Thursday, February 26, 2009

URGENT ACTION NEEDED FOR THE HORSES!

We all need to put a stop to the lies and deceit that Representative Sacia of Illinois is telling legislation of Illinois and the people of Illinois. He is not giving accurate facts about horse slaughter, and he needs to be stopped! Please read the documentary below from an organization called "American's Against Horse Slaughter". We need to take action now! So please be the horses voice and make calls to the legislative committee in Illinois and plead with them not to support Rep. Sacia's bill H.R.583. Thank you in advance for your support.

Dear Americans Against Horse Slaughter Members,

The following is just in from AWI. Illinois needs our help now! Although this alert is aimed at Illinois constituents, this is a National issue. Please read the following urgent alert and call each member of the House (IL) and ask them to oppose H.B. 583. URGENT AWI eAlert: Illinois Horse Slaughter Advocate Trying to Overturn Ban - Again February 26, 2009 Dear Humanitarian: The Illinois General Assembly may soon consider H.B. 583, a bill designed to overturn the state’s ban on horse slaughter. The ban, which went into effect in 2007, closed the country’s last remaining horse slaughter plant – Cavel International (based in DeKalb, IL) – which was foreign-owned, marking the end to an utterly cruel practice that the majority of Americans oppose. The sponsor of the pro-slaughter bill, Representative Jim Sacia, has a long history of fighting to keep horse slaughter alive despite strong opposition from the majority of Illinois residents and the American public. Rep. Sacia is out of step with public opinion and his effort is in vain; having sat empty for almost two years the former Cavel plant recently opened to slaughter non-equine species. Further, the U.S. Congress is currently considering the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which is anticipated to move quickly, and will prohibit the slaughter of horses here as well as their export for slaughter abroad. Now Rep. Sacia is telling media outlets that support is growing and implying it is the humane community. Rep. Sacia is profoundly mistaken and clearly misleading the public and his colleagues in the General Assembly, opposition is as strong as ever. It is a shame that he is resorting to these tactics in order to pass legislation overturning a law that was soundly supported by the State of Illinois only two years ago.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO

If you are from Illinois please click here for a link and call each member of the House and politely ask them to oppose H.B. 583. Remind them that: You strongly oppose H.B. 583 because horse slaughter is a cruel and unnecessary practice. The Illinois General Assembly banned horse slaughter by an overwhelming majority in 2007, and urge them to reject Representative Sacia’s bill, H.B. 583.

There is no evidence to support Rep. Sacia’s claims that Cavel’s closure has led to an increase in horse abandonment. Ending horse slaughter stopped an overt form of animal cruelty and has only been good for the horses. The state ban is important. Rep. Sacia complained that closing Cavel would put local workers out of business despite the cruelty of the industry. The building that formerly housed Cavel has recently re-opened to slaughter non-equine species, thus bring jobs and income to the local economy. His argument is even more irrelevant given this development. The humane community and the majority if Illinois residents DO NOT support the overturning of this ban no matter what Rep. Sacia may claim, including the inclusion of a $25 fee for each horse slaughtered. Please also let them know that you support passage of the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which is expected to move quickly this Congress. The bill will prohibit the slaughter of American horses throughout the United States as well as their export abroad for the same purpose. Thank you for your support and commitment to equine welfare. We cannot allow those who which to defend animal abuse continue to mislead legislators and the American public. Be Sure to share this eAlert with friends, family and coworkers and encourage them to call as many Representatives as possible. Continue to check back at: http://www.awionline.org/legislation/horse_slaughter/whats_new.htm for updates.

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde Deputy Director
Government and Legal Affairs
Animal Welfare Institute

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


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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT PREMARIN (MENOPAUSE DRUG) AND HORSES! PLEASE READ AND VIEW VIDEO!

Premarin, the most popular hormone drug for treating menopausal symptoms, is made from the urine of pregnant horses. Even worse, the horses used for or born from as a result of this industry are often at risk of being sold for slaughter. Find out more about the bitter truth behind drugs like Premarin, and what can you do to help the horses.

If you are taking the drug Premarin or Prempro, please watch this video and visit the United Animal Nations website listed at the end of this video. Premarin and Prempro has been found not to be a safe drug to use for Menopause, please ask your doctor about the synthetic drugs that are out there that have replaced Premarin and Prempro. Premarin and Prempro are made up of Pregnant Mare Urine, and has serious side effects. Please take the time to learn more about this and please spread the word to other women. We need to stop this horrible treatment to Mare's, and we can do that by stop using Premarin and Prempro. Thank you in advance for taking the 2 minutes out of your day to watch this video. :)

The Bitter Truth About Premarin Video



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Monday, February 16, 2009

HORSE SLAUGHTERER'S ARE PILING ON STATE RESOLUTIONS! PLEASE HELP US TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, MAKE THE CALL TO THE FOLLOWING STATES LISTED!

PLEASE GO TO THIS WEBSITE TO GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED ON YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND CONTACT INFORMATION. JUST CLICK ON THE HIGHLIGHTED AREAS ON THE WEBSITE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO IT. HERE IS THE WEBSITE URL WHERE THIS ARTICLE IS FOUND:
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/682
Horse Slaughterers Are Piling On State Resolutions
Posted Feb 9, 2009 by laura allen

Horse Slaughter State legislators have been introducing pro horse slaughter resolutions on behalf of foreign investors anxious to defeat H.R. 503.

H.R. 503, which is pending in Congress would stop them from using American horses for horsemeat served as a delicacy in fine restaurants primarily in parts of Asia, Europe and South America.

These resolutions are worded almost identically.

The resolutions proclaim that there is an increase in "unwanted" or "unusable" horses, as many as 100,000 or more annually, because of the closing of U.S. horse slaughter facilities in 2007. They claim the closing of U.S. slaughter houses in 2007 had "significant economic impact on the...equine industry". These resolutions call for "processing" or "harvesting" horses, euphemisms for "slaughter", which they describe as "humane". They claim slaughter can be managed through inspections and regulations.

These resolutions, if approved by the state legislatures, would be sent to Congress, as the state's position that H.R. 503 should be defeated.

It is important to voice your opposition to these resolutions. These resolutions are pending in these states:

Montana, H.B. 418 would prohibit courts from issuing injunctions against horse slaughter facilities and impose expensive bonds and high penalties on anyone who challenges a horse slaughter facility in court. The bill also paves the way for a horse slaughter house to open in Montana should it become legal again in the U.S. There is a hearing Feb. 12 on this bill. Go here for more information and how you can voice opposition to this bill.

Arizona, S.C.M. 1001 Find your Arizona legislators here. Contact all Arizona state House and Senate members.

Utah, H.J.R. 7, which has already passed the state House and has been approved by a Senate committee. Contact all Utah state Senators.

Missouri, HCR 19 in the House and SCR 8 in the state senate. These resolutions also call for opening a horse slaughter house in that state. Find your Missouri legislators here. Find all Missouri state representatives and senators. HCR 19 is pending before the state Agri-Business Committee and SCR 8 will be voted on by the state Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions, and Ethics Committee.

South Dakota, S.C.R. 2 has already passed the state House by a vote of 63-1. A separate, second bill, S.B. 114, asks the South Dakota state legislature to spend $100,000 on a study "of the feasibility, viability, and desirability of establishing and operating an equine processing facility in the state. Find your South Dakota state senators here. Find email addresses for all South Dakota state senators here. Find contact information for all South Dakota state representatives and senators here.

ND S.C.R. 4021 will be heard on Feb. 12, 2009 at 11 a.m. by the Senate Agriculture committee. Fax the committee at 701-328-3615 or email lcouncil@nd.gov A second bill, H.B. 1496 has already been approved by a legislative committee. The committee approved $75,000 in North Dakota for a study of possible markets for horse meat, applicable laws and funding for a horse slaughter facility there. Find all North Dakota state senators here. Find all House members here.

Wyoming, H.J.R. 8 has already passed committee. Find all Wyoming legislators here.

Minnesota, S.F. 133 is currently in the state Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee. Find your Minnesota state senator and representative. Find all Minnesota state senators and representatives.

Kansas, HCR 5004 Find your Kansas legislators here. Find all Kansas state House and Senate members.

Arkansas H.C.R. 1004, also calls for incentives and support for opening of horse slaughter houses nationally and in the state. This bill has already passed in the state House and is in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Find here all Arkansas state senators, including yours if you live there.

In Illinois Rep. Jim Sacia has introduced a bill, as he did last session for the repeal of the 2007 state law banning horse slaughter. That state law helped shut down the horse slaughter facility in Dekalb, Illinois.

Rep. Sacia's bill, H.B. 583, would also allow horses destined for slaughter for human consumption to be shipped into the state for slaughter with no certificate of veterinary inspection contrary to current state law governing horses. 510 ILCS 65/4 The new law would also exempt downed, sick, diseased, lame or disabled horses from the requirements of the Humane Care for Animals Act governing animals in this condition. 510 ILCS 70/5, 7.5

This means Rep. Sacia and the interests he represents in the horse slaughter underworld understand that horse slaughter is brutal and cruel and so would want to exempt their sordid practice from the animal cruelty laws and inspection requirements.

Contact Illinois state House and Senate members and urge them to vote NO on H.B. 583 and keep horse slaughter out of Illinois.
The horse slaughterers' strategy

These resolutions and bills are a not-so-subtle ploy by the foreign investors that own horse slaughter houses to defeat H.R. 503 which would ban the sale, transport, and possession of horses in interstate and foreign commerce for slaughter for human consumption.

Even without H.R. 503, horse slaughter cannot occur legally in the U.S. There is no point in states appropriating tax dollars for studies when currently horse slaughter for human consumption is not allowed in the U.S. These resolutions will simply insure horse slaughterers can continue to take American horses to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.

There is also another goal: to make horse slaughter acceptable to Americans and, in fact, create a market in the U.S. for the consumption of horsemeat. The resolution proposing the North Dakota study says as much. If Americans begin eating horsemeat, the theory is that Congress will be forced to fund ante-mortem inspections. Under current law because these required inspections are not funded, horse slaughter is not legal in the U.S. For more on this.....

Keep in mind when the remaining 3 horse slaughter houses in the U.S. closed in 2007, they were owned by foreign companies, Dallas Crown, Inc.; Cavel International, Inc. and Beltex Corp., which now operates a horse slaughter house in Mexico, Empacadora de Carnes de Fresnillo.

Even when there were horse slaughter houses in the U.S., they were part of a horse meat industry that was only 0.001% of the U.S. meat industry. The foreign-owned U.S. horse slaughterhouses paid little in income taxes. One facility paid $5 in federal taxes on $12 million in sales. These slaughter houses paid no export taxes, meaning the U.S. government effectively subsidized the sale of horse meat to consumers generally in parts of Asia, South America and Europe.

The profits went to the foreign investors. The communities where horse slaughter houses were located were left with horrific odors of dying and dead horses, blood literally running down the streets, and illegally dumped waste. There is no economic or other benefit to these states in subsidizing horse slaughter. Just the opposite. It is akin to supporting dog fighting rings.

Horse slaughter is also not a means of controlling numbers of "unwanted horses". This is a myth perpetuated by the horse slaughter industry that is simply repeated over and over again as in these resolutions. Horse slaughter is a multi million dollar a year business that is driven by a demand for horse meat. Kill buyers buy horses at auction for slaughter, and the USDA has said over 92% of American horses slaughtered, are healthy, not old, sick, injured, or neglected. These horses were not unwanted; they were simply sold at auction, and their owners had no control over who purchased them. Without the kill buyers who skulk around horse auctions, looking for the best potential horse meat, most of these horses would be purchased by others or end up in rescues or sanctuaries.

As John Holland, a free lance writer and researcher on horse slaughter and consultant for Americans Against Horse Slaughter, has explained, "Kill buyers do not go around the country like dog catchers gathering ‘unwanted horses' as a public service."

As Americans Against Horse Slaughter points out, "Just over 100,000 horses were slaughtered in the U.S. in 2006. If slaughter were no longer an option and these horses were rendered or buried instead, it would represent a small increase in the number of horse being disposed of in this manner - an increase that the current infrastructure can certainly sustain. Humane euthanasia and carcass disposal is highly affordable and widely available. The average cost of having a horse humanely euthanized and safely disposing of the animal's carcass is approximately $225, while the average monthly cost of keeping a horse is approximately $200."

Also, the horse slaughter industry actually encourages the over breeding of horses. Because owners can make money from the brutal slaughter of their horses, they have an incentive to over breed. As Paul Sorvino put it, "37% of those horses are going to be slaughtered because they couldn't run fast enough....So, it's run for your life." If the slaughter of horses for human consumption is illegal, there is no reward for over breeding.

Sadly, pro-slaughter groups have disseminated disinformation in the media to convince the public that without horse slaughter, there will be large numbers of abandoned, abused and neglected horses. (Even if that were true, which it is not, it is not clear how substituting one form of cruelty for another is somehow a solution.)

Indeed, these reports in the media have proven to be unfounded. A study released last year showed a decrease in horse abuse and neglect cases following closure of the last U.S. horse slaughter house in 2007. Any abandoned or neglected horses are not a result of a lack of horse slaughter houses.

Historically, there have not been increases in abandoned, neglected or abused horses following closures of horse slaughter houses. In 2002 the Illinois slaughter house burned to the ground and was out of commission for some time. Reports of abandoned, abused and neglected horses in the Illinois area were actually on the rise in the 2 years before the fire but decreased afterwards.

Remember the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. dropped significantly from over 300,000 annually in the 1990s to 66,000 in 2004. There was no notable increase during that time of abandoned, abused or neglected horses.

When California banned horse slaughter in 1998, there was no rise in cases of cruelty or neglect to horses. In fact, there was a 39.4% decrease initially and that rose to 88% eventually in horse thefts. (What does that tell you about this "business"?)


Also, from 2004-2007 5000 horses were imported into the U.S. for slaughter. If horse slaughter occurs because of all the unwanted horses, why would these horse slaughter businesses need to import them? The answer is, of course, they wouldn't. Horse slaughter has nothing to do with controlling numbers of unwanted horses. It is a business driven by a demand for horse meat primarily as a delicacy in foreign countries.

As Americans Against Horse Slaughter puts it, "The ‘surplus horse population' [argument] is a scare tactic."


Horse slaughter is also in no sense humane euthanasia. That much has been established by documents recently released in response to a FOIA request. The captive bolt gun used in the U.S. slaughterhouses did not typically render horses senseless before slaughter. The slaughter houses never bothered to restrain the horses' heads or use only trained personnel to operate the gun.

As John Holland has explained, "In its 2000 report on methods of Euthanasia, the AVMA stated that the captive bolt gun should not be used on equines unless head restraint could be assured. This is because of the relatively narrow forehead of equines, their head shyness and the fact that the brain is set back further than in cattle for which the gun is intended. It is difficult for an operator to assure proper placement of the gun.

"No slaughter house ever found a practical way to restrain the heads of the horses, so by the AVMA's very definition, the process was not acceptable. The result was a very large number of ineffective stuns. These misplaced blows undoubtedly caused severe pain until a stunning or fatal blow was delivered. "

Imagine the pain and terror experienced by horses as bolts were repeatedly fired at their heads many times by untrained operators. Many times horses were still conscious when they were then hoisted upside down for slaughter. For more information on the brutality of horse slaughter in the U.S., click here to read the July 25, 2006 testimony of Christopher J. Heyde, Deputy Legislative Director for Animal Welfare Institute, before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. Click here to read testimony offered during a Congressional hearing in 2008 about the cruelty of horse slaughter.

Also, listen here to a discussion on WFL Endangered Stream Live Talk Radio about horse slaughter by Laura Allen, Executive Director of Animal Law Coalition; John Holland, journalist and consultant for Americans Against Horse Salughter; Dr. Nena Winand, DVM with Veterinarians for Equine Welfare and Paula Bacon, former mayor of Kaufman, Tx and leader of the fight to shut down the horse slaughter facility that operated there until 2007. (Download this broadcast!)

Then contact your U.S. representative and urge him or her to vote YES on the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, H.B. 503.
Also, tell your representative to vote YES on H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, which will put an end to all transports of horses on double decked trailers.

Where You Can Find More Information on Horse Slaughter

WFL Endangered Stream Live, Saving Our Horses

Read Frequently Asked Questions About Unwanted Horses and the AVMA's Policy on Horse Slaughter

Read Veterinarians for Equine Welfare's Horse Slaughter - Its Ethical Impact and Subsequent Response by the Veterinary Profession


Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Monday, February 9, 2009

FEDERAL AND STATE ACTION NEEDED ON H.R.503! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Dear Americans Against Horse Slaughter Members,

As promised, we will be sending out frequent updates to let you know the status of the Federal Legislation to end horse slaughter along with instructions on how you can help. Also included will be links to information on states that need help in stopping State Legislation promoting the slaughter of horses. Information on Federal Bill HR503
with strategy on action for you to take, please go to:

http://www.alexbrownracing.com/wiki/index.php/Horse_slaughter

If you live in any of the following states, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please pass this information along to friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers.

NORTH DAKOTA
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/663

ARKANSAS http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/state_legislation/arkansas/horse_slaughter.html

KANSAS
http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/state_legislation/state-legislation-list.html?state=kansas

ILLINOIS
http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=33377.1

ARIZONA
https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=30799352

For those of you who are new to the fight to end the slaughter of American horses, you can find links to everything you need to know at www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com as well as links to State Blogs with state specific information. As many of you already know, we have no other agenda than to end the brutal slaughtering and the transport of our horses to slaughter for human consumption.

Thanks for all your help!

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

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

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HELP FURTHER!

Great news......as of the beginning of this week, we have 84 co-sponsors for HR503!! Our goal for this week is to reach 100 co-sponsors. To achieve this goal, we will continue with the following plan. Please check back to this post daily. We will be removing names as they sign on to co-sponsor so this thread should be current every day. The strategy now is to gain co-sponsors for HR 503, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equity Cruelty Act of 2009. Please call upon your own Representatives if they have not yet co-sponsored HR 503. To find the current co-sponsors go to: www.thomas.gov and search by Bill number HR503. You can then click on co-sponsors.

Once you have called your own Representative, the plan is to start with those co-sponsors of HR 6598 that have not yet signed on. Following is a list of these Representatives. As they co-sponsor, their name will be removed from this list.

Co-sponsors of 2008 Bill 6598 who have NOT yet signed to 2009 Bill HR503:
NOTE TO MICHIGAN RESIDENCE: I CALLED CONGRESSWOMAN CAROLYN C. KILPATRICKS OFFICE TO ASK HER "MALE RECEPTIONIST" IF REP. KILPATRICK HAS SIGNED THE BILL H.R.503, NOT ONLY WAS HE RUDE IN RESPONSE, BUT HE DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO LOOK IT UP TO LET ME KNOW. THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION FOR WHEN CONSTITUENTS CALL IN, SO PLEASE BE PERSISTANT AND MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR ANSWERS, TELL THEM YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. DON'T LET THESE ASSISTANCE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES INTIMIDATE YOU INTO NOT GETTING YOUR ANSWERS. YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, AND IF IT WASN'T FOR YOUR VOTES, THEY WOULDN'T BE IN OFFICE! You can also try to contact her Administrative Director James Williams at jamesm.williams@mail.house.gov or ask for him at the following Rep. Kilpatrick line listed below

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - Phone: 202-225-2726 Fax: 202-225-4580
Rep Arcuri, Michael A. [NY-24] - Phone: 202-225-3665 Fax: 202-225-1891
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] - Phone: 202-225-4811 Fax: 202-225-8941
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - Phone: 202-225-0123 Fax: 202-225-2256
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - Phone: 202-225-2406 Fax: 202-226-3717
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - Phone: 202-225-4535 Fax: 202-225-4403
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - Phone: 202-225-5006 Fax: 202-225-5641
Rep Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14] - Phone: 202-225-2135 Fax: 202-225-3084
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - Phone: 202-225-4755 Fax: 202-225-4886
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - Phone :202-225-2464 Fax: 202-225-5513
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - Phone: 202-225-8104 Fax: 202-225-8890
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - Phone: 202-225-2861 Fax: 202-225-6791
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - Phone: 202.225.4001 Fax: 202-225-5392
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - Phone: 202-225-5931 Fax: 202-225-0182
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - Phone: 202-225-2542 Fax: 202-225-0378
Rep Harman, Jane [CA-36] - Phone: 202-225-8220 Fax: 202-226-7290
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - Phone: 202-225-4906 Fax: 202-225-4987
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - Phone: 202-225-8885 Fax: 202-226-1477
Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] - Phone: 202-225-1605 Fax: 202-226-0691
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - Phone: 202-225-2261 Fax: 202-225-5730
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - Phone: 202-225-2661 Fax: 202-225-9817
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - Phone: 202-225-8273 Fax: 202-225-3984
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] - Phone: 202-225-7163 Fax: 202-225-0566
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - Phone: 202-225-6631 Fax: 202-225-1968
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - Phone: 202-225-4172 Fax: 202-225-7564
Rep Moore, Dennis [KS-3] - Phone: 202-225-2865 Fax: 202-225-2807
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - Phone: 202-225-5601 Fax: 202-225-8112
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - Phone: 202-225-8050 Fax: 202-225-3002
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - Phone: 202-225-5335 Fax: 202-226-1224
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] - Phone: 202-225-4671 Fax: 202-225-9665
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - Phone: 202-225-5751 Fax: 202-225-5782
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - Phone: 202-225-3931 Fax: 202-225-5620
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - Phone: 202-225-1766 Fax: 202-226-0350
Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] - Phone: 202-225-3164 Fax: 202-225-1992
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] - Phone: 202-225-5464 Fax: 202-225-5467
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - Phone: 202-225-5065 Fax: 202-226-3805
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - Phone: 202-225-1880 Fax: 202-225-5914
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - Phone: 202-225-8020 Fax: 202-225-5915
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - Phone: 202-225-5936 Fax: 202-225-1018
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - Phone: 202-225-3411 Fax: 202-226-0771
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - Phone: 202-225-4115 Fax: 202-225-5974
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - Phone: 202-225-4261 Fax: 202-225-4382

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE - You can use this toll-free number 800-828-0498and ask for a legislator by name (or ask for extension, last 5 numbers of legislator's office phone)

This list will be friends of the anti slaughter legislation so they should be the easiest to approach without going into a lot of detail. We will be editing this list daily as people sign on, so please check this post each day. And we will start a new thread with current lists each week.

Please Note: We have started a separate thread titled “State Action Needed”. Several States have introduced their own legislation to allow horse slaughter. These states need our help. to keep this from happening. Please pass the word!!

Remember, WE ARE BARBARO’S VOICE.....Let it be heard.

Americans Against Horse Slaughter



Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Thursday, February 5, 2009

URGENT ALERT FOR KANSAS, NORTH DAKOTA AND ARKANSAS RESIDENTS! PLEASE STOP YOUR LEGISLATION FROM OPENING UP HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANTS IN YOUR STATE!

I was just informed from a reliable source of mine that Kansas, North Dakota, and Arkansas legislatures are trying to open "horse processing" plants in their state.

I'm urging the people who live in these 3 states to call their Congressmen and Senators and express to them that this is not what you want. Tell them that you don't want horse slaughter to exist in your state, and that you want them to support bill H.R.503, that is pending in the Committee as we speak.

Please, there is no time to waiste, it only takes a couple minutes of your time to call these Representatives. It would mean so much to all the horses. We are really close to ending horse slaughter here in the U.S.A. and our horses will be safe from being transported out of our Country for slaughter. So please, I'm begging you, please don't give up the fight. Don't fall into the lies of the Pro-slaughter industry that slaughter is a necessary evil, because it's not. If you saw how horse slaughter employees and truck drivers abuse and mistreat horses, you would see that they are worse than any private owner out there that may be mistreating their horse. There are many more horses being starved, abused and neglected on feedlots and in double decker trailers than any horse in the US that have private owners. There is no such thing as a unwanted horse, and if we change the fact that there is too much over-breeding and put stipulations on these types of things, we could end this problem we are having. But horse slaughter is not the answer! So please call your state Representatives today! Before it's to late.........thank you for all your support and care for our horses.


Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

ATTENTION RACE TRACKS! DON'T GIVE THE AMISH YOUR BROKENDOWN HORSES!! Boycott Amish Products (Equine Cruelty is More Widespread Than Ever!)

AFTER READING THIS STORY ON HOW CRUEL AND ABUSIVE THE AMISH ARE TO THEIR HORSES, PLEASE DON'T BUY ANY AMISH PRODUCTS, SUCH AS "SARGENTO CHEESE'S" AND OTHER AMISH PRODUCTS.

ATTENTION RACE TRACKS!! PLEASE DO NOT SELL YOUR BROKENDOWN AND NOT FAST ENOUGH HORSES TO THE AMISH!! THE HORSE WILL HAVE A LIFE OF ABUSE AND CRUELITY DONE TO THEM.

I found the following "letter to the editor" on the internet and I believe the writer to be 100% honest about horrific treatment of horses by the Amish.


Let me preface my remarks by noting that while I have not lived in this area (PA) for nearly thirty years, I grew up in Southern Lancaster County, where I lived and worked on my family's dairy farm from the time I could help until I left for college in 1980. I also rode and showed horses during my junior high and high school years. I know the challenges of farming and that sometimes animals can be contrary and uncooperative, requiring humane correction.

That being said, I was appalled and sickened, as I believe anyone with an ounce of compassion would have been, at the scene that greeted me in the early afternoon of July 12 as I turned onto Pumping Station Road, en route back to my brother's home near Kirkwood. I saw an Amish buggy stopped alongside the road, the horse pulling it had fallen on the ground and was clearly in distress, and a team of draft horses with some sort of conveyance behind them in front of the stricken horse. A rope attached to the conveyance was also attached to the fallen horse's bridle.
I assumed that the injured horse had been struck by a vehicle, but no, the young Amishman and the preteen Amish boy who were there casually informed me, the horse was a "balker" and had fallen to the ground after their attempts to yank him forcefully along behind the draft animals. This horse was clearly injured and in distress; he was bleeding from both his front and rear legs and from his mouth. He was also terrified; his neck was twisted in an awkward and painful angle, and he was still attached to the buggy, finding it very difficult to move. When I asked if he had broken a leg, the Amishman nonchalantly replied, "No, just a stubborn horse," and proceeded to viciously kick this horse in the head to try to get him to stand up. They finally got the buggy removed from him, at which point more brutal kicking was delivered to both his head and hindquarters. Though the horse tried to get up, he had fallen on the road and thus had no means of traction and fell to the ground again. At this point, the Amishman suggested that I could be on my way. With my hands bloodied from where I had touched the horse's head to try to calm him, I managed to utter in my disgust that I seriously doubted that beating the horse was going to accomplish their goal. I seemed to have little choice but to drive away, though I was tempted to call the police. As I looked in the rear-view mirror I saw another round of blows delivered to the horse's head. It was one of the most brutal cases of animal abuse I have ever witnessed. Perhaps I should have tried to do more; perhaps making this incident public is the best I can do.

This is not the first time in my years living here and then visiting at least twice a year since I left that I have observed Amish cruelty to animals. Workhorses and mules can be seen even from the road as they are grazing with open, untreated collar sores. (Known as an "Amish Necklace" I've seen Amish families driving lame horses at a fast trot, and who hasn't seen horses and buggies tied for hours in the hot summer sun? And we all know that some inhumane Amish breeders are key players in Lancaster County's dubious distinction of being the puppy mill capital of the United States. There are horrible cases of animal cruelty throughout this country. Nor, I imagine, are all Amish abusive to their stock. However. the myth of the Amish is that they are a deeply religious, Christian, meek, gentle, pacifist people. As I watched that Amishman brutally abuse that injured and terrified horse, I could not help but think how such behavior flies in the face of all they profess with their faith. Yes, their Biblical injunction gives them dominion over the animals, but somehow I just can't see the God nor the Christ they claim to worship looking down on this scene with approval. It is sheer hypocrisy. Certainly most reasonable people would agree that this brutality was a much greater sin, according to Christian theology, than having a telephone in your house.

Few in Lancaster County want to criticize the Amish because, of course, they are economic bread and butter to the region. The money depends on the mythology. I have plenty of opportunities where I now live and where I travel to answer questions about the Amish, which are always forthcoming once people find out where I'm from. They are curious about this group of people and their traditional ways. One thing you can be sure of: when asked, I will be offering the straight story and a fair one, but one that is not marked by some romanticized, false view of a gentle, consistently nonviolent people.

ONCE AGAIN, READ THE BIBLE VERSE ON "GOD'S WRATH FOR HIS HORSES" BELOW THIS BLOG SITE, AND YOU TELL ME IF GOD REALLY WANTS HIS HORSES TO BE TREATED THIS WAY. EVEN THOUGH MANY YEARS AGO HORSES WERE USED AS WORK HORSES AND SLAVES, GOD DID NOT INTEND FOR THEM TO BE USED AS SUCH. PLEASE READ THE BIBLE VERSE BELOW!!
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Monday, February 2, 2009

HOW TO END THE SLAUGHTER OF AMERICAN HORSES

Dear Friends of Americans Against Horse Slaughter
This is to let you know the status of the Federal Legislation to end horse slaughter along with instructions on how you can help. Also included will be links to information on states that need help in stopping State Legislation. For information on Federal Bill HR503 with strategy on action for you to take, please go to:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.alexbrownracing.com%2Fwiki%2Findex.php%2FHorse_slaughter

If you live in any of these states, we need your help! Please pass this information along to friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers.

North Dakota http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.animallawcoalition.com%2Fhorse-slaughter%2Farticle%2F663

Arkansas http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.hsus.org%2Flegislation_laws%2Fstate_legislation%2Farkansas%2Fhorse_slaughter.html

Kansas http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.hsus.org%2Flegislation_laws%2Fstate_legislation%2Fstate-legislation-list.html%3Fstate%3Dkansas

For those of you who are new to the fight to end the slaughter of American horses, you can find links to everything you need to know at:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com
as well as links to State Blogs with state specific information. As many of you already know, we have no other agenda than to end the brutal slaughtering and the transport of our horses to slaughter for human consumption.

Thanks for all your help!


Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?