Betty Brown: "I think that everyone in here feels like they’ve
heard more
than they want to hear about this subject. We’ve spoken once on it, and
the
question now is, do we want the animals rights people to set ag policy for
our State from now on? Or do we want…. or do we want the people that are
involved in agriculture and agriculture related industry in our State who
deal with this issue all the time and know the most about it, for them to
make the decisions about the future of ag policy in our State."
Dear Rep. Brown,
I shudder to call you a Representative, since you certainly are not
representing the will of the people of Texas on this issue. Polls clearly
indicate that Texans do not want their horses slaughtered in your county,
but you have ignored their plea. The only people you are representing with
this bill are the slaughterhouses.
Amazingly, you still do not understand who is against your bill. We are not
"animal rights" people. We are horse people, people who chose to fight
for
the lives of the thousands of horses that your beloved slaughterhouses are
killing every year. We're not hugging trees or finding homes for lost
crickets in our spare time, instead we're taking care of, and enjoying, one
of God's greatest creatures - our horses.
In Texas, horses don't receive an agriculture exemption, so I seriously
question how this becomes, in your eyes, an agriculture issue. Did you
notice that we're not protesting soybean production production laws? We're
not pounding the halls of Congress about goats? We're horse people, and your
bill is about horses. To tell us that others know more about horses than we
do is a direct insult to us, but it seems that doesn't bother you.
Despite what you think, we are involved in the laws concerning horses in
Texas. We will stay involved, all through your process of fighting for the
slaughterhouses to remain open. We'll watch your actions throughout this
session, the next session, and at every turn, and we will do everything in
our power to block your desire to kill our horses.
We, the horse people of Texas, represent our horses. You don't. Nor do your
friends at the slaughterhouses. And just as you don't represent us, you are
not representing the will of the people of Texas.