Mustangs Still need us To Stand Strong

There have been scores of equine advocates that have been fighting for our national herd, the Wild Mustangs. Worldwide they are considered a. American breed, a foundation line of our cow horses, (American Quarter Horses), our painted and spotted breeds have lineage that can be traced to the Spanish stock that is now the American Mustang. The destruction of the Mustang is politically and fiscally driven so cattle, sheep, and other grazer ranchers can claim what little scrub land that is left for their herds.Let's do the numbers, 4-6 million grazing stock compared to about 37,000 horses. Who do you think is doing the damage to the grass lands and affecting wild game? The Mustang has been persecuted and used as a scapegoat for the ranchers for over half a century. If the succeed and eliminate the remaining herds of mustangs who will they blame for their mismanagement of lands? Elk, Deer, moose, or other true wild native grazers? Will they be the next target that must be brought down within "safe" populations? How long before our BLM allows hunting from helicopters and gives free rein to big game hunters to hunt all year long? Think about the money the BLM will be making off those annual licenses while our native grazers are bleeding in the snow.The Wild Mustang is just the beginning, they are the gate keepers, saving them means keeping the ranchers from a free for all on all the animals. We need to protect this American Icon, the descendants of the horses that helped tame the west and make this country strong and prosperous.

Support The Horses At Pure Thoughts!!

Go Team Horse!!
The T-Shirts We Have All Been Waiting For
Are Ready!!
Just In Time For The Holidays!!!
Hi everyone...Please go to the Pure Thoughts website
and check out the shirts!!!www.pthr.org This is a great way to spread the word to others about
Team Horse and the rescue work we support.

Michelle Tolley wore her shirt a few days ago, and it gets attention! It will also make you feel good that you have this shirt and the horses have your donation!A BIG THANK YOU to the "Travelling Circus Ladies" for their generous donations!Note From Michelle:If you order a shirt (and we hope that you do!), please send me an email to let me know your shirt size, # of shirts and your mailing address: mtolley@ctc.net -
Kind Regards,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc.
A Stand 4 The Horses Fundraising & Rescue Education

MSNBC COVERING HR 6598

I want to remind everyone if you send the link in a cut and paste form you will NOT be counted. Every news website counts the ratings, the emails, and discussion and then chooses the MOST popular stories to air on their programs. If we cut and paste we will not be counted. At the bottom of the story it gives you the options to rate, discuss, and email please use these links. We are all in this together and I do not think any one of us will mind if we get the story in our mailboxes more than once. Send it to me as many times as you want, if it helps the horses it's worth a full mailbox.
MSNBC is FINALLY reporting on the slaughter debate and we need to vote and comment. Also if you can send the link on from the website, they count every time it is sent from the site. The more attection it gets the more likely they will talk about it during PRIMETIME hours.
Here is the link to the story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26860570/from/ET/


Sincerely,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc
www.pthr.org
http://astand4thehorses.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses

Wait.....Wait For It...Wait For it.....

Responsibility? what’s that?
Responsibility? not quite yet
Responsibility? what’s that?
I don’t want to think about it; we’d be better off without it
So much on my mind, I have to say paying close attention to our government this week was excruciating............................
While I watched the hearing for HR 6598 a song kept creeping into my head, Responsibility by MxPx. The lyrics remind me of every irresponsible horse owner who refuses to see they hold the power in their hands to finally run the horse killers off. But that would mean they would have to think when breeding, or buying or trading a horse. Why think of the future? Why think of being responsible for a living being who is immediately affected by your inability to live up to an unspoken promise?
The Pro Slaughter camp really have shown their true colors over the last week. Cheating on a poll on Washington Watch, a committee member admitting he did not care if they got to HR6598 because he was against it, calling horse rescues under the guise of needing to place horses, and let's not forget the 288 horses that will go to slaughter every day this week while another chance for the horses slipped through the cracks. What happened to Due Process? Whether in a court of law or on Capitol Hill we as Americans should be able to have our concerns heard. First Larry Craig (Minnesota Bathroom Visitor) stalls S311 in committee and now in a committee chaired by an Anti Slaughter supporter the newest version of the bill is still not getting it's fair chance.
So as for our leadership in DC? I have come to the conclusion. After I watched the entire committee hearing on HR6598, I sat back and realized that there is a reason we have a DO NOTHING CONGRESS, regardless of who is in power. I am dismayed to see the people, that we as voters, have allowed to run our government continue to destroy what our country was founded on. Sometimes I seethe with such anger when I hear the words of Goodlatte or read how once again Stenholm was able to blur the lines of reality. And then it hits me. This is just one issue that I have watched very closely. There are thousands of issues that our government is very good at not dealing with, brushing under the rug, or completely destroying with amendment after amendment. And let's not forget the continued partisan squabbling and arrogant men and women who rarely can agree on anything for the betterment of our country. Watching the proceedings of an immigration law discussion get dragged out for hours and hours after the committee started late and took a 45 minute lunch it all became very clear to me. We are paying the people in Washington full time wages for doing a part time job. They have perks thrown at them by every interest group, they get treated like kings in there hometowns, and they continue to give themselves raises every chance they can while people like my husband who works 7 days a week, leaving the house at 7 am and often getting home long after dinner time and hasn't had a raise in three years!!
There are people out there who have been out of work for months and will soon see there unemployment benefits end and will more than likely find themselves with repossessed cars, foreclosed homes and sadly some who will have to turn to living in their parents homes or in shelters while they struggle to get themselves back on their feet. These are people with degrees and years of experience who have worked so hard for what they have. And who is getting a bail out? High risk investment companies who played with other people's money. How does this make sense? Insurance companies who continued to raise rates and then give their executives $20 million bonuses!! This type of irresponsible, pass the buck business has become the status quo whether it is big business or horse breeders who are sending horses to slaughter for being the wrong color.
We have President Bush who has lost all credibility, the man has even lost his own party's respect and trust, come on TV and tell everyone he is talking with his advisers? The same advisers that have advised us into this debacle? Please enough already. I know when this is discussed on the hill, in hearings and on the floor of our great Capitol building it will takes weeks and weeks, if not months, then DC will go on Thanksgiving break, then they will go on Christmas break, then they will go on Winter Break. They get more vacation then my kids do.
So the purpose of my rant?
If the government refuses to take care of it's own people than how are we ever to think they will do the ethical thing when it comes to our National herd [especially when there is hard cold cash being stuffed into their pockets]? If they, (our ELECTED officials) continue to leave Washington with unfinished business we will lose everything WE have fought for. It's bad enough that we can't get an animal cruelty bill passed what happens when there is a bill on the table to protect Senior Citizens or Kids from predators and it's forgotten so our government whiners...err, leaders can get on the first plane to Disney World.

Now as for the second half of the song Responsibility, I have a message for our government leaders:
You think I'm so simplistic
I'm onto you and your tricks
I'm still young and I'd like to stay that way
'Cause growing up won't make everything okay
I'm still young and I'd like to stay that way
I've got a voice and I've got a lot to say
I've got a lot to say. . .