Microsoft Funds the Anti-Hunting Movement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Beth Ruth (614) 888-4868 ext. 214

May 31, 2007

Microsoft Funds the Anti-Hunting Movement



(Columbus) – Microsoft has rejected a U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance request
to abandon its partnership with the nation’s leading anti-hunting
organization.



Microsoft, the software giant, will make a $100,000 donation to the
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and is partnering with the
group on a pilot program called the i’m Initiative. Through the new
program, whenever a Windows Live Messenger user has a conversation using i’m, Microsoft will give a portion of the program’s advertising revenue to one of ten organizations selected by the user. The HSUS is one of the choices, and there is no limit to the amount of money that can be donated.



The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the nation’s leading sportsmen’s advocacy
organization, has urged Microsoft to end its support of HSUS, but the
company refused. According to Microsoft representative Tara Kriese,
Microsoft believes the i’m Initiative is “a great way to enable people
to help causes that are important to them.”



“Microsoft is going to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably
more, into an organization that recently issued a manifesto that targets
hunting for extinction,” said USSA President Bud Pidgeon. “If there was
ever a time for sportsmen to take grassroots action, this is it.”



Sportsmen should contact Microsoft and demand that its financial support
of HSUS be terminated. Contact Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft, 1
Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052. Phone: (425) 882-8080. Fax: (425)
936-7329.



The Humane Society of the United States opposes all animal use,
including trapping, hunting and fishing. It was a key player in the
campaigns to outlaw dove hunting in Michigan, trapping in California,
and black bear hunting in Colorado. The organization has created a hit
list of hunting traditions that it hopes to dismantle, including bear
hunting and hunting with hounds.



“The HSUS already has a multi-million dollar budget that it invests in
legislative and ballot campaigns to ban trapping and hunting,” said
Pidgeon. “The partnership that it has formed with Microsoft, the maker
of the Xbox, will allow the organization to make money hand over fist,
and continue to fund efforts to ban outdoor sports.”



Sportsmen can make a difference in an issue like this. Companies such as
Iams, General Mills, Accor Hotels, Pet Safe, Sears, and Ace Hardware
ended relationships with HSUS after thousands of sportsmen levied strong
protest.



In 2002, Jeep raised the ire of sportsmen when it aired a blatantly,
anti-hunting commercial called the “Deer Hunter.” After a flood of
sportsmen’s contacts, Jeep pulled the commercial in three days.



The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and
sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers
and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and
through public education programs. For more information about the U.S.
Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its
website, www.ussportsmen.org.