USA -

We all know that President Obama got a B minus from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) but what about Congress?

Sometimes it can seem pretty hard to keep track of all the votes legislators make, much less figuring out which are truly good or bad for sportsmen. Well thanks to HSUS itself, that guessing game has been made a whole lot simpler.

The HSUS' lobbying arm, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, has just released their http://www.hslf.org/pdfs/111_2009_HumaneScorecard.pdf> 2009 Humane Scorecard, which means now you can see how your Congressmen and Senators stack up on the HSUS "Humane" scale.

One of the things we at the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance always want to drive home is the importance of grassroots activism and keeping your legislators honest. Nothing helps defeat anti-hunting efforts better than informed sportsmen who willing to keep the heat on their elected officials. By checking out this scorecard, you'll become informed and be ready to talk to your legislators.

If your legislators earn high marks from the HSUS, you should write them a letter and tell them you don't support their efforts on behalf of a group that stands against America's outdoor traditions. If your legislators get bad marks from HSUS, you should write a letter and tell them thanks for not buckling under pressure from HSUS.

Visit http://www.ussportsmen.org/Page.aspx?pid=2264 to find sample letters for a legislator getting good HSUS marks and for one earning poor marks from HSUS.

By Greg R. Lawson, director of communications, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance