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