Community | March 21, 2010 | 18 comments

Horse Slaughter May Be Reinstated in Missouri - Read Email Responses from Representative Casey Guernsey, Missouri, Who Refers to Us As "Dolts"

source: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new2.asp?LetterID=1894&seriesfirst=true

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EthicalVegan
Missouri, the "Show Me State," is already the nation's puppy mill capital.

Now the enterprising state aims to reinstate horse slaughter.

Rep. Jim Viebrock, R-Republic, has introduced H.B. 1747 to sidestep federal regulations that bar horse slaughter for human consumption. According to Viebrock, his bill would jump-start the "ailing equine industry." US Horse Slaughter Statistics

WHEREVER YOU LIVE: THIS BILL AFFECTS YOU. The last three U.S. kill plants closed in 2007. Don't let Missouri revive a vile industry.





PHOTOS: Production-line death: A pony that almost certainly belonged to a child meets fate at Potter's abattoir. Animal Aid

Loose, or "way up" horses, sold for slaughter in Canada, wait to be ushered into the auction ring.

Associated Press
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18 comments // Horse Slaughter May Be Reinstated in Missouri - Read Email Responses from Representative Casey Guernsey, Missouri, Who Refers to Us As "Dolts"

  • Funchy
    • 0
      Funchy  

    • Missouri better prepare to be in the national spotlight. If Missouri cares about tourism, how your state appears to investors, or general PR, they really need to rethink this position.

      I am a horse owner, not a "tree hugger". And, like the vast majority of the American public, I find horse slaughter objectionable. As a horse owner, it's a terrible thing: it reduces our fine and valuable animals into cheap hunks of meat. It encourages theft. It allows for an avenue for abuse and neglect, since in many areas the only punishment for neglect is to remove the animal (and the animal is being "removed" by the processing plant buyer at the door). I've seen horse auctions where horses go for meat, and it's NOT a pretty place. It's not respectable or humane. Horse community: is this how you want others to see us?

      Nobody "needs" to send a horse to slaughter. And the truly emaciated and ancient ones aren't "taken care of" by kill buyers, since they'd be worthless as meat. Killbuyers remove the good-conditioned, younger, healthier horses from the marker (because that's what makes good meat). I've personally seen killbuyers refuse to give even $1 for an old grey pony at auction She had melanoma, which makes the meat unusuable. I bought her for a token amount to have her put down humanely. We could not prosecute the idiot who denied her vet care and let her get so bad off, because these auctions are dumping grounds for out-of-state sellers. If we hadn't have taken her for a humane euthanasia, odds are at the end of the night she would've been taken around back to "The Pile" (of dead and downer livestock) and shot enough times so she'd stop moving.

      Is this the kind of work you want to live in? Missouri: is this the reputation you want to get?

    • 2 years ago
  • Christine_Kwi
  • Bottled
    • 0
      Bottled  

    • At least one of the representatives is smart!

      Jeanette Oxford replied to me and said: "I voted no. I wish more of my House colleagues saw it the same way."

      Thank you Jeanette. Beautiful name, by the way, too. Haha!

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • Bottled:

      Jeanette, thank you so very much for taking the time to share with us one of the few responses that helps us smile for a minute or two. I wish Jeanette huge strength.

      My mother is/was a "Jeanette," as well.

    • 2 years ago
  • Christine_Kwi
  • Christine_Kwi
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • Image

    • http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new2.asp?LetterID=1894&se...

      *UPDATE: Missouri lawmakers don't care what you think about H.B. 1747, a bill that could reinstate U.S. horse slaughter for human consumption. In fact, House Reps are forwarding your letters back to Kinship Circle, UNREAD.*

      Some Reps leave indecent voicemails on Kinship Circle's line. One sang a vulgar version of "A Horse Is A Horse." Another, at 10:00pm, chanted Kinship Circle president Brenda Shoss' name in a creepy voice, then neighed. They've cussed, hung up, and yelled.

      They are so inconvenienced by your "fricking" emails, they will vote to kill horses. Revenge is the basis for enacting a law in Missouri?

      We all know this is not a Missouri issue. No equine plants have legally operated in the U.S. since those in Texas and Illinois were shut down in 2007. Killing American horses affects concerned citizens everywhere. But Missouri's elected officials prefer to make teenage-style phonies to a 501c3 nonprofit charity.

      *Thanks to their immature harassment, the issue has broadened to one about free speech, legislator conduct, and horses. If you care about all three, write or call Missouri's governor to report these abuses:*

      Office of Governor Jay Nixon
      P.O. Box 720
      Jefferson City, MO 65102
      573-751-3222**

      http://governor.mo.gov/contact/

    • 2 years ago
  • Christine_Kwi
    • 0
      Christine_Kwi  

    • Rep. Casey Guernsey: R-Bethany (3)

      First elected: 2008 Last year: 2016
      Room: 406B
      Jeff. off. phone: 573-751-4285
      E-mail address: Casey.Guernsey@house.mo.gov
      Committees:
      Agri-business
      Emerging Issues In Animal Agriculture
      Healthcare Transformation
      Rural Community Development
      Energy & Environment

      Mailing address:
      Rep. Casey Guernsey
      Room 406B
      State Capitol
      Jefferson City, Missouri 65102

    • 2 years ago
  • Christine_Kwi
    • 0
      Christine_Kwi  
    • Image

    • Here is another response I was sent -- this is from the moderator of the animal advocacy group on yahoogroups.

      This person is a DOLT and should be voted out.

      I'm surprised at the people of Missouri electing this 30 year old frat boy:

      ---------- ----------

      From: Susan T.
      Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 2:02 PM
      To: caseyguernsey@gmail.com
      Subject: SLAUGHTER IS NOT A "HUMANE" SOLUTION

      Mr. Guernsey,

      I would expect more from someone who represents the "people" of the State of Missouri.

      My comments are below. I'm a long-time horsewoman and animal activist. I believe completely that the way we treat animals reflects on our moral progress.

      The same old worn-out response...What do you suggest we do with old, sick, and lame horses?....well, what do we do with old, sick, and crippled people?
      Sadly, MOST of the horses who end up being bought up by "killer-buyers" are not "old, sick, and lame. They may be starved, suffering from easily treatable illnesses and injuries but that, my friend, IS NOT WHY THEY SHOULD BE SENT TO SLAUGHTER.

      Greed, human greed, irresponsibility, looking for a quick way out, is the reason why so many horses are being abandoned or sent to slaughter. Quarter horse, Thoroughbred, Paint and Arabian breeders are probably the most responsible for the large numbers of unwanted horses. Breeders continue to breed for that one special foal they hope will be a Derby winner, a cutting champion, a really loud colored paint, or sold for 7 figures to a rich Arabian Sheik, and then when it doesn't happen, they want nothing to do with the offspring. They're treated as collateral damage.
      Slaughter plants existed for one reason and one reason only---P R O F I T! They didn't exist to address, humanely, a horse-overpopulation problem. Sad that so many seemingly "intelligent" elected officials fail, miserably, to understand the root of the problem and always opt for what appears to be a humane alternative. Just as killing unwanted dogs and cats, puppies and kitties is rapidly becoming unacceptable and being addressed by communities on truly humane levels by offering more affordable spaying and neutering, so is the unnecessary slaughter of horses that would otherwise be sold or adopted to a caring family. STOP BREEDING WHEN THERE IS NO MARKET FOR THE FOALS! Roll up your sleeves and work to find people willing to adopt the horses you've already bred! Take responsibility for your actions. Don't expect someone else to solve YOUR problem!!!!!
      NO HORSE SLAUGHTER NOW OR EVER! THIS IS AMERICA! THIS IS 2010. WE CAN DO BETTER. YES WE CAN AND WE WILL.

      Here's a link to an article written my a very well educated and "compassionate" man who just happens to believe that most elected officials are being "spoon-fed" lies by people like former Senator Conrad Burns who now proudly is the mouthpiece for horse councils who believe that slaughter is necessary. It is NOT!

      Please take a moment to educate yourself:

      http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-123.shtml
      Respectfully, and kindly,
      Susan T.

      ~ a voice for the voiceless ~

      ---------- ----------

      From: Casey Guernsey
      Date: Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 2:20 PM
      Subject: RE: SLAUGHTER IS NOT A "HUMANE" SOLUTION
      To: Susan T.

      Susan,

      Thanks for your email. I have been an equestrian my entire life and have had the pleasure of owning many fine horses. I currently own and enjoy a beautiful Belgian named Henry who I consider a treasure. I strongly, emphatically & respectfully disagree with your position. I will work diligently to pass this legislation and look forward to working with my colleague Representative Viebrock on its passage.

      I appreciate your (mostly) civil tone, however tainted by passion it might be. Your email is at least an attempt at civil discourse, quite different from most of the dolts who have written me.

      Casey

      Representative Casey Guernsey
      Proudly Serving the 3rd House District
      Daviess, Gentry, Worth, Harrison, Grundy, Sullivan & Mercer Counties
      Missouri House of Representatives

      573.751.4285
      660.425.8984

      ---------- ----------

    • 2 years ago
  • Christine_Kwi
    • +1
      Christine_Kwi  
    • Image

    • My responses from Casey Guernsey after I sent the Kinshipcircle letter:

      ----------------------------------

      Subject: Re: Please do not legalize horse slaughter in Missouri... See More
      Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:28:22 +0000
      From: Casey Guernsey
      Reply-To: caseyguernsey@gmail.com
      To: Christine kwi

      I'm not your state rep. Why are you even writing me.
      CG

      Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

      ----------------------------------
      To Casey Guernsey

      Thank you for your snarky reply.

      I am a citizen of the United States and this bill will affect EVERYONE IN THE US. Not just Missouri.... See More

      It is known that Missouri is already the nation's puppy mill capital which is appalling. Now your enterprising state aims to reinstate horse slaughter. Why?

      Rep. Jim Viebrock, R-Republic, has introduced H.B. 1747 to sidestep federal regulations that bar horse slaughter for human consumption. According to Viebrock, his bill would jump-start the "ailing equine industry." Here are US Horse Slaughter statistics: http://awionline.org/ht/d/sp/i/14227/pid/14227

      The last three U.S. kill plants closed in 2007. It would be disgusting for Missouri revive a vile industry.

      With the response I received from you, it's obvious you cannot think outside of the state border of Missouri and how it will affect the rest of the country.

      Have a nice day - if this bill passes, those horses will never have a nice one.

      Your email address will be blocked from my account from this point on.

      Sincerely,
      Christine Kwi
      BUFFALO NEW YORK

      ----------------------------------
      From Casey Guernsey

      Subject: Re: [Fwd: Re: Please do not legalize horse slaughter in Missouri]
      Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:56:55 +0000
      From: Casey Guernsey ... See More
      Reply-To: caseyguernsey@gmail.com
      To: Christine Kwi

      Just one question. What do you propose happen to old, lame and sick horses? Are you seriously concerned about humane treatment? If so you'd actually look at the real problem. Why can't you people try and come up with solutions here.

      Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Christine_Kwi:

      Okay, so he asked you THREE questions (I just HAVE to be sarcastic with this uneducated fool).

      SICK horses, especially, shouldn't be sold for human consumption! So what's he talking about? And for the "lame" and "old" horses, put them out to pasture to live out their lives in some semblance of peace.

      I don't understand what he means by "the real problem."

      And then he just has to say "you people."

      But, in his defense, he is asking "us people" to come up with solutions, because he's openly admitting HE sure as hell hasn't a damn clue.

      And why is it ONLY Missouri, then?

    • 2 years ago
  • Christine_Kwi
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • Christine_Kwi:

      I wish more people would have clicked on the link and then shared THEIR responses from this.... um.... dare I go so far as to say "dangerous" person, since he's not only illiterate, but sadistic?

      Anyway, I'm going to send you a private post.

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Image

    • http://gmail.com

      ________________________________________
      ________________________________________

      I automatically wrote to all the House of Representatives in the state of Missouri, and here's the email back-and-forth from a really uneducated, cold-hearted Representative Casey Guernsey, Missouri:

      ________________________________________
      ________________________________________

      TO CASEY GUERNSEY...
      Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:12:17 -0400
      Subject: Please do not legalize horse slaughter in Missouri

      Missouri House of Representatives:

      Please reject Rep. Jim Viebrock's bill to sidestep federal rules that bar horse slaughter for human consumption. If passed, H.B. 1747 lets horse processors operate in Missouri - even though no equine plants legally function in the U.S. right now. While supporters insist slaughter "saves" horses from neglect and starvation, their argument fails to recognize:

      - "Americans oppose horse slaughter by an overwhelming margin," says Glen Bolger, national pollster and founding partner of the nonpartisan Public Opinion Strategies (POS). In a 2007 poll, POS found that 71% want horses preserved as part of American cultural heritage. Nearly half are less likely to vote for a Congressperson who is against a horse slaughter ban.

      - Equine plants are known polluters that congest sewers and contaminate land and water.

      - Under Missouri Anti-Cruelty Statues Chapter 578, animal abandonment is a crime punishable by fines and jail time. Rather than advocate slaughter as an alternative to neglect, lawmakers ought to enforce criminal prosecution.

      - Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia. Methods to stun and kill cows and pigs are excruciating when used on horses. Nonetheless, these excitable, long-necked animals are subjected to captive bolt pistols that often don't render them insensible. Some remain aware while killed.

      - Overpopulation stems from industries such as Premarin and Prempro (HRT drugs made from mare urine); carriage horses; riding stables, etc. that over-breed horses. Focus should shift to breeding oversight and responsible care. Moreover, there is no documented connection between closure of domestic plants and a spike in horse abuse cases. In contrast, slaughter supplies a "dumping ground" for irresponsible breeders and caretakers.

      H.B. 1747 wants to impose a U.S. market for horsemeat on a nation that doesn't want it. The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 727, currently before Congress, bans possession, shipment, transport, purchase, sale, delivery or receipt of any horse for the purpose of human ingestion. In 2006 Congress cut off funding for mandatory ante-mortem inspection of horses. This de-funding was reinstated in the 2010 Appropriations Act. It is illegal to kill uninspected horses under the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

      In 2007 the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals proclaimed horse slaughter illegal in Texas, home to two foreign-owned equine plants. Later that year, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly froze America's last kill plant in DeKalb, Illinois for its failure to assess environmental impacts of horse slaughter, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.

      Missouri's proposed "rebirth" of a doomed industry is economically and ethically shortsighted. Horse slaughter is a no-win for horses and people. Please do not support H.B. 1747.

      Sincerely,

      ________________________________________
      ________________________________________

      FROM CASEY GUERNSEY...
      On 3/21/2010 5:12 PM, Casey Guernsey wrote:

      I'm not your state rep. Why are you even writing me.
      CG

      Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

      ________________________________________
      ________________________________________

      TO CASEY GUERNSEY...
      Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:30:52 -0700
      To:
      Subject: Re: Please do not legalize horse slaughter in Missouri

      Wow. What a pleasant tone. And you can't even punctuate. Just what we need: another illiterate trying to run the U.S.A.

      In response to your sentence...:

      Because what Missouri does affects the entire country. It's really quite simple.

      ________________________________________
      ________________________________________

      FROM CASEY GUERNSEY
      Date: Sun, 21 Ma 2010 5:58PM
      From: caseyguernsey@gmail.com

      Wow. Quite the diplomat, aren't we. Why don't you write someone who cares what you think. Considering our blood isn't even the same temp, your lucky to have received a response at all. Someday when you've been around a real life horsey your opinion might actually count. As a life long equestrian I have forgotten more about taking care of them than you could ever hope to know. Get a life and stop watching disney.....I hate to break it to you, but it isn't real.

      Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
      ________________________________________
      ________________________________________

      http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills101/member/mem003.jpg

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • EthicalVegan:

      Today, Monday (6:32PM) -- the 22nd of March 2010 -- the U.S. Representative Casey Guernsey, of the State of Missouri, sent me yet another email. Here it is, copied and pasted:

      "Thought I’d let you know, I got a real kick out of your email. I’m going to save it for a good laugh in the future – ha! You animal rights people crack me up."

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
  • EthicalVegan
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