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12/9/06
The 109th Congress is
over. As expected, the
Senate failed to address H.R. 503, S.
1915 and the slaughter continues.
This is, again, good news for the
foreign owned slaughter houses as they
may continue to execute horses for the
dining pleasure of foreign markets.
It is better news for their attorneys
and lobbyists because it assures their
continuing employment by the slaughter
houses in defending a battle which will
not end. They can continue to
spend money to defend their activities.
The attorneys, public relations firms,
lobbyists, Representatives, Senators and
organizations who reside in the pockets
of the slaughter houses and the cattle
industry can continue to receive the
monetary benefits of horse slaughter
continuing in the U.S. The people
who refuse to be responsible can
continue to dispose of life which is no
longer convenient for them. The
people who do not care can continue to
look the other way. But we will
not stop. Even through defeat, we
learn, we grow, and we become stronger.
The quest to end slaughter will not end.
We will not be discouraged, only
disappointed in the actions of those who
proclaim to represent the voice of the
people, but do not.
The battle to end slaughter is not over.
We are better prepared, better informed,
and this is simply the beginning.
The first
session of the 110th Congress convenes
on January 4, 2007.
What Happens When a New Congress Begins?
It
is time that we returned the government
to the U.S. citizens. |
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2007
marks the beginning of a new campaign on
behalf of ending horse slaughter in the
U.S. Changes are on the
horizon. The following
information is still relevant, but the
process must begin again.
It is
time to contact all of your
representatives, senators, and
government officials to take immediate
action. |
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Don't be a victim of SPIN!
Slaughterhouse
Propaganda's
International
Nightmare
“The propagandist's purpose
is to make one set of people
forget that certain other
sets of people are human”
~ Aldous Huxley |
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|
PLEASE NOTE:
The pro slaughter factions are
monitoring this page of information
closely. Hopefully, if you are
opposed to slaughter, you will be as
pro-active as they are.
"It is
difficult to get a man to understand
something when his salary depends upon
his not understanding it."
~Upton
Sinclair,
1878 -
1978, author of
The Jungle |
From the Minneapolis - St. Paul
StarTribune 11/12/06:
Letter of the day:
Senate should put an end to horse slaughter
Well said!
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H. R. 503 passed without amendments in
the House of Representatives.
The Senate failed to address the issue
before the 109th Congress adjourned.
H.R. 503
co-sponsors
S. 1915
co-sponsors
Detailed information on
S. 1915
Virgie S. Arden American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act |
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URGENT ACTION REQUESTED!!!!!
Due to the
inaction of the Senate,
H.R. 503, S. 1915 has failed to become
reality in 2006. It is time to
start over, but we are strong in numbers
and should not procrastinate.
Further explanation of the subterfuge
which prevented this bill from
coming to fruition may be accessed from
the excellent
9/25/06 article by
Jeff Apel in Thoroughbred Times.
Email your
Representative
Email
your Senator
(the link above will
locate your Senator by state and zip and
provide contact information & email
form)
If he or she is not yet listed as a
bill cosponsor,
please make a special effort to
encourage their support for H.R. 503, S.
1915.
This is a
new endeavor and, if you helped with
H.R. 503, please continue in your good
efforts because it is doubly important
now.
Sample email text below:
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Dear (Senator
or Representative),
I
am contacting you to express
my disappointment on failure
of the Senate to address
H.R. 503/S. 1915, The
American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act during the
109th Congress.
Although passed by the House
of Representatives on
9/7/06, the bill was delayed
through clerical error when
sent on to the Senate and
placed on the calendar where
it never saw the light of
day.
Slaughter in
the U.S. continues through
foreign owned countries
producing a product for a
foreign market. The
majority of the American
people are clearly not in
support of this practice
which is driven by special
interest groups.
Slaughter is
not a humane end for the
animals which have helped us
build America to become the
great nation that it is. The
horse today provides us with
not only beauty and sport,
but is a valuable aid in
activities such as therapy
for disabled children. Its
role in America is not as an
animal raised to supply meat
to foreign countries, but as
a companion and friend. It
is my hope that the bill
will be presented again in
early 2007 and be passed
expeditiously with the same
favorable margin as it was
in the House of
Representatives on September
7.
Thank you for
your diligence in making our
country and our state a
place in which we can be
proud to be included as
citizens.
Sincerely, |
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Remember that every day that
goes by means another day of
execution for America's
horses.
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A
Letter
from
Willie
Nelson
(from
SAPL:
Please
cross
post)
11/30/06
Dear
Friends,
Following
passage
in the
House of
Representatives,
the
American
Horse
Slaughter
Prevention
Act is
pending
in the
Senate.
As you
know,
the
measure
would
ban the
slaughter
of
horses
for
human
consumption
and the
domestic
and
international
transport
of live
horses
or
horseflesh
for the
same
purpose.
Efforts
from
concerned
constituents
like us
have
made all
the
difference
in
this
fight -
please
continue
to
contact
your
Senators.
We hope
the bill
will be
voted on
by the
Senate
when
Congress
reconvenes
on
December
5th,
but
there
will be
limited
time
available
and only
issues
seen as
essential
are
expected
to be
addressed.
We need
to be
sure
Congress
recognizes
that
this
legislation
is
critical,
as
approximately
2,000
horses
are
being
hauled
to
slaughter
and
brutally
killed
with
every
week
this
bill
awaits
action
in the
Senate.
Please
contact
both of
your
Senators
today,
urging
their
co-sponsorship
of S.
1915,
the
Senate
companion
bill to
H.R.
503, and
requesting
a vote
on the
legislation
when
they
return
on
December
5th,
which is
their
last
chance
to vote.
Thanks,
Willie
Nelson
P.S.
To find
your
Senators,
go to:
http://www.compassionindex.org/search.htm
or call
the
Capitol
Hill
operator
at (202)
224-3121
and
request
to be
connected
to their
offices.
From
CNN,
11/2/06
Willie
Nelson:
We have
a lot to
learn
from
horses |
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A
dated progress report
Although the Senate
failed to carry through on
the bill, a history can be
found.
Track
action in the Senate with
the
Senate
Calendar of Business. |
Related tools for
tracking progress:
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The
bill was delayed in the
Senate due to a version
passed on from the House
which contained a clerical
error. See the time
line for information, as it
was read in the Senate
twice, then returned to the
House. It was
subsequently returned to the
Senate and as of 9/21/06 was
read for the second time and
placed on the Senate
Legislative Calendar under
General Orders, Calendar No.
631. No further action
was taken on the bill during
the 109th Congress.
It has been
stated in an article by
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CHECK on the status of
your Senator & if they are currently a
cosponsor of S. 1915 by clicking the tab
below.
Co-sponsors are still
being added, so the link is the most up
to date source.
 |
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Players in the Senate serving the horse
slaughter industry:
Senator John
Cornyn, Republican, Texas.
Suspected of putting a "hold" on S. 1915
in the Senate, and "not
denying it." The slaughter of
horses in Texas is illegal (Chapter
149, Texas Agriculture Code).
On August 7, 2002, as Texas Attorney
General, Mr. Cornyn issued
Opinion No. JC-0539 confirming that
the two Texas slaughterhouses were
operating in criminal violation of Texas
law. How does this translate?
If you know it is illegal, why do you
support the continuance of that same
criminal violation?
Senator Conrad Burns, Republican,
Montana. Engineer of the
2004 Burns Amendment which allowed
America's mustangs to be sold for
slaughter. |
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September 7, 2006
H. R.
503 - The American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act was passed in the House
of Representatives.
9/7/06 2:44 p.m.
Final vote on passage of H.R. 503, The
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
Results: 263 yea,
146 nay. The bill is agreed to.
Thank
you to Representatives Sweeney, Spratt,
Rahall, and Whitfield for getting us
here! If you would like to send
them a thank you, I'm sure it would be
appreciated.
THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Now
on to the Senate.
But
first...
in answer
to the emails received from the pro
slaughter side warning of the
consequences of ending the execution:
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If
you believe that
sending a horse to
slaughter is humane,
take a moment and
read the following:
9/27/06 - 42 horses
headed for slaughter
are involved in
accident on I 44
outside of St.
Louis, Missouri.
These horses were
packed into one
overcrowded trailer,
which overturned, on
the way to Cavel
slaughterhouse in
DeKalb, Illinois.
Driver arrested on
outstanding
warrants. The
transport of these
horses was in
violation of USDA
standards of
transportation.
Articles and video
from KSDK St. Louis:
Horse Trailer
Accident Shuts Down
I 44. An
update about the
rescue of the horses
is here:
Humane Society Tries
to Save Horses Meant
for Slaughter.
If you are
interested in
helping these
horses, or for
further information:
Humane Society of
Missouri |
Let's address the arguments
presented by the pro slaughter
side:
CIVIL RIGHTS - The
owners' right to euthanize their
horse would not be taken away.
Only the option to profit by
selling to slaughter would be
ended. No one's civil
rights are being endangered.
INCREASED ABUSE and
NEGLECT - We have laws
in place which already address
these problems. If you are
the owner, you are the
responsible party.
All arguments can be summed up
in one word:
RESPONSIBILITY
If you own a horse, you are
responsible for its care.
If you breed horses, breed
responsibly.
It's just that simple.
Additionally, for those who
have argued that we will be in a
situation likened to the problem
of unwanted dogs and cats, but
on a larger scale, and that we
are powerless to prevent this, I
can only tell you that we are
the master of our own fate.
If you accept that it is always
someone else's problem, then you
may be part of that problem.
We can all pick up after
ourselves, which means that time
is long overdue to own up to the
responsibility of animal
ownership. With privilege
comes responsibility. If
you enjoy the ownership and
companionship of an animal that
relies on you, then treat it
with respect and be responsible
for its well being.
Nothing more need be said, as
there is no other argument.
If you cannot accept this simple
premise, than perhaps you should
not have animals. |
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September 7th is a very
important day for our horses. A
MUST READ!
Nightline
on ABC - Wednesday, September 6
"Horse Slaughter Industry May Be
On Its Last Legs"
Video coverage from
KHOU 11 News - The Spirit of Texas
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Coverage before the House vote
(graphic)
(visual substantiation that slaughter is
not humane euthanasia & that the
horses are not all old, infirm, or
dangerous) |
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Coverage following the House vote |
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The
Proverbial Nose Ring
An issue which became
quite curious to me, in those final
days leading up to the House vote on
H.R. 503, the
American Horse Slaughter Prevention
Act, is how the canine
legislation groups have willingly
jumped into bed with the
slaughterhouses. In a thinly
veiled effort to garner massive
support, the slaughterhouse’s hired
gun and ally, former West Texas
Representative Charles Stenholm, has
seemingly convinced these large and
effective groups that the issue is
not the execution of horses for
profit, but the civil right of the
American people to continue this
barbaric practice. What
Stenholm and colleagues are
presenting en mass, and what canine
legislation seems to be grasping
desperately to, hook, line, and
sinker, is that if the slaughter of
horses is ended in the U.S., it is
just another violation of our rights
by government dictation. Gee,
silly me, and I was thinking all of
this time that it was about horses.
I, for one, object
to being led around by the
proverbial nose ring. Call me
amazed, but don’t call me stupid.
This issue has absolutely nothing to
do with telling the American people
that they have no control over the
disposition of their pets and
animals. They are perfectly
free to end their suffering in a
humane manner when the time is
appropriate. It is not a God
given right to execute a horse for
profit, and it is not a God given
right to be stupid.
If
you cherish dogs as your companions,
as I have for all of my life, and
allow yourself to be brainwashed by
a larger collective interest with
monetary motives, then you should be
ashamed. I am embarrassed to
be associated with this collective
dragging to the water's edge.
~FlyingFilly
H. R. 503 has passed in the House
of Representatives without
amendments.
Thank you for your support!
On
to the Senate, so it will be very
important to repeat this effort to
insure an end to slaughter.
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Lexidiem blog
takes a pointed look at
what
could be the
unthinkable future if we
don't act on this now.
Take a minute.
Make a difference.
Please use the links on
this page to contact
your Senator. |
Now tell me, how could you
send
these faces to slaughter?
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August 15, 2006:
A message from Willie Nelson
for America's Horses
IMPORTANT DATE
comes and goes again:
Dallas Crown had been ordered to
close as of September 30, 2006,
sited as a nuisance by the city of
Kaufman, Texas. As has become
routine in this case, attorneys for
Dallas Crown and sister company
Waldo have managed to
delay the closure by filing a
counter suit. Dallas Crown
continues to operate. A trial
is scheduled in Texas district court
to begin on January 29, 2007.
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A
history of Kaufman's battle
with Dallas Crown from the
archives of the Kaufman City
Council.
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Attorney
for Dallas Crown, Mark Calabria,
warns Kaufman that
Dallas Crown will not go away.
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Audio
of
7/25/06
hearing
in
the
subcommittee
can
be
accessed
by
clicking
on
the
talking
horse. |
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From
CBS11 -
Dallas/Fort
Worth
Local
coverage
regarding
7/25/06
with
both
area
supporters
for and
against
slaughter.
See what
the
neighbors
of the
slaughter
houses
are
saying.
Click on
the film
cell. |
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From
2004:
A
broad
overview
of the
slaughter
issue,
focusing
on
Texas.
Mary
Nash,
Kaufman
mayor
Paula
Bacon,
and
slaughter
house
attorney
John
Linebarger
(dot-com
owner of
Common
Horse
Sense)
present
their
views. |
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Kaufman, TX vs
Dallas Crown - a
video history
Thank
you to
CBS11 Dallas/Fort
Worth for the
video archive |
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3/23/04
Slaughter
Overview |
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6/21/05
Kaufman
residents
petition for
action |
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8/29/05
Slaughterhouses
remain open |
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2/8/06
USDA will
continue to
supply
inspectors |
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3/10/06
Kaufman
zoning board
votes to
close Dallas
Crown by
September
30, 2006.
Dallas Crown
will appeal. |
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3/15/06 The
slaughter
continues |
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7/25/06
Texas oilman
T. Boone
Pickens
testifies on
behalf of
stopping
slaughter. |
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U. S. DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, FORT WORTH DIVISION (legal document) Texas Prohibition on Slaughter of Horses (Beltex & Dallas Crown, plaintiffs, vs. Tarrant County and Kaufman County, defendants |
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-
Horse
Slaughter in
the U.S. to
continue,
despite
Congressional
efforts.
How can this
be???
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In a
separate
ruling,
Dallas Crown
slaughterhouse
ordered to
close by
September
30, 2006.
-
3/15/06
Federal
Court
denies
injunction
to suspend
operations
at
slaughterhouses.
Video from
CBS11 News
Dallas/Fort
Worth .
Completely
oblivious
to the will
of the
Senate and
Congress,
the killers
move forward
with the
help of the
good old
boys at
USDA.
Whatever
happened to
the voice of
the people
of the
U.S.????
-
Horse Flesh,
by Josh
Harkinson,
from the
Houston
Press.
This is
a rather
lengthy
article, but
well worth
the time.
Harkinson
details the
Dallas Crown
slaughterhouse
situation
and presents
the many
facts in a
powerfully
informative
manner.
This article
is a "must
read."
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H. R. 503 -
The American
Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act
It is a tragedy
that we need to
tell our country
that it is wrong
to slaughter
horses to put
food into the
mouth of foreign
interests.
It is not to
feed their poor
or needy, but to
satisfy culinary
peculiarities.
Likewise, the
profits from
this industry do
not benefit U.S.
corporations,
but foreign
owned companies.
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MORE
HISTORY
of
the
bill
H.R.
503
(a
separate
page
is
now
available
containing
significant
dates
and
actions) |
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|
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Don't be a victim of
SPIN!
Slaughterhouse
Propaganda's
International
Nightmare
“The propagandist's
purpose is to make one
set of people forget
that certain other sets
of people are human”
~ Aldous Huxley |
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