AZ Prop 204 is HOGWASH!

[James Curry]

NO on Prop 204
www.prop204.com


For Immediate Release

Contact: 602-625-2860, [e-mail]



30,000 Cats and Dogs Are Put Down In Maricopa County While

Humane Society Pours Money into Political Campaign



PHOENIX, Az (Oct. 2, 2006) – While local shelters throughout Maricopa County put down 30,000 cats and dogs over a recent 12-month period, national Humane Society leaders poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a political campaign in Arizona aimed at criminalizing the practices of law-abiding livestock producers, the ‘NO on Prop 204’ campaign said today.



Campaign spending data compiled by the Arizona Secretary of State shows that sponsors of Proposition 204 are spending $1,025,374 on television commercials and other expenses in pursuit of their political agenda to end meat production in the state. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a primary funder of Prop. 204. Meanwhile, local shelters have been forced to destroy adoptable pets.



According to the Arizona Republic , 30,000 cats and dogs were put down in Maricopa County between Aug. 2005-Aug 2006 because of a lack of funds to care for them. More than 100,000 cats and dogs are destroyed across the state each year.



“The Humane Society of the United States has taken a page from the PETA playbook in claiming to champion the cause of domestic animals, while at the same time allowing adoptable cats and dogs to be destroyed,” said Jim Klinker , Chairman of the ‘NO on 204’ campaign.



“The Humane Society must now come clean with Arizonans about whether donations made to support the important work of local animal shelters have been diverted to a political smear campaign against law abiding farmers and ranchers.”



Arizonans shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for an explanation, Klinker cautioned, since the 204 campaign’s political strategist ducked the issue twice during a debate on KAET’s “Horizon” program last week. “It appears that politics comes before pets at the Humane Society,” Klinker noted.



Two PETA employees were arrested last year in North Carolina on felony animal cruelty charges for taking adoptable dogs and cats from local shelters and, rather than finding homes for them as they’d promised, killed them in the back of their van and left them in a nearby trash dumpster. Meanwhile, the Attorney General of Louisiana continues to investigate whether HSUS misused some of the $30 million raised to reunite pets with their owners in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.



The ‘NO on 204’ campaign is a coalition of Arizona farmers and ranchers representing over 3,000 farm families involved in cattle, dairy, pork, and poultry production. Its purpose is to inform voters of the political agenda behind Prop 204 and the out-of-state animal rights groups financing it. The Campaign has the support of veterinarians, political leaders, business groups and citizens throughout Arizona .



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Paid for by 'Campaign for Arizona Farmers & Ranchers' with major funding by AZ Cattle Feeders Assn, AZ Pork Council, National Pork Producers Council-out of state, American Farm Bureau Federation-out of state, with additional funding by AZ Farm Bureau Federation, AZ Cattlemen’s Assn and United Dairymen of AZ.
P.O. Box 1392 , Phoenix , AZ 85001 , [phone]
www.azFarmersRanchers.com
Vote 'NO' on Prop 204

[James Curry]

Prop 204 Smear Campaign Turns to Domestic Terrorism



PHOENIX, Az (Oct. 10, 2006) – The ‘NO on 204’ campaign today announced that numerous threats have been made against its leadership, staff and their families, and the incidents have been reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the lead U.S. agency charged with investigating acts of domestic terrorism.



As the ‘NO on 204’ effort has gained prominence, coalition members and staff have increasingly been the targets of threats, intimidation and acts of vandalism committed by individuals who in many cases identified themselves as supporters of Prop. 204. The initiative seeks to criminalize accepted farming practices used to house gestating pigs and veal calves.



“The radical elements that have been pushing 204, better known as the ‘HOGWASH initiative’, continue to say and do anything to achieve their political agenda to end meat production in Arizona,” said Jim Klinker , chairman of the ‘NO on 204’ coalition. “What began as a political smear campaign has escalated into a campaign of threats and intimidation, acts of vandalism and destruction of property.”



The incidents reported to the FBI include:



* Receipt of written threats against the personal safety campaign officials and staff;
* The defacing of homes belonging to campaign allies; and
* Extensive damage done to the commercial property of a coalition member.



“Interestingly, the incidents we have detailed for the FBI arose when the ‘NO’ effort began to dominate the political landscape and resonate with voters,” Klinker said. “Clearly, supporters of 204 are desperate to muzzle the voices of law-abiding farmers and ranchers, but in the process stepped way over the line from political discourse to criminal conduct.”



“One or two incidents like these during the political season might be considered a coincidence,” Klinker said, “but the occurrences we have documented with the FBI suggest something more like a conspiracy.”



The ‘NO on 204’ campaign is a coalition of Arizona farmers and ranchers representing over 3,000 farm families involved in cattle, dairy, pork, and poultry production. Its purpose is to inform voters of the political agenda behind Proposition 204 and the out-of-state animal rights groups financing it. The Campaign has the support of veterinarians, political leaders, business groups and citizens throughout Arizona .



# # #

Paid for by 'Campaign for Arizona Farmers & Ranchers' with major funding by AZ Cattle Feeders Assn, AZ Pork Council, National Pork Producers Council-out of state, American Farm Bureau Federation-out of state, with additional funding by AZ Farm Bureau Federation, AZ Cattlemen’s Assn and United Dairymen of AZ.
P.O. Box 1392 , Phoenix , AZ 85001 , [phone]
www.azFarmersRanchers.com
Vote 'NO' on Prop 204

[James Curry]

NO on Prop 204
[/color]
It’s HOGWASH



For Immediate Release
Contact: 602-625-2860, [e-mail]



Florida Farmer Urges Arizonans Not to Fall for Prop 204 Scam



PHOENIX, Az (Oct. 16, 2006) – The ‘NO on 204’ campaign today released a new campaign ad featuring a Florida farmer who was targeted and shut down with a ballot measure, just like Prop 204, by the same out-of-state animal rights groups that are now here in Arizona.



The ad features Steve Basford, a small family farmer from northwest Florida who raised pigs until out-of-state animal rights groups like PETA and Farm Sanctuary targeted his operation with a ballot measure in 2002. He was one of only two farmers in the entire state of Florida who raised pigs. Mr. Basford warns Arizona voters not to fall for the same scam that was first brought to his state and is now moving state-by-state.



“Some have questioned whether or not Prop 204 is really part of a national political agenda going state-by-state,” said Jim Klinker , chairman of the ‘NO on 204’ coalition. “So we decided to go to the first state animal rights groups targeted and film one of the two small family operations they shut down. Mr. Basford speaks straight from his heart about the political agenda that wiped-out his small operation and his arguments are so compelling that we decided to include him in our new TV ad.”



During the Florida campaign, called Amendment 10, out-of-state animal rights groups pushing the measure were charged with 210 counts of breaking campaign finance laws and fined $50,000. The groups raised campaign money by promising donors their contributions would be tax deductible. As in Florida , it is illegal in Arizona to suggest that campaign contributions are tax deductible.



Florida’s Amendment 10 granted constitutional rights to pigs – A source of embarrassment for the state which has led to a reform effort. The language of Amendment 10 is very similar to Prop 204 with the exception of veal calfs, something that doesn’t even exist in Arizona . The Florida campaign was called “Floridians for Humane Farms” – The Arizona campaign is called “Arizonans for Humane Farms.”



The new TV ad and short video clip excerpts from the full interview with Steve Basford can be viewed at: www.azFarmersRanchers.com.



The ‘NO on 204’ campaign is a coalition of Arizona farmers and ranchers representing over 3,000 farm families involved in cattle, dairy, pork, and poultry production. Its purpose is to inform voters of the political agenda behind Proposition 204 and the out-of-state animal rights groups financing it. The Campaign has the support of veterinarians, political leaders, business groups and citizens throughout Arizona .



# # #

Paid for by 'Campaign for Arizona Farmers & Ranchers' with major funding by AZ Cattle Feeders Assn, AZ Pork Council, National Pork Producers Council-out of state, American Farm Bureau Federation-out of state, with additional funding by AZ Farm Bureau Federation, AZ Cattlemen’s Assn and United Dairymen of AZ.
P.O. Box 1392 , Phoenix , AZ 85001 , [phone]
www.azFarmersRanchers.com
Vote 'NO' on Prop 204