Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Sen. Craig Airport Restroom a Tourist Attraction



I am sure you all remember Sen Larry Craig as the pro-horse slaughter rep that kept stalling and blocking our anti-horse slaughter bills....and the one who got caught soliciting sex in a mens room at an airport.

In this Sept. 17, 2007 file photo, the bathroom at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis where U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was arrested in a sex sting. Officials say the men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport where U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was arrested in a sex sting has lost interest as a tourist stop.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com

BOISE, Idaho - The men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport where Republican Sen. Larry Craig was arrested in a sex sting is losing it appeal as a tourist stop, an official said.

"We're getting there," said Patrick Hogan, director of public affairs for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. "I think we'll all be glad when there's no special interest in that restroom."

Craig was accused of soliciting sex in the bathroom in June 2007 and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in August 2007.

One person had offered to buy the restroom stall for $5,000, Hogan said, but airport officials "don't sell fixtures for novelty purposes."

Though tourist interest has withered, the surge of publicity from Craig's arrest helped end the type of activity in the restroom that had prompted lewd-conduct complaints, he said.

Plans to modify the restroom to prevent occupants from passing signals were scrapped because complaints dropped.

"It is the busiest restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International," Hogan told The Spokesman-Review. "It's right in the middle of our main thoroughfare."

Craig - who has maintained his innocence and heterosexuality - has said he only pleaded guilty to keep the embarrassing situation quiet. He attempted to withdraw his guilty plea but the Minnesota Court of Appeals earlier this month rejected the appeal.

Craig, who said he was considering another appeal, did not seek re-election in last month's election for the seat he has held for 18 years. He will be replaced in January by Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, a Republican.


http://www.kansas.com/848/story/644974.html

Saturday, December 20, 2008

SlaughterGate: The USDAs "Dirty Little Secret" and BIG FAT LIES Exposed

From Texas Horse Talks Steve Long;

Well I never heard of this guy before but who hasent herda' TXHT?

I hope this aint one of those "not-what-you-say but what-you-dont-say" instances where they dont actually come out and say it but subtly impart conotations that would lead you to believe what it is that they did not want to come right out and say. If you notice, Mr King dosent actually say he is against slaughter, per se. Or am I reading this wrong? Somebody please correct me if I am. My ole gamblin philosophy was to always hope for the best but to expect the worse,....well, how do you think I leaned that? The worst always DID seem happen, thats how. Anyways, I am hoping that Mr. Long is FOR REAL against horse slaughter PERIOD and not advocatin for "More oversight,management or more humane slaughter methods.

http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=315146

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Equine Advocate "Gets it," about Stenholm, Gets Active Again

Click on title above to see and sign the petition to ole' slaughterhouse Stenholm.


Equine Advocates, Inc.
Promoting The Humane And Responsible Treatment of Horses


Horse Slaughter Lobbyist and Former Texas Congressman Charles Stenholm is Pushing for American Indians to Slaughter Horses on Their Reservations

No way, Charlie!

According to the Associated Press, horsemeat lobbyist and former Texas Congressman, Charles Stenholm, is encouraging some American Indian tribes to consider starting a horsemeat industry on their reservations. This is about as un-American as you can get, especially when over 70% of Americans overwhelming want federal legislation passed banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption.

After Californians made history in 1998 when they passed "Proposition 6," the first state initiative in the nation outlawing horse slaughter, the practice declined, but then escalated during the Bush years. However, The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act did pass in the House of Representatives in 2006, but was blocked in the Senate by special interests, including the Farm Bureau, the Cattlemen, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and other pro-horse-slaughter groups.

In 2007, the very last foreign-owned and operated horse slaughterhouse in the U.S. finally shut its doors thanks to the will of the American people. The federal bill should have passed around the same time. However, these very same powerful special interests used their influence to prevent that from happening and with that, created a massive problem. More horses than ever are now being transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. Had the legislation passed, real solutions to the problems of indiscriminate/over-breeding and irresponsible horse ownership would have been on their way to being solved. As long as slaughter is available, every reasonable idea will continue to be rejected. As long as greedy and irresponsible people are able to get rid of their unwanted horses quickly and for a profit, they will never take the time to try to place them or spend the small amount of money it costs to have them humanely euthanized.

Pro-horse slaughter terrorists are trying every trick in the book to re-establish the horse slaughter industry in the U.S. One reliable source who asked to remain anonymous, told Equine Advocates that these terrorists are actually turning horses loose in Texas and other parts of the West to deliberately create problems for the cities and towns. It seems that they will stop at nothing to try to bring horse slaughter back.

Charles Stenholm was advising the new Obama Administration on a choice for Secretary of Agriculture. He actually wanted the job himself, but was also strongly endorsing John Salazar, a long-time horse slaughter proponent. Obama is to be commended for instead nominating former Iowa Governor, Tom Vilsack for that post.


Over 100,000 American Quarter Horses are bred in the U.S. annually, often "puppy mill style" where tens of thousands end up being slaughtered for human consumption every year in Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses. This QH is one of the lucky ones. After being used at an urban riding stable, he was rescued by a woman who had ridden him after she found out he was being shipped to a slaughter auction due to an illness that caused him to become infirm. Today, he is a permanent resident at Equine Advocates' Safe Home sanctuary in upstate New York..


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cathleen Doyle, former head of the California Equine Council and the historic Proposition 6 - Save the Horses campaign in 1998 which led to horse slaughter being banned in California, had this to say in response to Stenholm's intentions and comments:

"Former Congressman Charles Stenholm is clearly out of step with mainstream America and appears to be 'cow-towing' to a handful of special interest Cattlemen. The American people do not want horses cruelly slaughtered and exported for the foreign meat markets...Period! And their voice has been unwaveringly heard by way of a mandate initiative in California (the largest agricultural and horse owning state in the nation), majority votes in both the Illinois and Texas legislature, an overwhelming majority vote in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as all independent national polling conducted throughout the last decade.

"Stenholm, himself, concedes that unwanted horses must be dealt with in a humane fashion, and that the American people do not want them slaughtered for human consumption.

"Here, we agree to agree. So the issue is really one of disposal. Horses whenever necessary for whatever reason should be humanely euthanized. It's easily accessible, and the cost of euthanasia and carcass removal is commonly under $200. Humane disposal goes with the territory of horse ownership and personal responsibility.

"However, I am embarrassed for Mr.Stenholm when he represents that Native Americans should embrace horse slaughter which is something completely contrary to American sentiment evidenced by the fact that each of the fourteen foreign-owned horse slaughter facilities previously operating in the United States have had to close their doors. Why would Native Americans want the stigma of this reviled, underbelly business which would generate only a small handful of minimum wage jobs and would potentially lay their profitable casino businesses open to massive, negative public relations campaigns?

"Stenholm is also forgetting that when the national bill to prohibit the slaughter and export of American horses passes in the next Congress, the reservations could not open nor operate horse slaughter facilities because they must adhere to federal laws. It would seem like pure folly to me especially in today's economy to capitalize a business venture whose immediate demise is tied to an extremely popular bill merely being placed on the calendar and brought to a vote.

"So. Mr. Stenholm, the question is not what to do with unwanted horses nor who will pay to feed them but rather how do we dispose of recreational, non food tax based animals in this country?

"What do we do with our unwanted horses each year? There are several humane options including humane euthanasia (a lethal injection administered by a licensed veterinarian) which has been the method of disposal for our recreational, non-food animals for a very long time, including dogs and cats.

"Starving or abandoning a horse is against the law, and anyone who would do so is a criminal. Horse slaughter is not a humane alternative.

"At the very least, Americans can. and should, guarantee our horses a humane and dignified death!"


Slaughtering horses is simply un-American.

What You Can Do

Let Charles Stenholm know how you feel by contacting him at Olsson Frank Weeda, the Washington, D.C.-based firm where he works:
phone: (202) 789-1212
fax: (202) 234-3550
mail:
Olsson Frank Weeda
1400 Sixteenth Street
N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

Let him know that horse slaughter goes against the American culture and that there is no place for it in this society. Let him know that massive protests and boycotts of Indian casinos will be organized immediately if they try to build horse slaughterhouses on Indian reservations.
Stay tuned for Equine Advocates updates on new legislation introduced during the 111th Congress that would ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and prohibit their transport across the Canadian and Mexican borders or to any other country for the purpose of slaughter.


Down with horse slaughter!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Words from a Pro-Slaughter Horse Rescuer

Fates worse than slaughter await surplus horses
By MJ Clark


December 15, 2008 --
JAY EM — Helen Boreczky runs Wyoming Horse Rescue on 300 acres in Jay Em in eastern Wyoming. She only accepts horses from law enforcement, “because otherwise I’d have hundreds.” In the last few years, she’s seen an increase in the number of horses abused and abandoned.

“I’d say the abuse has increased because people aren’t selling them to slaughter,” she said. “I see so much brutality, they’re better off dead if they could euthanize them humanely.”

Historically, the ‘humane’ aspect was missing in the slaughterhouses. Boreczky refers to videos she’s seen in which horses were hung up and skinned while still alive. Because of protests, the last horse processing plant in the United States closed in 2007. But the issue of what to do with surplus horses didn’t go away.

Instead, many surplus animals are being purchased by agents for slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada, which Boreczky says are even worse.

As much as she loves horses, “I’m not so stupid as to think that all these horses can be saved,” she said. A slaughterhouse, she added, “would be a good thing if it was humane, and somebody was there to watch. Not PETA, but some other group who could make sure the process was humane.”

Boreczky may get her wish, and hopefully see a drop in demand for her services, thanks to action taken this weekend. A policy co-sponsored by Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis regarding the need for humane slaughterhouses in the U.S., was approved at the National Council of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) Fall Forum in Atlanta.

Wallis said that the bill received support “from literally every crook and cranny of this nation, and from all walks of life.” She listed letters of support from “horse rescue and recovery organizations who are over-whelmed and without options” as well as from horse councils, horse owners, breed registries, professional rodeo cowboys, and many others who are sincerely concerned about the fate of horses and the equine industry.

The Horse Industry Policy urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States, and not to interfere with state efforts to establish facilities in the United States. The passage of the policy provides the authority for NCSL staff in Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill as it effectively establishes the position of the states.

At Wyoming Horse Rescue, Boreczky continues to care for and place as many horses as she can. While she approves of humane slaughter, when the time comes to put one of her charges down, she hires a vet and then gives each a proper burial. For more information on Wyoming Horse Rescue, go to www.wyominghorserescue.com.



http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/article.asp?id=97681

Monday, December 15, 2008

NCSL Musters Forces, Gets Vocal for Pro-Slaughter

Some more "horse loving" pro-slaughters,.....

NCSL supports horse industry, humane horse slaughter


(12/14/2008)
Sarah Muirhead

The National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) this weekend adopted a policy that urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the U.S. and not to interfere with state efforts to establish facilities in the United States.

The passage of the policy provides the authority for NCSL staff in Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill as it effectively establishes the position of the states. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation’s 50 states, its commonwealths and territories.

The Horse Industry Policy received overwhelming majority support at the NCSL annual fall forum in Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 11-13. The policy was co-sponsored by Representative Sue Wallis of Wyoming, and Representative Dave Sigdestad of South Dakota.

Wallis, who is a vice chair of the agriculture and energy standing committee at NCSL, said, “We have received an absolute flood of support from literally every crook and cranny of this nation, and from all walks of life. We had letters of support from Horse Councils nationwide, we heard from horse owners, horse rescue and recovery organizations that are over-whelmed and without options, breed registries, professional rodeo cowboys, horse owners and many, many people who are sincerely concerned about the fate of horses and the equine industry.”



http://www.feedstuffs.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=F4D1A9DFCD974EAD8CD5205E15C1CB42&nm=Breaking+News&type=news&mod=News&mid=A3D60400B4204079A76C4B1B129CB433&tier=3&nid=A7EFC2EAC5DF4578ABC968DDF65840DB

NCSL Pro-Slaughter "Horse Lovers

NCSL supports horse industry, humane horse slaughter


(12/14/2008)
Sarah Muirhead

The National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) this weekend adopted a policy that urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the U.S. and not to interfere with state efforts to establish facilities in the United States.

The passage of the policy provides the authority for NCSL staff in Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill as it effectively establishes the position of the states. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation’s 50 states, its commonwealths and territories.

The Horse Industry Policy received overwhelming majority support at the NCSL annual fall forum in Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 11-13. The policy was co-sponsored by Representative Sue Wallis of Wyoming, and Representative Dave Sigdestad of South Dakota.

Wallis, who is a vice chair of the agriculture and energy standing committee at NCSL, said, “We have received an absolute flood of support from literally every crook and cranny of this nation, and from all walks of life. We had letters of support from Horse Councils nationwide, we heard from horse owners, horse rescue and recovery organizations that are over-whelmed and without options, breed registries, professional rodeo cowboys, horse owners and many, many people who are sincerely concerned about the fate of horses and the equine industry.”



http://www.feedstuffs.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=F4D1A9DFCD974EAD8CD5205E15C1CB42&nm=Breaking+News&type=news&mod=News&mid=A3D60400B4204079A76C4B1B129CB433&tier=3&nid=A7EFC2EAC5DF4578ABC968DDF65840DB

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Starving Horses in BC Owned by Veterinarians

by: Kimberly S. Brown, Editor

December 13 2008, Article # 13264
Print Email NEW! Add to Favorites RSS ShareThis
Five horses found starving at a ranch in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, were seized on Friday (Dec. 10), according to a report on http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca.(Click title above) One horse was euthanized after the owners tried to use the emaciated horse to pull a stuck car out of a ditch.

The local Society for the Prevention of Cruety to Animals determined that the owners are veterinarians. That group is recommending charges be filed against the couple.

The Web site also has video clips of the horses.


http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=13264&nID=22&src=RA

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Crow Nation Horse Mounted Unit to March in Inaugural Parade




Hot News frum Big-Mouth Broad Castin'; Dec. 10, 2008

Crow Nation Horse Mounted Unit to March in Inaugural Parade
By Shannon Gilson

December 6, 2008

WASHINGTON—in keeping with its commitment to hold inaugural events that celebrate our common values and reflect the diversity and history of our great nation, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden's Inaugural Committee officially extended an offer to the Crow Nation of Montana Horse Mounted Unit to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade.

Members of the Crow Nation of Montana Horse Mounted Unit will join representatives from across the country and our Armed Forces in the historic parade down Pennsylvania Avenue following President-elect Obama's swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.

"I am honored to invite these talented groups and individuals to participate in the Inaugural Parade," said President-elect Obama. "These organizations embody the best of our nation's history, diversity and commitment to service. Vice President-elect Biden and I are proud to have them join us in the parade."

Organizations wishing to participate in the parade submitted an application to the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC), which then assisted the Presidential Inaugural Committee in reviewing all of the groups' applications. All told, 1,382 organizations applied to participate, setting a new standard for interest in marching in the parade.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee was assisted in its selection process by a group of experienced military musicians, who utilized their expertise to help assess the presentation skills of marching bands, musical acts and drill teams.

Two dozen Crow Nation members will ride paint horses single file. President-elect Obama visited the Crow Nation in Crow Agency, Mont., in May.

All participants in the Inaugural Parade are responsible for paying for their own lodging and transportation to and from Washington, D.C. The Committee has been working closely with area governments and civic organizations to facilitate access to affordable accommodations and would like to encourage citizens from across the country to reach out and help the Crow Nation of Montana Horse Mounted Unit raise the necessary resources to participate in this historic event.

If you are interested in finding out more about supporting the Crow Nation of Montana Horse Mounted Unit and their participation in the 56th Inaugural Parade, please contact Robert Old Horn, Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Crow Nation Robert Venne, at 406-638-3868 or Donald Spotted Tail at 406-638-3717.

Regularly updated information will be provided to the public and the media on the Presidential Inauguration Committee Web site.

Shannon Gilson writes for the Communications department of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

X-Sen. Larry Craig Looses his "Sex Appeal"




You all remember Idahos Sen Larry Craig, the one who was caught in an airport mens roon soliciting illicet sex and the one who was blocking and stalling all our anti-slaughter bills? He finally gets his "in the end."

Hot News frum Big-Mouth Broad Casting; Dec. 9, 2008

Larry Craig's statement

Idaho Senator Larry Craig issued the following statement in reaction to today’s ruling of the Minnesota Court of Appeals:

“I am extremely disappointed by the action of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. I disagree with their conclusion and remain steadfast in my belief that nothing criminal or improper occurred at the Minneapolis airport. I maintain my innocence, and currently my attorneys and I are reviewing the decision and looking into the possibility of appealing. I would like to thank all of those who have continued to support me and my family throughout this difficult time.”

By STEVE KARNOWSKI - AP
Edition Date: 12/09/08


MINNEAPOLIS — Idaho Sen. Larry Craig on Tuesday lost his latest attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in a Minneapolis airport bathroom sex sting case, but said he’s considering another appeal.

A three-judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected the Republican’s bid to toss out his disorderly conduct conviction.

Craig was arrested June 11, 2007, by an undercover police officer who was conducting a sting operation against men cruising for gay sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The senator quietly pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor and paid a fine, but changed his mind after word of his arrest became public.

The appeals panel said in a 10-page opinion that Craig failed to show that the district court judge abused his discretion by denying his petition to withdraw his plea. The opinion also said Craig failed to show that the state’s disorderly conduct law was unconstitutionally broad.

Craig said he was considering an appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

“I am extremely disappointed by the action of the Minnesota Court of Appeals,” Craig said in a statement. “I disagree with their conclusion and remain steadfast in my belief that nothing criminal or improper occurred at the Minneapolis airport. I maintain my innocence and currently my attorneys and I are reviewing the decision and looking into the possibility of appealing.”

His attorney, Billy Martin, said he was disappointed with the ruling.

Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which runs the airport, said the appellate decision again confirms that Craig knew what he was doing when he entered his plea. He said the commission hopes that’s the end of the case.

After the story of his arrest broke in August 2007, Craig publicly insisted he was innocent and that he was not gay. He said he would resign from the Senate, but he changed his mind about that, too, and vowed to fight to clear his name.

Craig was unable to persuade Hennepin County District Judge Charles Porter to allow him to withdraw his plea. Porter ruled in October 2007 the plea was “accurate, voluntary and intelligent” and that it was supported by the evidence.

So the senator turned to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, a move legal experts had said was unlikely to succeed.

Martin told the three-judge appeals panel this September that the police officer misconstrued Craig’s foot-tapping, hand movements and other conduct. He said there was insufficient evidence for any judge to find Craig guilty.

The American Civil Liberties Union also weighed in on Craig’s behalf, arguing in an amicus brief that the state’s disorderly conduct law was unconstitutional.

Prosecutors, however, insisted his plea was legally binding.

Craig lost several GOP leadership positions in the wake of the scandal, and the Senate Ethics Committee said in February that Craig had brought discredit to the Senate. The committee members said they believed he was guilty, and that his attempt to withdraw his plea was just an effort to evade the legal consequences of his own actions.

He did not seek re-election in last month’s election for the seat he has held for 18 years. He will be replaced in January by Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, a Republican.


http://www.idahostatesman.com/1263/story/598540.html

NCSL Meeting Dec. 10-13th - I have made my calls

Well I have contacted my state NCSL Agricultural Reps today;
New York Reps.
Ronald C. Brach, Legislative Commission on Rural Resources
&
Senator Carl L. Marcellino

to remind them that the majority of americans are strongly opposed to horse slaughter. I had to email Marcellino but I spoke directly to Mr. Brach for about a half-hour, and was pleasantly suprized to learn Mr Brach, a big-whig in Ny agricultural circles, is strongly opposed to horse slaughter: at least that is what he claimed to me on the phone. The BAD news, Mr Brach cannot make it to Dec 10-13th Committee Meeting due to state budget cuts..... still, I am hoping we have found a new "Friend of Equines" and promiced to put him on our mailing list.

Click on title above to go to the National Committee of State Legislatures
Agricultural & Energy Committee

http://www.ncsl.org/standcomm/scagen/scagenroster.htm

Once you open the link, be sure to go to the "members" page to see who from your state is on the Committee
Please DO call them and let them know you are against horse slaughter and you VOTE!

Thanks!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Phillip C. Olsson a Harvard Hippophaian?

Olsson, Frank & Weeda

DC Lobby Firm
Representing Foriegn Horse-Slaughter Interests

http://www.ofwlaw.com/Bio/PhilipOlsson.asp

Founder Phillip C. Olsson a Harvard graduate, possibly a "Harvard Hippophaian?"
I have emailed him today to ask him. Click on title above to read more about them;
http://www.inthemedievalmiddle.com/2007/03/pagans-harvard-professors-horse.html

That would explain his love of horseflesh for human consumption.

Slaughter-Happy "Slaughterhouse" Charlie Stenholm works for this firm; You can read more about him here;

http://tinyurl.com/6hv2m9

Tell "Slaughterhouse" Stenholm he is wrong!

Click on title above to tell "Slaughterhouse" Stenholm he is WRONG about horse slaughter and the kinds of americans who want to see it end!

What We Are Up Against

Click on title above to see what we are up against in trying to get our anti-horse slaughter bills passed. Once you open the page, be sure to page down a bit and see all the members of the cattlemens political action committe, and look at all the $$$ switching hands, pac-to-pac giving its called, among other things, like cronieism, special interests, favoritism, etc.

Say it Isnt So! Stenholm Possible New Head of USDA? Says horse slaughter industry good for economy, will create jobs

Hot News from Big-Mouth Broad Casting

By ROXANA HEGEMAN

Stenholm Says USDA Needs to Focus More on Food Safety
(But that aint all hes saying!)

Former Texas Rep. Charles Stenholm, whose name has been mentioned as a potential U.S. agriculture secretary, says he does not expect to be nominated for the job.

Stenholm told the Kansas Livestock Association Friday that he believes Colorado Democratic Rep. John Salazar is probably the top name on the list of potential appointees.

Salazar, one of the few farmers serving in Congress, would make an excellent agriculture secretary, Stenholm said.

Stenholm told reporters that he has not been contacted by the transition team that is picking the Cabinet positions.

"I make no bones about it, if the President calls I would accept it in a heartbeat," Stenholm said.

Stenholm said he was contacted Thursday by Obama representatives working on the Agriculture Department transition, who asked him to attend a meeting Monday for recommendations for other hiring decisions at the department. They also wanted to hear about the top priority agricultural issues.

Stenholm said he served on the 156-member committee that advised the Obama campaign on rural issues and had some input on the policies he adopted in his campaign.

Stenholm, now a lobbyist for a Washington law firm, said the Agriculture Department needs to be restructured so it is the only agency overseeing food safety.

"We don't have in place a system that can adequately deal with food safety," he said.

The new administration offers a perfect opportunity to transform the Agriculture Department, making it an example for all government agencies on how to do things to better serve the public, he said.

"If we can bring USDA into the 21st century with technology, we are going to be awesome," he said.

The agriculture industry also is interested in the selection of the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, amid concern over what impact stricter environmental regulations may have on agricultural operations such as feedyards.

"The selection of the EPA administrator may be more important to us in this room than the secretary of agriculture," Stenholm said.

Much of his talk to the Kansas livestock group focused on the unintended consequences the shutdown of the last three plants that slaughtered horses for human consumption in export markets. Horse owners are abandoning horses they no longer want or can afford to feed, creating problems for county governments and others who must deal with the animals.

Some states and Indian tribes are now considering possibly starting a horse slaughter facility to deal with the problem, which would also create jobs and bring in an industry, Stenholm said.


http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewContent.act?clipid=177399882&mode=cnc&tag=3.5721%3Ficx_id%3D20081205-stolfiler-mt0425

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Miricle Horse Doing Well after Six Gunshots to Head! Ready for Adoption!




Next time I will think twice before I tell someone "a bullet to the head" is more humane than slaughter. Surley, to do it right would take an expert.
This is an amazing story!
CJ
----- Original Message -----
From: RIVER PROJECT
To: QARR
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 10:12 PM
Subject: Miracle Horse Living New Life At Shelter - Albuquerque News Story - KOAT Albuqu


Miracle Horse Living New Life At Shelter
Horse Survived Six Gunshots To The Head

POSTED: 9:46 pm MST December 4, 2008
UPDATED: 6:25 am MST December 5, 2008


A horse shot in the head six times in Dona Ana County refused to die and now will continue her recovery at the Horse Shelter near Santa Fe.

Miracle is a very apt name for the horse.

Almost five months ago, she was left for dead.

Miracle arrived at the Horse Shelter Thursday afternoon healthy and happy.

The wounds and burns from being shot are barely visible now.

"You can never underestimate a living creature's will to live," said Jennifer Rios at the Horse Shelter.

Miracle fought to live.

She spent many years as a polo pony for New Mexico State University and after retiring from that job, she became a children's horse, but in June she was no longer wanted.

"She was supposed to be sent to slaughter," Rios said. "But the man who picked her up to take her to a sale barn didn't find the guy he needed so he decided to take care of the problem himself."

His solution was to take Miracle to the desert and shoot her.

Investigators said they followed the dirt footprints in the desert and found the man tried to kill the horse for more than two miles.

Miracle refused to die and finally, the man abandoned her with six bullet holes in her head.

The wounded horse hunted for help.

"She got past a cattle guard in the road about a foot wide and went and found a house and banged her head against the door until someone came to the door," Rios said.

The Horse Shelter provided pictures of Miracle the day she found help.

Months later, she's healing and now in her new home.

Rios said, "Her life is going to be pretty darn good here."

Miracle is friendly enough she can be adopted out.

Horse Shelter officials say it could happen any time after the vet looks at her on Friday.

As for the man who tried to kill her --- he's facing severe animal cruelty charges which in New Mexico could lead to jail time.

The Horse Shelter currently has more than 40 abused, abandoned and neglected horses -- double their normal capacity.

They say many of their horses can be adopted.

http://www.koat.com/news/18208883/detail.html#

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Stenholm Confirms Plans to Rebuild Horse Slaughter Industry in the USA

Hot News from Big Mouth Broad Broadcasting;
More Pro-slaughter Propaganda & a Confirmation of killing plans,.

Dec. 6, 2008

Unwanted horses a drain on economy

Experts wonder who will take on the costs of caring for the increasing number of unwanted animals if a proposed federal ban on slaughtering and export for human consumption passes.

BY RICK PLUMLEE

The Wichita Eagle

Former Rep. Charles Stenholm of Texas said Friday that the consequences of a proposed federal ban on processing horses for people to eat would further exacerbate an existing economic problem for the growing number of unwanted horses.

"When a horse is unwanted, something has to happen to that horse," Stenholm said during a talk at the Kansas Livestock Association's convention at the Hyatt Regency Wichita. "We don't believe it should be used for human consumption, and we've made that clear.

"But it's private property. No one should tell you what you should do with a horse except to treat it humanely."

In 2006, the year before state laws in Texas and Illinois closed down the nation's final three facilities that slaughtered horses for human consumption, there was a $65 million export market for horse meat, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Now it has dried up to almost nothing.

Horses are now largely taken to slaughterhouses in Mexico or Canada. Horse meat is consumed by humans in countries such as France, Belgium and Japan. Part of the proposed federal legislation would ban transportation of horses to the Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses.

But Stenholm said the economic fallout has gone beyond the loss of the export market.

He said there are more than 125,000 unwanted horses in the United States. Another 33,000 wild horses roam federal land in 10 Western states and have drained the Bureau of Land Management's budget, he added.

"There's a cost to this," Stenholm said after speaking to an audience of about 350. "There's going to have to be money appropriated from states and Congress to deal with unwanted horses.

"What do you do with them when one turns up on the country road and you're the sheriff? Who pays for the feed? Some people are just letting their horses starve."

Stenholm, who spent 26 years in Congress and is now a consultant for various agricultural groups, said it can cost $200 to $2,000 to have a horse euthanized and disposed. In Wichita, the price is closer to $170.

Jason Kaiser, a Wichita veterinarian, said his Equine Surgery and Medicine clinic charges $40 to euthanize and an additional $40 for a trip charge.

Darling International, the only renderer in the Wichita area, charges $87 to haul off a horse. The two solid-waste transfer stations in Sedgwick County said they don't accept dead horses.

Kaiser confirmed Stenholm's concern about increased abandonment of horses.

"It's been a lot more in the last year, especially with hay prices up and the economy bad," he said.

Kaiser said often people will turn horses loose near Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue and Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization north of Wichita.

"Then animal control has to feed them and find what to do with them," Kaiser said. "No one wants them.

"The horse market is down. Cheap horses are free. There have been (livestock) sales where you just hope someone puts their hand to take the horse for free."

He said he believes the cause of the situation is the lack of slaughterhouses.

"There's a base value for a horse if there is a slaughter," he said. "It would be more humane than to let them starve to death."

Ted Schroeder, a livestock marketing economist at Kansas State University, said the situation is an animal welfare "nightmare."

"It's an emotional issue," he said. "It's hard to be for slaughtering horses. How do policymakers sell that?"

But Stenholm said it's an issue that must be tackled.

He said horse slaughter facilities may start to spring up on Indian reservations. He said he knew of one with definite plans.

"This can't be ignored," Stenholm said. "These are issues that need to be resolved in a less emotional way."

Reach Rick Plumlee at 316-268-6660 or rplumlee@wichitaeagle.com.


Click on title above to comment;
http://www.kansas.com/business/agriculture/story/621989.html

Friday, December 5, 2008

Immediate Action Needed! Dark Forces are Aligning

Of all times for this to be happening, the week of the National Day of the Horse!

MESSAGE FROM AWI

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE LEGISLATURES CONSIDERS PRO-HORSE SLAUGHTER RESOLUTION - AGAIN ACT TODAY TO DEFEAT THE MEASURE

December 5, 2008

Dear Humanitarian:

At its December 10-13 meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) will once again consider a resolution designed to promote the cruel and foreign-driven horse slaughter industry. Similar to the resolution considered - and defeated by Agriculture, Environment & Energy Committee- at the NCSL summer meeting, this resolution paints horse slaughter as a humane and necessary industry and calls on Congress to oppose the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Here are the facts: ·

Horse slaughter is a cruel, predatory and profit-driven industry - not a humane service for 'unwanted' horses. · Unlike humane euthanasia, horse slaughter causes enormous animal suffering and results in a brutal death. · Most Americans oppose horse slaughter and the public has called on the United States Congress to ban the practice. ·

States that have played unwilling host to the foreign-owned slaughterhouses (Illinois and Texas) have made their opposition to the industry clear by passing laws to ban horse slaughter. · In addition, California voters passed a ballot measure against horse slaughter while Delaware passed a resolution in support of a federal ban. Last year, an attempt to promote horse slaughter in South Dakota was defeated in the state legislature. Should NCSL approve the pro-slaughter resolution it would be acting entirely out of step with current state actions. ·

Conditions in Mexican and Canadian horse slaughter houses, where American horses are still slaughtered, are horrific with some facilities stabbing horses in the spine multiple times to induce paralysis prior to slaughter. · The US-based plants, while still operational, were hardly better. Recent information obtained by Animals' Angels (WARNING GRAPHIC) through FOIA show that horses at US plants regularly suffered horrific injuries and conditions including: o Bloody, battered faces o Legs missing or hanging off o Eye balls dangling from their sockets o Mares giving birth to their foals at the slaughterhouse o Horses dead on arrival · A federal ban on horse slaughter will end this cruelty and NCSL is out of step with the majority of American voters in opposing the measure. ·

Wild horses are not unwanted or in need of a home, there is more than enough public land for all wild horses to roam free. In addition, Madeleine Pickens has been working with the Bureau of Land Management to provide a home for every horse currently in BLM holding facilities.

What You Can Do: If you are from a state listed below please take a moment to call or email your legislator and urge them to oppose and speak out against this misguided resolution during the conference. Be sure to share the above mentioned facts with them so they are aware of how cruel this industry is and out of step the resolution is with current public opinion and legislative actions.

For more information on horse slaughter and how you can help make a difference please visit www.every5minutes.org.

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde



Agriculture, Environment & Energy Committee

Chair: Senator Harris B. McDowell III, Delaware Harris.McDowell@state.de.us Main office: 302-744-4147 District office: 302-577-8744

Chair: Senator Stephen R. Morris, Kansas morris@senate.state.ks.us Main office: (785) 296-2419

Vice Chair: Senator Brian Bingman, Oklahoma bingman@oksenate.gov Main office: (405) 521-5528 District office: (918) 227-1856

Vice Chair: Representative John A. Heaton, New Mexico jheaton@caverns.com Main office: (575) 887-5983

Vice Chair: Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi chydesmith@senate.ms.gov Main office: (601)359-3246

Vice Chair: Representative Thomas E. Jackson, Alabama Main office: (334) 242-7738 Office: (334) 246-3597

Immediate Past Chair: Senator Beverly Gard, Indiana http://www.in.gov/legislative/senate_republicans/5315.htm Main office: (800) 832-9467


This message was sent by: Americans Against Horse Slaughter, 1551 Willow Pond Dr., Yardley, PA 19067

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Baker Appeals and Loses, Must Pay Fine by Jan. 16th!



Sugarcreek Livestock Auction owner fined $162,800 by USDA

By Joseph Ledford
Local Edition Editor

The Sugarcreek Livestock Auction has gained notoriety as of late due to owner Leroy H. Baker’s long-standing practice of buying and selling horses for slaughter. The facility has been the target of TV news investigations and animal rights groups. On Memorial Day weekend, a non-profit group known as Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue bought 163 horses and donkeys at the auction, saving them from so-called “kill buyers.”
Now, Baker has attracted the attention of the federal government as he has been ordered by the United States Department of Agriculture to pay a civil penalty of $162,800 for multiple violations of the Commercial Transportation of Equines for Slaughter Act.
Kevin Shea, acting administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) branch of the USDA, filed a complaint against Baker on March 11 of this year alleging that Baker and/or those he employed violated the CTES Act while shipping horses from Sugarcreek to Texas for slaughter between the dates of March 26, 2003 and January 7, 2007.
Baker, during a brief telephone interview with The Budget, called the violations “bogus” and questioned why, if he was indeed in violation, did the USDA wait so long to address the issue. Attempts at a follow-up interview with Baker were unsuccessful.
Listed in USDA docket 08-0074 are more than 30 dates containing multiple violations, most having to do with improperly completed or incomplete paperwork such as statements indicating that horses had been rested, watered and fed for at least six consecutive hours prior to being loaded for commercial transportation. However, the most notable violations listed in the docket have to do with animal well-being and health issues. For example:
• On March 31, 2003, a shipment of 85 horses were on their way from Sugarcreek to BelTex Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas when a dark/brown horse with no back tag died. The horse was not taken to the nearest APHIS office to allow a veterinarian to examine the body.
• On May 22, 2005, a gelding with a severe cut on its left rear leg and unable to bear weight on all four limbs was shipped with other horses. Baker and/or his driver allegedly did not handle the injured horse as quickly or carefully as possible to prevent any unnecessary discomfort, stress, trauma or physical harm to the animal. Another such incident was documented in July of 2005. Also in July, a horse in physical distress was documented as falling down three times while en route to a Dallas slaughter house, yet no veterinarian services were obtained.
The horse died and apparently no APHIS veterinarian was contacted to examine the body.
• On June 11, 2006, a bay mare with a severe, pre-existing and badly infected cut on its right shoulder was shipped with other horses.
• On July 16, 2006, Baker shipped 41 horses in a conveyance with large holes in the roof, failing to provide transportation that protected the health and well-being of the horses.
According to the 25 page docket, Baker was served a letter on March 17 of this year advising him of the APHIS complaint, but he did not file an answer to the complaint within the 20 day time period, which constitutes an admission to the allegations in the complaint and a waiver of a hearing. Baker also did not answer to a follow up letter advising him of Shea’s motion for a default decision and order. As a result, Administrative Law Judge Jill S. Clifton handed down a decision on October 1 that Baker pay the fine and also cease and desist from violating the Commercial Transportation of Equine for Slaughter Act.
Baker filed a timely appeal petition on November 5 in which he denied the allegations in Shea’s complaint. However, on November 17, Judicial Officer William G. Jenson upheld Clifton’s decision for the fine, citing that Baker’s response, filed more than six months after the deadline, was “far too late to be considered.”
Jenson did not adopt the cease and desist order as he ruled the Commercial Transportation of Equine for Slaughter Act had no provision for such an order. Baker must pay the $162,800 by January 16.


http://www.thebudgetnewspaper.com/Article.php?ItemID=526

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Record Number of U.S. Horses Going to Canadian Slaughter

Growing Number of Horses Shipped to Canada for Slaughter

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

RUSHVILLE, Neb. — At dusk, after all the fancy horses had been auctioned, Doug Barnes settled into a seat at the sale barn and got down to business. Three, four, five or more horses ambled into the ring at a time.
The auctioneer stopped making sales pitches. He looked straight ahead at the familiar visitor from Fort Collins, Colo., waiting for him to tip his hand. Barnes didn't disappoint.

In about 30 minutes, Barnes bought 25 so-called "killer horses." Their new owner would subject them to what animal rights groups say is a growing type of abuse: trucking them nearly 700 miles to Canada for slaughter, circumventing a U.S. ban on the practice. Much of the meat is eventually exported to countries in Europe and Asia for human consumption.

Stacy Segal, a horse specialist at the Humane Society of the United States, and other animal rights activists want a ban on exporting U.S. horses for slaughter abroad.

"They're jammed onto trailers with no regard for breed, size, age, temperament or sex and get no feed or rest," Segal said.

Last year, when state-imposed bans closed the last three U.S. horse slaughterhouses, a record 78,000 horses were exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics compiled by the Humane Society. That's a 138 percent increase from 2006.

Statistics show that 76,100 horses have been slaughtered in Canada and Mexico so far this year. But the actual figure is likely higher because Canada hasn't yet reported two months' worth of slaughter numbers.

Barnes and others acknowledge that the long trip is stressful on the animals, but they blame animal rights activists who successfully pushed for all U.S. horse slaughterhouses to shut down. They say the increased exportation of horses is better than the alternative: horses being neglected and abused by owners who don't want them or can't afford to take care of them.

"In ranch country, people look at this as a necessary evil," Barnes said one late September day after buying five older horses for $135 apiece.

His boss, Charles Carter, is considered one of the largest buyers of killer horses in the country. Barnes, who scours sale barns in Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, Montana and Texas for Carter, estimates he has bought more than 1,000 horses for him this year alone.

Carter didn't return phone messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

"We're doing them a favor by buying horses that might otherwise be neglected," Barnes said. "The big misconception animal rights people have is that all horses that go to slaughter are good, useable horses or pets ... when actually they're animals you can't do much with."

Slaughter opponents got a hopeful sign from Congress when a proposed export-for-slaughter ban was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in late September. But the bill got hung up in the Agriculture Committee during the final days of the session and will have to be reintroduced next year.

The long trip to slaughterhouses where the U.S. has no oversight isn't the only stress on horses destined for Canada and Mexico. They often spend days in feedlots, where they have blood drawn for tests necessary to get the health approval required for exportation.

Many of the horses are being bought at prices unheard of just a couple years ago. The U.S. slaughter ban, combined with overbreeding, a slack economy and high feed prices, have helped to create a glut of unwanted horses that has dampened the market. The last horse population census, in 2005, showed 9 million horses in the United States, up from about 5.5 million in the mid-1990s, Segal said.

Killer horses that used to sell for about 40 cents to 50 cents per pound before U.S. horse slaughterhouses closed now sell for about half that. At sale barns where Barnes used to compete with several other buyers, he's sometimes the only bidder.

Supporters of a ban on exporting horses for slaughter say the solution to the oversupply is to euthanize unwanted horses or take them to rescue organizations.

But capacity is a problem.

"Typically they're full," said Stephen Rei, president of the National Equine Rescue Coalition, which claims about 200 horse rescue groups as members.

That's the case at Valerie Hinderlider's horse rescue operation near Minden, Neb., Break Heart Ranch, which has 45 horses.

Hinderlider recently was forced to make a grim choice: She bought two horses so she could euthanize them rather than allow the previous owner to sell them for slaughter.

The price to kill and bury — anywhere from $100 to $250 — isn't one everyone can afford or is willing to pay. Nor is there room to bury all of the horses.

"What would you do with all these thousands of head of horses?" Rushville veterinarian Jeff Erquiaga asked, pointing to a trench outside the sale barn that has become a graveyard for euthanized horses.

Erquiaga said he's euthanizing about 25 percent more horses now than in the past. Still, the number he's put down so far this year — about 70 — is a small fraction of all the horses people want to get rid of.

Hinderlider suggested that horse owners seek out other buyers before turning to kill buyers. Many potential buyers have been scared away from sale barns because they've learned they can't compete with the likes of Barnes, she said.

"I've seen kids walk away crying because they got outbid by kill buyers," she said.

Michael O'Connell, of Mobridge, S.D., who has been buying killer horses for 40 years, isn't proud of his occupation but figures he fills a needed niche.

He said he buys thousands of horses annually, about half of them for a large Canadian supplier of horse meat.

"When I first started I hated it," he said while sitting in the sale barn. "I still don't like doing it. But if I didn't, somebody else would."

Long Island Horse Owners Feeling Economic Pinch

LI horseowners, businesses feeling economic squeeze
BY LAURA RIVERA | laura.rivera@newsday.com
10:01 PM EST, November 29, 2008
The slowing economy has pushed Amy Cirincione to the unthinkable: giving up one of her horses.

Sluggish sales and mounting debt at her chain of pet supply stores forced her to close two locations in February. She and her husband then decided to sell their Mattituck home, but just as the housing market collapsed.

The healthiest of her four horses, Chief, is the only reasonable prospect for sale. Chief would have to go.

"Getting rid of my pets, it goes against everything I believe in," said Cirincione, 35. "It's absolutely tearing me apart."

Across Long Island's horse country, many other owners are giving up their horses as they face the rising price of feed, board, veterinary care, lessons and transportation. The trend touches folks who keep pet horses in their backyards but also equestrians who compete in the elite horse show world.

It's also crimping the livelihoods of veterinarians, feed suppliers and barn owners. Times are so tough, said horse broker Debra Siegel, that more than 20 backyard horse owners have called since last spring asking her to take their animals for free.

"Usually people don't give away something they can get money for," said Siegel, owner of Grouse Ridge Farm, her private stables in Medford. "Not even in the recession in the '70s have I seen this."

Sales of moderately priced show horses - which range from $5,000 to $20,000 - have plummeted about 60 percent at the farm, Siegel said. Worse yet, the market for horses selling for $1,500 to $5,000 has shrunk. Siegel doesn't bother trying to sell those anymore.

On liequine.com, a Web site that advertises local horse properties and horses, owner Sharyn Guzzi has noticed a surge in messages from owners seeking to adopt out their horses.

"You keep watching the horses, the prices go down, down, down and then they put it up for adoption," said Guzzi, who also owns Long Island Horse Properties, a Smithtown-based real estate agency.

In those cases, nonprofit equine rescue groups often adopt the horses to find them new homes. But those groups are now flooded with requests, taxing their limited resources.

One, Project Sage Horse Rescue in Valley Stream, gets up to 10 e-mails a day from owners asking for help, but the operation is already at capacity with 14 horses. "All the rescues, everyone is jam-packed," said Brittany Rostron, the group's president. "The problem is, I can't take them all."

Even as more people adopt out their horses, rescue groups are seeing a drop in donations to pay for their work. At Amaryllis Farm Equine Rescue in Sagaponack, four sponsors - three of whom worked on Wall Street - canceled their donations, said Christine Distefano.

"It's such a big expense, it's the first one to go," said Distefano, who cares for 40 horses.

Since 2005, Distefano has rescued 76 horses, mostly from auctions, where some are bought for export to slaughter in other countries. In the U.S., horse slaughter is outlawed in most states, but no federal law has banned it.

As the market has been saturated with high-quality horses, their value has fallen. At the region's biggest horse auction house, New Holland Sales Stables in Pennsylvania, the average winning bid has dropped about $500 this year, said auctioneer Chris Stoltzfus. "You hear more . . . stories [that] people had to sell because they couldn't afford their feed," he said.

Those who have been able to keep their horses are doing what they can to trim their expenses, which has sent ripples through the industry.

Will Bailey, owner of Neptune Feeds in Calverton, said he's paying 30 percent more for hay over last year, with steeper increases for the best hay. Feed, made of commodities such as soybean and rice, has gone up about 15 percent, said Josh Reale, operations manager at Agway in Hicksville.

For small business owners such as Cirincione, who sells high-quality feed for pets, farm animals and horses, that means fewer customers have been willing to pay a premium for her product. "My $1,500 a week salary has gone to nothing," she said.

In some cases, the penny pinching affects the animal's health as owners try to treat minor ailments instead of calling a vet, aggravating the problem, said Dr. Charles Greco, who has practices in Ridge and Centereach.

Over the past year, more clients have also fallen behind on their vet payments, said Dr. Judson Butler. "It is inhibiting my income," said Butler, of Manorville. "It also limits the amount of work that I'm willing to do...because the promise to pay is useless."

High-end farms like the Old Westbury Equestrian Center - a 28-acre facility on the storied grounds of a former polo estate - have seen clients cut back on lessons. Others have downsized from several horses to one, said facilities manager Christine Nagin-Vasquez. With fewer horses, the center laid off a groom.

Then, after absorbing cost increases in hay, feed, wood shavings and heating oil for nearly a year, it raised rates in September for the first time since opening in 2002. Board at the stables now costs $2,454 a month.

"Most of the people that keep horses with us can still afford to do this," Nagin-Vasquez said. "But they are cutting back and it's affecting our business."

Eileen Castro is struggling to keep the only horse she has. Though she loves her rescued Arabian gelding, Sir Gamo, she's weighing the cost of his upkeep against her family expenses.

"We basically live like the average American family. We live paycheck to paycheck," said Castro, 37, of West Babylon, a medical assistant. "I'm spending over $5,000 a year on a horse . . . Can I justify this with the way the economy is doing, having three kids, and the house, [and] the groceries?"

htttp://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-lihors1612093701dec07,0,3059359.story

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Proof Positive Horse Slaughter Causes Cruelty, Neglect & Abuse

A Scathing Report from USDAs own files that should make clear to anyone with half-a-brain that the "equine slaughter pipleine" causes cruelty, neglect & abuse and/or perpetuates it BIG time.

Take a look at some of the 288 pages and pictures in this latest report in the link below, straight from the USDAs own records, thanks to a Freedom-of-Information Law Request (FOIL) by the wonderful folk at Animal Angels. There are dozens and dozens of pics documenting the cruelty, neglect & abuses of horse slaughter transport and feedlot and auction house cruelty. BE WARNED these are some of the most vivid & graphic pics of equine cxruelty you will ever see. Its shows horses with gaping cuts and wounds, some with their eyeball hanging out or no eye, some being forced to walk and/or stand on broken legs and twisted ankles and hooves, and some with no legs or feet at all.


Click link below to see Report;
http://www.freewebs.com/equinecrusaders/crueltyreport.htm

The owners of these horses or the people responsible for their care should (have been or) be arrested. No animal should be made to suffer like this, for ANY reason, and the transport and the slaughter are NEVER humane.

Equine slaughter is a completely un-necessary evil and should be BANNED in this country IMMEDIATELY and the export of our American horses to other countries for human consumption must cease. Funny thing that, as Americans, we dont eat horses for moral or ethical reasons, but still, we have the "proud" distinction of being the WORLDS LARGEST exporter of horses for human consumption in other countries! How contradictory in terms is that? We dont eat horses but yet we are "ok" with sending them off to horrendous slaughter for other people to eat? If we are ok with feeding our nations horses to foreign countries, why not export our cats and our dogs over to Asia, China, Korea, Thailand, etc. There is a BIG market for their meat over there. Think of the money to be made! See how rediclous the notion is? Americans dont eat our cats or dogs or horses and therefore we shouldnt be ok with exporting them for foreigners to consume.

When people ask me what is the difference between slaughtering a horse or a cow or a sheep or a pig or a chicken, I tell them this:
There is but one distinction that the equine has over all other "traditional" food chain animals and that is this: The USDA maintains an offical list of acceptable "food chain" animals and the equine IS NOT on that list. My point and my argument is that we should keep it that way.

Please help us to end horse slaughter in America. Call or write your Congressmen and Senators and tell them to support anti-horse slaugher legislation, and why. Send them a link to the Animal Angels Report in the link above, and remember to support Animal Angels. A more pro-active anti-horse slaughter and cruelty group you will never find, and well deserving of your tax-deductible donations. Tell them MuleKist sent you!

Thanks

CJ/MK, Founder,
Wild Horse Warriors
http://www.freewebs.com/wildhorsewarriors
"Fighting for their lives, their land and their water"

Monday, November 17, 2008

Hate Mail from a "Jane D"

I was thinking the "D" probably stands for "Doe" as is anonymous, but after reading this I am convinced it stands for DOPE;

why not get a real job and quit bellyaching about the horse slaughter plants...you are causing more harm than good..THERE IS A REAL MESS OF UNWANTED HORSE IN THE USA BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU... YOU HAVE CAUSED OUR FARMERS MORE GRIEF THAN YOU HAVE HELPED..YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY OUR JOBS AND MONEY TO FEED OUR FAMILIES...HOW COULD YOU...HOPE YOU CAN LIVE WITH YOURSELF AND CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT, I FOR ONE HAVE NOT SLEPT NOR HAD A GOOD MEAL BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR GOODY TWO SHOES YOU HAVE RUINED US TO THE POINT THAT SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE SOON AND i HOPE THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH YOUR SORRY WAYS BECAUSE OF YOUR BULLSHIT ABOUT MY LITTLE PONY IS A PET NOT LIVESTOCK...ONE DAY YOU WILL BE SORRY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE

America Outraged over Gov'ts Plan to Kill 33,000 Wild Horses

The Latest from the Associated Press 11/15/08

Wild Horse Advocates Make BIG STINK for BLM Over Mass Extermination
Plan of 33,000 wild horses;

Click on title above to see article;
http://madcowhorses.blogspot.com/

You too can contribute to the BIG STINK we are making for the BLM by
leaving your comments with them on the "Comments" page of their
website. They are asking for it and are feeling our rage already!

Here is a link to the BLM on-line commentary form where they are
asking for public comment;
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/feedback.html

Also, Call the BLM and let them know by telephone; DO BOTH!
1 800- 710- 7597

Please also call SANDRA CHEREB, the Associated Press reporter who is
covering the story. She is not new to the issues. She can be reached
through the AP office number at 1-800-710-7597

Please also contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators
to express your outrage....and to ask for emergency Congressional
Hearings to be called in the matter of the BLMs mismanagment of our
wild horses and their plan for the immediate extermination of 33,000
of them. We need them to take action NOW!

Here is a link where you can find out who your representatives &
senators are, if you dont know, and I believe you can contact them
from these links also, but I may be wrong. Check and see;

Tell them to STOP the Wild Horse Killings NOW!

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

and find your State Senators here;

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Also I would like to remind you that Rep. Nick Rahall (D.WVa) has
championed the cause of the wild horses in the past. Here is a link
where you can contact him and ask for help for the horses; tell him
to support emergency congressional hearings to be held NOW!

Rep. Nick Rahall (D. WVa.)
http://www.rahall.house.gov/

Keep Up with the Latest Developments through the
American Herds Blog, where they even have a link to a streaming live
video where you can watch Mondays Meeting of the Wild Horse & Burro
Advisory Committee LIVE and listen as they give the death sentence to
these 33,000 wild horses

http://www.americanherds.blogspot.com/

Also, I AM THINKING, why cant some of the Big-Whig Wild Horse Mother Orgs and/ or the Humane Society or the Animal Welfare Institute or even Peta or some other MILLION DOLLAR MOTHER ORG ....have one of their slew of lawyers file an administrative appeal against the findings of the Government Accountabilty Office's Report? This is the report that gives the green light to the BLm to go ahead with their killing plan. I dont think it would be to hard to prove the findings of the report are arbitrary and caprious and that the determinations therein were rendered as an abuse of their power & discretion. The GAO's Report reported that the BLMs accounting methods are inadequate and unreliable, so how can they base any "rational" or reasonable decision on said admitted LACK of reliable information? Where are all our big-whig animal rights / animal welfare / wild horse.org lawyers? There are grounds for appeal of the GAO Report and an appeal might give the 33,000 thousand American Wild Horses a temporary reprive from the death sentence the BLm and the GAO have given them. I dont want to sound too much like Ralph Nader bemoaning the death of democracy in America today, and crying out for help, but I will repeat the question he put forth to his constituants in a lecture he gave on a college campus last fall; In the midst of all the "political chananigins," and "dirty dealings," against the American People (and, of course, now, the horses) "Where are all the lawyers?"

If you care about the lives of these horses, and the future of Americas Wild Horses in general, please Call all these National News publications tomorrow and let them know whats going on and that America is OUTRAGED at the notion of our government sending 33,000 of our wild horses to slaughter FOR NO GOOD OR VALID OR REAL REASON. Tell them you know its all about special interest, exploitation & and greed.

The lives of 33,000 American Wild Horses depends on us.

Albany NY Times Union
(518) 454-5413

Arizona Republic
(602) 444-8641

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
(501) 378-3411

Asbury Park Press
(732) 643-4000

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(404) 526-5488

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(410) 332-6565

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(617) 929-2840

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(800) 234-5680


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(716) 849-4461

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(403) 235-7373

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(403) 250-4141

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(312) 321-2664

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(312) 222-3474

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(513) 768-8438

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(513) 352-2767

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(216) 999-4370

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(614) 461-8522

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(405) 475-3314

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(214) 977-8444

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Watch it Live Tomorrow!http://nvhorsepower.org/press_releases

CJ/MK

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Gov't Plans to Kill 33,000 Wild Horses Looks Like a Go

33,000 Wild Horses Going to the Gallows as Cowboy Pres Makes Exit
Click on title to read article;

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deanne-stillman/wild-horses-heading-to-th_b_143152.html

Wild Horses in Danger from the BLMYour Help is Needed NOW to Save Them!

Dear Wild Horse Supporters,

It is regrettable that the recently released Government Accounting Office's report failed to hold the BLM accountable for rounding up some 30,000 more horses than could be adopted over the past eight years. The GAO looked only at the train wreck and not the reasons
that the train left the tracks in the first place. As you know, the BLM has proposed killing the horses in long-term holding to remedy their self-made budget crisis. We cannot allow this to happen and I am concerned that we don't have much time to stop them from carrying
through with this despicable plan. These horses belong to us, the American public, and they should be returned to the wild, not killed by the thousands.

As I write this, the BLM is rounding up over 400 healthy horses to be removed from the Cedar Mountain Herd in Utah. It is likely that only a handful of theses horses will be adopted and the rest will end up in long-term holding where they are in danger of being killed.

Please act now to save America's wild horses, here are some things you can do: Contact your local papers, radio stations and national media outlets.

Contact both your Senators and your Representative: call
202-224-3121 or visit www.congress.org for contact information.

Contact President-Elect Obama at change.gov to ask that he take immediate action to protect our wild horses. We must also make sure that any BLM budget increases do not go to funding increased round-ups and the killing of horses.

"CC" your comments to BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.
E-mail them to BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Attn: Ramona
DeLorme, or write 1340 Financial Blvd, Reno, NV 89502, phone number
(775) 861-6583.

Click here to read my comments to the BLM Advisory Board and please do all that you can now to stop BLM from killing our wild horses.

Happy trails,
Ginger Kathrens
Volunteer Executive Director
The Cloud Foundation, Inc.
107 South 7th St
Colorado Springs, CO 80905

SomeOne Else Calling for OVERWHELMING Force to Get What They Want

Sounds good to me, the "OverWhelming Force" part espically: DO NOT go
gently into that "Good Fight!"

Click on title above to see article;
http://tinyurl.com/55tlpu

"Wharever Your Fight, DONT be lady-like!"
- Mother Jones

Fight like their lives depended on it, cause they do!

CJ/MK

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Rescuers Tell Us How to "Really" Help "The Movement"

And "we" are laughing out-loud! lol

From Kathy:

I target non -horse people and most can't believe it but the thing is to get them to do something. Its one thing to hear about but another to get people to act just like voting. I will fight for the horse until I am no more.
I have no time for horse people that believe in it and can be very stoned face when trying to save a horse even from the meat man. Which we did a few years ago. The beautiful boy was headed for Mexico. You can't make people have a heart and I know that. This past year I have taken 4 horses that people cared enough for to find them a home for when they couldn't keep them any more. I even had 1 person give me some hay along with the Horse they are all welcome to come back and visit them.
Kathy
----------------

FROM BARBARA;

----- Original Message -----
From: Barbara
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 7:57 AM
Subject: How to REALLY help the anti-slaughter movement...


Protesting horse related events like Congress or the AQHA World show
is NOT going to do any good. Most horse people have already made up
their mind one way or another. Sure, have a booth, pass out some
fliers, whatever... But "protesting" is not going to work. It hasn't
in the past, it won't in the future.

If you want to actually change minds and get the message out there,
you need to target NON-horse people. THESE are the people who have no
idea that slaughter even exists. They thought the old "dog food" line
for a misbehaving or old horse was just a "saying." Most of the
general public thinks horses live out their lives in some sunny
pasture to die a peaceful death on a knoll. These people have no idea
how bad things can get, for slaughter bound horses and for horses
suffering from abuse and/or neglect. The occasional starving horse
they see on Animal Cops Huston is just a drop in the bucket.

So, if you want to demonstrate, hand our fliers, or talk to people who
might just listen, you need to find NON-horse venues. Post an ad in
your local paper. Encourage your student or students you know to do
speeches and papers on the horse slaughter issue. Find some receptive
college students and rally during campus events or just post fliers
around campus. Set up a booth at a big open rummage sale, antique
fair/mall, craft fair (get a girl scout troop to make some horse
related crafts to sell), or open outlet mall/fair. Ask your church if
you can submit an article talking about the horses and tying it
religion (how we are the keepers of the animals and what-not). Join
some message boards that interest you and strike up conversation on
the issue (try not to spam though, talk a bit before bringing it up),
groups like mothers, weight loss, knitting, painting, DIY, etc. Join
groups that are against dog/can abuse or a dog/cat rescue. If your
local humane society or animal rescue group is having a fundraiser,
see if they'll let you have a table or pass out information (that will
NOT compete for donations, information only).

Of course, all of this should be on hold until the next congressional
session begins, when we get new bills in the House and Senate. And
keep in mind that the economic and war issues are MUCH higher priority
for most people and politicians. Don't be disheartened. Just keep at
it, consistently and patiently. We won our first battles, all of the
US horse slaughter for human consumption plants are gone. If we keep
on working, we'll win the next battles too

-------------

OUR REPLY TO THEM BOTH:

Kathy, Barb;

You are so right, it is the un-informed that we need to target, and that is exactly what I "we" do when "we" protest in public - TO the public, but "we" do it right "under their industrial noses." It really irks them to see us educate the people right "in their face." Havent you read any of our "Demo Reports?" Go to the "Demo Report" page here to see what "we" are all about;
http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines
Doing these "in your face" public demonstrations (which, by the way, we call "public educational seminars," embarasses them for sure, we have seen it in their attitudes and even in their eyes which they cannot even look at us without turning their faces away. They Know we are right, and gaining support in public RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM puts great pressure on them to change their attitude and policies.
Do you really think public pressure and DEMANDS for change do not work? Go back in history.
We do all that you say, we educate the public AND set up information booths & pass out flyers while we are protesting and demanding in the industys face.Suprisingly, we have found our "one-person" demos to be very effective in gaining public support and embarassing the pro-slaughter "industrialites" into "right thinking and acting." We have even convinced some of the American Horse Counsil Members that it would be a good thing for them to take a vote on the slaughter issue by ALL members, to see who is for or against, some of them even promicing us to bring it up at the next meeting, and THAT indeed is progress. How can you say protests dont work when we really have never tried it as a UNITED FRONT and consistantly all together as a movement? Who has demonstrated and where and when? Except for a small group in Nevada that protested once or twice over the BLMs mismanagement of our wild horses, and a few small demos by the Anti-Fur Folk,.... I have heard nothing of any concerted effort to conduct continous actions,..so whereer or whoever it was you say "have tried it,".... wasent loud enough or consistant enough to do any good. It needs to be done continously and consistantly at all industry related events,...and CANNOT be a "once in awhile" type thing, ...we need to put the pressure on continously, until progress is made, policies are changed, breeding is controlled and alternatives to slaughter are utilized. We must demand & protest until the slaughter ends. Where are our "Mother Orgs" and our state (rescue) representatives? We need them to help us organize. We cannot do it without their help. It will take a UNITED effort and therein is the problem. We are an UnOrganized lot.
Demonstrations and protests DO work, if we can form a united front and "haunt them" whereever they go. It DOES NOT have to be done with great crowds of protesters. Even ONE person will do! They absolutely hate the PR we give them and always try to have us removed,....but the police always stick up for us. Isnt THAT a wonderful thing, just knowing that they hate for us to be their so much but there isnt a DAM thing they can do to remove us! Protest is a very important powerful tool that we should be utilizing. How could you NOT belive in the power of protest? Our country was founded upon dissent! Need I remind you, our founding fathers were revolutionaries, "revolting" against an oppressive system, and won their independance through continous and relentless protest, DEMANDS and dissent. Then there are the workers unions who protested and got workers rights. Then the womens movement, then the civil rights movment,...loud & continous protest also got us out of the Viet Nam war. I have to laugh when people say "protest dostnt work! You are here in this country standing on "free ground" thanks to the power of protest. Of course, the people have to want something bad enough to go about consistantly protesting and demanding. Guess most us just dont want to see an end to horse slaughter bad enough to do that. Thats why I say shame on us. As for the statement one of you made that there are "other, more important" things for Congress to address, I can oly say this: No wonder with attitudes like that we are getting nowhere fast. Surely you MUST know that in Congress, as far as bills go, it is the "squeaky wheel" that gets the grease. Perhaps we are not "squeeking" loud or stong enough,..for instance, right smak dab in the middle of the financial melt-down bail-out crisis, Congress did manage to pass a bill that would protect the monkey. Go look that up on "Thomas.Gov" and you will see. We arent making enough noise. We are letting them get away with the murder of our American horses and THEY FEEL we are OK with that cause no one is protesting or demanding an end to it NOW! Without this kind of GREAT pressure, you will never have your bills passed. The pro-slaughterers will stall it or kill it "in the end," like they always do. We aint waitin for no dam bill. We dont need to wait for no dam bill! The power is in US, the horses are depending upon US, not the politicians!
Listen to the so-true words of Fredrick Douglas; Do you think he was a fool? There are many other "great minds" that believe as he did also; why cant you?

"Those who profess to favor freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

– Frederick Douglass, African-American abolitionist

Need I say more?

CJ/MK

* “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people’s minds.”
--Samuel Adams

* "The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress"
-F. Douglas

Monday, November 10, 2008

"FOES" Quit "Movement" for Lack of Forward Motion: Protests NO Protests

This post IS NOT about rescue. We KNOW all the good & necessary work the rescues do. WE ARE NOT BASHING RESCUES! This post is strictly about horse slaughter and the so-called anti-slaughter "movement."

We, Friends of Equines, FOES of Equine Slaughter," are hangin our heads in shame for YOU all who profess to "love the horses" and say you would do "anything" to see their slaughter end, FOES say Goodbye & Thanks for Nothin, from the horses (Oh, we are "horse wisperers, dont you know, they talk to us and are saying, "please try harder and do something MORE to end our slaughter! DO NOT count on the promices of your politicians! We are counting on YOU!")

We are tired after so many years of exhausting our energies trying to compell you all into UNITING for some direct affirmative actions such as continued and consistant peaceful demonstrations and protests across the land. We think the anti-slaughter "movement" is a bunch of sorry-ass, dispassionate, lazy, cowardly sops and that Movement" is a Misnomer for the anti-horse slaughter camp: There are No REAL & TRUE "Die for the Cause" Warriors to be found, just "advocates" advocatin quietley and asking "pretty pleeze," and doing nothing more than faxing, emailing, and going to DC from time to time to "hobnob" with the politicians cause they care about the horses. They most certainly do talk a great line. How much do they care? How bad do they really want to see it end? The anti-Horse- Slaughter Camp "wont budge" from their comfort zones long enough to organize themselves to engage in any real-time physical protests or demos DEMANDING an END to the slaughter that would REALLY change things for the better FAST; fear of "Peta" stigmatation overides,....dont they know that that particular fear can be easily corrected with a simple sign that says:

WE ARE NOT PETA!

We Are The Main-Stream Majority of America
We Eat Meat
But not our cats or dogs or horses.

DEMAND an END to Equine Slaughter!
DEMAND an END Right Now!

"The fate of animals is of greater importance to me
than the fear of appearing ridiculous;
- Emile Zola (1840-1902)

Readers Take Note: If this blurb makes you mad, please dont come
flying back flaming at me. Consider that this "nasy goodby" is not
meant for everyone. I realize that there ARE people out there unable
to physically or financially unable to go out and demonstrate and protest all over the place,
and I realize that some of us have family obligations that over-
ride "the cause,"...I also realize that there ARE those of us amongst
us who ARE able to travel and/or go about, or to organize something
locally. Also our anger is directed mainly at the Mother Orgs., whom
we have been asking for help with UNITING US for years,..so I humbly
ask that when reading this, you consider the above, and determine
for yourself and conclude,...."If the shoe fits, wear it, if it dont
apply then let it fly...."

Thank you.

No "Friends of Equines" for OK Demos?
http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines/nofriends4okdemos.htm

No Support for Petition that Would REALLY Help Horses
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/a-petition-2-amend-the-farm-bill

No Help from "The Mother Orgs."
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/a-personal-challange-a-call-to-action

"To stand and do nothing when we should be protesting makes cowards
of us" - A. Lincoln

CJ/MK, Founder
"Friends of Equines FOES of Equine Slaughter"
http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines
"Because WE Care Enough to Give Our ALL"

PLEASE NOTE: This is the last we will be posting to any groups except
for our own. We have had it with the so-called "movement." A sorrier bunch of "half-steppers" we never knew! You profess to "care so much" about the horses but you refuse to go "that extra mile" and "move" to organize for some nationwide demonstrations and protests against their slaughter. Horses are dying everyday and they are getting ready to exterminate our wild ones. How long are you gonna wait? Til all is lost? Some dedication, some passion! With "Friends" like you, the horses dont need enemies! By NOT protesting we ARE in effect condoning their slaughter! For shame on you all for not caring enough to go all the way for them. You will never end it the "polite" way.....just keep waiting and maybe in a few more years from now you will come to realize the truth,....but by that time they will have new horse-slaughter plants built all across the USA. You will
never get your bills passed therefore never end the slaughter. There
will always be the pro-slaughter opposition to kill your bills at the very last minute. They will just keep killing your bills year after year just like they are killing our horses,...and you all are "ok" with that? Sorry but "we" are not!We do not put all of our faith & trust in politicians. The horses depend upon US, not the politicians. Again we ask, what are you waiting for? We have the power to stop horse slaughter in its tracks right now....if only you would believe,..its all up to US, NOT the politicians. So what R U gonna do? Same old same old or try somehing new? Anyways, we are through with you. "Friends of Equines" wont be bothering with you all again. We are not about wasting energy on lost causes such as your selfish selves apparently are. Too bad for the horses. They need some REAL fighters on their side, and we dont mean to fight the "polite" or paper wars; their are plenty of so-called "warriors" doing that. They have been doing it for years and look how far they have come (not.) Your "successes" are an illusion, a creation of the standard and usual "DC legerdemain." On this you are betting the lives and future of our American horses? One last warning to you all, get "moving" in the movement before its too late. Do it not for us, but for the horses.

"If you have come to help us, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your fight is intertwined with ours, you are in the right place and have come at the right time; the right time is NOW, or never."

CJ/MK

FOES

Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Hate Mail Comes Pouring In

MiltonFeathers@... wrote:

So, you're mad because most of us have real jobs that require us to
be AT THEM to get a pay check, and families to look after the require us
to be home to do so. These petitions of yours aren't even considered by the
courts since they must have REAL hand written signatures on them and hand
written addresses. ( maybe you should do some research on that ) So are
you out there collecting those or sitting in front of your computer sending out
emails? A request for help with those and a real address to send them to would have
been more appropriate. The successes these rescues proclaim are REAL, just
not the story you want to hear. Some of these people go and spend their
last dollars at horse sales and feed lots to purchase horses in an attempt to keep
them from slaughter. Then take them home and eat spaghetti or ramen noodles
every night to spend all they can on getting or keeping these horses healthy
and finding them homes. Yes, all so the horse didn't wind up in a slaughter
house or living in poor conditions. So, I am sorry for you that you have now " burned some bridges " and alienated yourself from some of the greatest people you could have on your side. People you could possibly need in the future. Calling them ......a bunch of sorry, dispassionate, lazy, cowardly sops:
That's the dumbest most uneducated thing you could have said. I
happen to know some of the rescues around here. I know they do all ( which
means every little thing ) they can to help and protect as many equines as
possible. Even some individuals who do the same, just not under the name of a
rescue. I know what they give up to this, The hard work, long hours ( on top of
the jobs and families they have ), the extras in their lives they could have
for themselves, and pain they suffer being hurt sore and tiered.
dispassionate, lazy, cowardly I don't think so.
Thank you for your time and good luck with your endeavors. They
all know your frustrations with humane care of equine, they all suffer your
passion to do everything that's right. There will be another fight tomorrow
and they will be there too.
Tracy


OUR REPLY

Our "blurb" was not about rescue. Its about stopping the slaughter. TWO seperate and distinct things, wont you agree? Also, I thought I made it clear that we are well aware that not everyone can "drop everything" and go out and demonstrate (re-read the post) though we also made it clear that there most certainly ARE those out there who could, "if only" they had a mind to. I find, for the most part, "horsie type" people are a travelin' lot. It should be no big deal for some. Also, I thought I made it perfectly clear that our "angst" was directed mostly at the Mother Orgs whom we have been asking for help to organize for years. Like I said in the orignal post, if the shoe fits, wear it, if it dont apply then let it fly. If you are unable to organize or partake in any "Industry Accountability" demos for some reason other than "dont want to," or "plain wont,"... then none of our adominations apply to you. If you "would if you could," you are with us, so dont take it so personal. The blurb was intended for those who could, but just wont, so "let it fly."

As for defending our use of petitions, any activist worth their salt
knows they have at least some value, "legal" or not. For one,
petitions draw attention (and hopefully, support) to an issue. Of
course, it all depends on how much work you put in to broadcasting
them. I wont re-hash the value of on-line petitions here. It would be
re-stating the obvious, if you would only have eyes (or a reasonable
mind) to see it.

As for our "alianiating ourselves" from "good rescues" and other
people and orgs that "might have been of assistance" to us one day,
that is a laugh. We have begged for help from our "constituants" in
the rescue world for years,.. not only with our own rescue matters &
needs, but for networking with "like-minded" people and for help with
& support for our ideas, campaigns, and organizing "us all" as
well. THREE PEOPLE in all those years answered our pleas and "befriended"
us,and we are on good terms with them all today. "Friends" stay friends with
friends. The rest can all go to hell. We dont need anyone for
anything and that is the beauty of us....

We are not asking for help for ourselves, we are asking on behalf of
the horses.

"If you join in to help me then you are wasting your time, but if you
have come to us because your cause is caught up with ours, then you
are in the right place, with the right people."


The horses need everyone (everyone who IS ABLE, that is) to go all the way and take the fight one step further, ADVANCE it, that is, by protesting and DEMANDING Industry accountabilty NOW and an end to equine slaughter. We dont need no friggin bill to get'er done!

Rescue is what happens in between our fight to end horse-slaughter,
not the other way around. We want to save them all. Not just some.
Who can fault us for that? Who would, ...and why? Dosent everyone
want to see it end right here and RIGHT NOW? We DO have the power you know, if only the "movement" would "wake up" and realize this FACTOID and get moving.

As to your statement that "there will be another fight tomorrow" and the rescues " will be there then too," well that is all fine and well, but we Friends of Equines aint about waiting. Hundreds of horses are dying everyday you know, and they are getting ready to kill off all our wild mustangs and build back up the equine slaughter industry right here in the good ole USA. You OK with waiting for that to happen? By then it will be too late, and you will always have horse slaughter because you waited too long. Think it aint so? Just keep waiting. You WILL see. That dark day is not that far away. We better get busy soon.

CJ/MK