Pro-Horse Slaughter Terrorists Used Alleged “Dirty Tricks” on White House Website
"No More Horse Slaughter!" ~ then candidate Barack Obama 2008
Chicago (EWA) – During his 2008 campaign, President Obama promised his unequivocal support for a ban on horse slaughter. “Now is the time for you to keep that promise, Mr. President,” says John Holland, president of Equine Welfare Alliance.
Calling it “paramount to public health”, the Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and Animal Law Coalition (ALC) sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to support a ban on equine slaughter for human consumption. The groups also presented the president with more than 6,000 signatures on a White House petition calling for an end to equine slaughter for human consumption.
At the time the petition was created, the White House indicated the administration would consider any issue with at least 5,000 signatures. The equine slaughter ban petition easily gathered more signatures, more quickly than a petition created to reinstate equine slaughter for human consumption in the U.S. The opposition petition was lacking 2,750 signatures when the petition to ban horse slaughter reached 5,000.
Realizing they didn’t have the support, slaughter supporters solicited the help of the American Quarter Horse Association to attempt to reach the required number of signatures. As the deadline approached, the pro-slaughter petition was still well below the required 5,000 signatures. Almost 1,000 then appeared overnight to reach the required minimum, but many of the last minute entries consisted of nothing more than first and last initials. If that wasn’t suspicious enough, this came after a call from the opposition to obtain a list of friends and family that “didn’t have computers” to register and sign for them.
Sadly, the White House petition site lacks security precautions to prevent such apparent abuse and to assure one vote per individual. POPVOX, a site which has better security against fraud, has consistently registered support for anti-slaughter legislation at a rate of 3 to 1.
While the argument over horse slaughter is hot and contentious, the fact remains that American horses were not raised for human consumption. “The disregard for food safety of European consumers is unconscionable” stated EWA’s Vicki Tobin. “If they tried to sell the meat from our horses In the U.S., they would be in violation of government food safety regulations.”
Horse slaughter has not ended or slowed down since the US slaughter plants were closed in 2007. The same number of horses are being slaughtered as when the domestic plants were open. It should be obvious, that slaughter does not prevent neglect nor does it control the population. It is absurd to suggest that killing horses is going to restore an industry that makes its billions from live horses, especially when slaughter provides only 3 cents of every $100 of revenue.
On behalf of our members, the EWA and ALC call on the President to close this ugly chapter in American history. The Wild Horse Freedom Federation, likewise, joins in the call to reinstate American dignity and pride.
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
With the majority of the American public being against horse slaughter along with any politician with two brain cells we should not even be still fighting this fight. President Obama while promising to ban horse slaughter has not responded to even one of the thousands of communications that have been sent his way. I realize that the U.S. faces many critical issues right now but with nothing more than a swipe of a pen this issue could be laid to rest and we could see the President that we were promised but has so far been hiding somewhere else.
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The sad reality is that the “system” (courts, government) is so MESSED UP that truth and citizen activism don’t matter any more.
But I won’t give up.
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The president will say: I said it and now there is no horse slaughter in the USA. I can’t help it if horses are shipped to Canada and Mexico AND SLAUGHTED there. Politicians always find a way around the issue. STOP HORSE SLAUGHTER AND STOP TRANSPORT TO CANADA AND MEXICO.
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I’ll tell you what bothers me a great deal. The wording…”for human consumption.” I am really afraid that when The Ban on Horse Slaughter For Human Consumption is passed and made a law…just as many horses as there currently are now will STILL be shipped off on a regular basis to be slaughtered, only they will SAY they are being for pet food. They are sleazy, shady people, AND THEY WILL LIE. Anyone else have any thoughts ever on this?
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THIS NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT UP EVERY WHERE THEY CAMPAINE
IN FRONT OF CAMERAS I BELIEVE THAT WOULD GET MORE ATTENTION.
SHOW THE VIDEO FOOTAGE TO ALL THE PRESS FROM YOU TUBE.
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Yep, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
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When is the deck not stacked against our horses? What a time to be trying to save them; when this government has lost its way.
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I have been on the hoof a bit the last couple of weeks talking with some good horse people. I call them good horse people because I have had a chance to observe them over time, how they interact with horses, how they interact with people, and learn a little bit about them through the things that they do for others that don’t add up in the ledger book. This is what I think I have learned post IEC:
While there may be members in leadership positions for AQHA, AHC, AAEP, AVMA, DOA, AHA, the Dispicible Crew of Jailbait Sue, et al, the great majority of people in the rank and file are much too busy just trying to do what they can do where they are to have gathered all the information that a lot of us have been studying and trying to understand. Some od these folks are on the front lines and they know a lot more about some aspects of this than we do because of their life’s journey—the way they were raised, how they were educated, formally and informally, their professional contacts, their innate strengths and wisdom.
I haven’t heard anyone say they like the idea of horses being slaughtered, but there are people who have absorbed the idea that X number of horses are unwanted. Also, the GAO report has swayed some to believe that there are far more horses starving slowly.
I have tried to find a reliable data bank where we could search a common indicator from state to state. I believe I have come up with a possible data base that should give, reliable, comparable data from staff to state. However, I need to test it to see if and how it will work. I have had so many people tell me the same story, and I know almost all of them would have been on a list of some sort to get the GAO Summary. Anyway, so because I need to try to find what is true and what is not, I need to see the data
However, the GAO report focused on the effect of the cessation of slaughter in 2007 on equine welfare. You all are a lot smarter than I am, so you probably figured this out before I did, but while I spent hours trying to make sense out of this report because it didn’t meet my standards for what it should have been, I failed to appreciate it for what it was.
It was a political ploy designed to sway people who may want to come down on the right side of humane issues with horses, but who may not have a sophisticated (sounds like then wrong word to use with this crude subject) or educated understanding of either horses or the start to finish slaughter process nor have very many people had the opportunity to access and then synthesize the information that R.T., EWA, AWI, presenters at IEC, Animals Angels, et al have provided us with].
The GAO report has people talking about transportation issues and how brutal conditions are in Mexico and Canada. It has people talking about an unknown number of real or mythical equines standing slowly starving to death in pastures all around. I do not see starving horses when I drive the back roads to my barn, but I know from rescue experience, that you have turn off the main back roads to the further back roads. I pass six or seven multiple-horse pastures where fat and happy horses peacefully graze, so maybe that is why I need to see data.
More to the point, no one is talking about how unsatisfied the majority of food educated people are about the job the USDA, PHIS! is doing to keep our food supply safe as it is.
No one is talking about the fact that some European countries no longer wish to purchase horse meat from the US.
Because we do not raise our horses for food, many horse owners do not know that using certain substances approved for horses but not food animals even co-exist. It is a question they had thought not of.
So the GAO report removed all focus from the fact that businessmen (it hurts to use that word in this context) either acting on their own behalf to sell their own horses or as agents for others are selling contaminated meat to foreign markets.
From the opinions I have solicited, I gather that the burden then falls on the importing country to set the standard as to quality.
However we know about how there were 47 horses at Presidio and 47 Coggins papers, and that none of the papers matched any of the horses.
I have learned a few other things, but it is late, and tomorrow is another day and I have some more learning to do.
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The infuriating basic issue with the GAO summary is that it is based on a false premise: 3 plants closed in the US, but US equines have always been sent to export for HCHS and they are still being shipped….so if HCHS still exists (albeit 100% for live export with all the auction, collection sites and KBs in country), HOW CAN THE CLOSURE OF 3 PLANTS BE A PROBLEM?
ProHCHS quibble about “long hauls”, but transport whether in the US or for live export has ALWAYS been horrific and still is.
Plus the summary was a delay tactic for those against the Federal bills; much like the NAS baloney for our wild ones. You can take it to the bank….the results of the NAS will be against the equines and for DOI/USDA, with a few little jabs here and there sprinkled in. In the meantime, the wild ones will continue to be exterminated and by the time the study is done, the wild equines will be somewhere in the 96% depopulated range based on 1971 numbers.
Good job, Washington, DC…and that includes Obummer.
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I am part of a group that was tracking their signatures and ours several times a day in the last two weeks of the petition. While ours gained strength gradually and blew past 5000, theirs got a temp boost from the AQHA plea and fizzled. On the afternoon of 10/18 they suddenly started getting signatures at a very steady rate day and night. Prior to that signatures on both petitions come slowly through the day, pick up in the evening and all but stop over night. The steady rate I saw on their petition would lead me to believe two or three people were creating email accounts and signing for a list of people (probably their members who hadn’t signed). The day they reached 5000 the project obviously stopped and their rate went back to about 12 to 15 a day.
I would love to see the WH send an email to everyone who has participated so far in every petition with the subject PLEASE RESPOND TO THE WHITE HOUSE. They could delete any signature with no response!
Here are their signature totals by day:
11/01 5454
10/31 5447
10/30 5435
10/29 5430
10/28 5423
10/27 5418
10/26 5407
10/25 5389
10/24 5373
10/23 5357
10/22 5339
10/21 5284
10/20 5187
10/19 4772
10/18 4094
10/17 3833
10/16 3656
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Thanks, Diana. Those lobbyists like AQHA, AHC, Farm Bureau are some very, very scary entities.
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Morgan G, i entirely agree with you. President Obama does not have to stand by without using his power to veto a bill. Why can’t he act like a responsible person? I like your observation so much that I’m going to post it on my facebook page.
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I totally agree. If Obama is slated to visit for a campaign stop, comments or a
good sign should be done. I am not a person who believes in violence to over come change, but a large sign indicating his lack of his lack campaign promise. My question is the appropriations bill. My understanding by the November 14th vote indicated that since there was no mention of not allowing usda inspection for slaughter, it is now possible for tax payers to foot the bill again for inspections should a House of Horror open somewhere in the US. If anyone has any answers please post. I just came back from the Arabian Horse Convention in Vancover, BC and the pros were at it. A gal from the United Horseman who is a trainer stated this would pave the way for the slaughterhouses opening again. Many comments were made regarding horses starving and dying everywhere. Dr. Heird, Colorado State University was the keynote speaker and spoke on several issues including slaughter. However, he did make mention that he has contacted several states that were claiming to have horses running loose and dying, to his credit he stated, he said this was not what he was told -it was stated to be a false statement. One of the concerns he stated was the horse falling into the companion category rather than livestock. Now whether this is true or not, he said it would impact the tax structure. He also brought up the number of wild horses and burros who are now being supported on our tax dollars. This made everyone listen. He also stated he worked or did some work with the BLM. He did make perfect sense on a lot of issues and in conclusion said it was up to all of us to take responsibility for horse ownership. I say ask for the recount and check out the signatures, I find this to be an old Chicago saying, “Vote Early and Often”. I will be emailing my senators again tomorrow about these issues.
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This sure does need to be anywhere and everywhere, newspapers, tv, any media accessible! WE have to get this done. Thank you for all you do!
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Everyone NEEDS to be aware that US horses are chock full of chemicals, some of which are believed to cause cancer in humans. Even the people in othr countries Also, the processing in slaughter houses is brutal and inhumane.
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Given the fact the president spent his youth living in Asia, and given the fact-asian countries are now the greatest importers of horse meat-as well as consumers of all kinds of animals we would never consider eating-like monkeys-cats and dogs..to name a few..I doubt he can relate to the aversion americans have to slaughtering and eating our friends
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This is a disgrace! American horses are part of our heritage. They are pets, not food. If we do not eat horses in the US why should we torture them and slaughter them for other countries. Keep your promise.
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With the passing of H.R. 2112 Obama has FAILED again to up hold ANOTHER campaign promise! The funding for USDA inspector is now BACK ON and groups like Untied Horsemen are ALREADY taking advantage. They have started searching for places to start up slaughtering facilities.
If we do not over turn H.R. 2112 and enact a Companions Rights Status to our equines say good bye to ALL our wild Mustangs and MILLIONS of our domestic companions! America will become known as the human poisoning capital of the world!
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This is not American. Special interest groups have gotten their way oncne again. Horse slaughter does not belong in the US especially for slaughtered horses going to foreign countries. Please keep the obama promise to put an end to this.
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Click to access senator-obama-response.pdf
scroll to page 6
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Remember, we put these lying politicians in office and we can TAKE THEM OUT!!! There are approximately 70% of Americans opposing this issue, why then the politicians we elected to represent us voting FOR something so many of us are so strongly opposed too??? Vote vote vote, lets them ALL out of office for each and every animal that is killed for profit. Let them know the American people mean business. This is a complete travesty, and we cant allow it.
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If the president is morally sound he will prioritize his commitments to others and back up his confirmation to honest political standard. For him to promise support of the abolition of horse slaughter, and allow us to witness reversal of such, is only correlated to money and not morality. We are told what they want us to believe, and the reality is we are forced to be followers with tears in our eyes.
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where was the outcry when Baby Bush was in office….and if legislation does not line congresses pocket forget it, President Obama will never see it….we need to get rid of John Bonehead and get someone back in Congress who can lead , not just play golf….
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I just wanted to give a heads up and find out if anyone has heard about the Pan-Pacific Asia Treaty and language allowing our horses to be “shipped” out of country for food?
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