Why Optimistic?

If you knew me, we’d agree that optimism isn’t totally my thing. Mr. Optimistic tells me I'm a realist. Shortly after we got married he said, “Some people wonder if the glass is half empty or half full. You say, ‘Who cares? When you’re done with it put it in the dishwasher.” (A nod to my compulsive organization?)

Today however, I’m quite optimistic. Like many, I was surprised by [yellow tail]’s donation to HSUS (The Humane Society of the United States). Please don’t confuse this organization with your local humane society. While these folks capitalize on a conveniently similar name, they have no real intention of aiding any pets at all. Take it from their ringleader Wayne Pacelle, "We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding." Please don’t tell that to our Corgi.

What’s more they were recently found to be capitalizing on the tragedy in Haiti. “Raising money to help nonexistent animals is the lowest kind of fundraising scam. Sadly, it's just the latest in a string of phony HSUS fundraising schemes,” said David Martosko, Director of Research at the Center for Consumer Freedom.

One thing HSUS is committed to is abolishing meat consumption in the U.S. HSUS’s accusations about how we feed and care for our cattle contain such gross misrepresentations; one wonders if they know which end the feed goes in. Perhaps they don’t know or care that ninety-eight percent of all farms in the US are family owned. Not corporate, not factory, but FAMILY farms. Families like mine that eat the beef we produce.

So last night, I did my agriculturalist duty and signed on to the Facebook [yellow tail] Fan page and asked them to research and reconsider. What I didn’t realize was that I wasn’t going to be one of a handful of people who took the time. It continues today as hundreds of people voice their opinion about the dangerous and misleading “Tails for Tails” program. Yesterday an acknowledgement came from the company that they were reviewing the proposal.


What’s more? I learned I’m not alone. There are hundreds of people on the page and thousands in our industry who are taking the time to not only share their story but their science. After plenty of social media workshops, it was exciting to watch the real thing!
And it’s reason to be optimistic!