Morning skritches to the BBH, Sir JH, Gorgeous Geo, Belle, KeyKey, Sky and the rest of the glorious gang in Equine Heaven.

It's showtime down here:

STRATEGY FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8

All calls this week will be made in honor of the best friend the horses ever had, John Hettinger. His dream was to see the end of horse slaughter. Being one of the earliest advocates of this legislation, he worked tirelessly giving his time, money and resources towards his goal. John passed away this weekend without ever seeing his dream become a reality. We must continue his efforts and ensure that all the years he spent are honored with success.

This is a VERY important week…….the House will be back in session and we should see our official co-sponsor list jump considerably

Until further notice, the strategy will be to continue to gain co-sponsors for HR6598 and the plan is to start with those co-sponsors of HR503. A list with their names is on the Db and the Wiki. Please do not call the names in red because they are already on board. We now have 46 committments which is great!! Now is the time to put pressure on those that have not yet gone “red”

Remember, this list will be friends of the anti slaughter legislation and there is no reason to go into detail. We’ve been asked to make sure they know that HR6598 , the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equity Cruelty Act of 2008 is taking the Title 18 approach to end horse slaughter and has been introduced by Representative John Conyers, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. It is not necessary to answer complicated questions or try to explain the bill. Sometimes "less is more"!!

You have really set the groundwork and it seems that we’re off to the right start. We have been advised that our grassroots efforts have made a tremendous impact and YOU ALL are the reason. It is important that we now follow directions and stay focused on what has been requested of us.

Our mission is to GO RED!!!!

We are BARBARO’S VOICE…..let it be heard!!!! And now, also do it for John!!

Thanks,

Shelley and Deb

AMERICANS AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER

Posted by: ShelleyA at September 8, 2008 12:52 AM

Cheers,
Friar Tuck

Hiya, FsOB! What a beautiful story about the ceremony held to honour the memory of Eight Belles at Churchill Downs. How wonderful that she had a tribute of red roses, befitting a champion, sent by many of the FsOB. Everyone please have a good day and let's get Congress rallied to action in memory of Barbaro and Eight Belles!

#### My sympathies to Barb M. as she mourns the passing of her beloved dog, Nala.

Candle in the Wind.

Written for Eight Belles

http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=28210.22

I have just psted a couple of pictures on the DB from yesterday's memorial, under the FOB's attending Eight Belles Memorial this Sunday folder/thread

It's Monday FOBs,

With Congress returning, we have a big job to do.
Let's make some noise.

My prayers for all FOBs and those they love.

Janice
A forever devoted to Kaiser FOB

September 8 Cherokee Devotional [sharing email from Harriette Brillianthawk]

Autumn shadows grow long across the land and a sunset washes the sky with colors of a ripe peach. The color deepens and spreads in cherry-colored streaks until even the grasses in the meadow are tinted pink.

A single cry from the deep woods could be the wail of a coyote or the shriek of an owl. Such primitive voices speak of sameness even while they change the human world.

Daytime activity ceases when evening draws its shadows through the woods. Deer feed quietly. Hounds pursue the raccoon and hundreds of tracks along the feed road tell us that humans may walk here but other species own the night.

We never did the white man any harm; we don't intend to.

Tall Bull
Cheyenne

URGENT - HR 6598 up for Committee Vote in the House Judiciary Committee on WEDNESDAY September 10. Please go here

http://forums.delphiforums.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=28223.1

for the AWI action alert - including listing of contact info for all members of the Judiciary Committee.

Expecting to hear from Deb & Shelley how this affects the ABR/AAHS instructions.

(Can somebody pls bluelink the DB Thread I just posted to facilitate people getting there more easily? THANK YOU!)

I AM SO STOKED ABOUT THIS - that it is going before the Jud Comm so QUICKLY. I feel VERY GOOD about this . . .

THIS IS IT folks . . .

URGENT-HR 6598 up for Committee Vote"

LET'S DO IT, PEOPLE! Many may have taken the month of August off (as did our legislators), but the time to step up to the plate is NOW...in memory of John Hettinger, Mary Nash, Barbaro, Eight Belles, George Washington, and far too many others who left us before their time!

HIT THE PHONES, PLEASE...the bill will (hopefully) be voted out of committee in two short days...WE NEED AN ALL-OUT EFFORT!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and thoughts for Nala, thanks to Sherry for contributing to the dog cancer ride, Barb for candles and Nancy in CT for blue-linking her tribute. There is such a huge void in my life now, I don't know how to ever fill it. I have other dogs and Over Enough but Nala was my soul mate and our family misses her terribly, the tears will not stop.

Let's make the phones ring and speak for the horses, let's get this bill out of committee, the slaughter of our innocent horses must end.

VOTE FOR BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY

You can vote every 8 hours ~ I put a post-it note on my monitor to remind me when it's time to vote again!

Gutierrez's(IL)Aide was pretty sure she is recently become a co-sponsor!!!

Thinking of you today, Barbi. This is tough and we all know it.

####
Nancy, Best Friends is winning! I'll try to remember to vote every 8 hours. Thanks for posting.

yes i am an idiot.
I did not note the asterisk AND the BOLD type indicating co-sponsorship.
My excuse is that it is Monday due to lack of 1/2 and 1/2, I have had very little coffee to drink...........................mea culpa, etc.
xxoo:j
COURAGE

Good Morning Gang.

Dial those phones. We can do it!!!!!!

((((((((((Barb))))))))))

PS The Leetle Aides ALL seem very positive about HR6598.
Please God, open the eyes of our Congresspeeps and get them to pass this bill onto the floor of the House as soon as possible.

FoBs: THIS IS IT. CALL YOUR HEINIES OFF!!!GRIND YOUR FINNERS TO THE BONE!
THE HORSES ARE COUNTING ON US, AND AS YOU KNOW, AS I ALWAYS SAY:

IF NOT US, THEN WHO??????

(from the newsletter of the Humane Society Legislative Fund...)

Thursday, September 04, 2008
A Heartbeat Away from Disaster for Animals?

Last night in the Twin Cities, the GOP conventioneers were officially introduced to their vice presidential candidate who is, as Fred Thompson said, “the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose.”

But it’s not Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s personal love of hunting or appetite for moose venison that should strike fear in the heart of every animal advocate in the nation—it’s her retrograde policies on animal welfare and conservation that have led to an all-out war on the state’s wolves and other creatures.

Her record is so extreme that she has perhaps done more harm to animals than any other current governor in the United States—and that’s a difficult distinction to achieve among our 22 Republican and 28 Democratic chief executives. Voters of both political parties who care about the humane treatment of animals must unite to make sure that the nation’s worst governor doesn’t end up just a heartbeat away from the nation’s most important job.

Palin is not only a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, but is also a close ally of Safari Club International. These radical groups don’t represent rank-and-file hunters, but instead lobby on behalf of their elitist, wealthy members to defend despicable and unsporting practices such as captive trophy hunts, bear baiting, and steel-jawed legold traps—practices that real hunters agree are inhumane and unacceptable.

And the Palin Administration, in lock-step with these extreme anti-conservationists, has waged an all-out war on Alaska’s predators to artificially boost the populations of moose and caribou for trophy hunters. Palin has tried to pass legislation making it easier for state officials to gun down wolves and bears from the sky, and even offered a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf as an economic incentive for pilots and aerial gunners to kill more of the animals.

Leading up to last week’s statewide vote on Measure 2 to stop the aerial shooting of wolves and bears, Palin’s Board of Game spent $400,000 of public money on brochures and radio ads to influence the election. She not only took an inhumane and unsporting position at odds with the principles of wildlife management and fair chase, but did it in an undemocratic and underhanded way. Palin may have criticized “the old politics as usual” and “the culture of self-dealing” in her speech last night, but that’s a pretty good description of her dealings with the NRA and Safari Club.

Since Alaska is not protecting its wolves from aerial hunting, the U.S. Congress has stepped in and is now considering the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act, which would close a loophole in federal law that allows the shooting of animals from airplanes and helicopters. But Gov. Palin has attacked that effort, too, and used her office to criticize the federal legislation. She wrote in a press release that the bill’s author “doesn’t understand rural Alaska” and “doesn’t comprehend wildlife management in the North.”

This new video from our friends at the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund reveals shocking images from the brutal practice of aerial hunting, and shows the world just what Gov. Palin has championed at the state and federal levels. But that’s only one part of the story. It’s not just wolves, of course, who have been the targets of Palin's outdated policies, but also the Arctic region’s iconic polar bears, the 21st Century’s canaries in the mineshaft who are teetering on the brink of extinction.

Despite the effects of climate change on the bear’s vanishing habitat and shrinking ice floes, Gov. Palin penned an op-ed in The New York Times earlier this year arguing that it was the “wrong move” to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. Later, when the Bush Administration announced its listing of the polar bear as a threatened species, she filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the decision. Environmentalists fired back over Palin’s lawsuit and said “her head-in-the-sand approach to global warming only helps oil companies, certainly not Alaska or the polar bear.”

For those who don’t believe that the number two spot on the ticket matters much at all, consider this: fourteen vice presidents in American history eventually climbed to the top job, eight of them because their predecessors died in office. If Sarah Palin were to be propelled into the presidency and given the opportunity to run the United States like she has run Alaska—controlling the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce, with wide-ranging authority over issues affecting pets, wildlife, farm animals, marine mammals, animals in research, and public lands—it would indeed be a terrible day for animals and for the country.

########

Barbi - I know what you mean about the void never being filled. That is a fact that Den and I are living with. Every day is a sad one but some are "ultra" sad. Yesterday was one.
Nala was so special - I'm glad that we were "roomies".

Janice
A forever devoted to Kaiser FOB

HAY GANG - additional details re what our message to the Jud Com Reps should be -

preface - we must make sure that all our "friends" on the Judiciary Committee ATTEND that meeting on Weds. 9/10. SO - in addition to what the AWI alert directs us to do -

Deb and Shelley asked me to pass on to you the following details re what to say to the Reps we contact on the Jud Comm:

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM DEB & SHELLEY (who have been in contact with "our" people in DC)

The important message to pass along to the Reps on the Jud Comm (listed below) is:

(a) ATTEND THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MTG ON WEDNESDAY

(b) SUPPORT HR 6598 WITHOUT AMENDMENTS

ALSO
(c) urge all those you contact who are not already cosponsors of HR 6598, to become cosponsors. (present cs's of HR 6598 are noted in boldface in the AWI list in the first post of this Thread:

http://forums.delphiforums.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=28223.1

For your calling convenience - You can use these DC 800 numbers and ask for the legislators by name (or ask for extension, last 5 numbers of each legislator's office phone).

800-828-0498

800-459-1887

800-614-2803

It would be a BLOODY SHAME if the legislation doesn't pass this Congress.

Thank you on behalf of the Horses. GO GET EM! Cheers & Hugs from CJ, speaking for Americans Against Horse Slaughter americansagainsthorseslaughter.com

Eight Belles

It was a beautiful
Sunny fall Kentucky September day
Even though the temperature was in the high 80’s
There is fall in the air
The hillsides are starting to change colors
Churchill Downs
Honored
A heroine
Yesterday
Eight Belles
Was formally memorialized
Her grave is in a secluded courtyard
Outside the Derby Museum and Café
The magnolia tree
Is stately and is
The perfect touch
To this steel colored
Southern magnolia girl
It is peaceful and serene here
I had the feeling of an old
Church court yard
A place one might go
To reflect
To pray
The small crowd gathered sat patiently in the
Hot sun waiting for the service
To begin
There was quiet conversation
But the atmosphere was solemn
No laughter or loud talking
Hushed whispers among those gathered

The bugle sounded
The speeches were given with
Reverence to this great lady
The speakers spoke of her greatness
But Larry Jones spoke from his heart
He, after four months cannot talk
About Eight Belles without choking up
Pausing to gain composure
Voice cracking with emotion
A man of faith
Searching for meaning
In a tragedy
No one was hurt more
Than Larry Jones
When Eight Belles died
He stood wearing his traditional cowboy hat
Western sport coat, black jeans, cowboy boots,
A horseman
His weathered face speaks from hours in the sun
And you can easily the added lines
This loss has cost him
Barbaro brought awareness
Eight Belles brought results
The industry will and has changed
Because of her sacrifice
This was her destiny
In the Bible it says
There is no greater love than
One who would sacrifice
One’s own life
For someone else’s
Barbaro, George Washington, Eight Belles
Did just that
All horses give something of themselves when they run
These three gave all
So that others may
Have a better life
A safer race day
Without drugs
And whipping
The church bell choir
Gloved hands
With solemn dignity
Rang out
Candle in the wind
A slight breeze stirred..

The answer, my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing
In the wind

Eight Belles
Forever in my heart
Hg 9/8/08

That is so beautiful, Harriette. Heaven is brighter now . There is an exquisite dark grey filly wearing red and white tube socks galloping along with Go For Wand, Pine Island, Ruffian, and Genuine Risk. What a race

Good morning, Alex. Do you have your NY Jets Favre jersey yet?

Deirdre in Central Cal.

wow Alex What an amazing story. I read the post that Sky King went missing, and was overjoyed to read that he had come home. Now I'm completely amazed to read the connection. Such a very small world

Just hoping that Flint will also be safely home soon

###
HARRIETTE ~ I have just one word for you: EXQUISITE!

CONTACT HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS re HR 6598 -

Here's another [quick/easy] action you can take to achieve our goal. You can quickly and easily send an email to all the members of the Judiciary Committee, courtesy of The National Horse Protection Action Fund Team.

There's a hotlink in this post to click on, then follow the instructions.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=28245.1

(MY comment from the discussion board in reference to those who represented us at Eight Belles' memorial service yesterday...just some food for thought)

One more reason to be proud to be an FOB: WE SHOW UP! I'm not certain how many were there representing all of us, but it was 6 that I know of (as well as the beautiful floral tributes)...

Sometimes we fight, sometimes we get over-zealous in some of our public statements, but when the chips are down WE SHOW UP!

Direct link to signing the petition:

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5270/t/1875/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=503

I'm late in getting on this site today (and know that others have already posted magnificent tributes), but wanted to let all the FOBs know that yesterday's ceremony for Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby Museum here in Louisville was absolutely beautiful! (Her burial took place a few weeks ago - you might want to search under the "Lexington Herald Leader" site who covered it - the local C-J did not!).

Unfortunately, I arrived late at the event (couldn't find a parking place), but stayed around for a long time afterwards (touring the Museum and Churchill). Yes, I live in Louisville, but us locals tend to take the place for granted, and it was a lovely day to just walk around. The flowers from the FOBs that were at "Eight Belles" grave site were just GORGEOUS - and the cards were prominently displayed.

One of my final memories of the day took place near the section of the Museum where you can replay each Derby on a large screen TV (other "smaller stations" are available in the area as well). I was watching our beautiful "Barbaro"'s Derby win on one of the smaller screens (who can forget the announcer shouting, "AND HERE COMES BARBARO!"), but there was a guy using the LARGE screen to watch the Big Brown/Eight Belles race. Larry Jones happened to walk up about the same time as she was coming down the stretch, and the guy turned to him and said, "Look how GREAT she looks!" It was then that I saw Mr. Jones turn away with tears in his eyes and quietly say, "I'm sorry - I can't watch that!" There I was watching Barbaro's magnificent victory, with another screen showing Eight Belles just a few feet away, while her trainer was nearby. I had a knot in my stomach the rest of the day. ;-(

God bless Eight Belles, Larry Jones, and her connections!

Nancy in Ct

Thank you for your informative post re Sarah Palin and the animals. I truely hope this will help people see beyond the surface

### Nancy in CT--
Thank you for posting the HSUS letter on Sarah Palin above. Responsible hunting is one thing, but advocating and incenting aerial hunting of wolves or any other species is deplorable. How anyone can watch the videos of aerial hunts and then condone this practice is beyond me. Ironic that a woman supposedly so devoted to family endorses this method of killing a species so devoted to their pups and their pack. It certainly speaks volumes about the character of Sarah Palin.

PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE CARROTS! is all I can say about the Bill coming before the Judiciary Committee day after tomorrow.

I shared the news with long-missing beloved FOB Lillian Petroff, who is responsible for that wondrous battlecry, and happily got an email back from her. (I'd been concerned about her because we knew she has some major health issues, and she hadn't responded to my last few emails.) While she still has many problems, and is consulting a specialist today re problems she's experiencing following a recent series of falls, she was very upbeat and reports that although she is a Canadian she has been contacting US legislators to urge passage of the new bill. Excerpt from hers to me:

That said, I wish to tell you that I made a few calls to offer my thanks to folks like Jerry Nadler, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, etc. for their support of the anti-slaughter-animal cruelty bill. I also phoned folks like Howard Coble, Chris Cannon, etc. urging them to support the bill. I told them that I speak as a Canadian, a fond neighbour, with all the good will and gentleness that my people are known for. As well as being ever mindful of the fact that I am not an American citizen, don't pay taxes, etc. But if their 4-legged and fleet-footed constituents could vote... [end excerpt from Lillian's email to me]

And so I will close this post as I began it:

PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE CARROTS!

### Cover story on Willie Nelson in the September issue of "Cowboys and Indians" magazine. A partial page is devoted to his work in saving horses from slaughter--I believe on page 108. A good time to encourage them to cover much more on this topic!

Hi FOB's,
It's Monday I woke up wanting to bother people, and it is amazing, I choose our representatives. A good start to a nice sunny day.

Cheryl, Beautiful tribute.

Harriette, just beautiful!

NancyinCT, I like Sarah Palin, good spunky,sassy, strong woman.

((((((((((Barb))))))))))))

jonna, as always you are a nut!

Alex,
So sorry about the news yesterday. I hope you are OK.

Hello Handsome Barbaro, I love you!

NancyinCT,
And anyone else,are you familure with Plum Island where they study disease in animals like that Montauck Monster? All I could think of was do they have horses there for experimental reasons? I know other farm animals are there. UGH more worries to add to my nerves.

###
RENEE ~ Plum Island is a little too close for comfort, isn't it? But then again, ANYONE would probably say "NIMBY" to such a facility...

JOE; RUNNING AS LATE AS I AM APPARENTLY: GOD LOVE THE ARCHANGELS
**************************************************
Monday, September 8th... A student from a lesson barn not far away, and she is ready for her very first horse. In our yard she tells me what she wants. 17 hands, young and sound. On our ranch we have a whole bunch of 15.3 and unsound. The student goes home dejected.

Another student from another lesson barn not far away, and she is ready for her very first horse. In our yard she tells me what she wants. 17 hands, gray, a filly, young and from the race track. Once again, the student goes home dejected.

But then came Lindsey. 14 years old, and she is taking riding lessons in Davis. Lindsey wants a small horse. Preferably a bay gelding. Lindsey brings Cathy and I fresh blueberry muffins. A large cold orange juice from Simply Orange. Carrots for our horses. Lindsey has narrowed her choice down to three geldings. She comes again soon for another test drive.

A little of this, a little of that... last week I told you about Rowan who is 13, and lives in Davis. Rowan and her young friends started their own chocolate company. We received dozens of letters asking how to buy chocolate from Rowan. There is a website. www.yummy-dummy.com. A family in Ireland wants to buy chocolate. Also a young girl from Germany. And another young girl in New York.

A brand new feed lot is now operating in Napa. On Saturday there were 7 doomed horses.

A brand new feed lot is now operating in Elk Grove. On Saturday there were 8 doomed horses.

Over the weekend a gelding came to us from a race track in Los Angeles, and we are calling him Ex. Or maybe Excess. Or maybe Mister X. Nothing seems to fit yet.

Later today we will say hello to two more race horses. No word on any soundness issues.

Our friend Rachel lives in Oakland, and on Labor Day Monday she bought a cute paint mare from horse killer Brent Sanchez. The mare is named Dixie Dots, and she came from a recent ranch foreclosure. Dixie Dots is probably pregnant.

Congratulations to UC Davis student Jessica, who also on Labor Day Monday became the new owner of a thoroughbred gelding scheduled for euthansia. Jessica has named him Scotch, and she boards him at a lesson barn not far from us.

The new TV season is ready to go. No more watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond.

At the ranch where I earn the big bucks, they are having a major wasp problem. Words cannot describe how bad it is.

Updates on your favorite horses: Champ is the sweetest horse ever born. He has gained at least 200 pounds, and his girlfriend is Gidget.

Giget will always be lame. But she has gained good weight and seems to be happy. Gidget is not fond of humans. She prefers to be left alone.

Uncle Scott has gained 150 pounds, and his best friend forever is Limo. Uncle Scott has arthritis in both front ankles.

Eclipse has turned into a beautiful young mare. She too has little use for humans. But Eclipse loves to receive back rubs.

Cope has not had any stomach problems for more than two weeks. Daily he gains weight, and Cope has become a favorite for young kids who visit.

Seeking Answers is healing well from his injuries suffered at the race track. He is a stallion, but very kind to be around.

Cherry and Hans, two old thoroughbreds who came to us in horrible shape, have both gained at least 100 pounds. All of a sudden both are running and playing.

Pac Man came off the van starving from a feed lot in Wilton. I thought for sure we would lose him that night. A girl Anna was here, and she became hysterical. Anna is only 8. I screwed up. Often there is so much activity on this ranch, and I was not aware of Anna watching Pac Man struggle to come off the trailer. This should never have happened, and I apologized to her mom.

I asked Anna to come back and see Pac Man. He has gained 50 pounds, and there is a sparkle to his eyes. Anna brought him a slice of apple pie, and Pac Man licked the dish clean.

Devil Badget has completely healed his broken knee, and now he moves like Wayne Newton from that dancing show.

Enjoy your 92 degree Monday, and be sure to hug your horses.

Joe

The Keeneland Horse Sales are going on now..Tomorrow a half sister to Eight Belles is being auctioned. Their was a beautiful wreath of white roses at the Eight Belles ceremony yesterday. It was sent by Three Chimneys, Eight Belles was bred by Three Chimneys, as is the filly being auctioned tomorrow..

What a lovely story about the wonderful blue horse box.

Just beautiful, Harriette.

Let's keep calling. FOBs - pests extraordinaire.

Aerial hunting and culling is immoral. Not the way the Creator meant it to be for the animals. Shame on the supporters of this cowardly behavior.

14 years ago, an aerial hunting license in Alaska was $15,000.00 for brown bear. Wonder what it is up to now?

((((Barb)))) ((((Janice))))

I'll make more calls again later. Now back to caulking windows.

Blessings to the quick-thinking Ramon Dominguez who saved the day, and very likely saved our beloved Blackie from disaster!

((((((((Barb and Nala)))))

hello family....

miss you all....
please call, fax, email...please.

###
And....we need to pursue with Sen. McCain....(because I believe he is for the environment and animals) about Dearest Sarah.....we want our animals protected.....

God Bless Each Of YOu...

We are preparing now for Hurricane Ike....

###
Alex....thank you.
Tim and Fair Hill...thank you.

If "Dearest Sarah" cared a whit about the animals she would not be having them killed from the air

If "Dearest Sarah" cared a whit about the animals she would not be having them killed from the air

If "Dearest Sarah" cared a whit about the animals she would not be having them killed from the air

sorry for the multiple post

###
LINDA - if you had to "multiple post" it was a good one - LOL!

Thanks Nancy :)

Nancy,
I agree to close for comfort.

Linda,
Speak up. LOL

I'm off to a birthday dinner for a friend. Have a great night everyone. (((((((FOB'S)))))))))

I love you sweet Barbaro.

####
You go....Linda...if it takes a dozen times....we have to save our animals, our wildlife, and our planet.

PLUS SAVE OUR BEAUTIFUL HORSES FROM HORSE SLAUGHTER.....

I think Dearest Sarah has alot of explaining to do.....?????

Gang, I have a feeling we did it today.

Joan - Ike seems to be headed right for you. GET OUT OF THERE before Saturday.

Alex. hope you're day was better for you than yesterday.

######
Margie....you and I are thinking on the same path...fren....

I pray everyone is safe and sound....this has been some year for weather....and the Farmer's Almanac is forecasting a very, very bad winter.

##

Barb, so very sorry to hear about Nala. My prayers are with you and your family.

####
LOL, Linda. Three times is not even enough! I'm so disappointed in what the animals advocates are saying about "Dear Sarah." Hunting is one thing, aerial assassinations is another.

Here is something I got, along the same lines:

A Heartbeat Away from Disaster for Animals?

Posted: 04 Sep 2008 10:04 AM CDT

Last night in the Twin Cities, the GOP conventioneers were officially introduced to their vice presidential candidate who is, as Fred Thompson said, �the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose.�

Palin_2 But it�s not Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin�s personal love of hunting or appetite for moose venison that should strike fear in the heart of every animal advocate in the nation�it�s her retrograde policies on animal welfare and conservation that have led to an all-out war on the state�s wolves and other creatures.

Her record is so extreme that she has perhaps done more harm to animals than any other current governor in the United States�and that�s a difficult distinction to achieve among our 22 Republican and 28 Democratic chief executives. Voters of both political parties who care about the humane treatment of animals must unite to make sure that the nation�s worst governor doesn�t end up just a heartbeat away from the nation�s most important job.

Palin is not only a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, but is also a close ally of Safari Club International. These radical groups don�t represent rank-and-file hunters, but instead lobby on behalf of their elitist, wealthy members to defend despicable and unsporting practices such as captive trophy hunts, bear baiting, and steel-jawed legold traps�practices that real hunters agree are inhumane and unacceptable.

And the Palin Administration, in lock-step with these extreme anti-conservationists, has waged an all-out war on Alaska�s predators to artificially boost the populations of moose and caribou for trophy hunters. Palin has tried to pass legislation making it easier for state officials to gun down wolves and bears from the sky, and even offered a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf as an economic incentive for pilots and aerial gunners to kill more of the animals.

Leading up to last week�s statewide vote on Measure 2 to stop the aerial shooting of wolves and bears, Palin�s Board of Game spent $400,000 of public money on brochures and radio ads to influence the election. She not only took an inhumane and unsporting position at odds with the principles of wildlife management and fair chase, but did it in an undemocratic and underhanded way. Palin may have criticized �the old politics as usual� and �the culture of self-dealing� in her speech last night, but that�s a pretty good description of her dealings with the NRA and Safari Club.

Palin2 Since Alaska is not protecting its wolves from aerial hunting, the U.S. Congress has stepped in and is now considering the Protect America�s Wildlife (PAW) Act, which would close a loophole in federal law that allows the shooting of animals from airplanes and helicopters. But Gov. Palin has attacked that effort, too, and used her office to criticize the federal legislation. She wrote in a press release that the bill�s author �doesn�t understand rural Alaska� and �doesn�t comprehend wildlife management in the North.�

This new video from our friends at the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund reveals shocking images from the brutal practice of aerial hunting, and shows the world just what Gov. Palin has championed at the state and federal levels. But that�s only one part of the story. It�s not just wolves, of course, who have been the targets of Palin's outdated policies, but also the Arctic region�s iconic polar bears, the 21st Century�s canaries in the mineshaft who are teetering on the brink of extinction.

Despite the effects of climate change on the bear�s vanishing habitat and shrinking ice floes, Gov. Palin penned an op-ed in The New York Times earlier this year arguing that it was the �wrong move� to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. Later, when the Bush Administration announced its listing of the polar bear as a threatened species, she filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the decision. Environmentalists fired back over Palin�s lawsuit and said �her head-in-the-sand approach to global warming only helps oil companies, certainly not Alaska or the polar bear.�

For those who don�t believe that the number two spot on the ticket matters much at all, consider this: fourteen vice presidents in American history eventually climbed to the top job, eight of them because their predecessors died in office. If Sarah Palin were to be propelled into the presidency and given the opportunity to run the United States like she has run Alaska�controlling the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce, with wide-ranging authority over issues affecting pets, wildlife, farm animals, marine mammals, animals in research, and public lands�it would indeed be a terrible day for animals and for the country.

(Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics: Humane Society Legislative Fund)

Hiya, FsOB. What moving words here today about yesterday's memorial at Churchill Downs for Eight Belles. Harriette, thank you for your lovely poem and for identifying that the white roses were from Three Chimneys Farm. I thought that they were very lovely and they reminded me of one of the arrangements that was placed on Princess Diana's coffin. Dianne, how very sad that Mr. Larry Jones saw the rerun of Eight Belles' Derby run. His love for her is quite tangible, is it not?

#### To Barb M. Keeping you and your family in my thoughts as you mourn Nala's passing.
To CJ: Thanks very, very much for the update about Lillian Petroff. I first visited the FHF Web site back in June of 2006 and I remember Lillian's posts quite well, they were always very charming.
To Jonna: Isn't Joe Shelton the greatest? How thoughtful of him to contact young Anna's mother to invite her to come back and see Pac Man looking much stronger.
Please keep my colleague Gail in your thoughts. Her 6-1/2 year old dog died suddenly Friday morning at home. I think from the description that he must've had some sort of heart attack or stroke. She is beside herself with grief right now. ####

Can the FOBs pull off another miracle and save these twelve gorgeous broodmares?

Their new situation quickly fell apart...and they need our help NOW!

An enormous thank you to NancyinCT for the Humane Society Post. A victory for the McCain/Palin ticket would be a disaster for our planet and its animals and people. Doesn't take much of an imagination as to where Palin would stand on the slaughter of horses for consumption and their transport across borders for slaughter.

If you care about ending the slaughter of horses, and about planet Earth and its inhabitants, we must not allow this blood thirsty person to become VP to a 72 year old presidential nominee who has recurrent melanoma and a total lack of any goals but being elected president. We CAN make a difference once again.

Joy FOB Forever

Please get out there and work to see that you, your friends and neighbors and everyone you can reach gets Obama/Biden eletcted.

###Those who do not remember (or read) their history are doomed to repeat it. Regarding a Socialist victory in November, I have just two words: Jimmy Carter. If that isn't sufficient, I have to add three letters: LBJ.

###One of the qualities I admire least at this time of year is hysterical, inflammatory rhetoric. I cannot find links to any of the claims being made here that the governor of Alaska is pro aerial hunting. Also, being against a species being put on the endangered species list does not make a person heartless or bloodthirsty.

I also don't think it's "head in the sand" to be doubtful about the existence of global warming. The worst hurricane in recorded history was in 1903 in Galveston, TX. There are records that show temperatures of 130 degrees one summer in Oregon during the 1930s. If there were huge "carbon footprints" in those days, they weren't being made by mankind's consumption of fossil fuels.

When I read words like "bloodthirsty" and "head in the sand," I think of "close-minded." Someone who does not agree our view (whatever it is) may be determined to have things his/her way and be unwilling to debate the issue calmly or agree to disagree.

###We owe it to ourselves and to the causes we champion to become critical thinkers--at the very least. Weigh everything you hear and read and withhold judgments until you have enough facts presented without emotion to reach well-thought-out conclusions.

###There is a difference between being prejudiced and being biased. Having a bias means we have looked at both sides and chosen the side that most closely matches our view of "the way things 'sposed to be." Prejudice means pre-judging--coming to a conclusion without getting all the facts--without looking at and weighing both sides.

###May I respectfully suggest we "get a grip," present links to materials from places like Defenders of Wildlife (just the name tells me who is providing them with information and how balanced their approach is going to be on their Web site and other informational mailings) so everyone can read the material and decide for themselves (and check out the sources for themselves) and be less than inflammatory when expressing political views.

This site is not the place for hostility. There is too much at stake to risk having it shut down because of a difference in politics.

Just sayin'

---i hope for

someplace better then where you have been

--------------------------------------------------------------
september 8,2008

they gathered up by the hill
some broken and cut muscles torn and taped
faces disfigured sores sealed on backs
..ankles welded to plate,
limbs once elegant delicate fractured in a million pieces..
but
imperfections glowed
as they had come through those gates.
.searing pain turned into softness
nothingness air billowing

silver laced violet hearted whispers..
nickers yips and grunts..squeels..
rejoicing to see each other in this loose form

they gathered up on the hill to look down

upon the confusion of those two leg-eds
the fighting and the pushing and the hoarding and the grabbing and the puncturing
or is that my heart..

but the two leg eds didnt hear it
.were they deaf and blind,some kind of dis -ease?.

they looked down on them
from their hill of gold and saphire
their wide flanked formless power
roaring then floating
up and down with the winds
..they
stood in some place divinely filled with softness
some place better then any of us might have been
yet
ha
a coffee machine needs some fixin in a cafe just around the bend
sweet release

i am calling you..cant you hear me
i am calling you
i am calling you
a hot dry wind blows right through
but on my back
i suddenly feel the heat of your breath
nostrils flaring
'i know we can..i know we can

hear you

you big whale
that turned my heart upside down
so many years ago seeing the deep well of your song
and unconditional love
i am calling you now

help us sort this stuff out
how foolish our stupid little square words sound
underneath and above your sighing eloquent breathing eye
water
in the wake of such suffering gone down

yes they stand up there on the hill
looking down

will we get it?

a desert road from no where to..

martita

PALIN WANTS TO SHOOT DOWN WOLF LAWSUITS

ALASKA PUTS $150 BOUNTY ON WOLVES

PALIN WANTS TO SHOOT DOWN WOLF LAWSUITS

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE V. ALASKA BOARD OF GAME

Dear Barbaro Nation

Thank you all for being here, horse lovers from all directions. It is nice to read posts and hear what is going on. It is 2:00am Atlanta time and I can't sleep which is par for the course. My sweet boy Johnny left to go eat grass and run with Barbaro and the classy Eight Belles two weeks ago. I'm getting married in six weeks and it is just hard to focus on the wedding. I'm very happy about it, but just miss my sweet boy.

This should thrill many of you. Some of my friends, who are not horse people, have been so kind to send in donations to horse rescue farms in the name of Johnny. Some of them occasionally mention horse slaughter issues as well. I know they are being kind to me, but the fact that they know about these issues and think they are important enough to give as a gift means to me that Barbaro did not die in vain, that his legacy is alive and expanding.

Well, goodnight FOBs. May we all be blessed tonight as we sleep. May Johnny come to me in my dreams and may the four legged fur children that you love come to you in your dreams and nuzzle you as you sleep.

Donna