Another Letter to the Editor of the New York Post
Press Release by Gamedogs.org
Norman, OK - October 22, 2007
Dear Editor,
This is about the recent article alleging New York City is the ‘Dogfight Capital of the World"1. I can’t believe such an article was approved by an editor, let alone published. This article was an extreme disappointment full of baseless allegations and hearsay by paid informants and a convicted criminal(s). It lacked any merit or real informational value. The ‘Humane‘ Society (‘HSUS‘) has likely paid these informants to make the statements it's been claimed they have.
Just how and when did it become a fact that New York City is the ‘capital of professional dog fighting‘? Just last month the outgoing HSUS director claimed North Carolina was ‘central‘ and ‘pivotal‘2 to this activity. In reviewing the definition of the word central I see it is a singular term to which two jurisdictions geographically removed from each other cannot both occupy. Pivotal is also defined as being in the exact center of something or of crucial, vital or key importance3. That characterization of either locality is probably not accurate, but did serve to draw overly sensationalized attention to both the paper and this HSUS agenda item.
This Post reporter used nothing other than the word of criminals and a truly ‘notorious figure‘, who is a convicted criminal4,5, and former front man for ALF, an FBI-listed DOMESTIC TERRORIST organization6,7 (it doesn’t get more ‘dark, violent‘ and nefarious than that). He's currently working for a corporation that’s worth nearly $100,000,0008 (seven years ago, probably over $100 million by now) and with their own extremist agenda to pursue. These people have an agenda; which agenda includes ‘˜liberating’ all animals from humans. That means no pets, no food, no zoos, no mascots, no hunting, no animal use or ownership whatsoever in any form. They’ve chosen this as a first easy step towards that goal and this story gave them some undeserved credibility in those pursuits. Presenting baseless allegations by criminals as vetted fact has done serious journalism, your paper and the great American Pit Bull Terrier a huge disservice. This reporter allowed herself to become a HSUS puppet and the article seems to have been nothing more than ‘Humane‘ Society propaganda camouflaged as impartial reporting and reputable journalism.
A good reporter in search of truthful, accurate reporting would have checked the criminal record of these sources and informant(s), just as they did Mr. Reyes. I see no mention of the criminal histories of the people that were used as the main basis for the hearsay and innuendo reported as though it were factual journalism. S/he/they are likely to have a record just as lengthy as Mr. Goodwin’s, yet their monetarily motivated 'word' seems to have been the basis for this whole story. It’s all anonymous ‘investigators‘, ‘informants‘ and ‘sources‘, whom no doubt each have an agenda of their own they’re pursuing with these unfounded comments and accusations.
In June John Goodwin estimated the number of people involved in dog fighting in the US to be 20,0009, two months later in August another HSUS representative claimed it was 40,00010 and now in October I’ve seen the HSUS referenced in reports that are claiming as many as 100,00011, and even 400,00012. Clearly this organization will stretch and skew facts and figures to suit their needs at the moment. Please extrapolate the last figure for yourself. That would be 8000 dog fighters per state. This position, claimed by the ‘Humane‘ Society as ‘˜fact’ is untenable under any reasonable investigation and scrutiny. The article claimed 500 individuals in attendance at multiple events in New York City; even assuming that supposition as fact, how many rural states to do you think could possibly have even half that amount?
I notice Ms. Wolff reported a five hour fight ‘record‘ in the article, and yet just a few months ago another supposed ‘anti-cruelty expert‘ referred to these matches as ‘lasting up to 10 hours‘13? So which one is the truth? I tend to think neither. This is just further evidence that the HSUS has an operational pattern in which facts and figures are twisted and fabricated to further what appearance they deem necessary and/or desirable at the moment. The figures disseminated are changed at will to fit a particular article/reporter/situation and should not have be given any independent worth in these stories without corroboration by someone who is not a convicted criminal and/or whom is not being remunerated. This example along with those in the preceding paragraph are evidence of how little trust should be given to any further figures or ‘˜facts’ being offered by this group and its representatives for media consumption.
The HSUS and the article were sure to bring up ‘purses‘, so I think it would also have been applicable to have included information regarding the funds which the HSUS is soliciting from unwitting individuals who think they are helping to spay/neuter, shelter, feed and care for stray and abandoned animals when in fact the money is misappropriated for just this sort of extremist agenda and attack14. While it is certainly true that most Americans are not likely to be supporters of such things as were described in the article, I tend to believe that this situation has been stretched and sensationalized beyond reality and that most Americans put a priority on caring for unwanted pets before they would venture into this area, especially based solely on information and the word of convicted criminals and a domestic terrorist.
Neither the police nor ASPCA seem to have plans to charge the man mentioned in the story although I can only surmise that is exactly what Mr. Goodwin had in mind when prompting the writing of this article. It’s also pretty clear to me from the article that John Goodwin, acting as a representative of the HSUS, is annoyed that the city and its agents have not dropped everything and devoted their already stretched funds and manpower to do his bidding and pursue his/their agenda. The ASPCA actually cares for dogs, unlike the HSUS. They’re certainly a more appropriate organization to evaluate and proceed on any complaints the HSUS or anyone else has made about residents within their jurisdiction; they’re a duly sworn Law Enforcement Agency entrusted with a clear, defined, legitimate civic mission. Why has Ms. Wolff ignored all legitimate comment by them in pursuing factual information for these articles?
The HSUS operates not one single animal shelter, nor do they share any funding with local humane societies. In the words of Animal News Editors: ‘HSUS is an advocacy organization representing just itself.‘14 Many HSUS employees garner very hefty salaries as well as use their funds to pursue this extremist agenda by paying informants like those used here to ‘testify‘ as directed. In addition, a large portion of their resources are used to lobby government in pursuit of HSUS goals, which is ultimately the ‘abolition of all animal agriculture‘15. Mr. Goodwin was once a representative for the Anti-Fur group CAFT, where he said his methods were ‘very effective in traumatizing our targets‘15. This story and the broader agenda presented there seem also to be designed to achieve that exact end.
What should really have been written in this article is that the authorities are probably aware that Goodwin is a convicted criminal and terrorist and may feel that they need more than the word of such a man, or other men who likely have their own criminal histories to hide, before they could proceed with any legitimacy against citizens in this country. Goodwin has used the New York Post to further the HSUS/his agenda. New York City Law Enforcement is one of the best in the Nation. They work diligently to lower crime 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and have done a respectable job of it since even before Mayor Bloomberg took office. Above all they know that it’s more important to address murder, rape and violent crime before they investigate the complaints of a convicted criminal and terrorist trying to eliminate all animal use and ownership. I have no doubt there is some level of professional dog fighting in the NYC area but highly doubt the claim that it’s the ‘Dog fighting Capital of the World‘, I think it’s not only untrue but just sensationalized HSUS propaganda.
With regard to the follow up New York Post story, I saw only happy, healthy looking, apparently well-socialized dogs in the pictures, both with their owner and other dogs.
In closing I’d like to say that I believe the Post, and Ms. Wolff specifically, owes all American Pit Bull Terrier owners, Mayor Bloomberg, all Police and ASPCA Officers, and ALL New Yorkers a public apology for this farce and tabloid-like fodder that was masqueraded as news.
[1] New York Post Article dated 10/14/07
[2] https://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/693988.html
[3] https://www.answers.com/pivotal
[4] https://www.cdfe.org/arrests.htm
[5] https://www.activistcash.com/biography.cfm/bid/3364
[6] https://www.activistcash.com/organization_blackeye.cfm/oid/136
[7] https://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terror2000_2001.htm#page_35
[8] https://www.animalpeoplenews.org/watch-1.html
[9] https://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=126838&ran=241086
[10] https://www.wavy.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=1699913
[11] https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/falcons/2007-08-20-vick-questions_N.htm
[12] https://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2007/09/02/news/lake_life/lakelife04.txt
[13] https://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=animals_oddities&id=5492487
[14] https://www.animalpeoplenews.org/keepingBarnum1200.html
[15] https://www.furcommission.com/debate/words3.htm
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