In the same month that Congress declared pizza a vegetable, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill allowing horses to be killed in America for human consumption (Spending Bill H2112). I think we just found out what happened to the unicorns.
Horse racing is waning in popularity. Maybe the $40 billion a year industry can sell the losers to one of the many horse rending plants already being planned in several states. Big plus, the horses are already filled with steroids and antibiotics, just the way America likes its meat. Welcome to the Kentucky Derby Winner's Circle and Loser's Barbecue. Hope you like your fast food fast.
Let the factory farming of horses begin. Oh wait, too late, it's been going on since 1942. Got Premarin? Wyeth (Pfizer) makes Premarin from the urine of pregnant mares, for hormone replacement therapy (there are safer and more humane choices for hormone replacement therapy) for menopausal women. Pfizer/Wyeth's contracts with ranchers throughout America and Canada has caused seven decades of the slaughter of perpetually pregnant, used up mares, and newborn foals (a "by-product"), believed to be in the millions.
The Congressfucks who insisted human horse consumption and slaughter be in the budget bill represent lots of Premarin ranchers. Now they can have their horses and eat them too. The horses are inhumanely "farmed" in conditions that rival chickens' battery cages and calfs' veal crates. I don't doubt for one minute that "Foal Veal", the "other, other white meat" will be pushed as the new fur to the same crowd. Gotta love how our food always comes back to some connection with Big Pharma. When a Senator says she just wants to "prevent the needless suffering of the too many hungry horses roaming our lands", you'd better be wearing your Irony Hat. The way I see it, Congress just can't be in charge of food.
Using Famous Horses to Describe What Just Happened
Bold Ruler Barack Obama got the budget Albatross off his neck last night by signing his John Henry with a Flicka his pen. Even though he Affirmed during his Spectacular Bid for the win that he wouldn't support the Barbaro practice of allowing human horse meat consumption, this Trojan Horse rode in on the budget bill, and his campaign promise flew away like Pegasus. This Assault on horses makes the president My Little Phony, or Alydar, Alydar, pants on fire. Animal rescuers are in a Fury and consider him no Black Beauty. They say "Adios, Mr. President, you have just committed Funny Cide". He took a Genuine Risk but ends up with no Cigar. Wish we could give him a Citation. Soon every horse will be a Horse With No Name. In other broken campaign promises, Mr. Obama has proven himself a Man o' War with his finger on the Trigger, keeping his War Admiral and his Secretariat of State always in a Phar Lap in a foreign land. By selling out America's horses, Mr. President, you missed the Bullseye. Adios, Achilles.
Congress' Recommended New Menus for America
Grazing Menu:
Mane Courses. (Kosher, blessed by a canter.)
Belmont Steaks.
Saddle of beef (House Brand).
Filly Mignon.
Western Omelet.
English Omelet.
Shanks and Beans.
Seattle Slew Stew.
Fruitti de Mare.
Standing Rump Roast stuffed with Oats, Hay, Carrots, Apples, and Sugar Cubes.
Muzzles & clams in white wine.
Quarterhorse Pounder.
Pinto "beans" with Ranch dressing.
Pastern Fazool.
Clydesdale au Gratin with Horseradish.
Chilean Land Fish.
Furlong Hot Dogs.
Green salad with stallions and bacon bit, choice of Dressage.
Clip Clop Special (Bucket o' Hooves and a Bill Withers CD.)
Welsh Pony (nothing to do with rabbit).
Butter on Thorough Bread, Whole Rein Bread, or Seabiscuits.
Sidesaddles: Foal slaw. Whipped potatoes. Blanket Potatoes. Corn Pony.
Desserts:
Clopcakes.
Peach Farrier.
Chestnuts.
National Velvet Cake.
Candied Ginger, while supplies last.
Neopolitans.
Beverages:
MusTang.
Colt 45.
Irish Draft horse.
Martini, shaken, not stirruped.
House Equine, red or white.
A Pinto Beer.
Milk with Bronco Chocolate Syrup.
Java Pony.
Thank you. Bone Appetit.
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This is a good move for the horse industry - I own horses and I'm excited about the reinstatement because the welfare of horses will improve. People will stop turning their horses out with the brands cut off because they can't afford to feed them. Hopefully this will be a wakeup call to irresponsible breeders and owners who don't think their decisions through.
And who are you to judge what other people eat? The U.S. is a very small percentage of the world's population and just because we find something unconventional doesn't mean we have the right to condem those who seek an alternative protein source; be it for religious, moral or financial reasons. Did you know a 100g serving of horse meat has the same amount of protein as a 100 gram serving of beef sirloin and is very low in fat? It's a very healthy and nutritious red meat.
I am a lifelong horse person, and also studied economics and research analysis. And to say (or even think) the reinstatement will do anything to improve equine welfare or the horse market is nothing short of ludicrous. There's zero basis for that assumption, and in fact, much evidence of precisely the opposite.
It's time for slaughter proponents to take their heads out of the sand and understand the reality of horse slaughter, the horse market, and equine welfare. Slaughter has been widely available to American breeders as an option for decades. We're still slaughtering as many horses now as when the US plants were open - and yet - we're seeing increases in equine neglect and decreases in horse values. Hmmmm, I would call that a resounding FAILURE of slaughter to control equine neglect or impact the value of horses. Not surprising since demand for US horse meat is only for a measley 1% of our equine population each year.
But let's just think about it for a minute, shall we? People who neglect their horses have chosen NOT to send that horse to slaughter. In fact, anecdotal evidence shows that kill buyers at local auctions INCREASES hoarding of horses by those who are afraid of animals ending up in the pipeline. As we all know, hoarding increases neglect.
Really? factory farming of horses? Since 1492? Since Columbus times? Dang! Good thing HP had a comedian set the record straight.
(yes, I know 1942 is not 1492)
So my friend decided to send a horse to a slaughterhouse and have it turned into steaks, roasts and burger, figuring that was a win-win situation. Food for her and one less mouth to feed. Only problem was that animal rights activists had used stealth measures to pass a law that made it illegal for slaughterhouses to process horses for meat. Killing horses was still legal. My friend could hire a vet or use a gun to kill the horse, but she'd have to rent a backhoe to bury it. Worse, in her opinion, it would have been a waste of good meat. That's another problem with horses. They're too big for backyard butchering or burial if you don't have access to heavy equipment.
By the way, most horses are sent to slaughter because they are old and too big to bury in the backyard. In my opinion, it would be better if they didn't have to be shipped to Canada or Mexico before they were killed.
Here in the states:
During WWII horsemeat was readily available, and did not come under the rationing laws. A lot of folks got their protein allowances because Uncle Elmer's prized Clydesdale gave his all for the war effort.
--RKJ
President Barack Obama
tel: 202-456-1111
fax: 202-456-2461
The White House has a Facebook page; it is read widely. Post there.
The men who removed the verbiage:
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
tel: (202) 224-5721
fax: (202) 224-8149
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
tel: (202) 225-5831
fax: (202) 226-2269
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)
tel: (202) 224-5653
fax: (202) 224-9787
IMPORTANT: When he signed the bill, Obama did not know that these crucial words had been removed. The removal caused Obama to unknowingly "go back" on a campaign promise from his '08 presidential run.
If enough outrage is generated, Obama may bend to pressure and issue an executive order that reverses this slaughter situation (he wants to be re-elected), So, call/fax the White House and respectfully ask that Obama issue an Executive Order permanently banning horse slaughter. You may want to also ask/demand that transport of American equines to slaughter also be permanently banned.
Call/fax:
President Barack Obama
tel: 202-456-1111
fax: 202-456-2461
The White House has a Facebook page. Post there.
The men who removed the verbiage:
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
tel: (202) 224-5721
fax: (202) 224-8149
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
tel: (202) 225-5831
fax: (202) 226-2269
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
tel: (202) 224-5653
fax: (202) 224-9787
Blast this topic on social media.
Internet free fax http://faxzero.com/
My fax went through, but phone line is busy. Will keep trying
As far as your bleeding heart liberal remark, in reference to overstating how slaughterhouses operate, you should educate yourself about that too, what really does go on in slaughterhouses....all documented. Guess I'm not one of those "hypocrites" since I'm a vegan and don't eat any animals at all. Who cares what the French do? If they considered eating dogs a delicacy, would that be "just using one more kind of meat" to you? While you're googling Premarin mares I suggest you google the job impact slaughterhouses really had on the economy as well.
Wasabi is Japanese horseradish, and wasabi paste often resembles guacamole. There was a story about some recent immigrants from Veracruz who came into a sushi bar. They loaded up on wasabi--and you can probably guess what happened next. The upshot was that the sushi bar had to post a sign in English and Spanish warning customers that wasabi and guacamole are two different foods.
As for the horse connection? About the only equine product that goes near a horseradish patch is horse manure for fertilization.
--RKJ
For the past few years of the Democratic Congress the Agriculture Appropriations bill included a prohibition on horse slaughter in the US. This year Kingston, as Chairman of the Ag Subcommittee, chose not to fight for it so it didn't make it into the final version of the bill. The Ag Bill was folded into a minibus funding bill with the Transportation, Housing Appropriations bill and the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. That is what Obama signed. To suggest that Obama supports horse slaughter because he didn't veto this must pass funding bill over a provision that didn't exist shows a total lack of understanding of the legislative process. It like saying the Humane Society hates kids, science and poor people because the bill includes funding for nutrition programs for hungry kids, transit and housing for poor people and scientific research and they demanded a veto.
Bottom line: this legislation had nothing about horse slaughter because the House Republicans chose not to include it and Obama had no power to force them to include it. You can blame Obama for many things, but not this.
I am all too aware of what goes on in horse slaughterhouses.
They are shackled by one leg and hanging from a conveyor belt, are moved to the killing. Their legs frequently break before they have their throats slit. They are stunned, but are moving at such a fast pace, the stunning is often ineffective and they are fully conscious/capable of suffering before the butchering.
Thus, not infrequently, these animals whose crime is to no longer run as fast as a person wants, are aware of their legs tearing out of the socket and every slash of the knife. Sometimes the horse is not killed and is hoisted into a pile of other dead and dying horses to slowly bleed to death.
(This is all of course true of "used up" Premarin mares and their unwanted "byproduct" foals - and as in cow's milk production, especially the male babies, who are useless for either more milk production or the urine of a pregnant female horse).
I voted for Obama and I cried when he won. I was already very disappointed him, but that feeling has now changed to disgust, repulsion and grief.