A new anonymous animal abuse tip line program started by HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) has a facade of good intent, but beneath it lies great potential for deceit, abuse and pursuit of a personal agenda.
Thus, every livestock producer should regard it with great concern.
Many versions of the program exist, including dog fighting, puppy mills, cock fighting, slaughterhouses, and all manner of livestock farming. Tipsters are eligible to receive a $5,000 reward for any tip that leads to an animal abuse conviction.
But will any rewards ever be paid, or is publicity from the program and allegations that are received - both of which may drive donations to HSUS - the true objective?
Anonymity of people placing calls makes the program wildly ripe for deceit. Will tips come from actual abuse insiders or from HSUS donors and people who embrace a vegan lifestyle? Will they come from impartial consumers or from opportunists hoping for a payday?
And what definition of animal abuse will be used? Will it be anything that someone doesn't agree with, such as horse racing, rodeos or any confined animal operation, or only situations that meet local, state or federal definitions of abuse? Will HSUS hotline operators identify and screen out callers with personal agendas?
Caller anonymity points this program down the same slippery path as Europe's religious inquisitions in the 12th to 16th centuries, the Salem witch trials in the 17th century, the Nazi Gestapo in World War II, and the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s, all of which used "guilty until proven innocent" as a baseline.
