09.08.06
Congress Is Back In Session & Back To Work?
Well the Republican led Congress got back to work yesterday doing the important business facing this nation. With only 19 working days left before the election, Ban on horse meat OK’d. That Republican legislative agenda is just sailing along. Oh yeah, Mary Beth Harrell’s opponent voted for this critical issue facing America.
[UPDATE]:Â I stand corrected, Rep. Carter voted against this critical legislation facing America.
dembones said,
September 8, 2006 at 1:07 pm
There is one question I would like to ask John Carter and the rest of the do-nothing, Republican-led Congress: what makes a horse more sacred than a cow? Many people chortle over the Hindu belief that cows represent the souls of beloved ancestors. Yet those same people that have no problem centering their diet on beef consider horse meat disgusting and the slaughter of horses a crime?
This so perfectly exemplifies what is wrong about our current right-wing leadership. They confuse cultural identity with morality, and unquestioningly deem our culture the best on Earth. “Our” meat is the one true meat. “Our” form of government is the one true government. “Our” religion is the one true path to glory.
Bullshit.
There’s only one true anything… and that is the Earth itself. We only have one. Without it, nothing else matters. We have to share it with 10 billion others. Logic tells me that there isn’t enough space on the planet to graze animals for meat in a supply that will satisfy 10 billion appetites. Therefore, I have chosen to stop eating animals. It is a decision that I feel very good about personally (I’m healthier) and globally.
I would never advocate passing a law to outlaw beef, pork, chicken or fish — or horses, deer, squirrels or dogs. Leave it up to the individual to choose. Passing a law outlawing one form of meat is hypocritical and preposterous. For our Congress to waste their time on this is an insult, and further proves why we need to throw these bums out.
Susan Garry said,
September 8, 2006 at 6:53 pm
I, too, am a vegetarian. I will try to explain what I know about this legislation. I believe that our country already had legislation against eating horses . . . in this country. It was not illegal to slaughter the horses here and then ship the meat over for the French to eat. What this legislation does is to go one step further and forbid the slaughtering of horses in this country for other countries to eat.
Also, I believe that Carter voted against the bill. Looking at the votes for the bill, which passed, they seem to be weighted on the Democratic side. The votes against were mainly Republican.
I was in favor of the bill, which now goes to the Senate. Opponents of the bill said that there needs to be a way to get rid of old and otherwise incapacitated horses. The quarterhorse association was in favor of the bill; thoroughbred people and the Humane Society were for the bill.
I can see the arguments for not letting old horses suffer, but it seems that they were suffering on the way to these slaughterhouses. There are only three, two in Texas, that this legislation would shut down. We had an old horse, and we just let her peacefully wander around the pasture until she passed away. Then, it is difficult to do something with such a large dead animal, and you have to call the rendering plant. I digress.
Anyway, I called Carter’s office to ask him to support the bill, which he did not, I believe. Maybe I’m looking at the votes wrong.
Susan Garry said,
September 8, 2006 at 7:09 pm
Correction to my previous comment: I think the quarterhorse people were against this bill-in favor of allowing horse slaughter. Also, some veterinary groups were against the bill, thinking that there needs to be something that can be done with old, useless horses. Glad we’re not horses, at least as we age!
dembones said,
September 9, 2006 at 11:18 am
Thank you, Susan. You’ve raised some good points. Not the least of which is the factual basis for my original complaint. I assumed that Republicans were unanimously in favor of the Horse Slaughter Ban. The vote is here:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll433.xml
It shows that Republicans were split on the measure 106-110, with a slight majority opposing the slaughter ban. Democrats were overwhelmingly in favor of the ban, 156-36. I apologize for the error, and am saddened that my party was more responsible for this hypocrisy. As for John Carter, he voted against passage of the ban. Let it be known, that on this issue, John Carter and I are in agreement. Well done, Rep. Carter! I guess I will need to resort to using the remaining dozens of reasons for opposing him in my future arguments against his re-election.
wcnews said,
September 9, 2006 at 8:11 pm
My main point in posting this was to point out the inanity of Congress doing this when there are so many more important issues facing our country right now. My mistake on Carter’s vote was careless but I was trying to point out not the “rightness” or “wrongness” of either side of the issue but just, what in my opinion, was the silliness of voting on horse meat. first thing back.