fewer local people read each day. Here is Congressman Steve King on HSUS being invited to speak at the national 4-H convention this year.
"To invite an organization committed to the eradication of animal agriculture to its national conference is at best a mistake by 4-H and at worst a troubling concession to anti-meat liberals working for the Obama administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There is no excuse for 4-H allowing an organization actively working against a staple component of 4-H programs and our diets to present at its national conference."
Everyone in our family is a former 4-H member, including the boss and me. When the kids were young we had a small dairy club of which I was co-leader. It was one of the most active in the county at that time. We sold hundreds and hundreds of boxes of cookies, attended Cooperstown Junior Show and Fonda Fair as a club, and won herdsmanship more than once. The kids all judged dairy cows and participated in Dairy Quiz Bowl as well...I served as the novice QB coach for a number of years.
Although I have been keeping my mouth shut and my keyboard quiet ab, I was outraged right from the start that national leadership offered a forum to such a blatantly anti-agriculture organization as HSUS. I hope they rethink the idea and never repeat the offense. The Congressman seems to agree.
"Now would be a good time for the young leaders of 4-H to present and pass a resolution through national 4-H that formally refuses to grant a forum to organizations that are anathema to the grand traditions of 4-H. National 4-H needs to fully understand the consequences of partnering with an organization committed to ending the American livestock industry."
That is an outrage, as of course our kids were in 4-H also! That is something I thought I would never hear of! What were they thinking, wait, obviously they weren't!
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable. What on earth were they thinking?
ReplyDeletelike everything else... it's just NUTS! What are they thinking? or maybe it's a teaching exercise on keeping your mouth shut around those who are trying to put this countries farmers out of business? Remember kids can ask questions and get away with it where as an adult might not. Hopefully they will be well educated (not coached) on the truth of HSUS.
ReplyDeleteI never was in 4-H, OK I was for maybe 6 months... just wasn't my thing. back in the day the only good one around was all public school kids, home-schooled weren't allowed... politics with the school board and such.
Gotta agree with you on this one. Someone made an unbelieveable error in inviting HSUS to take part. I wouldn't even let them shovel out the pig stys at the county fair grounds.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope the kids question HSUS' policy on euthanizing animals, how much they actually spend on shelters, what they (HSUS) believe is the role of animal farming in feeding the world, etc. (The local shelter with "Humane Society" on its sign is NOT related to HSUS which spends next to nil in the shelter arena, but does advocate putting animals down...often.)
As a former 4-h kid, married to a secretry of FFA, with four 4-H children THIS IS UPSETTING!!!
ReplyDeleteOnce more my mouth is hanging open at the stupidness of some of our political leaders.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
OMG that almost as bad as having PETA come talk, geez, I am sure the guise was "proper care" of your animal, or some such, come on parents wake up!!
ReplyDeleteI was outraged by this story too. Unfortunately something like 70% of the public still thinks that HSUS is the compassionate umbrella group of local humane societies.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this kind of story will help spread the word on what sort of group we are dealing with.
That's nuts. Positively nuts.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not - even this small town kid that lived on a postage size lot in Loudonville Ohio belonged to 4-H a for a few years.
Lisa, I was appalled...a lot of 4-H folks screamed bloody murder at the powers that be, but they are so smug there in Washington that they pretty much ignored the uproar
ReplyDeleteJessika, I can't imagine, but I think they must have caught whatever it is that is going around inside the Beltway
Sara, they sure started a firestorm of outrage in the ag community! We weren't farm kids, but we belonged to a dairy club. I learned a lot about cows long before I had any real contact with them.
Joated, it sure is an uphill battle trying to educate folks on what they are really after
Linda, I wish they had at least admitted that they had made a mistake when the uproar began...
Reddunappy, Same here....there were an awful lot of very unhappy former 4-Hers in the ag community for sure
Jan, it is so hard to compete on the media front with an organization with a budget as big as theirs.
Cathy, it is a wonderful organization, but looks like at least some folks in leadership positions are losing touch with ag...alas....
We were all 4Hers. have they taken total leave of their senses?????
ReplyDeleteJust digusting! I was also in 4-H and I am so angry that they would let this happen!
ReplyDeleteWR, they sure made a lot of people very upset. I don't think they are listened very hard though
ReplyDeleteOrange Patch, I think a lot of people were really upset. Sadly their response was very luke warm and defensive. I hope they will know better in the future but I have my doubts. Next time if there is one the gloves are off though.
I had not heard of this outragous thing happening. What kind of leadership is happening in 4-H now? I am glad you posted this info. Linda
ReplyDeleteLInda, I think it made a lot of people mad. I wasn't too happy that they didn't know better in the first place, but I was really ticked when they stood behind their decision with a lot of mealy-mouthed platitudes. They were wrong. They should have admitted it and promised to do better in the future.
ReplyDeleteI called the 4-H center to complain: 202-720-2908
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda, good job! thanks!
ReplyDelete