Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
HB 963: No right of appeal unless you're rich
HB 963 is a proposed bill that mainly relates to the judicial proceedings regarding anyone accused of animal abuse/cruelty.
The alleged author, Rep. Will Hartnett, has a black sense of humor in my opinion. Check out this clause:
(3) order the animal humanely destroyed if the court decides that the best interests of the animal or that the public health and safety would be served by doing so.
Since when is being killed in an animal's best interests? Sheesh.
(Rep. Hartnett may be attempting some damage control, as his plans to sell off Parrie Haynes Ranch as a means to help pay off the state's big fat deficit are not making any Texas Parks supporters happy.)
Since the RPOA* has already accurately described the true aim of HB 963 - to eradicate the appeals process for anyone accused of cruelty - I've reproduced their observations here.
This is an attempt to make the appeals cost prohibitive and force the owner to relinquish ownership of his animals to shelters for resale.
Just because an owner is accused of cruelty does not mean in every case the authorities got it right. It is an attempt to prevent an appeal without changing the statute to not allow appeals. The proposed law would require the owner to pay 150% of the “estimated” costs, again attempting to prevent any appeals.
One section is to ensure that not all of the appeals are trial de novo in County Court. This bill is supported by the HSUS and Texas Humane Legislation Network that opposed appeals altogether and said they would be back this session to overturn Rep. Mark Homer’s bill in 2009 that granted the right of appeal again.
It will likely have the support of humane shelters that stand to benefit and which were opposed to appeals including SPCA of North Texas, Houston SPCA, Houston Humane Society, and other similar corporations.
* Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
The alleged author, Rep. Will Hartnett, has a black sense of humor in my opinion. Check out this clause:
(3) order the animal humanely destroyed if the court decides that the best interests of the animal or that the public health and safety would be served by doing so.
Since when is being killed in an animal's best interests? Sheesh.
(Rep. Hartnett may be attempting some damage control, as his plans to sell off Parrie Haynes Ranch as a means to help pay off the state's big fat deficit are not making any Texas Parks supporters happy.)
Since the RPOA* has already accurately described the true aim of HB 963 - to eradicate the appeals process for anyone accused of cruelty - I've reproduced their observations here.
This is an attempt to make the appeals cost prohibitive and force the owner to relinquish ownership of his animals to shelters for resale.
Just because an owner is accused of cruelty does not mean in every case the authorities got it right. It is an attempt to prevent an appeal without changing the statute to not allow appeals. The proposed law would require the owner to pay 150% of the “estimated” costs, again attempting to prevent any appeals.
One section is to ensure that not all of the appeals are trial de novo in County Court. This bill is supported by the HSUS and Texas Humane Legislation Network that opposed appeals altogether and said they would be back this session to overturn Rep. Mark Homer’s bill in 2009 that granted the right of appeal again.
It will likely have the support of humane shelters that stand to benefit and which were opposed to appeals including SPCA of North Texas, Houston SPCA, Houston Humane Society, and other similar corporations.
* Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
Monday, February 28, 2011
Texas Unites...
... in spinning our wheels for yet another year.
This three-day seminar is back, but even with cutesy marketing, it won't get us any closer to being a No-Kill state. Instead, it'll the same old same old, with a big emphasis on how to efficiently push paper, hassle rescuers you don't like, and be a better bureaucrat. Perfect for those hoping for a career in committee-sitting. And of course, the HSUS and Texas Humane Legislation Network will somehow "sponsor" something.
And if memory serves correctly, some Dallas Animal Services employees got to spend three days in Austin last year attending the 2010 Texas Unites conference. This is the same Dallas Animal Services that distinguished itself in so many ways during the rest of 2010.
Anyway, here are your choices. You can fork out $200 (not including accommodation at the Renaissance Hotel, that's $109 a night extra) and do Texas Unites for three days, or you can pay $19.95 and attend Nathan Winograd's Building A No-Kill Community seminar. True, Austin offers visitors a bit more than Houston, and the Renaissance is nice. Building a No-Kill Community will be held in the auditorium of a law school. No open bar or opportunities to schmooze with your fellow committee-sitters (sigh). But it all depends on your priorities, I guess.
Building A No-Kill Community is being held on a Saturday - this means we office drones can go without taking time off. (I'm already paid up.) If you're doing the entire Texas Unites, you'll need to take a day off. But at least you get to spend the weekend in Austin.
Texas Unites wins one award: the Incredibly Bad Taste distinction. One seminar subject - prosecuting animal control officers for animal cruelty - is literally called Animal Control Officers Gone Wild. Like there's anything funny or sexy about the subject.
This three-day seminar is back, but even with cutesy marketing, it won't get us any closer to being a No-Kill state. Instead, it'll the same old same old, with a big emphasis on how to efficiently push paper, hassle rescuers you don't like, and be a better bureaucrat. Perfect for those hoping for a career in committee-sitting. And of course, the HSUS and Texas Humane Legislation Network will somehow "sponsor" something.
And if memory serves correctly, some Dallas Animal Services employees got to spend three days in Austin last year attending the 2010 Texas Unites conference. This is the same Dallas Animal Services that distinguished itself in so many ways during the rest of 2010.
Anyway, here are your choices. You can fork out $200 (not including accommodation at the Renaissance Hotel, that's $109 a night extra) and do Texas Unites for three days, or you can pay $19.95 and attend Nathan Winograd's Building A No-Kill Community seminar. True, Austin offers visitors a bit more than Houston, and the Renaissance is nice. Building a No-Kill Community will be held in the auditorium of a law school. No open bar or opportunities to schmooze with your fellow committee-sitters (sigh). But it all depends on your priorities, I guess.
Building A No-Kill Community is being held on a Saturday - this means we office drones can go without taking time off. (I'm already paid up.) If you're doing the entire Texas Unites, you'll need to take a day off. But at least you get to spend the weekend in Austin.
Texas Unites wins one award: the Incredibly Bad Taste distinction. One seminar subject - prosecuting animal control officers for animal cruelty - is literally called Animal Control Officers Gone Wild. Like there's anything funny or sexy about the subject.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Michael Vick's key to the city
Larry Powell's blog contains the entire statement made to the Dallas City Council by Richard Hunter. I thought Mr. Hunter did a particularly good job of describing how fucked up the situation was (and is).
Read it all here.
Read it all here.
Now or Never: We're still just kidding about "Leave a Comment"
Last month I mentioned how difficult it was to leave a comment at the Now or Never for Dallas Animal Services blog. Seems you had to have a Wordpress account to do so.
Recently, this was changed so that Wordpress isn't needed - but you DO need to agree 100% with the blog and its authors, or your comment won't be published. Instead, you'll be moderated with a DELETE key.
You see, when I left a comment to a recent Now or Never blog entry, challenging the poster's statement that the HSUS is a moderate organization, the comment was never published. Perhaps this is due to the fact that some of the Now or
Never blog authors publicly sing the HSUS' praises.
(If you're wondering why I have major problems with the HSUS, check out their annual reports. You can download them at their Web site. It puzzles me how anyone with a brain could continue to support an organization that contributes so little to animal welfare, and so much to their in-house legal team, senior staphers, pension fund and lobbyists.)
So...if you aren't kissing Wayne Pacelle's well-polished ass, fugheddaboutit.
Recently, this was changed so that Wordpress isn't needed - but you DO need to agree 100% with the blog and its authors, or your comment won't be published. Instead, you'll be moderated with a DELETE key.
You see, when I left a comment to a recent Now or Never blog entry, challenging the poster's statement that the HSUS is a moderate organization, the comment was never published. Perhaps this is due to the fact that some of the Now or
Never blog authors publicly sing the HSUS' praises.
(If you're wondering why I have major problems with the HSUS, check out their annual reports. You can download them at their Web site. It puzzles me how anyone with a brain could continue to support an organization that contributes so little to animal welfare, and so much to their in-house legal team, senior staphers, pension fund and lobbyists.)
So...if you aren't kissing Wayne Pacelle's well-polished ass, fugheddaboutit.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Humor lives at the "Now or Never" blog
While catching up on my reading, I found a rather mystifying posting at the "Now or Never" blog. (It's recently moved, and now lives here: http://noworneverdallas.wordpress.com/)
The posting is from February 2nd. I don't know the author, but he or she may have been smoking crack during this week's cabin fever-inducing Snowmageddon. For example, the posting states:
The HSUS has a reputation for being a moderate organization that prefers to operate well away from the radical fringe...
Anyone with basic research skills will discover that today's HSUS is no longer a "moderate organization". They started out as a hands-on organization that actually pitched in and helped local shelters until the early 1970s. But mission creep set in, and the AR fanatics began to get a toehold with the rise of John Hoyt.
Nowadays, the HSUS is pushing the "Rescued To Death" agenda just as hard as PETA, the ALF, and similar organizations. Hardly any of their funds go to local animal shelters - this is why their TV advertisements, which make it appear the HSUS are funding them when they aren't - enrage me. (Okay, about 50 cents of each $19.95 monthly contribution might go to a local shelter. Let's give Wayne Pacelle his due.)
On a lighter note, you can now leave a comment at the Now or Never blog without getting a Wordpress account first. But so far, the only comments that have passed moderation have been kudos - from the same few people.
The posting is from February 2nd. I don't know the author, but he or she may have been smoking crack during this week's cabin fever-inducing Snowmageddon. For example, the posting states:
The HSUS has a reputation for being a moderate organization that prefers to operate well away from the radical fringe...
Anyone with basic research skills will discover that today's HSUS is no longer a "moderate organization". They started out as a hands-on organization that actually pitched in and helped local shelters until the early 1970s. But mission creep set in, and the AR fanatics began to get a toehold with the rise of John Hoyt.
Nowadays, the HSUS is pushing the "Rescued To Death" agenda just as hard as PETA, the ALF, and similar organizations. Hardly any of their funds go to local animal shelters - this is why their TV advertisements, which make it appear the HSUS are funding them when they aren't - enrage me. (Okay, about 50 cents of each $19.95 monthly contribution might go to a local shelter. Let's give Wayne Pacelle his due.)
On a lighter note, you can now leave a comment at the Now or Never blog without getting a Wordpress account first. But so far, the only comments that have passed moderation have been kudos - from the same few people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)