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.

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.

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,

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.

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!

Small Steps

In getting back into action on this, after being offline for awhile, it's daunting even for me to figure out what to do. Sometimes it's got to be baby steps. Online petitions get dismissed by many, but at least it is getting some noise made. And it's something so easy to do. So do it! Go sign

Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727) at Change.org

Then you can personally contact your lame duck reps. Let's get this done before the process comes to a complete halt!