Your Last Chance To Stop Horse Slaughter

[RestoreGore]

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2006_horses_senate4
Last Chance to Help Horses Clear Final Hurdle

The chance to save American horses from slaughter is in the homestretch. We need your help!

On Sept. 7, the U.S. House voted 263-146 to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), moving the country closer to preventing the annual slaughter of nearly 100,000 horses in the United States for human consumption abroad. On Sept. 27 in Missouri, 17 of the 41 horses headed to a slaughter plant in Illinois were killed when the trailer they were being transported in overturned on the highway. Now it's time for the Senate to act on behalf of America's horses by passing S. 1915, which is sponsored by Senators John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

TAKE ACTION

Please make a short polite phone call to your two U.S. Senators today. You can reach your Senators by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or click here to find their Capitol office phone numbers. Making a call is easy. All you need to say is:

"I am a constituent and I am calling to ask my Senator to please protect our horses from slaughter. The House has voted overwhelmingly to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1915) and now it is time for the Senate to act. Please do all that you can to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and move it to the Senate floor for an immediate vote. Thank you."

"Horse Slaughter Exposed in Trailer Wreck"
Windows Media
(Caution: graphic content)

After you make your phone call, fill in the form at the right to automatically send an email—including our video detailing the tragedy of the Missouri accident—to your Senators and urge them to support and pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Congress receives a lot of email. It is very important to edit the subject line and the letter below with your own words so that your legislators know the email came from a constituent.

~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE contact your Senators today.

[bowens43]

1. I have to ask.......

why is it ok to eat cows,pigs and lambs but not horses?

[RestoreGore]

4. I don't n/t

[tabasco]

10. Ever ridden a cow? Did cows pull our wagons westward ho?

I've never seen a cow pull a plow, either.

I'm not a vegetarian but I give special dispensation to horses and dogs because they have helped people in so many ways. Might not be fair to the "food" animals but there ya' go. That's just me.

:hi:

[TX-RAT]

13. Did cows pull our wagons westward ho?

They sure did. Oxen pulled many wagons during that time period.

http://www.answers.com/main/ntq-tname-oxen-fts_start-

[tabasco]

14. I knew somebody would say that.

But I don't eat oxen either.

[TX-RAT]

15. You eat beef?

[tabasco]

21. Hells yeah I eats my beef!

I'm sorry, but in my evaluation, the noble ox has not bonded with mankind to a sufficient degree to avoid the menu. It's my mouth and my stomach - it's my decision. I am the judge and the eater.

Of course,who knows what's in a Mickey D's burger? :shrug:

Am I a hypocrite because I eat the cousins of a draft animal ? :shrug: How can I live with myself!!?? :cry:
Don't know but I sure likes my steaks!!

edit typo

[TX-RAT]

35. You want that OX burger to go? LOL

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. I don't ride horses.

Or use them to pull my cart either.

:shrug:

[tabasco]

22. Cool beans!

Ain't modern technology great !?

I love my Toyota! I won't eat it either!!!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. I don't eat my toyota either too.

But then again, my toyota's not made out of meat.

[tabasco]

25. What!? You never heard of the Toyota Hamry?

Or the Toyota Bacona?

Meat cars are the wave of the future!!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. Toyota hamry!

:rofl:

[jilln]

27. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

It's so funny to hijack threads about animal cruelty by making fun of it. Maybe you should go find some threads about homophobia and racism too, I bet those guys will get a kick out of it.

Or even better, you could start your own threads about things you DO care about. That would be a whole lot less pathetic.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. Animal cruelty?

Is that what this thread is about? Because somebody asked why we should care about the horses and it went off on a vegan tangent. So if you want to complain about hijacking, talk to them.

[tabasco]

29. Grow up. I'm one of the people who don't eat horses.

Maybe you should learn how to read. I did what the OP wanted me to do.

The thread was about horse slaughter not vegetarianism.

[jilln]

30. "Grow up"?

Wow, that was sophisticated. Not that I expected anything different judging by what passes for humor for you.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. I second what tabasco said.

You seem to have trouble coming up with a legitimate argument.

[jilln]

32. Oh, so it's time

to make fun of the thread?

That's what you'd do, right?

For some people, the inherent cruelty is enough of an argument.

What's it about for you, money or the assertion that it's your "right" to harm any creature you choose?

If you can come up with a real argument for slaughtering horses that doesn't involve the words "me," "I" or "money" I'm ready to hear it.

[tabasco]

19. Darn it ! I forgot about this guy too!

:hi:

[TX-RAT]

34. And this one.

[LWolf]

46. Is it ok to eat dogs and cats?

In this culture, no, because dogs and cats are companion animals that hold a place in our families.

Our horses do, too. The 3rd and 4th generation of horses that have been in my family since before I was born are out in my barn right now. I spoke to them, scratched their favorite spots, checked them to see how they fared today while I was at work, cleaned up after them, fed them, watered them, and visited with them as soon as I got home, before I came in to worry about my own needs. They are no more "food" than any other family member.

Since domestication, horses have been laborers and partners for humans. When you bond closely enough with a 1000+ lb animal for them to allow you to catch, handle, and direct them, for them to work for you and with you, they aren't food. They are partners.

I don't know if sheep, pigs, or cows have been that thoroughly domesticated, although I know some people have made pets of them. Still, they don't have the same place in the family as the dog or cat, or horse, for that matter.

[GreenZoneLT]

52. OK, so that's your family

The horses that are being slaughtered are mostly wild horses that aren't tame at all. No more a "family" member than a deer (which makes a great pet, btw; we raised an orphan one when I was a kid, and it was as tame as dog).

Oxen and water buffalo are as likely to be domestic animals worldwide as horses are.

Dogs and cats are predators that have rarely been eaten by humans (especially cats). Horses are herd animals, and frequently eaten.

[LWolf]

54. It's not just my family.

It's a cultural thing. Dogs are eaten in other parts of the world. The slaughter houses do not just deal with wild horses. "Wild" horses aren't really wild, btw; they are feral. Their populations have been managed since they appeared as domesticated animals in the New World. Mustangs are tougher than their more pampered cousins, and make great partners. I know; I grew up with one, spending more time with her than with humans. In the early years it was standard practice to release blooded stallions out to breed with mustang herds to "improve the breed." Usually to make them bigger. ANot to make them better meat, but better for the jobs that people ask them to do. That shows in modern mustangs. Depending on where they range, and mustangs can vary a lot depending on how their breeding was controlled. In California, I rode with a guy who adopted a blm mustang that was obviously part draft horse. Here in Oregon, there are the world famous Kigers from the Steens mountain herd. There are several registries for owners of mustangs, whether they are straight from the range or a couple of generations away. Feral or just outlived their "usefulness," there is an ad, every day of every week, in my local paper offering to "buy" any horses anybody may be looking to sell, cheap, for slaughter.

I'm willing to bet that, in the U.S., those who think of horses as "livestock" like sheep, cows, etc.. will be primarily people who don't keep them or work with them. That's the only thing I can think of that would allow someone to step past the ethical considerations here.

When you teach an animal to trust you, it should not be food. We breed them, raise them, and train them to partner us. That takes a great leap of trust on the horses' part. A herd animal does not "naturally" trust and cooperate with a predator species. We get them over that by teaching them that they are not our prey. Perhaps some people don't consider honesty or integrity necessary with non-human species. I say that how we treat the world "counts," and that if we value honesty or integrity, that's how we should live.

[GreenZoneLT]

51. Not to mention deer, elk and antelope, rabbits and squirrels

Horses don't even win the cute factor compared to many game animals. Sure, regulate horse slaughter to make it as humane as possible, but ban it? Seems a bit illogical. If they're going to run wild on federal land, we need some kind of "harvest" to prevent overpopulation, and there just aren't enough rich girls to give them too.

I had horse steak once in Sardinia. Not that good, and cost as much as beef.

[XOKCowboy]

53. Touchy subject dude...

Horses have "faces" and are cute and some people have even touched one. That makes them "special".

I don't see the outrage either. People are taking up all of the available rangland that horses need. It's not like horses are endangered. I hear more about people starving horses through neglect or just plain ignorance.

[nomo]

2. What's wrong with eating horse meat?

It's an accepted practice in many parts of the world.

[RestoreGore]

So is killing human beings

You for that too?

[nomo]

7. Non-sequitur

We generally don't kill people in order to eat them. But thanks for playing.

[RestoreGore]

9. Not the point

KILLING is inhumane and immoral. PERIOD. But if it makes you feel justified in rolling that cow meat around in your mouth (that that is all they are good for anyway), have at it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Alright. Will do.

Still not convinced as to why I should support this legislation.

[LWolf]

48. The same thing that's wrong with eating dogs and cats, imo. n/t

[JVS]

59. nothing

[LWolf]

62. I hope you extend that evenhandedness to all species then. n/t

[JVS]

67. All but humans

[LWolf]

68. So even you have your limits.

I guess the difference between us is that humans aren't the only species I value. Still, I feel the same sense of loyalty to those I consider "mine:" those that have partnered with me and my kind to make life better. They're just not my species.

[David__77]

3. I see nothing wrong with horse meat production/consumption.

If cows and pigs can be eaten, why not horses. There was a proposition on this in my state, and I voted against it, or, as the ballot argument read, I voted "neigh." Bad, I know...

[kansasblue]

5. Please help protect the pretty animals... eat the others.

thank you.

[gollygee]

6. I don't know why this is a big deal

I eat cow. Why should I have a problem with other people eating horse?

[RestoreGore]

8. Who said it was a big deal?

I don't eat meat so I am not a hypocrite and can post efforts like this because I don't support EATING ANY ANIMAL. You don't support it, don't read it.

[gollygee]

11. Is there a vegetarian forum?

It looks like you took this as an opportunity to evangelize.

[flvegan]

12. This isn't a vegetarian issue, thankyouveryfuckingmuch.

Matter of fact, it's an anti-cruelty towards animals measure. Now, just because you choose to eat meat out of preference, doesn't make every topic of this nature one that should be censored and sent packing to the veg forum. Besides, if every thread was moved to a forum based on what others had opinions on, the Asshole Forum would be bursting at the seams.

Maybe I'm evangelizing too. That, or you don't get it.

[RestoreGore]

40. Amen. ;-)

[RestoreGore]

39. I passed on a link about an issue I believe in

Don't like it? Tough shit.

[jilln]

20. Here's another famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson

You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

[jilln]

18. Thanks. I'm calling because I oppose cruelty to animals

And our slaughterouses are incredibly cruel.

This is one cruelty we may be able to stop.

In any case, this is legislation that the overwhelming majority of Americans approve of and has been stalled and sidetracked a number of times by sleazy legislators. So if anyone can't find it in their hearts to try to help horses who are currently being hung upside down by a single leg and having their throats cut, perhaps they can see it as an issue of fairness in government.

[TX-RAT]

38. being hung upside down by a single leg and having their throats cut,

That doesnt happen until they have already been dispatched. Same with cow's, hog's, etc!

[lonestarnot]

42. And having broken legs that are left untreated for weeks and then loaded

into trailers that are too small for accommodation! It's very sick and needs to be stopped! I will make the calls! :hi: and thanks for caring! :hug:

[SOS]

56. Not always

A European Veterinary Union report on captive bolt stunning identified a failure rate as high as 10 per cent (depending on the facility), which means that hundreds of thousands of cattle experience the agony of not being stunned correctly. The live animals are hung by one leg and the throat is slashed while the animal is fully conscious.
Why do we trust right-wing Republican corporations like IBP and Conagra to do anything to insure humane slaughter?
They want the line to move as fast as possible and they don't give a shit about the animal or the workers. All they care about is money.
The conditions in slaughterhouses are so outrageously cruel that Senator Byrd is leading the fight for additional funding to enforce the Humane Animal Slaughter Act.
Americans should be encouraged to visit a commercial slaughterhouse at least once to see what's really going on in there.

http://www.fund.org/press-releases/100406byrd.html

[RestoreGore]

41. Thank you for getting it

I appreciate it.

[Patchuli]

24. K&R

Screw this stupid conversation about whether you guys eat horse, cow or whatever. What they are doing to these animals is wrong and must stop. Our wild horses killed for fancy French/Belgium menus?! Let those bastards eat cake but stop the slaughter!!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

33. I have eaten horse meat

since I was born and raised in Italy. Horse meat is not a fancy menu item. In fact, many pediatricians indicate horse meat as part of the diet for growing children. I have also eaten sheep's brains for the same reason (prescribed by the pediatrician as part of a healthy diet for a growing child).

[Patchuli]

50. That would be akin to me

eating cat. *shudder*

[TX-RAT]

37. Our wild horses killed for fancy French/Belgium menus?!

Most of them are domestically raised. What do think happens to slow or injured race horse's. Injured horse's are sold for slaughter all the time.

[Patchuli]

49. I don't believe in eating horse

Why don't you go watch that video of them being helplessly and cruelly slaughtered in Juarez?

[dysfunctional press]

36. i just wish that horse meat was more available here in the u.s.

so you can probably extrapolate where i come down on the issue.

[lonestarnot]

43. Eating isn't the issue! CRUELTY IS!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

47. Is it?

Are the horses killed differently than any other large farm animal?

[Patchuli]

55. Did you watch the video

provided in the link by the opening post on this thread? There isn't anything funny about it nor is it about vegetarianism. It's about cruelty to animals and there's nothing funny about that.

[SOS]

57. An observation

The most ardent supporters of the Republican meat packing industry never watch the video.
Dunno why that is.

:shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

60. Also, people who don't have that particular media player.

Tell me. Is the method of killing and butchering different than any other method for killing and butchering large farm animals, and if not, can you come up with a more humane method?

[Patchuli]

63. Is it

because if they don't acknowledge a truth, it does not exist? Seems to be a general trait of moneymongering. These people should have these images forced on them, much like the character in Clockwork Orange was forced to watch intense violence until he was broken of the desire for it.

[cynatnite]

44. Sorry, but no...

I'll probably get slammed over this. Getting some dirty looks around here lately, but what the hell. This bill is all fine and dandy, but is missing something important. It has no recourse for those animals after those slaughter houses are shut down. It's only three and they take about 90,000 per day.

Yes, stop it, but having a recourse for those animals. There are options, but only if enough pressure is brought down on the politicians to make it happen.

This isn't counting the other places where horses are used to make dog food. Now, how many dog lovers want to shut down slaughter houses that help provide dog food?

If we really want to save these animals more has to be done in addition to shutting down the slaughter houses. I'm not talking later down the road. I'm saying right now in addition to that bill. That way the horse get handled humanely and not just shuffled off to another place where they'll get slaughtered since it's not people food.

[lonestarnot]

45. Wasn't the call-in today, and is the time passed or can we call tomorrow?

[JVS]

58. I support the eating of horses

[michaz]

61. Illegal to eat horsemeat and sell it in the US

So why do we slaughter horses here then? The slaughter companies are apparently owned by overseas owners. So let them take there business back to their country. I am sorry, but to me it is commons sense, one just simply does not eat a pet! Anyone that thinks that the slaughtering of horses is okay should watch the videos and read on it. There is no way one could think it was okay after that.

[Patchuli]

64. Well said, michaz

and welcome to DU! :hi:

[bdamomma]

65. thanks and I signed petition.

[Eric J in MN]

66. Done. NT

NT