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America creeps ever farther toward fascism...
The slaughter of horses for meat causes a strong House vote: Yuck
Practice is called 'brutal, shady'
WASHINGTON -- That old gray mare? Let her be.
The House voted on Thursday to ban the slaughter of horses for meat, a practice some lawmakers thought they already had ended.
But instead of banning it outright last year, Congress yanked the salaries and expenses of federal inspectors. The Bush administration simply started charging plants for inspections, and the slaughter has continued.
The House vote was 263-146 to outlaw the killing of horses for human consumption.
Opponents of the practice showed photographs of horses with bloodied and lacerated faces, the result of being crammed into trailers that would carry the animals to slaughterhouses.
"It is one of the most inhumane, brutal, shady practices going on in the U.S. today," said Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., a sponsor of the ban.
Sweeney argued that the slaughter of horses is different from the slaughter of cattle and chickens, because horses are American icons.
"They're as close to human as any animal you can get," said Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C.
The administration contended a ban would do more harm than good for horses.
"We have serious concerns that the welfare of these horses would be negatively impacted by a ban on slaughter," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a letter released Thursday.
Defenders of horse slaughter say it offers a cheap and humane way to end a horse's life when the animal no longer is useful. They say many owners cannot afford to care for an unproductive horse.
American horse meat is sold mostly for people to eat in Europe and Asia; some goes to U.S. zoos. Horses are slaughtered at three foreign-owned plants -- two in Texas and one in Illinois. In all, about 88,000 horses, mules and other equines were slaughtered last year, according to the Agriculture Department.
The bill's future is uncertain. The Senate has not acted on a similar bill, and Congress intends to finish its current session by the end of the month.
A majority of the Michigan delegation voted for the ban. Democrat John Dingell of Dearborn and Republicans Dave Camp, Midland; Peter Hoekstra, Holland; Joe Knollenberg, Bloomfield Township; Candice Miller, Harrison Township, and Joe Schwarz, Battle Creek, voted against the ban.
Practice is called 'brutal, shady'
WASHINGTON -- That old gray mare? Let her be.
The House voted on Thursday to ban the slaughter of horses for meat, a practice some lawmakers thought they already had ended.
But instead of banning it outright last year, Congress yanked the salaries and expenses of federal inspectors. The Bush administration simply started charging plants for inspections, and the slaughter has continued.
The House vote was 263-146 to outlaw the killing of horses for human consumption.
Opponents of the practice showed photographs of horses with bloodied and lacerated faces, the result of being crammed into trailers that would carry the animals to slaughterhouses.
"It is one of the most inhumane, brutal, shady practices going on in the U.S. today," said Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., a sponsor of the ban.
Sweeney argued that the slaughter of horses is different from the slaughter of cattle and chickens, because horses are American icons.
"They're as close to human as any animal you can get," said Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C.
The administration contended a ban would do more harm than good for horses.
"We have serious concerns that the welfare of these horses would be negatively impacted by a ban on slaughter," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a letter released Thursday.
Defenders of horse slaughter say it offers a cheap and humane way to end a horse's life when the animal no longer is useful. They say many owners cannot afford to care for an unproductive horse.
American horse meat is sold mostly for people to eat in Europe and Asia; some goes to U.S. zoos. Horses are slaughtered at three foreign-owned plants -- two in Texas and one in Illinois. In all, about 88,000 horses, mules and other equines were slaughtered last year, according to the Agriculture Department.
The bill's future is uncertain. The Senate has not acted on a similar bill, and Congress intends to finish its current session by the end of the month.
A majority of the Michigan delegation voted for the ban. Democrat John Dingell of Dearborn and Republicans Dave Camp, Midland; Peter Hoekstra, Holland; Joe Knollenberg, Bloomfield Township; Candice Miller, Harrison Township, and Joe Schwarz, Battle Creek, voted against the ban.
Can you believe this ****? When did the House get the idea that they were allowed to destroy entire industries? If people want to eat horse meat (and they should, as it is delicious), then that's their god-given right. And companies sure as hell should be able to fill that desire. Hopefully the Senate will put an end to this farce...
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