by Jordon Blum of The Advocate Washington bureau
Anti-Horse Arguments Pale before the Facts
Declan Gregg with Senator Landrieu, Senator Brown, Congressman Moran (behind him), Lorenzo Borghese, John Corbett, and Manda & Pamela of Seraphim 12 ~ photo by Stacie Gregg
WASHINGTON — Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., teamed with celebrities Bo Derek and John Corbett on Wednesday to tout her horse slaughter ban legislation during a “Horses on the Hill” event.
Landrieu has repeatedly pushed for a ban on slaughtering the animals for meat that is exported mostly to Europe and Asia. She is upping her efforts now that applications are in the works to open the nation’s first horse slaughterhouses since 2007.
“There’s no humane way to slaughter a horse,” Landrieu said. “Most horses going to slaughter are not old and they’re not sick.”
Expressing a lifelong love of horse riding like her daughter, Mary Shannon Snellings, who was present, Landrieu said she was “horrified” to learn in the past that horse slaughterhouses existed in the U.S.
But now, horses are exported under allegedly poor conditions to Mexico and Canada for slaughter and efforts are under way to open slaughterhouses domestically. About 100,000 horses are estimated to be exported for slaughter a year.
In November, Congress failed to renew a five-year ban on funding federal inspectors at horse slaughter plants in the United States, opening the door for a return of horse slaughter to American soil.
Landrieu’s American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act would prohibit the killing of American horses for human consumption in the U.S. and stop the transport of horses across the border to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
Actress and anti-slaughter activist Bo Derek said it is “truly obscene” that she is still fighting after 10 years for a ban on the slaughter of animals that provide so much “companionship.”
Landrieu also received bipartisan support Wednesday from Republicans such as Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky.
Landrieu said the lobbying of the horse industry has prevented Senate and House floor votes on her legislation thus far.
Dave Duquette, president of the pro-slaughter group United Horsemen, said the lack of horse slaughterhouses in the U.S. only leads to a poor market for the value of horses, which forces financially struggling horse owners to abandon their animals or keep them under poor conditions.
“We don’t advocate that everyone needs to slaughter their horse,” Duquette said. “But the option needs to be there.”
Duquette, who said he regularly receives death threats, said there are currently plans for horse slaughterhouses in Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Oregon and Washington.
“There’s a lot of efforts going on, and I think it’s probably going to happen in the near future,” he said.
A 2011 Government Accountability Office report advised either an outright ban on horse slaughtering or to legalize it, in order to stop the negative side effects of current practices, such as increased horse abandonment, the poor condition of horses exported to be slaughtered elsewhere and the overall decline in the price of horses.
Duquette, a self-described horse trainer, contended it is hypocritical for people to argue that horses must be treated differently when they go home and eat the meat from cows and pigs that were slaughtered.
“What makes them different? They’re not really,” he said. “That argument is emotional, not reality.”
“That argument is ridiculous on its face,” Landrieu said. “Cows are raised for slaughter.”
“We don’t eat our dogs and our horses,” she added.
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Where to begin?
Happy to see celebrity power continue their work towards the end of cruelty towards horses.
And now an attempt to make sense of the garble:
“….its probably going to happen in the near future.” Dave “dumbdude” Duquette.
Need I say more?
No, but I guess I should.
” …probably” well theres’ a word that smacks of certainty. “Dumbdude” is apparently unsure of his stupidity and may even be just along for the ride with the off chance of meeting “Bo” and the free comped meals.
“But the option needs to be there.” Really? It NEEDS to be there…can we finish that thought Dave?
Please we really want to know why? “Needs to be there so we can make a few bucks, keep the good ol’ boys happy and be the dictator of the horses fate.
How do we do this? Fight at this level of dumbness? When is everyone going to “wake up” and smell the utter transparency of their s%#&?
Oh it keeps getting dumber…”That argument is emotional, not reality.”
Translation for those that don’t speak “dumbdudese” “The reality is folks we don’t give a s&*% how you feel – our way will be reality.”
Not my reality, not the reality of the majority. Last I checked it was 80% of Americans’ who humanely chose the end of slaughter. Oh yeah and we did it with a lot of emotion. A lot of anger a lot of disgust and a lot of passion to fight the good fight, the right fight, for the dignity of the horse and its proud place in history.
Our reality IS the reality Dumbdude Duquette. Time for you and your cronies to get real and get out of your la la land.
There are no argument you can throw at us and win. There is no point you can make to change the 80% (and that number grows as we expose you and all your dumbdude and dudette friends)
We have logic. We have ethics. We have humanity. We understand what you don’t:
YOU ARE WRONG.
Greed and power at all costs…that mentality is soon to come to an end.
Bo Derek said it best: “Truly obscene…”
Oh one more thing “dumbdude” your right, some of us do go home and eat cows and pigs…their not given quite the fair shake either – but we’ll continue to work on ethics in agribusiness for all food chain animals. The horse, of course is not.
I better clarify this for dumbdudes and dudettes: The horse is not a part of the food chain – it was not raised to be a part of the food chain. Wild horses are not part of the food chain.
Are we clear? any questions?
No, I thought not.
Phew.
I go back to my quiet Canadian ways.
Godspeed to all horses and those that give a voice to the voiceless.
Joanne Clay
.
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Well Doink you’ve done it again ~ truly stepped in it, and it stinks. I think he’s as delusional as his cohort, $$. Thanks Sen. Landrieu, Bo Derek, et al ~ our horses need your voice, too.
As long as there is breath in this body, I’ll be on the side of the horses ~ NO slaughter.
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Geesh!…..more “death threats”, Dave??? Really? Please post them here with email addy or caller ID number from any antislaughter person harassing you or $$, etc with DEATH THREATS. I am sure there are many here that will call that (those) idiot(s) and tell them to stifle.
You know, Davey…..I think you’re lying. Why? Because you and Berman are trying to paint us as radical, violent vegans against ALL agriculture. It is a tactic in your leaders strategic plan to scare Americans and discredit us.
Don’t look up too long when it’s raining, Dave….you’ll drown.
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Could it be that DD and SS have just found a way to get their 15 minutes of fame at the expense of our horses? Could that really be the only reason they spout out such nonsensical garbage? Surely these two couldn’t have been born so stupid. Someone’s looking to write the book “I killed Mr. Ed” and I liked it.
Their meager existence is no longer a reason for us to panic or even worry with. I think we all learned from our experiences of the recent past that they talk big but have nothing to back it up with.
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Attention (fame) is a component, but it is really about money…..they get money for being the front fools for Berman, the foreign kill purveyors and reckless breed orgs. Anyone ever see a financial statement from any of those faux nonprofits they started? Notice how they reinvent themselves with one org after another? Think it has anything to do with reporting requirements to state and IRS agencies? Think they are being led by a nose-ring like a family cow by Berman’s lobby group(s)?
Let’s face it, being in the WY state house or mid-to-low level trainer/breeder doesn’t bring in much cash.
Perfectly clear to me.
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I don’t believe he is a breeder. I’d like to hear him explain the principle he applies to his breeding program. I am tired of the deceit of this deadly duo, but I hope in this case that he is just playing dress up, and not delusional enough to think he is one. He’s no horseman.
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These idiots are clearly missing the point..Even, God for bid, if one should open in this country, who is going to buy the meat? Talk about a Mr Dumbdude..has this man even read any of the European Union regulations? Are these idiots really thinking that they continue to alter and lie on the records of the horses? I have heard that the belt is tighting.. and the EU has made it very plain that they will not take US horses whose meat contains all the carcinigens. Has this man ever read any of the regulations or does he/United Horseman think the rules are for someone else? The cattlemen, ranchers and others involved in other meat processing better get their acts together because people are not eatting livestock because they are diseased! I think there was a recent Madcow disease reported..I bet these Morons are the same people who feed ground up bodies of dead and diseased animals to their livestock. They probably do not have a problem with factory farming either. I bet they see this as humane too. They can spout off all they want and list places that they think they can open slaughter houses for equines, but I guess they are forgetting that many of the Governors do not support this. Kudos to ALL the politicians who are supporting and trying to save our horses..To all the others, you must have your head in your ass because 80%
of ALL Americans do not support this.
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It is a terrible , terrible thing to know, that we have the NAZI’s in this country. The BLM”S ., What they are doing to the Horses, “to chase and CAPTURE Inocent living beeings putting .them in: “Camps”, Putting them on : “Transport , with little or no water, Their end-stop is the ” SLAUTER-HOUSE.” There are NO WORDS for all this. One thing I HOPE, and I think IT WILL;: “These guilty people will be punnished., realy PUNNISHED, in their life here After, for their crimes, done to the HORSES.” And now to think, they are trying to open Slaughter-Houses? SHAME—SHAME —SHAME’!!! What is the matter with our President, How can he allow this? MORE then 80% of the American people are horrified and against the SLAGHTER-HOUSES for HORSES. What about OBAMA??? Well, we just have to keep informing all people around us. about what is beeing done to the Horses. I thank the Organizations, and all the ones, who are fighting in court. We are the VOICE of the VOICELESS . Solvejg. .
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I keep asking myself why the meat industry wants puppy mill breeders considered part of animal agriculture. Over and over again, I have asked this question. Horses are companion animals, and the largest cattle lobbying organization in the country supports horse slaughter as well as puppy millers. Surely, they are not so bent on “feeding the world” with the blood of the country’s animals that they intend to expand to slaughtering other animals. A year ago, I would have said no way, but after a year of watching Berman, Losey, Stenholm et all try to play us and the rest of the American public as if we are uneducated idiots, I believe that believe they can do anything they want. The meat industry’s marriage with these sneaky disclaimer defamers is calling me to question if these producers are concerned about their animals or the health of the public. I have too much information for someone from a group that wants to sell contaminated horse meat to our friends and allies for someone to tell me that I should believe that the food supply is safe because he saids that it is. Yes. Just like just because Dave Duquette told it that it was safe for people to eat contaminated horse meat because vets give it to cows all the time and that it is legal for use in cattle. You are known by the company you keep, and as long as the meat industry sees fit to be led by the tail, well it should not be surprised when consumers think that pink slime has horse meat and dog meat in it. I do not necessarily wish them ill. But since ultimately we must depend on the knowledge and the integrity of producer for food safety, and if the producer is appearing less than trustworthy. Really. Why should we trust cattlemen if their attitude is “so what” regarding the health of the consume? Why should I trust an industry that would rather spend millions on character assassination than engage in honest dialogue and listen to consumer concerns? These guys believe that it makes more sense to attack animal welfare advocates than prevent aplastic anemia in Irish children.
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