Horse Slaughter, Business, and National Forests

From Susan:

"Here is a very interesting article about the Thoroughbred Industry's objections to the horse slaughter issue raised recently in Ocala at an invitation-only meeting with Ric Keller, R-Orlando, a member of the Congressional Horse Caucus.

The Thoroughbred Industry says there isn't sufficient alternatives (such as OTTB adoption) and retraining facilities in place to handle the 65,000 horses a year that they produce which aren't suitable for the race track, which is why they want the slaughter to continue so the meat can be sold for consumption in Europe and Asia.

It also covers their concerns about needing illegal immigrants to provide "affordable labor" on their horse farms. They say they wouldn't be able to stay in business without being able to rely on the work of illegal immigrants.

And a very interesting mention is the recent decision by the US Government(without going through Congress) via the USDA to begin selling off sections of US National Forests. Nearly 1,000 acres of environmentally sensitive watershed lands in the Ocala National Forest is slated for sale-- land which is necessary to protect our water system.

Those in other states may want to check on the Government's plans to sell-off portions of the National Forests in your states, to cover the budget shortfalls producing by the Administration's questionable priorities of tax cuts for those who don't need them while selling off US assets and cutting back on services to those who need those services now more than ever before.

Read the entire article for more details:
http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060228/NEWS/
202280345&SearchID=73238471445953

Then contact the USDA and your Congressional Representatives to make your views on these important issues known. And please pass the word.

Susan"