Det. News blog reports Knollenberg To Be Top Target of Humane Society

I reported this a while ago, but now the Humane Society Legislative Fund is revealing that they will be launching a radio and/or television campaign against Joe Knollenberg, highlighting his abysmal record on animal rights.

Rep. Knollenberg is Humane Society's top target for defeat

The Humane Society Legislative Fund said today it's top target for defeat this election is Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills.

Sara Amundson, the executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, cited Knollenberg's "long-term abysmal record" on animal welfare issues, his Democratic challenger's "stellar" record in the Michigan legislature, and the makeup of Oakland's Ninth Congressional District, which she said is far more progressive on animal rights than is its representative.

"Knollenberg is really out of step with the district he represents," Amundson said, pointing to his 17 percent rating on the Humane Society scorecard.

Knollenberg campaign manager Mike Brownfield said, "This is just another thinly veiled attempt by an outside attack machine to smear Congressman Knollenberg and his record."

The group endorsed Democratic challenger Gary Peters and will also run an independent campaign to defeat Knollenberg. "We're still making a decision whether it'll be both TV and radio. We'd like to do both," Amundson said.

In its announcement on why it is targeting Knollenberg, the group said, "Throughout his career in Washington, he has opposed modest animal welfare reforms, including efforts to halt horse slaughter for foreign consumption; stop the processing of animals who are too sick or injured to walk to slaughter and pose a greater threat of spreading 'mad cow disease;' stop wealthy American trophy hunters from shooting threatened polar bears in the Arctic; stop the trophy shooting of bears over piles of grease and jelly doughnuts on national forests and other federal lands; stop the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and wire neck snares on national wildlife refuges--inhumane and unsporting practices opposed by responsible hunters; and protect dolphins from drowning in tuna nets.

"Although he claims to be a fiscal conservative, Knollenberg voted to use tax dollars to promote the trophy hunting of elephants in Africa, and to give a $2 million annual subsidy to the luxury mink coat industry. He voted twice to spend millions of dollars to kill predators with cruel traps and poisons as a government subsidy for private ranchers, and he sought to de-fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture's enforcement of the federal law to combat animal fighting--the same law that was later used to break up Michael Vick's dogfighting ring."

The group also endorsed Democrat Mark Schauer over Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, who received a 17 percent rating.

Humane Society Legislative Fund

About 60 people gathered in Bloomfield Hills on Friday night for a presentation about Joe Knollenberg and his poor record on issues relating to animal right and animal cruelty. Everyone there was very excited to start going after Joe Knollenberg on his record on these issues. Joe Knollenberg's rating from the Humane Society Legislative Fund is a poor 28%.

The HSLF is looking to target the Peters v. Knollenberg race with issue funding to help retire Joe Knollenberg. Stay tuned. You can look at the HSLF score card by clicking here

Joe's not even good to animals

This guest opinion appeared in the Oakland Press today, addressing Joe Knollenberg's record on animal cruelty. I wonder if Joe has a dog and whether he kicks it for fun. Joe even wants to process sick cows for human consumption. Thanks, Joe, we appreciate your concern for our health. Maybe you want to revisit your health care plan.

GUEST OPINION
Knollenberg repeatedly fails to curb animal cruelty

By Michael Markarian

Special to The Oakland Press

Almost no one defends cruelty any longer, and it would be hard to understand the motivation of a lawmaker who voted against efforts to crack down on the inhumane treatment of animals.

After all, animal welfare is widely recognized as a social virtue. Oakland County readers may be surprised, then, that Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, stubbornly refuses to let go of the ugly past. Sadly, he has amassed one of the worst records on animal cruelty issues in Congress. Throughout his career in Washington, he has opposed modest and common-sense animal welfare reforms.

He has time and again opposed efforts to halt the slaughtering of America's horses for export to Europe and Asia so the animals' meat could be consumed as a delicacy. His position is at odds with the important historical place horses have occupied in our culture. They helped Americans settle this country.

While horses are not food animals, even livestock deserve basic humane treatment -- but Knollenberg has voted to deny such protections and play Russian roulette with our food supply. He sought to continue processing "downer" cattle -- animals who are too sick or injured to walk to slaughter, and are often dragged with chains, ropes, bulldozers, and forklifts. These downer cows pose a greater threat of spreading "mad cow disease," or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), because they may go lame due to illness or neurological disease. Of the 15 known cases of BSE-infected animals discovered in North America, at least 12 involved downer animals.

Animals in the wild don't fare any better with Knollenberg. Last year, he voted to allow wealthy American trophy hunters to shoot polar bears in the Arctic -- where they face threats from global warming and vanishing ice floes -- and bring their heads and hides back across the border to America. It is already illegal to hunt these polar bears for sport in Alaska, so trophy hunters skirt the spirit of U.S. law by killing polar bears abroad.

The Safari Club International gives out a "Bears of the World" hunting achievement award to individuals who shoot four of the eight species of bears in the world, and that awards program drives competitive killing of polar bears.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has made a preliminary finding that polar bears should now be listed as "threatened" with extinction.

It wasn't the first time Knollenberg had taken aim at wildlife. He voted to allow the trophy shooting of bears over piles of grease and jelly doughnuts on national forests and other federal lands, and the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and wire neck snares on national wildlife refuges -- inhumane and unsporting practices opposed by responsible hunters. He even voted against two measures that would have protected dolphins from drowning in tuna nets.

Even with a ballooning deficit, and even though he says he's a fiscal conservative, Knollenberg believes in giving government hand-outs to industries that abuse animals. He voted to use your tax dollars to promote the trophy hunting of elephants in Africa, and to give a $2 million annual subsidy to the luxury mink coat industry.

Of all 15 Congressional districts in Michigan, the Ninth District has the most members of the Humane Society of the United States. Knollenberg's opposition to the most modest animal welfare reforms, especially in light of the humane-minded constituency he represents, is just perplexing.

Citizens of the Ninth District, and the nation's animals, deserve better treatment.

Michael Markarian is president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. He writes the blog "Animals & Politics" online at www.michaelmarkarian.org.