PA. House Repubs Kill Animal Cruelty Bill, after it Passes State Senate on 3-1 margin

[JPZenger]

http://www.mcall.com/opinion/white/blog/mc-pigeon-shoot-ban-buried-20141021-column.html

"We saw a particularly ugly one Monday, when House Majority Leader Tom Turzai, R-Allegheny, kept an important animal cruelty bill buried in the Rules Committee instead of allowing members to vote on it. House Bill 1750, which would have banned pigeon shoots, breeding and selling dogs and cats for human consumption and hunting tethered animals, passed the Senate 36-12 last week, and hopes were high that the House would follow suit and finally end these barbaric practices.

This was good news for the National Rifle Association, which has fought any restriction on the hunting of captive animals on the preposterous basis that it's a "slippery slope" that will lead to banning all hunting. Turzai's move may also have been good news for legislators who didn't want to risk the wrath either of the NRA or of their constituents, 75 percent of whom support a pigeon shoot ban, according to one poll."

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http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pets/House-battle-over-live-pigeon-shoots-goes-down-to-the-wire-NRA-prevails.html

Excerpt:

"On one side of the packed conference room, a National Rifle Association lobbyist hovered over the shoulders of lawmakers seated at the table....A top GOP source later said the bill was buried because the bill came up for a vote "too close to the election" and lawmakers were concerned about the fallout over their votes from the gun lobby and the animal advocates.

The Pennsylvania SPCA raided Asian-run kennels in Philadelphia raising Jindo dogs for consumption, but were unable to prosecute because there is no law against eating dog meat. (A Jindo dog rescued from a meat market in South Korea was on hand to help lobby for the bill on Monday.) Irwin wrote to Cox and others that a furrier in Bucks County had advertised that he would purchase pelts of "house cats" on his price list.

That was no measure of comfort for the Prescott of the Humane Society who vowed to fight on when the new legislative session starts in January. "Tens of thousands of animals will suffer because this bill was not allowed to the go to the floor for a vote,” said Prescott. “

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From the PA. Humane Society:

http://humane-pa.org/current-legislation/fact-sheets-pending-legislation/focus-issues/

If you have a weak stomach, stop reading now:

"WHAT IS A LIVE PIGEON SHOOT? Live pigeon shoots are inhumane contests where live birds who have been captured, brought into Pennsylvania, often illegally from neighboring states, are shot at close range by shooters who earn points for every bird they shoot down within a certain range. Observers estimate that 70% of the birds are wounded but not killed outright. Pennsylvania remains the one of the last states where these notoriously cruel events are openly and regularly held.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PIGEON SHOOTS? They are extremely cruel. Each live pigeon shoot results in untold animal suffering; neighbors around the shoots have watched wounded birds slowly bleed to death over hours and days. Additionally, children are used to retrieve the shot birds and pets pick up the dead and dying birds left in the shooting area.

In preparation for the shoot, pigeons are kept in boxes and then launched one-by-one into the air by a spring loaded bottom when the box is opened. The shooter must react to which box opens and receives points according to where the birds land. The birds are disoriented and confused as the shooter opens fire. At the end of the events, shooters receive prizes for their performance."

[MFM008]

1. we all know

the gop likes their cruelty.

[undergroundpanther]

2. gop are psychopaths

They need to go down like rabid skunks .republicans are cruel bullies every bite they give this country and the concept of compassion shows how toxic republicans ARE to all life the right wing needs to be silenced and amputated from this country if we want a kinder nation.

[femmocrat]

3. Disgusting.

BTW, it is MIKE Turzai. Here is a link:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/House_bio.cfm?id=289

Let's mobilize and let him know what we think of his support of eating dogs, skinning house cats, and blasting helpless birds to bits.

[Curmudgeoness]

4. They were afraid to make a vote so close to the election,

because it could piss off either the NRA or the animal rights folks. Obviously they do not care about the animal rights advocates, because we all know that no voting at all on this is leaving the status quo....which is legal animal cruelty. We won't be fooled.

[Number9Dream]

5. Pennsylvania's Shame - Only state to allow pigeon shoots

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/contest_kills/facts/pennsylvania_pigeon_shoots.html

Bill White is the best columnist at The Morning Call. He did a terrific job alerting the public to the "Almost Heaven" kennel horrors.