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Community Corner

Rally to Support Horse Slaughter Ban

On Good Friday, Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma signed a bill into law to allow horse slaughter in the state of Oklahoma. New Mexico and Wyoming are days away from signing similar bills into law. The recent horsemeat scandal that has affected the entire world in recent weeks has the public enraged and afraid to eat beef products. While the Obama Administration and the USDA have declared that they will defund inspections of horse slaughter plants in the 2014 budget, that doesn’t change the fact that horse slaughter will be legal in some states this year. My goal is to cut this off at the federal level. As such, I have planned a rally outside of Senator Schumer’s Long Island office in Melville on April 27 to ask him to co-sponsor the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) act (S.541/HR.1094), to ensure that horse slaughter remains banned in America, once and for all. This is a grass roots effort, as I am not affiliated with any group. However, this is a nationwide rally, occurring in most of the states on April 27. My horse friends and I use social media to discuss the going’s on related to horses. Most of our discussions had been related to the mismanagement of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and their cruel and unnecessary wild horse roundups. Most of America’s wild horses wind up in slaughter houses because there isn’t any more room at the rescue’s and preserves. It’s heart wrenching to say the least. As of Good Friday most of discussions have shifted to horse slaughter, and what we can do to stop it. Hence, the rally concept was born. I don’t know how I became the organizer of this one in the Great State of New York, but suffice it to say that this is a critical issue that affects each and every one of us, and our humanity, and we have to do everything in our power to prevent horse slaughter as a concerted effort.Polls have consistently shown that 80% of Americans oppose horse slaughter, while only 20% are pro horse slaughter. Our horses are bred and raised to be athletes, pets, companions and work horses. As such, they are treated with a wide variety of drugs, all of which are unfit for human consumption. Our horses helped us build this country by pioneering the Wild West, transporting us, and cargo, and mail, fought in our wars, and helped us to build our very first railways. They are an icon of the beauty, strength and majesty of America. Horse slaughter has been effectively banned in the United States for the past 6 years. To keep it banned, and to appease 80% of Americans, this is not an insurmountable task. All we need to do is get this act into law. As a taxpaying citizen of the Great State of New York, I've asked Senator Schumer to please co-sponsor the SAFE act (S.541/HR.1094). I have yet to receive a meaningful response from him, even though I’ve sent emails, petitions, phone calls, and letters. He consistently states that he is an animal welfare advocate, but he has not yet committed to co-sponsoring this act.I have contacted as many saddle shops, tack shops, stables, barns, equine centers, vets, colleges, Long Island celebrities , local politicians including Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Steve Israel. I also posted this event on Craigslist, and contacted local TV/radio/press to ask for media coverage. I have posters all over Long Island, and will have signage depicting the key elements of this cause at the event. I will have handouts ready for anybody who wants more information about horse slaughter, and about the plight of America’s Wild Horses. I should add that NBC is airing a piece on the Wild Horses during the week of April 22 on the Today Show.Please consider coming to our rally to support the SAFE act, and to see firsthand the passion and dedication of the horse community to get this act co-sponsored by Senator Schumer. We really need to raise awareness, and a big turn out to send a clear message to Senator Schumer. Please show your support.https://www.facebook.com/events/183606641788997/?fref=ts

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