Horses, Pagans and Compassion Fatigue

This blog goes quite an awful lot, no matter how many of us there are. It certainly is not because there isn't a wealth of horror being done to horses to talk about. Instead, for me, I can't speak for the others, it's perhaps just the opposite.

I have been advocating for horses for decades. We've gained, but we lose. We end horse slaughter houses (for human consumption) in the US, others try to get them going somewhere else...meanwhile horse slaughter continues even in states, such as NJ, which have bills against allowing it for human consumption, because it's for animal feed.. Again, wild horses and burros are being rounded up, wrenched from their freedom, many dying as a result....many facing years of torture or slaughter. We find ourselves in a constant battle. And the move that might change everything, to end transportation of horses for slaughter completely...and require a change in the "throw away" and over-breeding mentality of the horse industry, keeps dying in committee Time is running out, for the current bill S. 541/H.R. 1094—The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act.  Over and over and over....

So over and over and over...I am hit with Compassion/Activism Fatigue.  When it's coupled with personal loss, as it often has been for me, it can become crippling. I can't advocate for the horses effectively. At this Pagans I was trying to be friendly with go out and kill horses for selfish reasons pretending it somehow honors a Mare Goddess and realizing that some of my "friends" were supporters of another Pagan who makes her living off of unethically sourced animal parts, including "pony skins" and horse ears I had to pull away from those people, although I did fool myself that one person's excuses actually was saying she was going to honor my pain and separate from the horse and wolf killer she was connected to ....I realized my foolishness since.

point I haven't had a decent night of sleep in over a year. As the issue hit closer to home with 

Part of the reason activists for horses become so fatigued isn't just the vile assholes who participate in the killing. It's all the people who claim to be against it, but see no reason to bother with it. When one of the horse killers went begging money from the Pagan community, I witnessed many who claimed they hated what she had done but had to support her because somehow this project she hasn't done yet was so important to them. So, you know, who the fuck cares about the horses? 

It gets to the point where I don't care either. Why should I?  I can't safe them all. We'll never save them all. This bill will never go through, people will continue to happily torture and kill horses, others will accept it and even celebrate how cool they are....  No one cares....why should I?

Of course, I do. I care too much. I have no choice, I have oaths.

I have made more moves to distance myself from people who support this in anyway...including those who say they don't but continue to associate with the horse killers. I have also had to break ties with someone who probably could have helped me a lot on my own project, due to their help to the horse eater...it would break my oaths to have this work, especially, touched by that (I hope I am not tainting it by using their writings for research, it is something I am currently struggling over). I have had to remove people I thought were friends (one of whom might also have been helpful to my project...but again...I can't have it touched and again must reconsider any use of what they helped me with...which is a huge problem for me) because they did not respect the pain that such associations cause me...including people who make a lot of noise about the importance of such things (but apparently, feeling it for horses, wolves and other animals isn't valid). 

But I find I can do and write little to advocate for the horses at this time. I try to pass thins along, I sign petitions, I have made phone calls to my Congresscritters who are, thankfully, pretty good on these issues (yes, even her, on this). And I take care of my little herd...all who could have ended up in a bad way (but, honestly, not having had real sleep for so long...how much I actually do with them is limited). 

Certainly other activists manage while witnessing even more than I have. We each have different breaking points. And sometimes we can step back and find our ways to cope and sometimes that's from the horses themselves.  I am hoping that again removing people who bring this toxin closer to me and by writing about it will help. I do know, from experience, that I will again end up with people in my life who bring the issue too close for comfort, there are simply too many who just do not care enough and, well, that is why this fatigue happens, why cynicism and extreme distrust are part of this. I will keep fighting, but sometimes will just be quieter about it.

Sharing: "Food, Ethics, Sacrifice" from Finnchuill's Mast

"I hadn’t planned to join the polytheist month of silence, but it kind of worked out that way. But an incident has come to my attention that I feel is very important to speak out on.

The ethics of food should be an important element in any religious considerations, but even more so for any pagan or earth-respecting traditions. As embodied organisms we all have to eat, and from an animist perspective that means we have to eat someone. So how does one do that in an ethical manner? Indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures are rich places to look and one can find numerous ways these cultures saw the exchange of lives as one of mutual giving and taking. But the taking of life was not one lacking in consequence."

 Please read the rest of this wonderful response to the recent horse eating horror. "Food, Ethics, Sacrifice"  

I am glad to see others speaking out on this!

"You will never understand the true meaning of sacrifice"*

I've neglected this blog and I found myself alone working on it. Now that I no longer am, I hope to also post more often.

Meanwhile, anyone reading this probably is well aware that there has been a lot going on regarding horse slaughter in the US.  From a crazy slaughter house worker posting videos of himself shooting a horse, to state laws allowing slaughter being passed, to state laws banning horse slaughter being passed, to battles with whether inspection must be allowed, to the Agricultural Appropriations FY2014 getting through both the Senate and the House committee votes with amendments banning inspection, to S. 541/H.R. 1094—The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act getting more co-sponsors in both Senate and House. Both bills have a ways to go yet, so please do not be shy about contacting your Senators and Representatives to make sure they stand for the horses (or to thank them if  they're already on it!...never forget to thank them when they're already doing it).

What I'm here to post about now, however, is back on the whole  Pagans Ate Horses Thing  ...yet AGAIN! And this time more closely associated with my personal path, with Macha and Her Sister and involves people I had mistakenly tried to be friendly allies with. A lot of those who focus on eating horse meat are Heathens and there is evidence for it not being uncommon among early Germanic peoples, but it seems that despite the obvious rarity of it among the Celts that some who claim Celtic practice (even if actually very eclectic...which was always a problem I had but, yeah, try to be friendly and open and what do you get....) seem to believe it's something they should bring back.  Even if it never, you know, was a thing (but, again, there is a lot of holes in their poor research).

I'm debating putting the link here, at this point I won't...if people ask I may add it later. I don't want to add to this group's publicity. 

I am  not opposed to ritual sacrifice of food animals, but do feel it needs to be only food animals. Animals that you eat already. I raise chickens and I do make the killing of our meat birds a sacred act.  The very nature of what makes something a sacrifice is that it is done in a sacred manner and humanely, by us.

It is not a sacrifice if the animal is slaughtered at a commercial slaughterhouse.  Especially when the animal is tortured, which horses are as, despite lies told by some, it's impossible to humanely kill a horse in these hell houses. And a Canadian horse advocate has confirmed on my Flying with the Hooded Crow FB page that in the Providence this group was in, it's the only way to legally kill horses.

Are companion animals "fair game" for sacrifice?  I do think it would be a very bad precedent.  After all, if it become acceptable with one companion animal, horses, then why not others such as dogs and cats.  There is perhaps more evidence of dog eating  in Celtic culture than for horses. We also have the "chewing the raw meat of a pig, dog or cat" as part of the formula for inducing imbas; perhaps given how scary the idea of raw pork is some might think it safer to go with dog or cat.  How many in this group would have participated in the ritual killing of one of their dogs and sat down to feast on it, which given an Morrùgan's canine associations makes as much sense as eating a horse to "honor" a Horse Goddess.

And at least if it was one of their dogs, it would be theirs. Making it actually more of a sacrifice.  At no point in their post or their blather on my FB page, did either woman mention that she raised the horse with honor, deep care, as a true votive animal before sacrificing her/him. At no point did they say why this was a sacrifice.

Because it wasn't. Feeling a little "torn up" because an animal species is your "power animal" is not the same as holding an animal you raised with love from infancy and offering up her life.  It isn't actually giving up a damn thing! It's just taking a life. But don't get me wrong, I'm not remotely condoning actually killing your pets for sacrifice. But don't kill someone else's former pet either!

If you want to discuss animals and sacrifice, you have to start with caring for the votive animal. This, of course, becomes the actual sacrifice.  It can entail moving to a location which is better for the animals but might separate you from friends, career and other conveniences.  Giving up your lifestyle, concerts, parties, various activities. You may find yourself out at 2 am in -40 degree F weather walking a colicing horse. You

might find yourself melting in 90 degree weather with extreme humidity trying to cool that same horse, again colicing six months later.  It may mean losing friends because they have no interest in that which has taken over your life....or, should you be dedicated to stopping slaughter, because you realize they support it in one way or another and are too loathsome to want in your life. Certainly, life not dedicated to caring for horses as a sacred task is easier.

Eating a dish of meat from an animal you did not know and that someone else killed, no matter how much  you tell yourself it was "ethically" done, is not a sacrifice. It's taking, not giving. To do so in the name of a Horse Goddess, well, really, is it Pagans who are supposed to eat their Gods?  Seems that's someone else. Not to mention all those medications that make their meat unsafe for human consumption. So claiming it's also to over come "health issues," well, OOPS!  Have fun being poisoned for your health then.

As a dedicant of the War Goddesses, Badb, Macha and the Morrígan, I feel I can also address certain other issues. Like "the Morrígan told me to do it" and what we might find ourselves asked to do. There are, of course, Pagans who clearly feel that if a God/dess demands it we must do it.  Perhaps there are some Gods this is true of, again, the Christian seems to operate this way according to some. Oh, wait, not always....seems there was some guy named Abraham who found himself rather conflicted.

Actually, an Morrígan, who, despite it being written late and by those who may not have fully understood it, we do have some story about how She interacted with a dedicant. Because that is clearly what Cú Chuainn is, when the stories are read from a warrior's perspective. But as those in question, along with an apparent majority of Pagans, have otherwise shown themselves to be unable to understand those stories by claiming She punished Cú Chulainn for rejecting Her, this is often lost.

But, no, think about what the sexual advances of a Sovereignty Goddess means, if you can get away from self-centered concepts "sovereignty."  It means easy victory.  If he accepted this he would have gotten that, his glory forever lost, he may have lived a longer life with no fame, She'd have turned Her back to him. Instead he chose, as he had as a child, the fame and She aided him by Herself raising odds against him in battle. What you, a non-warrior, think is a reward is punishment to one such as he was.   (I already have a post planned, it will be awhile yet, for my warrior blog which will include more discussion about this and it's already discussed in an article I have awaiting publication.)

 So, if we choose to accept that this woman was told by the Morrígan or Macha to eat horse meat, her blind obedience, when she says she was conflicted, sounds like a seriously failed test.  To go against what you claim is your nature in service to a War Goddess is truly an insult to Her. This is a Goddess who challenges and expects to be challenged. We do not worship her on our knees and go against our values to do so. Therefore I do hope that these people, who also think She possess them yet somehow She is unable to pronounce Her title correctly for them, are just delusional.  Otherwise, they are surely lost.

As I have seen others become loss. They often do not know it, but others watch them stumble and play act. It's sad.

We do not worship a Horse Goddess by eating horses! It's utterly insane. We worship by sacrificing ourselves to care for and defend Her children. And we will speak against those who are so warped and twisted that they kill what is sacred!

*quote from the Wicker Man (original)

Time to stop the madness NOW!

With Oklahoma and New Mexico heading towards bringing horse slaughter for fun and profit back to the US, the European hidden horse meat insanity and some of my fellow Pagans apparently joining the call to bring killing horses back, it's long past time we get this stopped once and for all.

I was almost someone's dinner!

There are steps being taken. Recently Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) has noted the need to get the USDA inspection ban back.  Today,Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Representatives Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) have issued the new S. 541/H.R. 1094—The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act.  Like the expired American Horse Slaughter Prevention Acts, this will ban the slaughter of horses for food in this country and their export to other countries for slaughter.

There are already two options to easily let your Senators and Representatives know you want them to cosponsor this bill, the ASPCA page and the HSUS page. Please use these today to let them know you want this! We need to keep pushing, no more bill dying in committee so that more horses die too!

ETA: I just got this link. It is for the Appropriations Committee, you can fax each member to let them know you want the defunding of horse slaughter inspection restored to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill. While we need a full ban that includes export, this will at least stop slaughter plants from starting in the US in the mean time. Faxing is free and online, no need for a fax machine. You can send five day, so it's three days to get through them all. But if you can do it, you can do all you want for $1.99 each. Or, of course, if you have a machine, you can use these numbers to do it the old fashion way.

That Pagans Ate Horses Thing... Again!

In midst of the on going battle, the publicity of the European horse meat findings and the Oklahoma horse slaughter laws and following year which saw a new rise in US horses being slaughtered. Medievalist.net published a post about how Christians reviled horse meat as "pagan food."   This link has been going around the Pagan and Heathen social networks, often without real commentary from those posting it.

Fortunately, many comments I've seen (but it might have to do with the sort of people I choose to associate with and actually pay attention to) have been "well, yeah, whatever, I have plenty of reason to not eat horse meat all the same, thank you." (okay, not all are so politely put)  However, the people Lysippe has posted about before, well, eat this sort of thing up and are promoting this post as an excuse to start bringing up eating horse meat as a ancient Heathen practice and promote horse slaughter.Some others fall in between, mostly I think because for growing number of people horses are ideas, not animals. Maybe they even saw one once, but the fact that these are living beings who humans have had an interrelationships with for tens of thousands of years is just not real to them.

The Medieval.net post is, of course, specific to Anglo-Saxon England, of course. While I have some knowledge of Norse and Germanic practices, and there does seem to have been a good deal of horse eating there, I have a stronger background in the Celtic cultures. There is evidence of horse eating among the Pre-Christian Celts as well, although it is sparse and seems to have only been during specific rituals, not as part of the regular diet. It also is often in conjunction with ritual dog eating. (see for example, Miranda Green, Celtic Myths, University of Texas Press, 1993, pg. 61) I don't see a lot of people calling for the return of eating dogs to prove how Pagan they are.  Of course, our Pagan ancestors also did human sacrifice and took heads. There are just simply things we don't need to bring back.

There's a serious disconnect with the concept of eating horse meat as a sacred act and horse slaughter that those who are all happy about horse killing are not getting. Namely the sacred part. Our relationship with the horse has changed, we no longer depend on them, the way these people are thinking of killing them is far closer to Slaughterhouse Sue than the ancients would have. To kill a horse during the Iron Age would have meant killing a lifeline. It would not  have been taken lightly.

Even when these would be horse "sacrificers" talk about doing it themselves (because they don't understand the laws being discussed, to begin with) they show this great disconnect. In a friend's FB post awhile back one such person was going on about how "as soon as it was legal" he was going to buy a horse and kill "it." He actually made it quite clear, he wasn't going to have anything else to do with the horse. He'd just buy "it" and kill "it." Disassociated and cowardly.  But then others who know that the law is about slaughterhouses, about strangers running horses through chutes, cutting them up while they're still alive and awake, where they don't have too actually see it done, feel that that's just dandy way to get their "sacred meat." 

If you really want to honor the our ancestors' relationship with horses, you need to start with the actual relationship.  You need to start with caring for the animal, communicating with him or her. We need to start by creating the sacred relationship.Honor the Horse Goddesses by taking care of the horses. And there is no reason to move towards killing the animal to prove anything. But until an actual sacred bond is made, if you want to make an excuse to joyfully kill someone's pet that you bought with a lie, the remember that deep down some of us really want to bring back headhunting.


If eating someone's pet doesn't trigger any ethical response in you, do consider that you'll be eating a poisoned pet. We all routinely give medications which permanently make our horses unsafe for human consumption. Some of us who prefer to use more natural methods will at least sometimes opt for those poisons just for this reason. But most horse owners do not look for alternatives, anyway, the odds are high. You're looking at huge increase in cancer risk as well as an incurable blood disease. All so you can feel speshul.

Honestly, I wish I could be more eloquent on this, more persuasive, but the fact that there are people having a fucking happy dance over the idea of killing horses as some sort of proof of their Pagan status make me sick and furious beyond words. Literally beyond words. I'm not any happier seeing Christians use this ancient history to further revile us...and the two together are some sort of sick joke. So any Pagan posting on this and not taking a strong stand that we do not want to bring horse eating back is beneath contempt to me as well. Our horses are being tortured, if you don't stand against it, you're a part of their suffering.

Oklahoma slaughter bills and British Lasagna

I've been bad about maintaining this, so I assume that most of you have other, better sources, and know about the uproar in Britain and Ireland and then several other European countries with horse meat found in various "beef" products, including in fancy steakhouses, fast food restaurants, packaged products and more packaged products and schools. 'Bute tainted meat at that (face it, you eat horse meat you ARE eating the extremely dangerous drug).

Meanwhile, Oklahoma is well on it's way to bringing horse slaughter back to the US. To bring not only torture and hell for horses, not only 'bute tainted food to those who either deserve it or are unwittingly eating what they think is beef, but also crime, poverty and pollution to their neighborhoods.

I have been signing petitions, written letters and called the OK Gov's office.   I hope you are too.  You can find out more at Shut down Oklahoma Horse Slaughter Bills SB375 & HB1999.

Of course, we desperately need to get the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act going. But first, it appears, we need to get a new bill STARTED. Since the 2011 bill died this January, I have been unable to find anything about it. Write your Reps., tell them we want it and we want it DONE this time!  We can't keep fighting this a state at a time, we need to get this finished once and for all on the national level. Then there is no recourse, no way these money grubbing scumbags can push through.  And, yeah, if they do go ahead in OK, then I'll  rejoice at the financial disaster it will be for them because of their cruel shortsightedness.

Warriors for the Horse Goddess

This article isn't here, as it's rather long for a blog post and I wanted a permanent home for it. It was originally written to submit to an anthology, but the anthology is not being published so I decided to go ahead.  I think that the message of how important defending horses from slaughter and abuse is needs to get out there as much as possible. It is also a sort of experimental piece for me, intersecting my own journey back to horses through Macha with information both on historical/literary Horse Goddesses and the political reality.

Warriors for the Horse Goddess 

 

Horse racing at Lughnasadh

 Seriously, stop spamming this with race wagering sites! This is an anti-racing post, so that's just insane! Stop!

As we approach the Gaelic holiday of Lughnasadh or Lùnasdal, one of the things that comes up is the association of the holiday with horse races.  The key event at this time was the assembly known as "óenach" which is glossed as "a contention of horses" and included swimming and racing the horses (Patterson pg 144, O'Donovan, pg. 127-128). These events probably were centered around people proving their horse stock, for sale or prestige, and in Ireland fairs held at this time, such as The Puck Fair, still involve horses. One famous horse race in Ireland was during Conchobar's assembly where Macha was forced to prove her husband's boast that his wife could outrun the king's horses.(The Metrical Dindshenchas (English) Irish). Horses were an important part of the culture, so horses as an important part of such events is not surprising.

Through the past couple of decades I have seen several Celtic Polytheists of various types suggest that this connection means that attending modern, professional horse races is a way to relive those old assemblies. I have even seen it suggested that this in some way honors the Horse Goddess. This concept troubles me deeply, for while it may not be on the same level as those who suggest eating horse meat the reality is there that, if nothing else, going to races supports an industry that routinely slaughters horses and use nurse mares whose own foals are killed at birth for "pony skins."

Explain to me how that is honoring a Horse Goddess? I suppose it replicates the horror that Macha and her twins suffered but do you want to be on that side of it? There are other ways.

Never mind that the atmosphere at these events is far from that of an ancient gathering.  

Saorsa has been practicing for

Obviously, not many Pagans have their own horses to race for fun or to "unrace" (we have long joked that we have unraces, we just make sure to take time to just hang out and watch our horses be horses...however, we may be doing some run racing soon, including water races although Saorsa may be the only one willing to go in). To replicate these horse races what can one who doesn't have their own horses do?

Personally, I favor taking time to volunteer at a horse rescue. Lughnasadh is often a time when hay is coming in, but help is needed in all situations by most rescues. If you can't volunteer, consider taking up a collection for a local rescue. Many Pagan groups today collect food or other items for charity when they gather, why not do so for horses. Perhaps even towards an ex-racer and/or nurse mare foal focused group?  Perhaps also take time to write to your congress people and try to end horse slaughter.

Consider attending county fairs. While I'm not crazy about either showing or racing at all, the level at fairs is far different from professional race tracks especially at the smaller fairs. Please consider still making that donation and writing those letters, as some of the horses in the show ring will end up in rescue or on the road to slaughter too.

Of course, for your own games I know many groups who do hobby horse races.  Often there are kid races where most of the kids old enough to walk think it's totally uncool and adult races where the adults have a blast proving to their kids how uncool they are. It brings "the horses" home. And make those donations and write those letters just because it needs doing.

If you want to honor the Horse Goddesses, save the horses. If you want to have a feel of ancient times by being around horses be around horses that need you. Do not think for a moment that there is anything but corruption at the race track or that it's somehow holy. The horses deserve better, the Horse Goddesses certainly do.

Nerys Patterson. Cattle Lords & Clansmen: The Social Structure of Early Ireland, Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame, 1994

 John O'Donovan, ed. and trans. (with notes and translations from Whitley Stokes) Sanas Cormaic Calcutta: O. T. Cutter for the Irish Archeological and Celtic Society, 1868,

The next step back to stopping horse slaughter returning

The House is supposed to vote  next Tuesday on the Appropriations bill. Let's make sure they keep the defunding of horse slaughter in the bill this time!  If you don't already have them on speed dial here's a way you can let your Representative know.

A small step back to where we were before....

But at least it's a step in the right direction. House Appropriations Committee votes to defund horse slaughter inspections.

While it's important that the defunding be reestablished and we need to encourage our Representatives to vote for this and our Senators to get it in their version, we absolutely must continue to work to get  The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act H.R. 2966, S.1176 through at last! We need to cover all angles to get horse slaughter finished in our country.  

Picking things up

A couple of Pagan horses enjoying the summer

We have changed our blog title again. We had initially intended to keep this "religion neutral" but have decided to fully approach this as the Heathens we are.  We think this is important in light of several things some of which were addressed in Heathen Against Horse Slaughter. Lysippe didn't address all of the issues, however, that relate between Pagan and Heathen ways and horse issue. She only just touched upon the accusations made that recent spats of horse attacks which range from merely cutting the manes to horrible physical mutilations and killings which are inexplicably blamed on Pagans, Witches or Satanists (which are jumbled together, of course).   Well, maybe it's not so inexplicable, it's really just a new face of old Satanic Panic.

So we may be covering more about these issues too. Which may be a mistake as we often feel overwhelmed by how much is going on that endangers horses already that we barely post at all.

And there is a lot. Look to the side bar, others are doing a better job of keeping up (even though they may be rather ill informed about how the American political system works, they are keeping up on the events of horrific BLM round-ups, attempts to start horse slaughter plants and some, sometimes confused, information the status of various bills). I am hoping we'll be posting more here now. Some tension has been alleviated by cutting back on the number of bloggers (what with one never blogging but probably having a different perspective on things which made us a bit worried about alienating that person).

But right now I want to take a stance that I we are Heathens who love horses, who are against horse slaughter and also the various other atrocities (some which are socially acceptable) perpetuated against horses. We're against treating horses as commodities rather than the complex sentient beings that we owe a great deal too (only the dog, and we're dog lovers too, compares when we think of how much our society has depended on partnership with animals).

An admittedly scathing rant

I'd rather be putting up actual information here about how things work, but honestly, I have a lot on my plate, including my own horses. And I shouldn't have to,  you went through junior high and high school, right? Then you should have some clue. Stop watching FauxNews and maybe you'd know how the government worked and not need it explained. But as I know that the comment I made will not be published and if it is it will just get overrun with FauxNews inspired twisting, I need to get this off my chest.

I am horrified that there are horse advocates who think Romney, who put his own dog on the roof of the car and drove to Canada, will be a better horse president because his wife is into horses as a therapy tool and for prestige of having a Olympic level competitor. Oh, never mind that it was Republicans who snuck the inspection ban out of that bill....the President signed it so "he's got an agenda to kill horses!!11eleventyone"

Never mind that the majority of those politicians who want to stop horse slaughter are Democrats while all of the politicians who want it back are republican. Our President isn't making horses the ONLY issue so we're going to put a known horse abuser into the office! Let's elect more Republicans that'll show Obama....never mind that it will bring horse slaughter full throttle into the US again.

This twisted, sick thinking has become so prevalent in this movement that I have really been having trouble working with anyone in it. There's so much misplaced anger and useless and totally ignorant political ranting instead of any real efforts being made to work with the mostly Democratic Congress members who are working on stopping horse slaughter. It's all about replacing Obama with a Republican while ignoring that it's Republican Congress members who are fighting to get slaughter happening here and to stop the transportation for slaughter bans.

As I said above, I suppose it would be more appropriate to put up the voting stats and such shit but I have chores to do. And I shouldn't have to, it's all pretty obvious if these people weren't so stuck on their "we want things done now for us and no one but us or we're going to go vote for the people who will make things worse!!!! That'll show you! WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

Of course, this isn't the only issue that people are acting like that. If the President doesn't act as a fucking dictator for what we want then we will replace him with someone who will act as a dictator against us. What the fuck is wrong with people?

I know this is no accident. The Republicans have been playing game all along. They pull this shit, then the people blindly blame the President. It's the same with economy (which is killing horses too, BTW). At the moment I'm very dismayed at my fellow country people. If the Republicans win this one, we're fucked...and so are the horses.

So this is why I feel hopeless, why I feel I can't work with the people who rather than fighting for horses are just spouting pointless hate. Yeah, this too is probably pointless. Until people in general get with a fucking program to actually do something it really is all just pointless.

Can you just take a moment for the horses?

Over the past few months, with the USDA ban on horse slaughter inspection lifted, we have seen several attempts in the US to start slaughtering horses. So far all have failed....but this fight can not keep up location by location. Because we can't let a single one slip through, we cannot take that chance.

But more than that, all along horses have been shipped, in miserable conditions to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered. This has been going on. It's way passed time to stop it.

Please just take a moment to go to theASPCA Advocacy Center where you can find out if your Senators ares cosponsors or not and easily send a note, with some personal additions thanking them or urging them. It's simple, it only take a moment.

Let's make this the end of horse slaughter in America, once and for all. The crazies who want to kill horses are fighting hard, we need to fight back harder. It's time this war ended. 

Heathen Against Horse Slaughter

This is what I am, a Pagan against horse slaughter, a SARMATIAN focused one at that. That means that, yes, I actually am reconstructing, as best I can, from a culture which sacrificed and ate horses.

I use "Heathen" in the title for a specific reason even  though I seldom use it instead of Pagan, for it's among Norse practitioners where we seem to see people talking about "reclaiming old ways" by eating horse meat. This is NOT to say that all Heathens feel this way, but I have seen this more from Heathens than other Pagans. There are a few PIE (Proto-Indo-European) types who do as well, although from that corner there seems to be more symbolic "horse sacrifice."

And a friend recently noticed a Heathen publication, Hex Magazine issue 4, ran a horse meat article, calling again for "returning to old ways" by eating horses.  And they still have readers. It's so disgusting to me. So while many Heathens might never want to eat horse meat themselves, it seems enough are able to turn a blind eye and keep supporting a magazine which promotes horse slaughter.

Here's where I'm at. The people of the Steppes were the first horse people, they did first herd horses for food, milk, and meat. There was a true sacrament in this, a true sacrifice in the "making sacred" meaning. They traveled the Steppes with the herds, which lived as horses should, nearly wild and free-roaming. This isn't, actually, all in the past tense, there are many horse people still on the Steppes for all that other cultures have over taken those ways quite a bit. The horses and people are still as free-roaming as those other cultures give them space for. Many still eat horses. They're not Pagan any longer, but their horse probably don't know the difference. They still RESPECT the horse and all the animal has meant for their survival, some of these horses might end up eaten but they never know the hell of the slaughter chutes, the torture of the feedlots, or the horror of double-decker trailers.

I can respect their way of life. I do not live it. I do not live the life of the Pagan Sarmatians either. I do live with horses, all rescues. I live in a country where horse slaughter is done in immensely inhumane ways, horses are in terror and pain going into the chutes, they are in utter agony when they are rendered alive because the bolts do not kill horses. EVER.  We hide this from our eyes, breeders use it to get rid of excess foals, the racing industry to get rid of retired racers, many owners to get rid of "aged" (that would be four years old) retired performance horses. The latter two are all treated with 'bute, poisoning those eating them, too. These horses are not treated as sacred, they are not honored, they are not living free and half wild, they are not killed quick and humanely.

They are treated like trash.

I would no more eat horses than I would own slaves. There are things we are NOT reconstructing. These are two of them. I know of no Heathens or Pagans who would suggest returning to human sacrifice, slavery, or even the sorts of class systems. We do not need to return to eating horses.

If one were, I challenge them to live as I do. With a small herd of horses who depend on you, who you care for daily, who trust you, and who seek your attention and love. Can you do it then? I actually do raise other animals for food, the difference between what my horses seek from me and what the sheep, pigs, and chickens do is tremendous. The cats want less to do with me, only the dogs out do the horses in bonding.

Many Christian horse advocates actually will note that eating horses is "heathen" or "pagan" and that Christianity should have brought an end to it and did in some parts of Europe. This is, in some places, this was true. There are currently accusations that horrible acts of violence and slaughter happening in Britain are done by "Pagans." I highly doubt that is who is doing it, rather this is just a very sick person or people. We do NOT need actual Pagans and Heathens even just talking about eating horses when the reality of what they are talking about is participating in the most horrifically cruel corporate slaughter that can be imagined.

So this Pagan, following a horse culture, does NOT eat horses, does NOT support horse slaughter, DOES spiritually honor the horses, DOES do what she can to rescue horses from both abuse and slaughter, and WILL fight an end to the slaughter of our horses. I ask other Pagans and Heathens to pledge likewise!

Make National Day of the Horse meaningful!

Tomorrow is National Day of the Horse. Thanks to folks like trainer Dennis Reis, Congress marked December 13 as a day to celebrate horses. But how?

I SERIOUSLY think that this should be a national call-in day, to every one of our Senators and Representatives and the President to get The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act through!

Okay, I also realize that being as it is December, we're really running out of time.

And how much time is there? None, at all. Because while some people seem to think slaughter of American horses is coming back, it's been going on, in the same numbers, since the closing of the last US plants and the defunding of horse slaughter (which got lifted this year). It's just been ALL happening in Canada and Mexico. So, even if the USDA's recent statement that no requests have been made for their inspections so they don't expect it to happen in the US anytime soon really does mean that it won't, it's STILL HAPPENING. Right now, as I type this and again as you read this.

This is why we need the bill through, even if it weren't for the fact that we know that there are those already making plans to start slaughtering horses in new or existing facilities in States where no laws have been passed against it. After all, they're the ones who got this changed.

So tomorrow, if you're not doing it regularly already (and I realize most who read this blog probably already do, so I may be preaching to the choir but I hope maybe every so often it reaches someone who isn't aware and also isn't an asshole or maybe it reaches someone who's been a bit burned out and helps them get riled up again, because I know there is a huge burn out rate on this cause) call, write, email, fax, all of the above your Senators and Representatives. Call the President 202-456-1111

But PLEASE do not be an idiot when you do. Again, I hope preaching to the choir but...

There's been a lot of stupid in this since the Agriculture Appropriations Bill was signed in as without the defunding of horse slaughter inspections. I do think that calling the President to let him know we don't want slaughter of our horses happening, here or in other countries, and putting a fire under him to do something about it is important. I do NOT however know how effective an Executive Order really would be, or possible. It's something that has come up in other causes I'm part of. The thing is that the very people calling for it are often people who complain, often justifiably, when such orders are made against them. Our President should not, after all, be a dictator. Now such orders are made, but when when it's a political situation being argued already, those whose political savvy is much greater than mine have pointed out that it can be a problem. I'm NOT saying this is the case here and, therefore, suggesting it is a good idea. HOWEVER...

Some of the threatening language, even if just "I won't vote for you!" that has actually been suggested even by those in this movement who I would have hoped would know better, probably does not make a good impression. And I can't honestly say it. Remember that the movement to get this defunding removed has come largely from Republicans and while other Republicans have been standing with the anti-slaughter movement, I am far more suspicious of where the current Presidential hopefuls stand on it. They certainly do not seem good choices, as far as I'm concerned on ANY issue.

There has even been a petition going around calling the Ag Appropriations Bill "Obama's Horse Slaughter Bill." Which, I did NOT sign. Some facts, this was NOT Obama's bill. It also is not a bill that calls for the slaughter of horses. Instead the section which banned funding for horse slaughter was REMOVED. AFAIK, there was nothing added calling for horse slaughter inspections to start. It was just not there. There is a very good chance that the removal of it never was even noticed by Obama. This itself is a sad statement about how important this issue might be to him but that is NOT the same as saying he's pro-slaughter. At all.

After all, after the Agriculture Appropriations Bill was signed by President Obama on Nov. 18, I wrote my people. My Representative's office sent me a letter on Nov. 22 claiming that the defunding was put in in 2007 and would be there for Fiscal Year 2012. They apparently didn't know. Later that same day, I received an email regarding a White House "We the People" petition from Edward Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Reform Programs at the USDA saying the same thing. They had no clue yet, not sure if Rep. Bass does yet as he's not responded to any of my follow ups when I explained this to him.

So, while we might be pissed off, while we might wish they care more, let's keep in mind that we're still, really educating them. This issue matters to us who care about horses want to stop the insanity, it matters to those who want to make money killing horses (and unfortunately do already have more money to spend to get their way). But for most it's a buried issue. Acting like lunatics, making outrageous claims about Obama wanting to kill horses, is not going to get us anywhere. It's going to make people bury the issue more. Leave the crazy talk to the Slaughterhouse Sues, talk rationally and sensibly and often. It's the only real weapon we have, let's not lose it.

Americans care more about pizza than horses?

The past several days I've got to admit I've been boggled. The fact that the Agricultural Appropriations Bill includes the idea that pizza tomato sauce is a vegetable is getting people all worked up while the fact that it renewed funding of horse slaughter is barely a blip on anyone's radar. Other than the usual suspects. Even good folk who do care about horses still seem to be far more upset over the fucking pizza.

I'm just wanting to put this out there, just to say that there is something wrong in America when people don't even seem to know or care that the real crime of this is that horses can be slaughtered in the US again. That no one, even the horse advocates, are raging about this unbalanced reaction is mind boggling. So now I have.

PMU Baby Saorsa says:
Eat pizza not horses!

Are YOU willing to fucking do something?

I'm disgusted. There has been so much loss of late for the horses. The greed of those making a profit off of horse death, either by their own participation or by taking money from those who want it, is sickening in itself. But so is the fucking apathy of those not involved. Including many horse owners.

I am facing the fact that the general public doesn't give a fuck about horses. Doesn't care about their suffering. Just doesn't care. Oh, I know a few who do, but I don't see them doing a lot. For the kittehs and puppehs sure, pass everything along on FB, sign petitions, write-write-write. But I see nothing happening except by a handful when it comes to horses.

Of course, there are more who just seriously think it's okay. People who gladly would eat horse meat. Who don't even care that even if you do think horses should be killed in a torturous manner their meat is poison due to medications given to them. At least those assholes I can get out of my life. If I broke contact with all the apathetic I'd not have many people to speak with. But sometimes I think about it.

There are 3 followers to this blog through Blogger....2 of them are writers for it. There are 11 via FB/NetworkBlog, including the 3 of us. That's it. This blog has existed for a year and has a total of 237 hits.....which include ours.

You say "but you don't write much, it's you're fault." Well, we don't. I've been fighting this issue for 20 years, I"m burned out. I can't speak for Lysippe or Jo, but they've been on it a long time too and I'm sure have some degree of burn out. Burn out, is, a big problem in this movement. Because it's been so fucking long.

We got that bit of victory, Congress removed funding for inspections for slaughtering horses and the last two states, Texas and Illinois, who had foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses outlawed them. Horse slaughter ended in the US. Meanwhile, we couldn't get a single step on the American Horse Protection Acts to stop horses from being slaughtered in the US should the funding be returned OR be taken, as horses continue to be, to Canada and Mexico. Slaughter continued.

NOW, just this week, the funding for horse slaughter has been returned. The horse haters are dancing in joy, because their paid off Congress members have listened to them and not their constituents. Jerry Finch speaks of this and the frustration involved here “Which means more to you – love or money?”

But, really, while we talk about all our letter writing and all, how many of you out there really did it. Oh, wait you're not fucking reading this either, are you. You just don't want to think about it.

I wish I could do that. But I lost due to this, I loved horses some assholes in France or Belgium or Japan ate. The gelding, Midnight, in this photo was one of them. I hope everyone who hate him and Trouble, his sister, got cancer from the bute those horses were on. Oh, and they were on it. I hope they suffered miserably and died hard and scared. Because my horses died hard and scared, rendered while still alive and regaining consciousness. Because that's what horse slaughter is like. EVERY TIME.

And so, horse slaughter is now again legal in the US. And there is, again, no movement on the law that would end it in total. Not just end it here, but also any transportation anywhere to kill the horses.

Do you really care? Are you fucking reading this? Did you do ANYTHING? Seriously, are you telling your Senators and Representatives to get moving on and pass The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Senate Bill S727 and House Bill HR 2966?

Two days ago, we who signed White House "We the People" (what a joke) petition to “Protect Wild Horses and Burros; Reform Inhumane Interior Department Management Program That Wastes Tax Dollars” got a response. NOT from the White House administration, the one of the President who proclaimed he's protect horses in his campaign, no. We got a canned response from BLM Director Bob Abbey, the very man we were calling to get managed. The response was all the same lies and bullshit that we could find on his website. Lies about the environmental impact of wild equines, the need for roundups, the "humanity" of round ups that traumatize horses, kill horses and separate not only herds but foals from mothers.

But, you know, I'm sure that the numbers who signed weren't enough for them to really see any reason to act. After all,l the cattle farmers want to graze that land and that's where the money is. We The People do not matter...especially when so few of us actually signed.

Unless we can really get people do want to do something about this it will remain a small group of burned out people. We will lose towards the even smaller but moneyed Horse Haters, which includes not only those hoping to make money by doing business with the foreign horse meat interests but also breed associations who chose to overbreed rather than breed for quality, glutting the market.

It's time to stop this. But if we're only talking to ourselves, we don't stand a fucking chance.

Roundup links, not wild horses!

As I'm back online again, I thought I'd try to help with updating this. Burn out is a bitch, mine went deep. I'm hoping there is some end in sight, although even if we get the total ban on transportation we'll have to keep fighting to keep it. But, although they fight, once we get it it'll be a lot easier to keep that it has been to get. So if you haven't signed these petitions then please do so and please keep up letters and phone calls until this is done!

And speaking of them, the Horse Killers chief asshole, Slaughterhouse Sue Wallis is using fake science to claim that horses given Bute are not dangerous to eat.  The Equine Welfare Alliance has strongly rebuked this with actual facts. So if you don't give a shit about the welfare of horses, remember that this is also a public health issue, Slaugherhouse Sue is more than happy to endanger people's lives as well as inhumanely kill horses.

Today, Oct. 5, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in Massachusetts is holding a hearing on a state ban of horse slaughter for human consumption and the sale, purchase, transport, possession, delivery, receipt, or export for slaughter for human consumption. While this is one issue I want to see go federal, every state that makes such a move will help with that. It shows we the citizens do not want horse slaughter!

A bit of good news on the Wild Horse and Burro front. The US Supreme Court denied consideration of an appeal of an earlier overturn of the Bush era BLM grazing regulations which had violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. This is a big step in getting the land back to the use of the wild and feral animals who should be using it, rather than ranchers.

But we have a long way to go.

Petition to the White House

I am hoping that folks have already been writing to their Senators and Representatives about supporting the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 (S.B. 1176/H.R. 2966). Now there is a petition on the White House petition site to ask Obama to support this bill. Please sign this, we need to get this done now. It's been so long.

We petition the Obama administration to: Support a Ban on Horse Slaughter

You do need to create an account, but that's pretty painless, once done you will find many other petitions that you may wish to take part in. Like ...

Restore the Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to its original intent that no organization or person be exempt.

Which needs 5,000 signatures and is well below 200!

Wyoming Horse Killers trying again

Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming is attempting to again get the language forbidding the inspection of horse slaughter plants in the US removed. This apparently goes to vote on WEDNESDAY! Tomorrow!

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is a leading voice in fighting this, so PLEASE contact your Representatives TODAY June 14, 2011, to tell them you do not want horse slaughter allowed. See US should get out of the horse meat business

The Compassion Index is working again!