Debate Rages as Congress Mulls Ban on Horse Slaughter

Hello???? Big recession / borderline depression, trouble in North Korea, Iranian election issues - and our Congress is seriously spending time on this!?!?!?!? Good grief... Reply

Why does a horse have more value of life than a cow,pig. or fowl? I love horses but seriously this seems hypocritical to me! Reply

i could not eat horse meat any more than dog meat. i suppose it's a minute degree of separation. hippocracy probably. but to me the horse is the most beautiful animal. subject to flight and not fight. a peaceful day riding on a such an animal is truly a spiritual experience. yeah, i eat cows, chickens and pigs and probably on a very lower level suffer guilt for it. Reply

Press Release The Cloud Foundation reports documents obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) via the Freedom of Information Act by a Phoenix-based non-profit, The Conquistador Program, reveal shocking and detailed plans to destroy healthy wild horses in government holding and in the wild on public lands. BLM employees and a USDA veterinarian held weekly "Implementation Team" meetings beginning in July 2008 in which they discussed and developed strategies to rid BLM of thousands of mustangs. In October they completed a 68-page document titled "Alternative Management Options." Tactics included in this document are reminiscent of those used to wipe out Native Americans in the 1800s. The BLM team created scenarios for killing mustangs using barbiturates, gunshots, or captive bolts. Bodies would be disposed of through rendering, burial or incineration. They discussed killing 1200-2000 wild horses per year. Minutes from the Implementation Meeting state that "increased support from public relations and management staff would also be needed to insulate those doing the actual work from the public, media and Congressional scrutiny/criticism." "These meetings and the Draft Plan reveal what amounts to 'the final solution' for the American mustang," states Ginger Kathrens, filmmaker and Director of The Cloud Foundation. Division Chief, Wild Horse and Burro Program, Don Glenn told The Cloud Foundation that "no decision has been made to move forward on a large scale with this plan, yet." Meeting minutes speak for themselves: "Security at facilities and at gathers would need to be increased to combat eco-terrorism. Having the people that are willing to put down healthy horses at gather sites could be a problem." During meetings Team Members formulated ways to circumvent laws, asking "[h]ow many could be euthanized during a gather without having NEPA?" and discussing ways to avoid the federal carcass disposal law. Conversations included how many wild horses could be rendered at a Reno plant or "disposed of in pits". Kathrens has spent 15 years documenting wild mustangs, chronicling the life of the wild stallion, Cloud, for PBS. "Even Cloud and his little herd in Montana are in serious danger if BLM implements these options," she continues. "A massive round up is planned for this herd beginning August 30, 2009." The BLM will not guarantee that Cloud will remain free. More information, BLM documents and photos available. Contact: The Cloud Foundation, Inc. 107 South 7th St. Colorado Springs, CO 80905 719-633-3842 Email Contact www.thecloudfoundation.org Horse advocates suggest : Online petition to investigate and prosecute constitutional abuses of Bush administration. Here's the body of the petition: I hereby join Senator Patrick Leahy's call for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation... Reply