Bringing Home The Bacon

Folks who have joined me on The Front Porch for a while have learned a few things about me.

I intensely dislike the smelly underbelly of political discourse.

I find the privilege of participating in the governmental process massively outweighs the personal discomfort of watching grown-ups behave badly.

I encourage all adults to vote and involve themselves in the process; and I will offer my opinions on candidates if asked, but I'm not going to use my front porch to promote my candidates (except my brother-in-law, for obvious reasons); this is not a political blog.

I grew up in Wyoming for the most part, and my father spent some time in ranching.

With that fact set, I have got to point you to an editorial in today's paper by our great neighbor at the Farm Bureau building, Jim Klinker, concerning prop. 204. I'm going to copy the whole thing:

Animal-rights militants from Washington, New York and California have brought their political agenda to Arizona, intent on criminalizing humane practices of livestock farmers. If successful, hog farmers and veal ranchers will face fines up to $20,000 and six months in jail. And one day consumers may be forced to buy pork from Mexico and other foreign producers.

Proposition 204's out-of-state funders are targeting the way breeding pigs and veal calves are housed. Yet Arizona has no veal farms and ranks just 27th nationally in hog production.

Targeting states with minor or non-existent livestock industries and large urban populations of unsuspecting voters shows the true colors of the activists who are using Arizona as a pawn in their national campaign. Their mission is to denigrate law-abiding farmers, whose methods are approved by veterinary professionals and experts, and stir fear in the hearts and minds of voters with malicious claims about the way farmers care for their animals.

And the activists won't think twice about breaking the law if that's what it takes, as they did in pushing a similar initiative in Florida in 2002. There, some of the same activists flooded the state with $1 million in illegal campaign contributions. They were charged with 210 violations of election law and paid a $50,000 fine. That initiative granted pigs constitutional rights and forced the state's only two hog farms, both family-owned, out of business.

In Arizona, all hog farms, family owned or not, would be subject to the terms of the initiative.

Like the animal liberationists at PETA who preach veganism, the out-of-state activists are intent on ending meat production (and consumption) in Arizona. To them, animals are not to be raised for food, just as they are not be used in medical research, even if human lives can be saved.

These are not the values of Arizonans.

Arizona livestock farmers are responsible caregivers, not criminals. Arizonans should not be fooled by the hogwash coming from extremists.

He is blunt about the facts, and those in the agricultural industry know this. I'm hoping to pass those facts on to those who don't travel in agricultural circles.