Brian Travis invaded by bureaucrats

[Tom Sawyer]

No, I'm not a vegetarian, and I don't consider raising and butchering animals, or hunting them for food, cruel.  Maybe that's imperfect logic; so sue me.  

I see the difference in raising animals to be eaten is that it's not right to torture or create suffering for the animal. A quick and painless as possible death is different than prolonged suffering.

I think the desire to reduce things to the simplest form can lead astray.

[AntonLee]

what I question lately is what people consider to be a farm animal/food source and pet. . . suppose someone in Brian's neighborhood decided he would raise horses for slaughter and butchering. . . perhaps he really liked the taste of horse.

I know, sick to me too. . . but would this man be jailed because he decided that animal was his livestock?  What would be unacceptable livestock?

[Friday]

I am not a vegetarian and I am not going to argue against the use of animals in science and in teaching. But if it must be done, dear God if there is One anywhere, don't let it be done to animals who have been brought up to think they are people!

-- Robert Heinlein, "Friday"

[Dan]

Let the best proceed unhindered - and the worst proceed unaided.

This is beautiful.  Is it from Rand?

[cyne]

what I question lately is what people consider to be a farm animal/food source and pet. . . suppose someone in Brian's neighborhood decided he would raise horses for slaughter and butchering. . . perhaps he really liked the taste of horse.

I know, sick to me too. . . but would this man be jailed because he decided that animal was his livestock?  What would be unacceptable livestock?

  Fifteen or 20 years ago you could still buy horse steaks at the IGA in Conway - in the freezer section, right next to the Pel-Freeze rabbits.   I remember thinking about trying it and then deciding I just didn't want to eat horse.  Not for any logical reason,  but for the same reason I wouldn't want to eat dog meat.  I've had some good friends who were dogs and horses, and wouldn't want to eat them.  On the other hand, I've never had any emotional attachment to the poultry, cattle, and swine in my life, I can take care of them, treat them humanely,  and have no problem with eating them when the time comes.   
   When I was growing up most canned pet foods were made from horse meat.  Now none of them seem to be.  All the horse meat apparently is sent overseas where people don't object to using it.   

[AntonLee]

what I question lately is what people consider to be a farm animal/food source and pet. . . suppose someone in Brian's neighborhood decided he would raise horses for slaughter and butchering. . . perhaps he really liked the taste of horse.

I know, sick to me too. . . but would this man be jailed because he decided that animal was his livestock?  What would be unacceptable livestock?

  Fifteen or 20 years ago you could still buy horse steaks at the IGA in Conway - in the freezer section, right next to the Pel-Freeze rabbits.   I remember thinking about trying it and then deciding I just didn't want to eat horse.  Not for any logical reason,  but for the same reason I wouldn't want to eat dog meat.  I've had some good friends who were dogs and horses, and wouldn't want to eat them.  On the other hand, I've never had any emotional attachment to the poultry, cattle, and swine in my life, I can take care of them, treat them humanely,  and have no problem with eating them when the time comes.   
   When I was growing up most canned pet foods were made from horse meat.  Now none of them seem to be.  All the horse meat apparently is sent overseas where people don't object to using it.   

that was easily the most interesting thing I read all day 

[Pat K]

what I question lately is what people consider to be a farm animal/food source and pet. . . suppose someone in Brian's neighborhood decided he would raise horses for slaughter and butchering. . . perhaps he really liked the taste of horse.

I know, sick to me too. . . but would this man be jailed because he decided that animal was his livestock?  What would be unacceptable livestock?

  Fifteen or 20 years ago you could still buy horse steaks at the IGA in Conway - in the freezer section, right next to the Pel-Freeze rabbits.   I remember thinking about trying it and then deciding I just didn't want to eat horse.  Not for any logical reason,  but for the same reason I wouldn't want to eat dog meat.  I've had some good friends who were dogs and horses, and wouldn't want to eat them.  On the other hand, I've never had any emotional attachment to the poultry, cattle, and swine in my life, I can take care of them, treat them humanely,  and have no problem with eating them when the time comes.   
   When I was growing up most canned pet foods were made from horse meat.  Now none of them seem to be.  All the horse meat apparently is sent overseas where people don't object to using it.   

that was easily the most interesting thing I read all day 

Yeah you can learn stuff here every day. 

[Mike Barskey]

I posted a short video shot during the work day at Castlewood Farm on Saturday.

[John Edward Mercier]

what I question lately is what people consider to be a farm animal/food source and pet. . . suppose someone in Brian's neighborhood decided he would raise horses for slaughter and butchering. . . perhaps he really liked the taste of horse.

I know, sick to me too. . . but would this man be jailed because he decided that animal was his livestock?  What would be unacceptable livestock?

The American Horse Council along with its affiliated State associations lobbied for an got federal legislation to make it illegal to grow horses in the US for human consumption.

[KBCraig]

I posted a short video shot during the work day at Castlewood Farm on Saturday.

Nice video, Mike. +1

I'm sure the horse forums are already burning up with complaints that you didn't have enough video of the horses, didn't film all the horses, and didn't show the shelters already in place before the new construction.

leetninja beat me to it about Amanda/"Me" and her posts on other forums. It was obvious who she was, and that she wanted her insulin resistant mare back so she could manage the special diet. What's not explained is her allegation that the horse was kept in a trailer (or was it a school bus?) for two days, and just how she came by this information. But what the heck, when you're spreading rumors, the most vicious ones seem most likely to have the desired effect, eh?

It's odd how no one can get any information out of NHSPCA or establish contact with Steve Sprowl, but the horse community insiders seem to know where these horses are and how they're being treated.

[Kat Kanning]

If the allegations are true, then why don't the concerned individuals just buy the horses from the owners? Why do they instead choose to use violence to steal the animals?

[Pat McCotter]

what I question lately is what people consider to be a farm animal/food source and pet. . . suppose someone in Brian's neighborhood decided he would raise horses for slaughter and butchering. . . perhaps he really liked the taste of horse.

I know, sick to me too. . . but would this man be jailed because he decided that animal was his livestock?  What would be unacceptable livestock?

Rabbit is good food and many folks think of rabbits as pets.

Not having grown up around the slaughtering of animals for food I found it very difficult to do the first time. There's a big difference between cutting the chunks of meat from a dead, skinned rabbit and having to kill and skin that rabbit first.

[slave_3646]

Not having grown up around the slaughtering of animals for food I found it very difficult to do the first time.

Yeah, I wasn't too sure how I'd feel about eating our two beefers when the time came. I mean, I fed them, watered them, and cared for them, you know? But, once I ate that first grass fed steak (mmmm, nothing like home raised), I felt OK about it. Not to mention that the quality of the life our animals lived before they went to slaughter/butcher/freezer was far beyond what they would have had if they had been raised at a commercial farm.

[Kat Kanning]

For what it's worth, I think cruelty to animals is reprehensible, I don't condone it, I don't wish to socialize or do business with anyone who thinks it's fun, funny or acceptable.  No, I'm not a vegetarian, and I don't consider raising and butchering animals, or hunting them for food, cruel.  Maybe that's imperfect logic; so sue me.  

The raising, butchering doesn't have to be cruel, but the way it's done in this country is cruel.  Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhlhSQ5z4V4

[Pat McCotter]

For what it's worth, I think cruelty to animals is reprehensible, I don't condone it, I don't wish to socialize or do business with anyone who thinks it's fun, funny or acceptable.  No, I'm not a vegetarian, and I don't consider raising and butchering animals, or hunting them for food, cruel.  Maybe that's imperfect logic; so sue me.  

The raising, butchering doesn't have to be cruel, but the way it's done in this country is cruel.  Here's an example:

Yes, this is a cruel way to treat "downed" cows. They should be killed before moving them. The only way to know my beef was from someplace that didn't do this would be to buy locally and have it slaughtered/cut locally.

And a note, yesterday the COOL law went into effect. (Country of Origin Labeling)