Responsiblity and fixing the problems created

by Thomas Lee
(Crossville, Illinois)

As a horse owner and trainer on this side I have met many challenges. Training horses is very simple, educating the ignorant is a problem especially when the pro-slaughter folks see a little money.

The truth is the history of my fighting for the horses and exposing to abolish horse slaughter has been a merry-go-round. Personally visiting all plants in the US has urged me to continue.

Our win to close the US plants was only a small victory for me, as I knew many many more horses had been going to Canada and Mexico for years. Its not a secret any more due to the Internet.

Recently the FOIA has been released from the USDA document indicating the years of abuse and neglect that irresponsible people cash in on, there horses they could NOT trained or just wanted to sell one to get another for more money.

Its greed that promotes this business.

There are two reasons the Cattle Industry supports horse slaughter.

1. The SouthWestern Cattle Raisers Association were getting paid $3.00 per horse slaughtered in Texas.

2. The cattle association said that they are in a similar business and that the Pork and Poultry should support horse slaughter as well, or the so called Peta people will shut them down..

What a bunch of BS we are NOT peta, we are responsible horse people that know the difference between horses and cattle.

The history of these plants ignored Texas laws and ignored there fines. They paid no Gross Income taxes, nor export taxes, as most Americans are subject too.

They had American Airlines for years shipping their product, when not exposing the truth, it was illegal in the state of Texas. These business lied to promote.

There are old horses they are sick horses and there are wild and crazy horses. Truth is a horse is a fight or flight animal, so these people really didn't understand horses, nor the pro slaughter people.

The lies of unsold horses are merely signs of the economy, not the closing of a few foreigners businesses that promoted abuse and neglect for years.

Most of these slaughtered horses were trained horses, many had shoes on them. These foreigners know in America they had no competition and every business loves that, especially if the Tax payer pays for their inspections and they don't have to pay gross income taxes.

How about giving American business tax breaks and tax these foreign companies. How about educating our children with qualified teachers so we can make more products here instead of in Korea or Japan.

American needs a overhaul and learn to not reward irresponsible people. Please call your represenatives and senators, ask them to wake up and pass our horse bills.