Woofs & growls

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1995:

The House Ways and Means Committee has recommended
legislation, similar to a proposal from the Clinton
administration last summer, that would enable the IRS to
order charity officials to refund compensation judged excessive
to their respective charities or be fined; require charities
to furnish copies of IRS Form 990 to anyone requesting them,
for a “reasonable” photocopying fee; and enable the Treasury
Department to fine charities more heavily for failing to file
IRS Form 990 in a complete and timely manner.
“Previously, the public relations firm BursonMarsteller
in New York kept a list for the beef industry of
reporters who ate steak,” the Wall Street Journal reported
on November 10. “Two years ago, Carma International
joined the effort,” the Washington D.C. media-monitoring
firm whose efforts on behalf of the Department of Energy
were exposed in late October. “Now, each month, Carma
reviews piles of press clips of dozens of journalists and spits
out computerized reports on how favorably they portray beef,
using a scale from zero to 100. Highly ranked reporters may
get star treatment; laggards are targeted for sit-down talks on
being fair to beef.”

Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Massachusetts) announced
October 28 that he will not run again in 1996. During
Studds’ 23 years in the House, including a long stint as chair
of the recently abolished Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee, Studds had a leading part in shaping national policy
on marine mammals, fish, and wild-caught birds.
An October 17 memo to House Republicans from
leadership, including Speaker Newt Gingrich, urged
Representatives to strengthen their environmental credentials
by seeking election to the boards of their local zoos. Gingrich
is a longime major benefactor of Zoo Atlanta.
A reward of $22,000 paid to an anonymous tips
t e r led to the arrest and conviction of Rod Coronado, the
November edition of the hunting magazine Michigan Out-ofD
o o r s claimed. Contributing $5,000 apiece to the reward
fund were Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the
Michigan Big Game Hunters Association, and Incurably Ill
for Animal Research; contributing $1,000 apiece were the
Americans for Medical Progress Education Foundation, Fur
Information Council of America, Michigan Fur Conservation
Association, Michigan Trappers Association, National Rifle
Association, Ohio Big Bucks Club, and Safari Club
International. Coronado is now serving a 57-month prison
sentence for involvement in a string of Animal Liberation
Front attacks on laboratories and fur farms.
The activist group Palouse Voice for Animals has
disbanded after five years, due to the departure from northern
Idaho of cofounders Greg Brown and Mare Rosenthal.