“We have to stick together” – that was the message as lawmakers, farmers and others met in Bowling Green, Missouri Wednesday night – sponsored by Missouri Farmers Care – to discuss what they see as the latest threat from the Humane Society of the United States to Missouri agriculture.
Senate Ag Committee Leader Brian Munzlinger reminded everyone HSUS leader Wayne Pacelle directly threatened Missouri when they met in the state Capitol – before the legislature amended Proposition B. Munzlinger says, “He kind of threw down the gauntlet that if you all overturn this or do away with it, you’ll face the consequences. Now that’s an out – that’s a New Yorker comin’ to Missouri and threatening Missourians. It wasn’t taken very lightly by me and several others.”
Munzlinger says the Missouri legislature successfully changed Proposition B to provide better protection to dogs – and remove language that threatened to shut down livestock agriculture.
Now, the HSUS has a new initiative petition drive to require a 75% majority vote in the legislature to overturn any future ballot initiative, which the Senator says, like many others, may need updating down the road. “It would still take a 75% vote of the legislature which is very uncommon” says Munzlinger, “I mean, it doesn’t even take 75% to override a governor’s veto.”
Montgomery City farmer Jim Foster tells Brownfield he believes HSUS can be defeated in Missouri again.
“I really think starting early on and telling the truth like was told tonight, we’ve got a good chance of stopping this thing. We’ve got to stop it,” says Foster.
Missouri Farmers Care – a coalition of 22 Missouri ag groups – hosted last night’s town hall meeting at Bowling Green High School. Operations Manager Dan Kleinsorge tells Brownfield education is still the key, “A lot of people got educated last year during the Prop B fight and we still lost – just barely – we still lost at the end. So, I don’t think it matters if we’re in rural Missouri, suburban Missouri or urban Missouri – this message needs to be taken everywhere,” Kleinsorge says more meetings are being planned.
Senator Munzlinger says the “Prop B fix” earlier this year was the first time ALL Missouri ag groups were united in ag legislation and the first time a state legislature has amended an HSUS-backed initiative.
AUDIO: Senator Brian Munzlinger (9:00 mp3)
AUDIO: Dan Kleinsorge (3:00 mp3)
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