Gov. Polis is getting blasted by the agricultural community for appointing radical animal rights activist Ellen Kessler to the state’s veterinary board, Colorado Politics reports.
The state veterinary board oversees the routine practice of artificial insemination and ova transplantation of cattle.
By every indication Kessler appears to be a PETA enthusiast who believes slaughtering cattle is tantamount to murder and milking cows is equivalent to sexual abuse.
We wish we were kidding.
Kessler is also a firm proponent of the idea that meat is murder, just look at her Quora account.
Kessler’s criticism of 4-H is especially disturbing given the organization’s long track record of providing youth development programs for kids and teens in rural agricultural communities across the state.
In 4‑H programs, kids and teens complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles. Kids experience 4‑H in every county and parish in the country through in-school and after-school programs, school and community clubs and 4‑H camps.
When questioned about Kessler’s activity on social media, Polis’ office laughably claimed he doesn’t actively monitor the social media of his appointees to state boards.
Polis certainly wouldn’t stand by an appointee who posted racist content or lambasted liberal constituencies as rapists and murderers, so that explanation is outright ludicrous.
The real force behind the appointment according to State Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg is Colorado’s First Husband Marlon Reis, a longtime animal rights activist.
He also claimed that Kessler’s appointment is part of “the First Gentleman’s agenda.” First Gentleman Marlon Reis is an animal-rights activist who played a behind-the-scenes role during the 2020 session on a bill requiring that all eggs produced in Colorado come from a cage-free environment. Kessler said in a Facebook post that the bill was a first step to ending the consumption of chickens and eggs.
State Sen. Don Coram says the appointment is part of a larger effort by Polis to purge Republicans from state boards and commissions.
He cited the 11-member State Fair Board, which now has just one Republican — Coram’s wife, Dianna — and no representation from anyone who lives east of Interstate 25.
Coram told Colorado Politics he believes he has “more than enough votes to block Kessler’s appointment,” so that’s good news.
The Colorado Farm Bureau, the Colorado Livestock Association, and the non-partisan agricultural publication The Fence Post have all called on Polis to withdraw the nomination.
The Fence Post is also circulating a grassroots petition opposing her nomination.
So the next time someone tries to tell you Polis is a moderate, just remember the governor thought appointing a meat-is-murder vegan to the state veterinary board was a great idea.