Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Legislature / Woods Ag Committee Solves Animal Cruelty Problem: Let's Eat Trigger Instead of Starving Him
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 10:37 AM
The hillbillies on the House Agriculture Committee were itching to vote down Rep. Janis Sontany's legislation to make it a felony to sadistically starve or otherwise torture a horse. They settled for singing hosannas to the bill's main foe--the powerful Farm Bureau--before reluctantly agreeing today to put off killing it for a week.
Sontany asked for the delay out of desperation. But the death of her bill is inevitable. The Farm Bureau won't budge. It says it's protecting farmers from crazy animal lovers.
"The Farm Bureau is the 800-pound gorilla that walks around down here," Sontany complained as the committee collectively yawned. "They've got the clout, not me as one legislator. I'd welcome their help. But all I get is no, they're not going to negotiate in any way."
That set off Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Pleistocene Epoch, who went on a bizarre tirade against Willie Nelson. That's right, it's all the fault of the red-headed stranger. If it weren't for Willie and his PETA buddies, we'd slaughter more horses. Therefore, these horses wouldn't be starving. Because they would be dead. Also, Niceley argued, we ought to eat these horses or at least sell them to China or Mexico to be eaten. Here's only a small part of his diatribe:
"When they shut down the horse processing plants in America, they thought they were doing a great job. They thought that was a humane thing to do. Willie Nelson thought that was the humane thing to do, and they were going to save all those horses and they were going to get them adopted. Well, guess what? It's the most inhumane thing that has ever happened to the horse world. I've never seen as many horses starving as there are now because there's no where to go with them. ... A horse can live to be 40 years old, occasionally 50. I've heard of them 60 years old. All over the world, people want to buy these horses. It's a cultural thing. China eats a tremendous amount. Mexico is No. 2. ... When these good-intentioned people push to stop the processing of horses in America, they did the horses in this country a great disjustice."
When Niceley finished, more lawmakers started popping off about PETA and various other villains who are tormenting the good farmers of our state.
Rep. Willie "Butch" Borchert worried about clogging up the jails with all the animal abusers who would run afoul of Sontany's bill. "How many people are going to be willing to vote for taxes to keep building new jails?" he asked. "That's one of the problems I've got with this bill."
Rep. Eddie Bass was just about to launch into his speech when an exasperated Sontany interrupted.
"I should have just run over you in the garage this morning," she told Bass.
"That's a misdemeanor," Bass joked.
"With you, it should be, sir."
Comments (13)
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I was talking about this earlier in the morning with some friends who also own horses. We feel fortunate that we are able to care for our animals, and we sometimes feel the pinch when feed prices spike or when the Vet comes around. The problem is, if disaster struck our family, we have no idea what might happen to our horses. You certainly cannot drop them off at the local shelter, and the few horse shelters that exist are already strained.
Sure, my horses would be easy to sell, given the breed and the condition, but many, if not most, would not be worth a dime. I suppose an owner could just shoot a horse he cannot unload at market, which is preferable to starvation. Willfull neglect is never excusable, but perhaps its time to consider the motives of the owners before passing judgement.
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An ag professor at MTSU wrote something a while back, in which he said "Horse lovers who do not have horses are the ones who oppose the slaughter houses." (sending your horse down the Alpo trail when you cannot care for him)Most responsible horse owners are like Mack. Horses are stock animals, even as cows and hogs. Sometimes we have to make tough decisions between feeding our family and feeding our horses. Warm fuzzy feelings vs. reality. Ms Sontay has the privilege of spending her time and resources rescuing as many starving horses as she wants to personally, but I do not want to spend our state's money on the enforcement of these issues. We have too many human needs going begging, too many other crimes going unfelonied.
Part of the problem may well be that when wealthy people starting to play horse breeder, or adopted the accessories but not the knowledge, prices for anything horse related went through the barn roof. I suspect if an owner had unsellable horses he couldn't feed, the first step would be to reach out through a local co-op, see if other horse lovers might spare enough hay or grain to get him or her through a rough patch, or, failing that, find a home.
I couldn't send a horse in any condition to be slaughtered. I make no judgments, as I am a carnivore, but in this country, there is no need to consume these intuitive, affectionate, and loyal animals.
i forgot to add...perhaps people who trade in horses should make sure that new owners have adequate pasture available, and that they know how to maintain them. I can't count how many poorly maintained pastures I see every day that pass for "horse-friendly."
I also meant to say that I'd shoot a horse before I'd watch it starve.
Bravo, Ms. Sontany, for standing up to these bullies! I'm revolted by the House Agrigulture Committee and the Farm Bureau, denying any dignity and value to those wonderful creatures we dismissively call livestock. But seeing the way the legislature has conducted business during this last year, little is surprising. It's time to present a bill that would make dragging a member of the House Agriculture Committee from your bumper a misdemeanor.
I think Mack nailed it. I'm not a horse owner, I'm a conservationist - and I see the results of fuzzy thinking about animals all the time. People who spend all their time in the city acquire either an indifference to nature, or an overly sentimental attitude.
Then we get problems with people feeding baboons, thinking that they're cute. Or wanting to stroke dassies. Or saying "No, don't shoot the tahrs! That's cruel. Relocate them."
They have no understanding that fed baboons become serious pests, dangerous to local landowners and have to be put down, that dassies can carry rabies, or that relocating animals is far more stressful to the animal than shooting them (or that the tahrs caused klipspringer to die of starvation).
These are all South African examples, but this business with your horses sounds all too familiar.
Country folk who care for their horses won't mistreat them. If they can't afford to feed them, they'll kill them. That's not cruel, it's realistic.
I think Sontany needs anger management...she sounded like a physco yesterday in committee. She is not telling the truth about Farm Bureau, they have talked to her about this issue. But obviously she is incapable of understanding their stand.
I am appalled at her attitude towards the Farm Bureau and Representative Eddie Bass. I can not see how people in her district could vote for her another term.
People you need to clearly read the bill and talk to a FARMER with horses to better help you understand what this bill could mean to them.
It appears to me that there are some key words in this legislation that some of you are missing and would address "how" an animal was treated and they are; "to sadistically starve or otherwise torture a horse." Why would ANYONE look the other way while an animal (yes, even livestock, including chickens, cows, pigs, ducks, etc.) was sadistically starved or tortured? If the punishment for such a crime isn't tough enough, then the crime will continue. It should be a felony.
We need to reopen US horse slaughter houses. The price for a vet to put down a horse can run over $600 which is ludicrous. It's irresponsible through insane for a poisoned, rotting horse carcass to be permitted to contaminate ground, potentially spread disease, and for poisoned carcasses to be allowed to contaminate water tables. It's wasteful to allow up to a one ton healthy carcass to rot rather than go to feed those who prefer horse meat over other foods. Enough with the animal terrorists! They need to mind their own business. What pity they have none of their own to mind.
I was at the committee and the only people sounding like psycho's were the reps, complaining about PETA, HSUS and horse slaughter. This bill has nothing to do with any of those things if they would actually sit down and read it! Farm Bureau and the committee is doing nothing, but pulling scare tactic scenarios out of thin air! If you take care of your livestock, then there is nothing to worry about. Here is the actual bill: HOUSE BILL 3386 By Sontany
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 14, Part 2, relative to offenses against animals.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-212, is amended by deleting
the section in its entirety and substituting instead the following: (a) As used in this section:
(1) “Aggravated cruelty” means conduct that is done or carried out in a depraved and sadistic manner and that tortures or maims an animal and shall be construed to include the intentional deprivation of food and water to an animal where the deprivation results in the death of the animal or a substantial risk of death;
(2) “Elderly” means any person sixty-five (65) years of age or older; and
(2) “Minor” means any person under eighteen (18) years of age. (b) A person commits the offense of aggravated animal cruelty who, without
justifiable purpose, intentionally kills or intentionally causes serious bodily injury to an animal in a manner demonstrating aggravated cruelty towards such animal.
(c) Subsection (b) shall not be construed to apply to, prohibit, change, amend or interfere with the following endeavors:
(1) Any activity regulated by title 70, involving fish and wildlife; (2) Activities or conduct that are prohibited by § 39-14-203;
(3) Dispatching:
HB3386 01358271 -1-
may:
(E) A wild or abandoned animal on a farm or residential real property;
(4) Engaging in lawful hunting, trapping, or fishing activities, including activities commonly associated with the hunting of small game as defined in § 70-1-101(a)(34);
(5) Performing or conducting bona fide scientific tests, experiments or investigations within or for a bona fide research laboratory, facility or institution;
(6) Performing accepted veterinary medical practices or treatments;
(7) Engaging, with the consent of the owner of a farm animal, in usual and customary practices which are accepted by colleges of agriculture or veterinary medicine with respect to that animal; or
(8) Applying methods and equipment used to train animals. (d) Aggravated cruelty to animals is a Class E felony. (e) In addition to the penalty imposed by subsection (d) the sentencing court
(1) Order the defendant to surrender custody and forfeit all animals in the defendant’s possession and may award custody of the animals to the agency presenting the case. The court may prohibit the defendant from having custody of other animals for any period of time the court determines to be reasonable or
(A) An animal in any manner not demonstrating aggravated cruelty towards that animal;
safety;
(B) A rabid or diseased animal; (C) An animal posing a clear and immediate threat to human
(D) An animal in accordance with § 44-17-403(e); or
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impose any other reasonable restrictions on the person's custody of animals as is necessary for the protection of the animals;
(2) Require the defendant to undergo psychological evaluation and counseling if the aggravated cruelty involved conduct other than failing to provide food and water. The cost of the counseling is to be borne by the defendant unless the defendant is indigent, in which case the court may, where practicable, direct the defendant to locate and enroll in a counseling or treatment program with an appropriate agency;
(3) Send notification of the conviction to the appropriate protective agencies within fifteen (15) days if a defendant convicted under this section resides in a household with minor children or elderly individuals, and if the defendant’s aggravated cruelty involved conduct other than failing to provide food and water;
(4) Hold the defendant liable to the impounding officer or agency for all costs of impoundment from the time of seizure to the time of proper disposition of the case; and
(5) Hold the defendant liable to the owner of the animal for damages. (f) If a violation of this section resulted in the death or permanent disability of a
person's guide dog, then the value of the guide dog shall include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, both the cost of the guide dog as well as the cost of any specialized training the guide dog received.
(g) If a juvenile is found to be within the court's jurisdiction for conduct that, if committed by an adult, would be a criminal violation of this section, the court may order that the juvenile be evaluated to determine the need for psychiatric or psychological
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treatment. If the court determines that psychiatric or psychological treatment is appropriate for that juvenile, then the court may order that treatment.
(h) This section does not preclude the court from entering any other order of disposition allowed under this chapter. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010, the public welfare requiring it.
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I have been at both committee meetings about the bill and find it amusing that Rep. Sontany is being called a psycho and needing anger management as well as "animal terrorist" need to mind their own business. Are you kidding me? I was told by Rep. Bass after the meeting that HSUS is trying to turn the world vegan....what? Not to mention the rant about Willie Nelson and PETA in the meeting. Who sounds like psychos now? I mean seriously, neither one of these things have anything to do with trying to make animal abuse a felony. Stick to what is being presented, please! I thought it was an interesting point made by Rep. Sontany about filing a false insurance claim and writing a bad check over $500 dollars is a felony, but sadistically abusing a animal (livestock) is a misdemeanor. c'mon peopl, THIS BILL NEEDS TO PASS! SUPPORT HB3386!
SLAUGHTER CANNOT BE HUMANE. The captive bolt does not work correctly on horses. Please see this statement.*Statement of Dr. Friedlander can be read at http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org/captive_bolt.htm
Horses are often CONSCIOUS while skinned and gutted. This is a national disgrace, whether done here or in Canada and Mexico. We have lost or souls if we allow this torture of horses to continue.
i don't think there is one person on here who condones horse slaughter who has actually witnessed the sheer and utter horror of it. And that is Canada. Mexican slaugherhouses are beyond horror. Treat yourself to a YouTube video on Mexican horse slaughter. Then come back here and act like you know it is a good solution.
Please educate yourselves before you think it is a humane answer to your temporary financial woes. There are so many horse rescue organization that are available to help.
If you absolutely cannot find a good home--euthanize it. Call you vet to help. NEVER EVER EVER send it to slaughter unless YOU plan on accompanying it all the way through the process from doubledecker bus ride from hell to the most inhumane end you can imagine. Shame on all of you supposed horse lovers. You don't deserve your horses.
Horse Slaughter will never return to the United States. Ever.
