If you are reading this blog then I may safely assume you are an animal lover, but sometimes love is not enough. Sometimes advocacy through direction action is required.
I post this as an urgent call to action to help pass animal abuse legislation which Humane Society of the United States (Wisconsin) state director Melissa Tedrowe declared in her testimony to be a “gold standard” law. Current law has significant loopholes, as I heard Senator Wanggaard declare in a Senate hearing.
Advocates for the humane treatment of animals (Photo: HSUS)
For the past few weeks I have supported HSUS as they moved companion bills through the Assembly and Senate hearings, greatly strengthening Wisconsin animal abuse law.
I testified at both hearings along with numerous other citizens and the bills passed with bipartisan unanimous support. Now they sit in the office of majority leader Senator Fitzgerald. The legislative session ends in two days and if this bill is not on the schedule by Tuesday, March 20…it will die.
If this bill dies, so may countless animals and human beings.
You see, there is a link between animal abuse and human violence. I know this as I have been researching the subject for an upcoming BARKS From the Guild article and the evidence is very clear. Those who begin by abusing, torturing and killing animals too often end up doing the same to children, spouses, engaging in mass shootings and serial murder.
The massacre at Columbine high school was a catalyst for what is now a perpetual stream of school shootings across the United States. The Columbine murderers first engaged in the abuse and murder of wild and domestic animals.
In Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jeffrey Dahmer first abused and killed animals, before he began a killing spree at age 18, consuming his many victims.
Had animal abuse laws been able to “red flag” the behavior of these twisted individuals then interventions may have been able to prevent the horrific scope of violence for which they are infamous.
This is what Assembly Bill 666 and Senate Bill 802 seek to remedy in Wisconsin.
There are thousands of PPG members in 18 nations, many of whom live in the United States. I urge you to support HSUS by sending an email and/or leaving a telephone message in support of these bills, urging Senator Fitzgerald to place them on the schedule for Tuesday. Flooding the Senator’s office with supportive messages will help push these companion bills to a vote.
Doing so will take less time than drinking a cup of tea or coffee. Can you spare that much time?
Wisconsin State Capital (Photo: Daniel H. Antolec)
Sen. Fitzgerald’s contact info: Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov and phone 608-266-5660.
We have only 24 hours to act, so please put your PPG animal compassion into action and contribute a few minutes to this cause. By working together we can save the lives of animals and people alike.
Namaste.