Willie Nelson is a staunch opponent of horse slaughterhouses, saying they are inhumane.
“While transportation causes suffering and injuries, it is when horses get to the slaughterhouse that their flight instinct kicks in. They often flip their heads in the killbox trying to escape. This makes them uniquely difficult to stun properly, and they are often conscious while being hoisted, shackled, cut and bled out. More outrageous, some are conscious while their hooves are cut off.”
“What do Missouri and Tennessee have in common? They both have a state horse (only ten states do), and they both want to make it legal to slaughter horses for human consumption. (Read about Missouri's horse slaughtering bill here.)
On Wednesday, a Tennessee house subcommittee passed a bill to allow for horse slaughterhouses and processing plants. The bill is sponsored by Republican Frank Niceley. It passed 7-6 and will advance in the state legislature.
But horses do have a friend in Tennessee. Willie Nelson, the legendary country singer, is a vocal opponent to horse slaughter. Willie Nelson called the bill a "step backward." Nelson's daughter and granddaughter both spoke on his behalf at Wednesday's committee meeting.
Nelson wrote an opinion piece to The Tennessean newspaper, where he detailed how horses are "often conscious while being hoisted, shackled, cut and bled out," and how some are even "conscious while their hooves are cut off."
Willie Nelson's letter also proposes ways to deal with at-risk horses. Nelson supports affordable euthanasia and neutering programs, feed relief programs, and equine sanctuaries.
Nelson has been fighting horse slaughter for years. He supported efforts to shut down horse slaughter houses in 2006. He is now promoting the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. It would also stop the current practice of exporting horses out of the country for slaughter in Mexico and Canada.”
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Here is Willie Nelson’s letter titled “It's time to stop the inhumane slaughter of horses in U.S.”
http://www.tennessean.com/fdcp/?1271110873281
By Willie Nelson • April 8, 2010
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When I lived in Paris, (France, that is, not Texas) I am pretty sure that horsemeat was sold at the butcher shops. I know I couldn’t eat one, as they are more like pets, even though they are not housebroken. But when we had cows, hogs and rabbits in KS, I couldn’t eat anything that I looked in the eye and tended to.
But people eat beef, bison, buffalo, goats, sheep, squirrels and all sorts of critters, so if the horses are humanely put down, and people want to eat horsemeat, that is their business.
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This morning I sold my Blue Boy. I have had it for years and never used it. A local RVing couple sent around an email looking for one, so I obliged!
I also sold a Christian Dior bedspread set over the weekend. I had it in the yard sale, but couldn’t get a decent price for it, so I didn’t donate it, but listed it online instead. I had to get that boxed up and shipped today. But I had to come home and re-pack it. I knew the post office wouldn’t take beer or liquor boxes, but they don’t take fire extinguisher boxes, either!
So two trips into town, today.
2 comments:
I ship a lot for my art business. I have found it quite easy to "turn a box inside out" A little extra tape and it's good to go thru the US Postal system. No markings or lettering for ANY product are supposed to show. FedEx takes anything.
Yes, Merikay, I have often turned boxes inside out, but I had just gone to town with my wallet. I thought about trying to do that while in town, but I had to come home to have access to a knife and my big tape dispenser.
Our FedEx office isn't as easily accessable as the Post Office. It is inside a little business and you have to wait until they are done with their customers. But I have thought about comparing their rates. Thanks.
Happy Trails, Penny, TX
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