To put our effort in New Mexico into its proper context requires a quick history lesson. New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the nation. The state faces massive challenges including problems with deficient bridges, dams, drinking water supplies, wastewater management, schools and roads. Untold billions of dollars are needed to address these issues. Last summer we learned that, in spite of the state’s financial hardships, Governor Richardson was considering giving over $750,000 to rodeo thugs to promote rodeos in New Mexico!

We immediately called Santa Fe and requested an appointment with the governor. SHARK investigator Pat Vinet and I then traveled to Santa Fe to personally meet with Governor Richardson. We gave him very graphic video footage of rodeo animal abuse. We strongly encouraged him to reconsider supporting animal abusers. The governor claimed that he didn’t want animals to suffer, and we hoped this meant that he would look into the rodeo issue. We knew that if he truly did that, there was no way he would give money to the Rodeo Mafia.

Now, however, the governor has gone ahead and given a fortune to people who abuse, maim and kill animals. Richardson, a Democrat, is a former Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration. He is considered by many to be progressive, and he has designs on the presidency, possibly in the next election. Now, however, Governor Richardson has really screwed up by giving the equivalent of welfare money to people who maim and kill animals. I hope no one forgets this when Richardson runs for higher office. Now that rodeo people have gotten rich on tax dollars, which of New Mexico’s other animal abusers are next in line for welfare? Cockfighters? Dogfighters?

Speaking of cockfighters, when Richardson isn’t outright supporting animal abuse, he just ignores it. New Mexico is one of only two states in the nation (Louisiana is the other) that allows cockfighting. A March 17, 2003 article by the Associated Press detailed a debate by New Mexico lawmakers over a proposed cockfighting ban. Here is an excerpt that demonstrates Governor Richardson’s position when asked about the issue:

Gov. Bill Richardson, at a news conference on Sunday, declined to comment on the bill to ban cockfighting. He said the issue was "below my radar."

This is an interesting response for a supposedly progressive politician. One would think he would want to bring his state out of the dark ages, especially when his state is practically alone in its allowance of such cruelty and cowardice.

Bill Richardson is expected to run for president in either the next election or the one that follows. Animal protectors need to remember his dismal record when it comes to nonhumans.

Meanwhile, I hope you will call, write, and email Governor Richardson’s office and let him know what you think about his partnership with animal abusers.

Office of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
Room 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Phone: (505) 476-2200

Email Governor Richardson HERE

Many thanks to Bill and Ardeth Baxter and Rick and Donna Minor--fine folks who came out on a minute's notice to join the Tiger Truck in protest at the Capitol Building in Sante Fe. Below is an article in the Albuquerque Journal about the Tiger Truck's visit, and you can see for yourself the governor’s sellout of nonhuman animals.

Friday, January 13, 2006
Rodeo Funding Opposed

By Leslie Linthicum
Albuquerque Journal Staff Writer

A truck bearing three big video screens circled the State Capitol Building in Santa Fe Thursday evening, showing nasty scenes of injured calves and steers and other seldom-seen slices of rodeo life.

Steve Hindi, the president of the national animal protection group Showing Animals Respect & Kindness, was driving the truck to call attention to Gov. Bill Richardson's support for rodeo in New Mexico.

Hindi said he had a cordial meeting with Richardson last summer to dissuade him from funding a state rodeo initiative. Hindi said he told the governor New Mexico should spend its time and money on addressing real problems like poverty, not on a cruel sport.

When Richardson announced more than $750,000 in funding for rodeo programs last week, Hindi gassed up the truck and headed from his home in Illinois for Santa Fe. "I want him to be held accountable for what he's done," Hindi said.

Richardson spokesman Jon Goldstein said the governor is a strong supporter of animal rights but he also likes rodeo, which helps to promote tourism and create jobs in rural New Mexico.

Robert Detweiler, a team roper from Carlsbad who chairs the Governor's Rodeo Council, said Hindi's group is bucking out of the wrong chute.

"People who think we're out there mistreating animals are just wrong," Detweiler said.

He said stock contractors take good care of horses, bulls, steers and calves because it's good business while ropers save precious seconds by keeping animals on their feet.

"Yes, I have seen an animal get hurt," he said, "but the percentage is minimal."

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SHARK documents animals hurt at every rodeo we investigate. What "percentage" of animals have to be injured before Governor Richardson decides this abusive industry is not deserving of his citizens' tax dollars?

Lest anyone think that we are dumping on a particular political party, we will also mention that Mitt Romney, the Republican governor of Massachusetts and former head of the Salt Lake Winter Olympics, is under attack from animal activists for hosting a canned hunt for his political cronies. Romney’s involvement in such a cruel and cowardly event comes as no surprise to SHARK or Utah animal protectors. We fought hard against the Olympic rodeo that Romney covered for. After the Olympic rodeo, when Romney was a candidate for the Massachusetts governor’s office, we brought the Tiger Truck to Massachusetts to give voters a look at the animal abuse that Romney had supported. Unfortunately, Romney won the election.

Like Bill Richardson, Mitt Romney is a power-hungry politician who is willing to dump on nonhumans in an effort to claw his way to the top. Both Romney and Richardson should be fixed in animal protectors’ memories as bad news for the nonhumans we care about.

There is a bright side to this issue. Governor Richardson is not the first politician to pander to the Rodeo Mafia. Utah’s governor Mike Leavitt did the same thing during the Olympic rodeo. The US Army gives your tax dollars to the Rodeo Mafia, and also sponsors certain individual contestants. Some rodeo committees get tax breaks and other considerations from towns where they conduct their abuses. But consider the fact that if rodeos were truly supported by the public, all of this welfare from unscrupulous public servants would be unnecessary. For that matter, if rodeo people were the strong, independent, all-American types they try to pretend they are, they not only wouldn’t need this kind of welfare -- they wouldn’t accept it if it was offered.

The reality, however, is that rodeo people are always running around with their hands out, whimpering and moaning like beaten puppies. Only these aren’t puppies – they’re animal abusers. Disingenuous characters like Richardson, Romney and rodeo’s corporate sponsors not withstanding, most of the public recognizes them for what they are -- clowns in a Western-theme circus.

After exposing Governor Richardson, our attention immediately returned to Starbucks. The Tiger circled a Santa Fe Starbucks for some time without incident. Apparently Starbucks managers are willing to have their company’s cruel sponsorship exposed, and they are even willing to have their integrity impugned, just so long as the money keeps rolling in. Fortunately, as you will read later in this update, not everyone involved in Starbucks is a sellout. In fact, numerous employees have stepped forward, and some have even quit in disgust.

After Santa Fe, the Tiger moved on to Tucson, Arizona. In two days the Tiger visited three Starbucks, and as pictures demonstrate, we had an excellent protest in each case. Starbucks managers were so upset that they put as much pressure as possible on the Tucson Police Department to do something -- ANYTHING -- to stop our First Amendment rights. To the cops’ credit, they resisted the pressure, and acted professionally and cordially at all times. How different from the Tulsa police who acted as little more than paid thugs for Starbucks.

I would love to get copies of the phone calls from Starbucks managers. At one store there were as many as five police cars at one time, and this was on a Saturday night, when police tend to have to deal with the highest number of calls. How arrogant and narcissistic can Starbucks be? These folks need to get a grip and realize that they’re just selling overpriced coffee, and the world won’t come to a grinding halt if their customers are informed about their irresponsible and unethical support of rodeo animal abusers!

In fact, a number of the Tucson cops were clearly affected by their considerable time spent watching the Tiger’s video presentation. One officer remarked, "I've heard Starbucks is a great place to work -- it apparently isn’t such a great place if you are a cow..." So now we can count law enforcement, along with Starbucks customers and employees, among those who are being turned off by Starbucks antics. Tucson was a great stop, and gave me the chance to see some great friends in the movement, and to meet some fine new people also.

While the Tiger broadcast its message of Starbucks cruelty, activists on the street gave people the BuckStarbucks.com website address for more info.

Three Tucson-area Starbucks felt the Tiger Trucks's bite. In every case we had a great spot to expose the company's support of animal abuse. Here is a second victim.

Coral Vella-Parent was one of the "Tuscon Desperadoes" that had Starbucks' headquarters shaking in its boots. Geez -- either she's one tough little hombre, or Starbucks is not only cruel, unethical and irresponsible, but add to that a corporate sissy!

In one location, a Trader Joe's manager named Daniel Delgado ordered us to leave because he said we were upsetting his customers. Actually, many Trader Joe's customers voiced their support for what we were doing. Delgado then called the police, but we stayed anyway since Delgado had no authority to make us move. Frustrated at having his ego bruised, Delgado showed his contempt for animals and us by storming into the Starbucks and buying multiple cups of whatever. However, when we tried to snap a picture of Mr. Delgado, he, like most who support animal abuse, proved to be camera-shy. He zipped back to the safety of his store, and hasn't been heard from since.

Now the Tiger goes back into hibernation for a couple weeks while I return home to deal with other issues. Our next stop will be in Las Vegas, where there are a lot of Starbucks and some good activists. After Las Vegas the Tiger will go to Los Angeles, then San Francisco, and then Portland. We are drawing ever nearer to Seattle -- and Starbucks headquarters. In fact, the Tiger will remain in Seattle for an extended period, to allow the entire city to see what Starbucks is really all about. We will see to it that not a single soul in the city remains ignorant about Starbucks’ true colors.

The following was written by a former Starbucks employee who worked at a Starbucks store in Illinois where the Tiger Truck made an appearance. We have protected the employee’s name to give this individual an opportunity to decide if going public is in his/her best interest. Starbucks seems to believe that it is invincible, but when it loses good people like this, it is in the long term practically committing suicide.

"I started working part time in Schaumburg when I was seventeen and they were a very different company back then. The current age of Starbucks is one that is riddled with politics and managers (at the corporate and store level) that would never challenge the status quo and protect their company with almost religious zeal (Starbucks could not possibly do any wrong). Gone are the days when Starbucks used to be a traditional coffee shop where intellectual ideas were discussed and debated. Today, an employee of Starbucks is not allowed to engage in any conversation that would be considered by anyone as “controversial.” They are expected to be devoid of opinion on politics, economics, religion, and even world events. In fact, even while your van was parked out front and customers asked about it. I was told to try and talk as little as possible about it (being someone graduating college in a bit and getting a full time job soon, this demand was promptly ignored.) Why would my manager want me to talk as little as possible about anything? And if you (SHARK) was correct, why are we working for a company that supports something like this, when so easily they could stop it and have very little effect on their bottom line? The company has possibly digressed to such a level that even such questions were bad to ask.”

One has to wonder why Starbucks would allow this issue to continue when it is having an effect on both its customers and employees. But we’ll leave that question to be pondered by others. Our focus is on exposing this corporate animal abuser to the world.

Kindest Regards,

Steve and the SHARK Team