http://pagosasun.com/archives/2010/09%20September/093010/letters.html#Anchor-Horse-49575
Letters to Editor
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Dear Editor:
I am the former mayor of Kaufman,
Texas, where one of the nation’s last horse slaughter plants was finally closed
in 2007. I just learned that J. Paul Brown is running to represent your
district in the Colorado Legislature. I think it is important for people to
know that J. Paul Brown brought horses to Texas and sold them to the slaughter
plant during 2004 and 2005 (years I have documents for). I wonder if people in
District 59 can support the values and judgment of someone who took Colorado
horses, where horse slaughter is not practiced, and brought them to Texas
(where horse slaughter has since been declared illegal).
Let me explain, as a mayor whose
city served as nothing more than a doormat for this shoddy and cruel industry,
why I believe voters might want to consider candidate J. Paul Brown carefully.
Horse slaughter is a foreign-driven
operation that supplies horse meat for human consumption overseas, with an
appalling record and a wholly negative economic impact in its host communities.
The horse slaughter plant in my community violated environmental regulations
continually, thwarted economic development, created significant financial burdens
directly and indirectly and, once our “dirty little secret” was learned,
established a broadly negative reputation for my community. It is not good at
all to be the place that slaughters people’s pets and companions for
consumption overseas.
Some would say that horse slaughter
is a “necessary evil,” or a service. That is simply not true. The USDA reports
that over 92 percent of horses sent to slaughter are in good to excellent
condition, less than 10 years old, and without behavioral problems. And the conditions
and treatment of these horses prior to slaughter are horrific. In a document
covering the plant’s operation for just 11 months, the USDA released 900 pages,
made up almost entirely of photographs documenting terrible injuries.
I still get calls. Not long ago a
couple contacted me about horses they had taken to auction. They realized too
late that their mares were bought by a self-described “killer buyer” who takes
horses to slaughter. Other times I get calls from people whose horses have been
stolen. The motto of the horse slaughter plant that Brown took horses to was,
“From the stable to the table in four days.”
Given the facts behind this cruel
practice, it makes me wonder why J. Paul Brown would willingly engage in it.
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare unambiguously assert that horse slaughter is
in no way euthanasia, but a predatory, cruel business for horses and for
people. Mr. Brown apparently was willing to travel to Texas to seek out the
horse slaughter plant, something Colorado has wisely avoided
hosting.
Powerful proponents of horse
slaughter have been pushing some state legislatures to pass laws promoting
taxpayer-subsidized horse slaughter. Will J. Paul Brown carry the water for the
special interests of the foreign horse slaughter market to try and promote this
exploitative practice in Colorado?
If Mr. Brown supports the slaughter
of American horses to gratify the appetites of French consumers, I wonder, are
you comfortable with his decision making and his representation of you?
Sincerely,
Paula Bacon