Old Dog/New Tricks
Well-known member
FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: LConnelly [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:10 PM
To: Reynnells, Richard
Subject: FW: Phone Calls Needed RIGHT AWAY to US Senators!
Importance: High
We were just notified that the US Senate will be considering the Ag
Appropriations Bill this AFTERNOON. We have learned that two bills with
extreme impact to the Ag industry may be attached as amendments to the
Appropriations Bill. Your PHONE CALL to your Senator is needed RIGHT
AWAY. When you call simply let the Senator's Office know that he must:
1. Support Sen Domenici's Amendment regarding CERCLA, thus ensuring
Manure is not considered a hazardous material.
2. Object to the attachment of HR 503, "The American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act" to the Ag Appropriations bill. More information about
this amendment is below.
________________________________
Attention friends and allies:
Today, Senators Ensign and Landrieu plan to attach HR 503, "The American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act" to the Ag Appropriations bill, which
comes up for a vote this afternoon.
If the bill passes with this attachment, the right of horse owners to
send their unwanted horses to be humanely euthanized and processed at
one of the nation's three horse processing facilities will be
eliminated.
DON'T LET THE SENATE PULL A FAST ONE ON HORSE OWNERS AND THE AGRICULTURE
INDUSTRY. It has never been more important for your Senators to hear
from you than it is TODAY.
Call your Senator NOW and urge him/her to object to the attachment of HR
503 to the Ag Appropriations bill. To find your Senator's contact
information, visit
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_i ... rs_cfm.cfm
<http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm>
Please let us know you've called by sending an e-mail with your name and
state to: [email protected].
Why is H.R. 503 a bad bill?
* S. 1915 would result in more harm than good for America's
horses. America's veterinarian associations (AVMA, AAEP), the National
Association of Counties, nearly 200 horse and agriculture groups, and an
independent study by nine university professors from four states have
all determined that banning the legal, federally-supervised practice
would lead to neglect and abandonment of horses. USDA already regulates
the processing plants. In fact, there are more strict laws in place for
the treatment of horses than for any other livestock. In addition to
other inspectors throughout the process, a USDA veterinarian supervises
the euthanization of every horse before processing.
* Congress should be dealing with REAL issues. On election day,
millions of Americans sent a message to Congress that business as usual
is not acceptable. There was serious backlash by voters when the House
voted on HR 503 (S 1915 companion bill) in September because valuable
time was spent on a non-existent, but "feel-good" issue rather than
focusing on heath care, Iraq, and other issues that affects American
humans. For the Senate to bring up this misguided legislation at this
time would be out of line with American voters and inappropriate.
* There are only about 6,000 spaces in horse rescue facilities,
and those are mostly full. The Congressional Research Service says our
inadequate, overburdened, and unregulated horse rescue/adoption
facilities cannot handle the 60,000 to 90,000 additional horses every
year that would result from a ban on slaughter.
* S. 1915 attempts to hijack the private property rights of
animal owners. Horse owners have the right to choose the end-of-life
option that they feel is best for their own animal. If horse owners
don't want their horses to go to slaughter, they simply market them
privately rather than at an auction -- just as owners of a smaller pet
place it in a private home rather than leaving it at a shelter where
they know it may be "put down." But removing the slaughter option
discriminates against the middle-income families that make up the
majority of horse owners in this country.
* This legislation is a budget buster. These tens of thousands
of additional unwanted horses each year would compete for adoption with
the 32,000 wild horses that U.S. taxpayers are already paying $40
million to shelter and feed and will add millions of dollars to state
and local government budgets. That's why the National Association of
Counties opposes the bill.
We can't let Congress get away with passing this legislation. Your calls
will make the difference and we truly appreciate your continued support
on this important issue.
Sincerely,
The staff at CommonHorseSense.com
-----Original Message-----
From: LConnelly [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:10 PM
To: Reynnells, Richard
Subject: FW: Phone Calls Needed RIGHT AWAY to US Senators!
Importance: High
We were just notified that the US Senate will be considering the Ag
Appropriations Bill this AFTERNOON. We have learned that two bills with
extreme impact to the Ag industry may be attached as amendments to the
Appropriations Bill. Your PHONE CALL to your Senator is needed RIGHT
AWAY. When you call simply let the Senator's Office know that he must:
1. Support Sen Domenici's Amendment regarding CERCLA, thus ensuring
Manure is not considered a hazardous material.
2. Object to the attachment of HR 503, "The American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act" to the Ag Appropriations bill. More information about
this amendment is below.
________________________________
Attention friends and allies:
Today, Senators Ensign and Landrieu plan to attach HR 503, "The American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act" to the Ag Appropriations bill, which
comes up for a vote this afternoon.
If the bill passes with this attachment, the right of horse owners to
send their unwanted horses to be humanely euthanized and processed at
one of the nation's three horse processing facilities will be
eliminated.
DON'T LET THE SENATE PULL A FAST ONE ON HORSE OWNERS AND THE AGRICULTURE
INDUSTRY. It has never been more important for your Senators to hear
from you than it is TODAY.
Call your Senator NOW and urge him/her to object to the attachment of HR
503 to the Ag Appropriations bill. To find your Senator's contact
information, visit
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_i ... rs_cfm.cfm
<http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm>
Please let us know you've called by sending an e-mail with your name and
state to: [email protected].
Why is H.R. 503 a bad bill?
* S. 1915 would result in more harm than good for America's
horses. America's veterinarian associations (AVMA, AAEP), the National
Association of Counties, nearly 200 horse and agriculture groups, and an
independent study by nine university professors from four states have
all determined that banning the legal, federally-supervised practice
would lead to neglect and abandonment of horses. USDA already regulates
the processing plants. In fact, there are more strict laws in place for
the treatment of horses than for any other livestock. In addition to
other inspectors throughout the process, a USDA veterinarian supervises
the euthanization of every horse before processing.
* Congress should be dealing with REAL issues. On election day,
millions of Americans sent a message to Congress that business as usual
is not acceptable. There was serious backlash by voters when the House
voted on HR 503 (S 1915 companion bill) in September because valuable
time was spent on a non-existent, but "feel-good" issue rather than
focusing on heath care, Iraq, and other issues that affects American
humans. For the Senate to bring up this misguided legislation at this
time would be out of line with American voters and inappropriate.
* There are only about 6,000 spaces in horse rescue facilities,
and those are mostly full. The Congressional Research Service says our
inadequate, overburdened, and unregulated horse rescue/adoption
facilities cannot handle the 60,000 to 90,000 additional horses every
year that would result from a ban on slaughter.
* S. 1915 attempts to hijack the private property rights of
animal owners. Horse owners have the right to choose the end-of-life
option that they feel is best for their own animal. If horse owners
don't want their horses to go to slaughter, they simply market them
privately rather than at an auction -- just as owners of a smaller pet
place it in a private home rather than leaving it at a shelter where
they know it may be "put down." But removing the slaughter option
discriminates against the middle-income families that make up the
majority of horse owners in this country.
* This legislation is a budget buster. These tens of thousands
of additional unwanted horses each year would compete for adoption with
the 32,000 wild horses that U.S. taxpayers are already paying $40
million to shelter and feed and will add millions of dollars to state
and local government budgets. That's why the National Association of
Counties opposes the bill.
We can't let Congress get away with passing this legislation. Your calls
will make the difference and we truly appreciate your continued support
on this important issue.
Sincerely,
The staff at CommonHorseSense.com
