First, Obama says Pizza is a Veggie, NOW he wants us to eat Horses

As much as I agree with this sentiment and as much as I think he's a flake for the pizza/vegetable thing (let's not forget the Reagan ketchup = vegetable thing, though), I think he's doing a good thing by authorizing horse slaughter for human consumption. During the period that plants have not been authorized to slaughter horses for human consumption, the market for horses has dropped through the floor, past the sub-basement, and toward the center of the Earth. I recently saw a horse valued at $6000 sell for $250 to rescue it from a kill buyer's pen--the horse, no longer eligible for slaughter here in the U.S. (which would have been bad enough) would have traveled thousands of miles to Canada or to Mexico, crammed into an overcrowded truck where it would have experienced privation and potential injury, only to be slaughtered anyway. Horses here have become all but without value. The individuals who can afford their horses often find that their horse trailers have "grown" new passengers when they travel or that their pastures have "grown" new inhabitants overnight. Rescues can no longer afford to take in additional horses because of the glut.

The inability to slaughter horses for human consumption, which has existed for a long time in this country even though most horse meat is not sold here, has had a dramatic and negative effect on all horses, pedigreed and grade, pleasure and working, aged and young. Much of the problem is *not* due to "over-breeding" as animal rights organizations would have you believe, but due to the length of time that horses live, the down economy, and the Southern/Western drought exacerbating the problem, causing a glut in the market due to horse owners' inability to end their lives in a humane manner. And yes, it's more humane to slaughter these animals than it is to have them abandoned on roadsides (as has occurred) where they can starve or be hit by passing vehicles.

I dislike Obama, but this is one thing that I think he's gotten right.

 

Most of the horse meat produced for human consumption was exported for European markets. It's a relatively high-end meat, so there's not a lot of call for it in fast-food markets.

No. Horses are livestock and are part of the food chain whether we accept it in this country or not. Although cats and dogs are not part of the food chain in this country, in other countries they are. In addition, and no offense, but there are a couple of things wrong with your second argument. First, horses are huge compared to most dogs and all cats. It is frequently illegal to bury a euthanized horse due to its possibly polluting ground water with poisonous chemicals as it decays. It is also more difficult to cremate a horse than it is a dog or a cat--the disposal issues are the most difficult things to deal with in this situation. In addition, *if* there is a dog/cat overpopulation, it is not as severe as many people would have you believe. Analysis of any figures will show that there are actually plenty of homes for the dogs and cats in shelters. Our dog/cat problem is largely a distribution problem. There are also shelters that import small dogs from other countries and from US territories to have them to sell, since there are not enough dogs in their area to fill the shelters. When we start importing Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, or Tennessee Walking Horses to fill shelters because there aren't enough in shelters to sell, then maybe we can start comparing small pets to horses.

 

Whats wrong with eating horse meat? ate it many times on the continent tastes ok

 

So what is your take on the author of the article? Do you think they have an agenda?

 

If people are willing to eat skunks I don't see the problem with horses.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1827,147168-240205,00.html

 

I tend to stick to the 5 main food groups: Cows, Pigs, Chickens, Turkeys and Fish. But, I also spent a year in Korea, did 3 tours in the Middle East and eat at a Chinese Buffet a couple of times a year...so there have been a number of unknown meats consumed from time to time too.

 

I'm outta here.

 

Promise?

 

..And which clown in that field of factory rejects are we supposed to install in Obama's place? What fine, upstanding, moral citizen from that strong, admirable field of quality misfits would you suggest? The Cain molester? The Newt "let's see how many times I can cheat on my wives while they have cancer" family values guy? Perry...the Bush clone and pancake syrup lover? Perhaps Ms. Bachmann, the "Africa and Libya are separate countries" Palin wannabe? Perhaps the Mormon flip flopping, car salesman, sometimes angry, always fake "say whatever I have to get elected" stuffed shirt? Fine, FINE bunch of wingnuts you have there. ROFL!!!

 

I've often thought that it would be a good idea if Obama would be impeached, but Biden being made president in his place seem a good deterrent for that.

 

It's a common practice now... to want to find a way to impeach the current President, or recall an elected official in general. It seems like I see a recall petition being circulated locally at least once a year, and Michigan's governor was a recent attempt.

 

I'm leaning with HollysMom on this one.
I think horses are beautiful animals but if there is so little "value" in them and many are suffering why not a food source?

Seems like culling a population to me. It's happening with deer in Indiana. Many state parks are closing for a few days so hunters with the right permits can go in and reduce the population.
I'd rather see that meat in some guys freezer than rotting on the side of the road and I'm not a hunter.

I've tried a few different meats in my life. Some I liked some I didn't.
I like venison, buffalo, elk and alligator. Pork snoots are kind of greasy but not bad. Barbequed raccoon is AWESOME!
One I really didn't care for was eel. Had a friend that ate a porcupine and said it wasn't too tasty. I think I'll take his word on that.

I'd try horse meat. If it was on sale tomorrow I'd pick up a few steaks and give it a shot. If I liked it and it was suddenly cheaper then cow meat I'd be eating horse.

Why not? We raise all types of critters for human consumption. From cows to catfish and crawdads. Why not horses.

Heck, it wouldn't surprise me to see it on tne menu at a fancy French restaurant at an exhorbitant price.

 

That is the way I feel about it too. But I also know that if I switched to horse meat, my youngest son and I would be the only non-vegetarians in the house.

 

I used to feel that way about venison. I felt like I was eating Bambi. But now I enjoy venison cooked in all kinds of ways. I'd try horse meat once, at least, the way I did alligator. I ended up loving alligator meat, so I might surprise myself with horse meat. Don't get me wrong: I adore horses when they are alive and on the hoof. I follow a group that rescues horses from the kill buyers' pens every week--and even went so far as to contact a friend that has grazing room and another who could lend me $1000 to get one of these horses to me, just because she "spoke" to me over the Internet. (She is a gorgeous paint roan, if you can imagine it.) I lost sleep for three days because even after we'd been told that she'd been sold to a "good home" she showed up at New Holland, which ships horses to slaughter. A week later, due to my efforts and several others, the horse ended up with a rescue and eventually as a lesson horse. Despite my efforts on her behalf, I believe that horses need desperately to be culled. I would have been miserable if Pika had been killed, but it would not have changed my opinion one bit about the necessity of having a humane way of easing the strain on horse owners and horse rescues in the near future.

 

As the human populatation grows the more taboo things people will be eating. I do not think it will go as far as soylent green but I would not be surprise if one hundred years from now the majority of people will be eating process food made from non=living things along with insect dishes and the few rich will be eating horse, cow, dog, etc flesh.

 

Bachman. We had a black or kinda black president. Why not a women. She may be no better or no worse then anyone else but it would be great step in our evolution of democracy to have a female president as well as send shock waves in parts of the world where women are still consider to be second class or worse.