NM AG Gary King Protects Animals But Ignores Humans

Yesterday, New Mexico Attorney General Gary King gave a speech about horse slaughter at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Although horse slaughter was his main focus, he addressed another interesting issue that rarely gets attention. He spent time discussing his Animal Protection Task Force (APTF). The APTF is a wonderful idea to help animals, but I wondered why there isn’t a task force to help the under-represented and homeless population (humans) called the Human Protection Task Force.

The APTF is a group of volunteers who gather together to think of policies that will address certain issues pertaining to animals. AG King said that, contrary to popular belief, the APTF does not actively seek out animal cruelty. He stated that he “does not sit in his Machiavellian tower in Santa Fe and reach out to stomp on the civil rights of people with his APTF.” He acknowledged that the APTF has very little authority. They cannot go to local authorities and demand that they make a “bust”. The only authority that the APTF has is through smart drafting and policy making.

AG Gary King went on to say that he has “generated quite a bit of controversy as AG because he has attempted to enforce laws that have never been enforced.” He mentioned the horse doping laws that he has enforced.The AG also acknowledged that they are working on a proposal to make animal cruelty part of the Domestic Violence Act.

The APTF does an admirable job. It is fantastic that they give a voice to the voiceless. But what about the humans who cannot speak for themselves? What about creating a Human Protection Task Force (HPTF)? The HPTF could develop policies that would prevent human cruelty and neglect. The Task Force would seek to punish those who are charged with protecting, serving and caring for the people who neglect or abuse people. It would seek out people who are starving, sick, or homeless and develop policies to correct the problem.

The HPTF would  also look for instances in which people are abused or killed by the people in charge. The Task Force would hold those individuals accountable and demand a change. The HPTF would enforce laws and regulations that are currently in place, but ignored.(Like AG King claims to do for animals)

AG Gary King could prove that he is controversial and knows how to use the bully pulpit. He could demand that organizations like the APD comply with IPRA request for lapel camera videos. He could make sure that Police Chief’s do not ignore policy and use their position to secure a job after retirement. He could investigate why Taser Corp, which develops a cruel product that is used to abuse humans, received the largest contract ever from the City of Albuquerque and APD Chief Schultz.

There would be a lot of wonderful applications for a Human Protection Task Force. We could make abusing humans as appalling as abusing puppies. Every living creature, including humans, needs a voice. AG Gary King could be that voice for the People if he would just use his bully pulpit properly as he claims to do.