Full Version: Wild, Wild Horses
Aw, man, just when I think there is nothing that could make me dislike Bush more, something like this comes along. I was a horse-crazy child and am a former horse owner, who loves these beautiful animals. Wild horses are emblematic of freedom and America’s “wild west”, and if you’ve never seen a herd of wild mustangs, it is an awe-inspiring and thrilling sight.
I would no sooner eat a horse than I would my dog or cat. It seems a rider was snuck into a bill on Thanksgiving weekend reversing a hard-won victory back in the 70’s to preserve and protect this last vestige of the west, wild horse herds. There has always been pressure from ranchers and energy interests to change this. It took 30+ years, but it looks like they finally won.
More information: Colorado Springs Gazette
Cowboy president, my as… er, burro.
HR 503 was also introduced this year to “amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes.”
Should wild horses be protected?
Should HR 297 be passed to rescind the Burns rider?
Should HR 503 be passed banning the slaughter of horses for meat?
I would no sooner eat a horse than I would my dog or cat. It seems a rider was snuck into a bill on Thanksgiving weekend reversing a hard-won victory back in the 70’s to preserve and protect this last vestige of the west, wild horse herds. There has always been pressure from ranchers and energy interests to change this. It took 30+ years, but it looks like they finally won.
QUOTE
Since 1971, wild horses and burros have been federally protected by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Protection Act, a pitched battle piece of legislation won in 1971 by Velma Johnston, aka Wild Horse Annie. (Wild Horse Annie was an intrepid Nevada character who, after seeing blood spilling out of a truck that was hauling mustangs to the slaughterhouse, campaigned for the act.) Legend had it that, apart from the war in Vietnam, Congress received more mail about protecting wild horses than about any other issue in its history.
Now the trucks that caught Wild Horse Annie's attention may be revving their engines again, thanks to a stealth rider attached in November to a federal spending bill. The new law, pushed by ranching interests, Western senators, and Bush's Department of the Interior, probably condemns thousands of wild horses to the slaughterhouse—where they're likely to be made into dinner for Europeans.
<snip>
If the Burns rider remains as law and is carried out, our cowboy President—recently characterized by Burns as "a man who earned his spurs"—may be remembered for eradicating the living symbol of the American West, the very horse he rode in on. Slate
Now the trucks that caught Wild Horse Annie's attention may be revving their engines again, thanks to a stealth rider attached in November to a federal spending bill. The new law, pushed by ranching interests, Western senators, and Bush's Department of the Interior, probably condemns thousands of wild horses to the slaughterhouse—where they're likely to be made into dinner for Europeans.
<snip>
If the Burns rider remains as law and is carried out, our cowboy President—recently characterized by Burns as "a man who earned his spurs"—may be remembered for eradicating the living symbol of the American West, the very horse he rode in on. Slate
QUOTE
Sponsored by Sen. Conrad Burns, (R-Mont.), critics say the amendment, one-page Rider 142, well buried in the 3,000-page federal appropriations bill, is payback to cattle rancher and meatpacker groups that contributed to Bush's and Burns' campaigns and eventually will wipe out all America's wild horses and burros.
Cattle ranchers have an estimated 4.1 million domestic livestock grazing our public lands, and pay just $1.8.l a month — less than it costs to feed a hamster — to graze a cow and her calf on these lands. Montana Standard
Cattle ranchers have an estimated 4.1 million domestic livestock grazing our public lands, and pay just $1.8.l a month — less than it costs to feed a hamster — to graze a cow and her calf on these lands. Montana Standard
QUOTE
Consider that less than 3% of the beef consumed in the U.S. comes from animals raised on public lands. Source
More information: Colorado Springs Gazette
Cowboy president, my as… er, burro.
QUOTE
U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) is introducing H.R. 297 bill into the 1st section of 109th Congress which reverses the U.S. Senator Conrad Burns' amendment to the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses & Burros Act...Wild Horse Annie's bill. In essence the bill states, "To restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros". Wild Horse Spirit
HR 503 was also introduced this year to “amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes.”
Should wild horses be protected?
Should HR 297 be passed to rescind the Burns rider?
Should HR 503 be passed banning the slaughter of horses for meat?
Hi Daffygirl. Upon reading your post and the links included, it occurred to me that I could not find the actual text of the Burns rider. You included the opinions of what many opponents thought it might do and why it would be bad, but no opinions or info from supporters explaining why they thought it was a good thing (assuming they have an explanation).
I must confess ignorance on the subject of wild horses. Are horses indigenous to our country or are they feral? I seem to remember hearing they were introduced by the Spanish circa 1500's. What about lack of natural predators keeping populations in check? Diseases? Is there more to this situation than a kind of "greedy bad men want to kill more pretty ponies"? I would want to read the complete Burns Rider and supporting information/opinions before I answered your questions.
When I was 18, I worked at a pet shop. On my second day on the job, a customer asked for horsemeat (for his dogs). I thought he was kidding until the boss took me in back and showed me a freezer full of 1 lb. packages of horsemeat right next to the frozen fish, lizard, and turtle food. I thought it was strange at the time but was then shocked when the boss informed me that people all over the world ate horse. I still think it's a little gross, but then again, millions of people around the world find my love affair with bacon, tenderloins, and babyback ribs abhorrent.
I must confess ignorance on the subject of wild horses. Are horses indigenous to our country or are they feral? I seem to remember hearing they were introduced by the Spanish circa 1500's. What about lack of natural predators keeping populations in check? Diseases? Is there more to this situation than a kind of "greedy bad men want to kill more pretty ponies"? I would want to read the complete Burns Rider and supporting information/opinions before I answered your questions.
When I was 18, I worked at a pet shop. On my second day on the job, a customer asked for horsemeat (for his dogs). I thought he was kidding until the boss took me in back and showed me a freezer full of 1 lb. packages of horsemeat right next to the frozen fish, lizard, and turtle food. I thought it was strange at the time but was then shocked when the boss informed me that people all over the world ate horse. I still think it's a little gross, but then again, millions of people around the world find my love affair with bacon, tenderloins, and babyback ribs abhorrent.
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