I found this information from R.T Fitch’s blog at http://rtfitch.wordpress.com when I was trying to find what the outcome was from the protest discussion with the BLM on Monday. I still haven’t run across all of the details, but I will post as soon as I do. The below are excerpts from the post written by SABINA DANA PLASSE:
The American West’s wild horse saga will not end without a good fight from lovers of the land and the animals.
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker James Kleinert has been documenting the struggle of the wild horse and its disappearance from the West for the last six years. Kleinert has been gathering footage and commentary from wild horse lovers and at roundups.
“The wild horse will be annihilated as an American symbol,” Kleinert said. “The Bureau of Land Management is pitting horse advocates against ranchers, but there is a greater issue.”
Watch YouTube video: Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western – Trailer
America’s wild horses are in jeopardy! Disappointment Valley exposes mismanagement and corruption within the Bureau of Land Management.
From the YouTube video: Here’s how you can help:
1) Call President Obama (202-456-1111) and Secretary of the InteriorKen Salazar (202-208-3100). Demand a Congressional investigation into the Bureau of Land Management. Ask for independent studies on statistics of the wild horses and do NOT rely on the BLM statistics. They are flawed and misrepresent the truth.
3) Share this video and information with friends and family. Most people don’t know wild horses still roam the west, let alone they are being rounded up and slaughtered. The public has fought to support these horses in the past. We can do it again! The more people who become aware of the issue, the better chance they have for survival. www.theamericanwildhorse.com
On editorials about horse protection, my interview with the horse biomechanics author and the impact of the social networking revolution vs old style advertising:
Panimetro, my rescued ex-racehorse, on the VICCTRE 2009 Calendar cover
I’m working on three editorials/articles/posts that I believe of great interest to my readers and all of these posts relate in some way or another!
I had an interview with horse biomechanics author of “The Tug of War” and DVD “If Horses Could Speak” – Dr. Gerd Heuschmann – at his book signing on October 29th; then I went to his lecture the next evening. I took a lot of notes and used my recorder. This is an issue close to my heart as he is a proponent in bringing back the true Classical Dressage instead of rewarding the ‘modern’ competitive dressage which can be inhumane (have you seen the ‘blue tongue’ video circulating the internet?) and actually harm the horse as it gets older. My trainer, Kathy Daly, is a Classical Dressage trainer and a judge. I’m so thankful that I followed her training practices over the 16 years that I have been with her. More on this interview soon as I compile my notes.
Dr. Gerd Heuschmann's book, Tug of War
The week previous, I had posted many articles about the Cloud issue and the mustang roundup by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that provoked quite a protest. Accompanying this were many YouTube videos, showing potentially inhumane capture conditions, lameness of some horses and foals, tying up and colic induced from the process of the roundup via helicopter down the Pryor mountain range 12 mile trek in 90+ degree heat. More soon on this, too.
The newest Cloud PBS documentary was on that Sunday evening (Oct. 25th) and shortly after that was a TV episode of “Mad Men” about an early 1960′s Cooper-Sterling advertising agency that had a controversial subject about a large dog food company that had horsemeat in their ingredients and was losing customers because of it. So I had this correlation or observation going on in my head about the horse slaughter issue, mustangs and mad men in general.
Leading up to the Cloud documentary, a horrific YouTube video showing the disgusting and inhumane slaughter methods used on horses was circulated via the social networks Facebook and Twitter. I have seen slaughter videos, but not one as horrible as this one.
So, I started writing an editorial I was (am) to call “Mad Men and Mustangs”. To do this I started an extended search via the internet on all that has been written recently about the mustang issues and what happens to them when they are rounded up, a correlation with the slaughter process, and the episode of “Mad Men” that showed the beginning in 1961 when a larger majority of people became aware of the horrors of horse slaughter from the movie “The Misfits” (more on this in my extended version). The ‘mad men’ of the ad agency showed how they tried to handle a re-branding of dog food (that contained slaughtered horse meat) so people would buy it again.
Cloud & his band
Well, 27 pages later on this subject, I had to back up and start a project management process to pull all of this information together. I have decided to provide this information in a series that will be in the format of an ongoing information dump and discussion – it can’t be covered in just one editorial. The implications on this issue are too vast and I always like to understand all aspects before I make statements that can be misconstrued or be too direct in passing judgment.
I have discovered a correlation of how the advertising industry worked ‘in the old days’ and how social media is changing the way we influence people, as it has become a trust in your peers and friends and ‘not so much’ for the bigger companies/industries. Being an active participant in social media allows us to widen our circle of influence and extend our influence to others. Other than just connecting with friends or peers in your industry or interest area, social networking is slowly replacing previous methods of product marketing.
Headline Article Showing Share Social Networking Button
Enlarged Shot of Share button
From a business perspective, you get fans via Face Book along with the constant suggestion of friends that meet your profile criteria (mine is horses for the most part, plus animals, gardening, the environment, etc.) and friends that follow you on Twitter, again meeting your profile criteria or according to your postings or ‘tweets’. I get more spammers on Twitter than Face Book, but I don’t have to follow them back (and you can block them if you wish). I’ve only done this for something that looks like a porn follower, although I really don’t care who follows me. I don’t post anything that is so controversial or private that it makes a difference. The spam I get is more along the lines of advertising for teeth whitening or click here to make millions using Twitter – just ignore those and don’t ever click on these links. I do have the state of the art virus protection, Eset’s NOD 32®, that will block anything malicious, plus a myriad of other ways I manage spam on my PCs.
Okay. this editorial is getting too long. There is just too much to say in one editorial and I don’t want to lose your attention. I look forward to sharing full versions of my lecture overview, mustangs, mad men, slaughter and more on social networking media and what it means to you as a consumer and as a company/service provider. All of this really does link together !
American wild horses are in serious danger. The BLM has scheduled another mustang round up to begin September 1 in the Pryor Mountains of Montana. Please send the e-mail below to President Obama, Vice President Biden, and your two U.S. Senators.
On July 17, the House of Representatives passed the “Restore Our American Mustangs” (ROAM) Act, H.R. 1018, legislation that protects wild horses and burros from commercial sale and slaughter. The ROAM Act would allow horses to occupy lands they formerly roamed freely. The bill also implements far-reaching and humane solutions to manage the horses in new ways, saving millions of tax dollars.
Congressman Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat, said, “horses are an inspiration, a symbol of America and the wide-open spaces that dominate so much of the country. The House has voted three times on this issue, and it’s past time it becomes law.”
However, The ROAM Act is only a romantic notion until passed by the Senate and signed by the President. Please use the form on this page to contact President Obama, Interior Secretary Salazar, and your two Senators immediately.
Cloud’s Herd Is At Risk
In a chilling irony, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the government agency entrusted to protect wild horses, is planning to capture and place in holding pens half of the Pryor Mountain horses, better known as Cloud’s herd. Only 190 horses (one year and older) remain of the herd led by the much-celebrated and near-mythical wild mustang stallion of the Pryor Mountains. An estimated 150 – 200 adult horses are needed to ensure the long-term survival of the herd. This round up strikes at the heart of America’s grandeur and heroic adventure. Wild horses remain fixed in people’s minds as an emblem of true freedom.
The removed horses will be placed in jeopardy. Any horses over 10 years of age can be bought directly by killer buyers and transported to slaughterhouses in Canada or Mexico. Younger horses not adopted would be put into government holding with 33,000 others who the BLM have removed from the wild. The BLM proposes killing the healthy wild horses as a solution to the rising cost of keeping horses in long-and short-term pens. We must act now!
The BLM could trap and pen Cloud and his herd as soon as September 1. Don’t let this happen! Cloud and his herd, like all wild horses on our public lands, deserve our fierce protection.
(Important Note: Some Senators no longer accept e-mail and only accept comments via webforms at their web sites. You might get a reply after sending this message saying that your Senator only accepts webform comments. If so, please consider visiting his/her website and making your views known with the Senator’s webform! Thanks!)
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