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Update: Wyoming Horse-Eater Has Bitten Off More Than She Can Chew

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Update on Missouri Horse Slaughter Plant Debacle

Letter from Attorney Cynthia O. MacPherson Toasts $ue Walli$ and then Sticks a Fork in Her
Click (HERE) to Download letter and Rock Your Socks!

Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter

55 replies »

  1. Is it too optimistic to think we won’t be hearing anymore of her lies before long?
    Cynthia O. MacPherson is my hero!

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    • Well she may be done in MO but sadly shes not gonna stop until some kind of law is passed. And even then she’ll do all she can to circumvent it. Revoke it. Change the wording of the law like Burns did.

      Not sure if we can pass some kind of iron clad law that says NO WAY, NO HOW, FORGET IT, DON’T EVEN TRY IT. But gee if we could that might stop her.

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  3. I think it is just Cruel & inhumane to kill horses. Whoever is for the horse slaughter, must have never seen the gentle souls of horses. Especially with children. I can’t beleive that Temple Grandin is for slaughtering the very animal that helped us americans settle our great nation. The horse is our friend, our companion, & champions in the show rings. Have you ever seen a mare cry for her baby, or the baby cry for it’s mother? They have souls, & feelings just like we do. They have been such a great part of america, and this is how we as americans repay them? We should care for them as we would a family member, or a dear friend. NOT send them to slaughter. I can’t imangine our GOD
    not sending someone straight to hell for such, horific acts agains horses. They help children with disabilities every day.

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  4. Do the words “BRILLIANTLY SHINE” come to you when you read this letter from Attorney Cynthia O. MacPherson? WOW!

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  5. My hero Cynthia MacPherson. An excellent letter that states there are indeed legal consequences behind her transparent lies. Well they should be transparent except to those fellow eaters who continue to back this proven liar. What ever is going on in their minds?

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  6. I think MacPherson might just be the ticket needed to finally get an investigation into Wallis’s dirty dealings that her good old boy cronies in WY have swept under the rug. MacPherson deserves a medal!

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  8. It was a job well done by Cynthia MacPherson, i admit, but as long as we have a pro slaughter person in charge of the Dept of Ag, who does state that she would work with Sue Wallis if asked in the future as long as all her conditions are met with video monitoring, to get a slaughter facility up and running, then we might as well figure that if they intend on doing this, we will have no say! it will be done by finding ways to work around the laws unbeknown to the general public and the humane associations. This is one time that just calling and emailing our reps in government wont do much good. They have been recieving petitions from thousands of anti slaughter people for years and all the phone calls, emails, letters and even letters from kids, hasnt gotten them to sign the bill against all slaughter and transport to slaughter. I wish i knew what it would take to put an end to this disgusting practice that our country should be ashamed of. Maybe all those opposed to slaughter should pick a day and have a moratorium against it. Bombard our congressmen with phone calls, letters and emails, organize a huge horseback march on the white house lawns, just everybody everywhere that opposes slaughter really speak out! Let our voices be heard, loud and strong! Then maybe something will be done to end it. Makes me wonder what would happen if the anti slaughter public, refused to pay our federal taxes until the anti slaughter bill is signed once and for all!

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    • Without a complete environmental evaluation and implementation of a “passport system” not only will the EU refuse our horses by next year, but the HSUS has promised to litigate and force the USDA to follow court mandated actions. Didn’t you read the entire letter AND attachments?

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      • Yes, i did read it all. But i have bought and sold a lot of horses at the horse auctions and months ago when i brought one there to sell, i was issued a form that was from Canada where they wanted everyone selling a horse, to list any meds the horse has had within the last three months. If you do not complete this form, the horse is not supposed to be shipped to Canada for slaughter for food. But, whose to say that anyone filling out this form is stating the truth about the meds? They could write anything they want and the horse will still be accepted for slaughter in Canada. Besides, i dont think the kill buyers keep a horse around for over three months to make sure its not had any drugs!

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      • Judith-
        What you just said holds far more truth than we even want to admit. People sign anything these days for the almighty dollar and this is a perfect example. “But, whose to say that anyone filling out this form is stating the truth about the meds? They could write anything they want and the horse will still be accepted for slaughter in Canada.” Take a look at some of the blogs from Canada rescues who visit the auctions. I am the last person to want to admit it … but as well as our domestic horses, our WH&B’s are being killed and eaten every day. If this was not happening then why would so many of our WH&B be getting to sold to “questionable” persons and why would BLM out-and-out hide records of our horses and horses from you an me? Why?

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      • Oh, it’s well known that our kill buyers falsify documentation and don’t observe the quarantine.

        My point was the HSUS plan to file suit against our government if they did not do the environmental assessments and the USDA implement a passport system comparable to the one in the EU.

        THIS would be MUCH harder to falsify, and no living horse would qualify because any horses that are not microchipped by 6 months of age is automatically banned from the human food chain, but my real hope is that we won’t do it because of the cost of the thing. If we don’t implement a passport system, the EU has instructed Mexico and Canada not to accept our horses for slaughter and export to the EU. Canada has already agreed.

        Then again, the way Sue Wallis is going, she may do the job for us!

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  10. Wallis out and out lied. And now she’s been caught. Did she really think no one would ask Dr. Grandin about her involvement? She can’t be trusted so why is she in Washington…Wyoming are you that hard up for congressional representation? I pity you.

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    • Steve, Wallis is a Representative for District 52, in the State of Wyoming politics, and thankfully not in Washington.(not that Washington’s politicians are any more ethical)

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  11. Does Temple Grandin have any idea how she is being used & exploited (perhaps she and her handler don’t care) and how she is ruining and sullying her name being associated with this dubious Wallis gang of outcasts? What’s up with her anyway? It will do her reputation no good whatsoever. I know I have lost respect for anything that comes out her mouth now that she has linked up with such cretins. I find her credibility quite suspect at this point. Can’t quite see a made for tv movie on her life starring Claire Daines at the new horse slaughter plant.

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  13. It’s 2012……..Everyone says, we need new laws to make this a better world. Well we need new elected people in positions to make a better difference in our world for sure. This attitude of Kill em and Can em is not acceptable in this world…..Caring for our Animals of the world with the proper treatment and respect is something we all need to be concerned about. They have no voices horses and other animals. People with the ……….Lets clean em up and clear em out and pack em in cans attitude is freightening and heartbreaking at any time in life. We need to not let these killers in any type of office or position ever. EVER.

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    • Apparently NOT in the great state of Wyoming…because agriculture, at whatever cost is MORE IMPORTANT than ethical human behavior.

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  16. Powerful rebuke from Cynthia O. MacPherson. As ingrained as our Ag legislators are and with Obama breaking his campaign promise in this bi-partisan swing against our horses, perhaps the best possibility for them is indeed the promise of HSUS litigation, American red tape and the uncertainty of appropriations, and the EU’s own rules and regulations so well outlined by Cynthia MacPherson.

    One of the opinion headlines in Iowa after the Ag Gag bill became law last week was, “Big Hog Speaks, and Legislators Squeal.” This paints a very accurate picture, and until Big Ag’s legal corruption of buying legislators is stopped, the lives of our horses will continue to be adversely affected.

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  17. There is no valid, legitimate argument in favor of killing horses for human consumption – except one: those in the inner circle of the horse meat business stand to make a fortune. BUT, that is never an argument we actually hear – because we’re not the ones invited to the backroom meetings with the politicians when Sue gives them her pitch and hands them their talking points. I asked myself, why would any small town government even consider inviting or allowing Unified Equine to set up shop in their community, knowing everything we know about the impact of horse slaughterhouses on their town… Obviously these politicians don’t have the communities best interest at heart. They don’t care about the effect on their local environment and are willing to risk contaminating their own water supply… They know the promise of jobs for locals is an empty one. They certainly don’t care about horses. All of the “benefits” are hype and propaganda – excuses and false justification. And they ignore all of the negatives… They ignore the folks they’re elected to serve and represent. Why would an elected official put his constituency at risk? The only answer I can come up with is – conspiracy for personal gain. I suggest to you that anyone who enables Sue Wallis is corrupt. They have their greedy hand in the pot. We should examine the true motivation of any mayor, city council, county commission, legislator, or government official or high-ranking citizen and expose them for what they are. Like Cynthia did when she exposed Roger Lindsey and the DNR boys. They must know that if they are responsible for bringing horse slaughter into their town, the only job they’ll be able to find will be at the horse meat packing plant….

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  18. Jessica, it would be nice to get her voted out of office but she lives in a very small town and district full of her kids (7) and relatives. I think she has the upper hand there. Don’t know of any other community that would let their Rep. be so involved with her own personal stuff rather then take care of the community business. I do not understand why she is not opening a plant in her own town. I wonder what or who is stopping it? I don’t remember the details of that but it doesn’t seem fair that its not in her backyard. Even DD is trying to plan one for his area of the US. He denied owning the property he is looking at but I bet he is connected in some way to the property.

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  19. Thank you for fighting to save the horses! I am too with my New important book about the plight of the wild mustang: http://www.windwildhorse.com I hope everyone who loves horses orders one. The story must be told and retold and passed around to America’s public. The NHSPCA loves this new book. They thanked me for writing it. 100 of my equine illustrations too!

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  20. As a friend of mine like to say: POINT, SET, MATCH! LOL This made my day! However, I hope people will stop trashing Temple Grandin over this sort of thing as she is an extraordinary human who has made great strides in both her personal and professional life. Give her the credit she’s due and stay focused on the goal – no slaughterhouses and stop the BLM!

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    • But Temple Grandin does support slaughter, even though, yes, shes accomplished a lot! And as long as we have a slaughter supporter heading up the Dept. of Ag, it will be very hard to get slaughter completely abolished!

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  22. A big Thank You to Cynthia MacPherson for her outstanding work in providing the many serious issues that arise from re- opening horseslaughter plants. It’s time truth be told too about Wallis and her horse-hating friends, who are trying to undermine and mis-lead the public.

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    • Louie, I doubt that they can take on OR and WA. Their EPAs are very powerful, and will certainly block any efforts to contaminate their waters. Hermiston is right on the mighty Columbia, a life’s-blood for both sates.
      In most regions, the education or crime rate is front-running in public interest. In OR and WA, the competition is all about Who Has the Cleanest Water.

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  26. http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/03/horse_slaughter_plant_planned.html
    Horse slaughter plant planned for eastern Oregon after change in national rules
    Published: Friday, March 09, 2012, 10:34 PM Updated: Friday, March 09, 2012, 11:10 PM
    By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian
    A horse slaughter and processing plant — which could be among the first in the country in five years — may open in Hermiston within a year.

    The $3 million venture would market frozen horse meat for consumption mainly overseas where it remains a traditional food in places like China. The meat also would be used to make food for pets and fed to zoo animals.

    The nation’s last three horse slaughter plants — in Illinois and Texas — closed in 2007, bringing an end to the annual killing and processing of roughly 100,000 of the nation’s 9.2 million horses.

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  27. I’m gonna keep saying this – we need to overturn horse slaughter NATIONALLY. Send messages to your US Senators and US Congressmen, whitehouse.gov, sign the petitions on change.org, and yes even send letters to Secy of Agriculture Vilsack to ban horse slaughter in the US again and add legislation to prohibit shipping horses to Mexico & Canada for slaughter. If we can win nationally, we wouldn’t have to fight in each state (and that’s where it looks like it’s going, WA and OR for now, probably more later). Don’t worry too much about MO – we are lucky enough to have Cynthia MacPherson and she is the best. MO will always keep fighting.

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  28. Those of you who believe that Temple Grandin supports horse slaughter need to read some of her work. In her book Animals Make Us Human she writes about the needs that animals have in order to live their best life. She writes graphically about the poultry industry as well as the pork industry and how these animals have to live compared to how they should be living so that they can exhibit their natural behavior. She is highly critical or practices in the meat producing business.

    Her chapter on horses and their needs is a home run as far as I am concerned. She does not suggest anywhere in that chapter that horses are meat animals. She writes that the biggest problem in equine welfare is the lack of training for horses and their owners for safe handling. Those of us who work in equine rescue know this is a big problem. Horses that are finished and safe for trail riding and other pursuits have a much better chance of being adopted than those who are green or have only ground manners.

    She writes accurately about the fear factor that is innate in horses, and she also points out the differences between cows and horses in terms of their physiology and their needs. Anyone who doesn’t understand the difference between slaughtering a cow and a horse could make some strong inferences from her writing.

    With regard to Sue Wallis and Sue Wallis’s horse slaughter design plans, according to one of the last posts I read before her Facebook non-parody of this column was removed from the Internet was a reference to Sue Wallis’s refusal to consider having video monitoring. A few of her followers were asking themselves why she would refuse to have video monitoring and a few other parts of Temple Grandin’s plan. Good to get them thinking (right)!

    The reason Dr. Grandin wants video monitoring is that she has had a while to understands human nature. One theme she hits over and over again in her writing is the human factor. It is impossible to have a supervisor present on the floor every day and every night as horses are being slaughtered. In order to compensate for this, Dr. Grandin wants 24/7 video monitoring of how animals are being handled. She writes about how discouraging it is to design a plant to be as humane as possible for cattle slaughter, and then return a year later and find the employees handling animals as if she had never trained them in the first place. She believes in having a check list of employee behaviors that is observed or not observed. Pretty simple system.

    Dr. Grandin states that 10% of the people will do what is right whether anyone watches them or not. Ten percent are cruel and don’t have any business being near animals, and the other 80% will observe expected practices if they are well trained and know that they are being monitored. Of course, these comments are from her work with with the beef industry.

    Since Sue Wallis is adamantly opposed to videoing slaughter employees as they are working with animals and Dr. Grandin is adamant that she will not be involved in designing any facility that does not monitor employee behavior, this twain is not going to meet.

    But I also believe that her willingness to consider designing horse slaughter facilities is because she feels like someone will have to do it if U.S. law comes to that, and that she would rather have her “more humane” designs used than someone who cares less about what animals need. These are just my opinions, but I have asked some of the same questions some of you are asking now. That is why I read her book and some of her other published papers on line.

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    • I have no problem with Temple working to make existing food production more humane for the animals. But when she aligns with Sue Wallis and the Summit of the Horse to add her name and reputation to help them try to REINSTATE horse slaughter, that is where I draw the line. Say what you want about her accomplishments, the people she is hanging with are not exactly the cream of the crop of society. They will do anything to get horse slaughter started up again after 5 years and she does not distance herself from them, but rather helps them sell tickets to their Summit of Horse Slaughter conferences. She is working to reinstate horse slaughter by association.

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    • Also, the most humane horse slaughter is NO horse slaughter. That is what Temple is forgetting. So her involvement in the US on this issue where it has been banned is making it less humane for horses just by virtue of it returning and her talking about how to make it more humane. So she is effectively working to increase the suffering of horses. Not cool.

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  29. Bouvry Exports also operates buying stations and feedlots in Fallon, NV, and Shelby, MT, with the three locations trucking thousands of horses from the western United States annually to its two equine slaughterhouses in Canada.

    From the article in the St. Augustine Times—Who owns the land that these feed lots are on?

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  30. I agree Temple Grandin, is hanging out with a sleazy group of people. Her newest book ANIMALS MAKE US HUMAN she devotes a chapter on horse slaughter. How does horse slaughter make us human? She lost me. The other info on dogs and cats, is worm out old information, The book was written to make a few dollars for Grandin. I have written Grandin , but she is not interested in a anti slaughter human.

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  31. TENNESSEE ALERT:
    URGENT ALERT: Tennessee residents!! During the committee hearing on March 13, 2012, Tennessee Rep. FRANK NICELY slipped in amendments to a bill under a new declaration that “the General Assembly intends to encourage the location of equine slaughter and processing facilities in Tennessee. Much like the bill passed in MT in 2009, the new provisions approved by the committee would make it more difficult to challenge issuance of a permit for a horse slaughter facility.
    If you live in Tennessee, find your state legislators here: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/
    Write or call now and urge them to vote NO on H.B. 3619.
    Learn more at Animal Law Coalition:
    http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1973

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    • I’d bet this is more Farm Bureau, good ol’ boy covert legislative terrorism. Remember that the Farm Bureau has a state office in EVERY STATE. The use the loonies like Doink and $$. Seriously, the majority of Americans have NO idea how these guys slink and slither the state capitals and get just about anything they want because they know Rep or Del Joe Blow at the district/country level. I’m telling you, Farm Bureau (National and States) are a scary lot…mostly because they are so OFF the radar to most folks. They are WOVEN into the fabric of state legislators and many Fed reps, especially in heavy Ag states.

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      • Denise: Thanks for the info re Farm Bureau. I didn’t know that, but I do now. Have already cancelled my homeowners insurance with Farm Bureau, and will shortly cancel my auto insurance policy with them.

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    • Louie:

      I did some more research and found this (it supports my Farm Bureau is a humane menace theory) about TN not so Niceley:

      http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h17.html

      Niceley lists his occupation as farmer and yes, he belongs to the nefarious Farm Bureau. Google his name and find that he blocks state legislation that would increase penalties for animal abuse like……COCKFIGHTING!

      Told you so!

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    • I’ll say it again, Louie, unless we get a national ban on horse slaughter again, we’re going to have to fight this in every state. Thanks for sharing the info on TN.

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  32. All our states need to be attentive to the issue of horse slaughter. Personally, I find it disgusting that this woman uses her experiences with horses and children with autism to design the equipment involved in slaughtering our wonderful horses. This is a petrayal to the very horses that provide a means for the handicap to speak and use muscles that have been frozen due to disease. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT SLAUGHTER CAN BE CONSIDERED TO BE
    HUMANE. I will gurantee that there is NO SLAUGHTER HOUSE THAT WILL ALLOW monitors 24/7. Our horses have allowed us into their world and we have been able to make that special connection. It is a travesty and disgusting that someone would use that trust to kill them. The majority of people have absolutely NO idea what happens in these slaughter houses..It sickens me to think about the adult horses and even more repulsive to think of the foals, weanlings and pregnant mares…that are slaughtered. There is no way I will ever stop fighting for this issue based on my experience in Illinois..This must be passed at the federal level if we are ever going to hope to keep our horses safe..The letter is fantastic…Cynthia MacPherson has covered all the bases and has covered every issue..I called Ms MacPherson’s office and thanked her the other day. It was already proven that horses were trucked to Canada that did not have the proper certification and I believe they were denied entrance. There is NO WAY the Killer Dealers are going to hold any horses in feed lots for six months..Thank God for the EU. I think that they have put the screws to this disgusting and inhumane business…Great job Cynthia…I am going to print this out and keep it with me so I can educate those who support slaughter..

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    • States are passing Ag-Gag laws or trying to get them passed making it illegal and a criminal activity to film or photograph what goes on at these places. I really doubt Temple Grandin is going to get any cameras installed anywhere.

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  33. Check the internet out..there will be another Million Horse March in Washington, DC in July. The organizer is waiting on a permit…If anyone can be there…make the plans so that we can show those who represent us in Washington, DC that we are very serious about protecting and saving our horses..Let the Force of the Horse be with you all!

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  35. This clever little plan has been in the hopper for a long time, you can bet. Our Wild Horses and Burros in the concentration camps (holding facilities) AND those that BLM intends to round up are at GREAT RISK.

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  36. Sue Wallis and her cronies are as evil and sneaky as they come. What a bunch of lying, greedy psychopaths I’m just so grateful for R.T.Fitch and all of you and Facebook for spreading this information. A horse lover all my life and horse owner in my younger years, I had no idea this was going on. Little by little I’m getting the big picture and I do loose sleep over it. These creeps have to be stopped. Thumbs up for Cynthia MacPherson…..what a great letter. Seems like anyone planning on building a horse slaughter plant here in the US are going to have some high hurdles to jump. I don’t think they can do it but am sure they will try any underhanded way they can think of to get their agenda moving forward. WE ARE ALL WATCHING YOU SUE WALLIS.

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  37. I’m finally catching up and was relieved to see this blog post! As a native Oregonian I am outraged that anyone would try to bring back horse slaughter to my state. So many of the issues Cynthia Macpherson outlined in her letter may apply here. The Oregon Ag council recently tweeted about the 100 jobs at the horse slaughter plant for Hermiston, another small town struggling in this sluggish economy. I want to see jobs for rural Oregonians, but what are the people of Hermiston really going to get? It’s sickening that these horse slaughter plant promoters think they can just move on from one small rural town to the next with their misinformation and false facts and try to set up the horrific business of killing horses for profit. The good people of Oregon are not going to let this happen, no more than they did in Missouri! Some great individuals started the ‘Oregonians Against Horse Slaughter’ Facebook page – check it out & let them know they have your support. Also, over on Care2.org there is a petition started Oregon Governer: Stop Equine Slaughter From Coming to Oregon http://bit.ly/zpf4sO

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