Rev. Craig DiBenedictis
Rev. Craig DiBenedictis, a CVA sustaining member, was kind enough to
write a wonderful piece about horses and what they mean to humanity. We
are thankful for his words and echo his sentiments with the hope that
one day a similar Act includes not only horses but the rest of the
animals raised for food.
The famed cowboy Will James (1892-1942) said, "To my way of thinking
there's something wrong, or missing, with any person who hasn't got a
soft spot in their heart for an animal of some kind." For Mr. James and
the American people, that animal has always been the horse. "To me," he
said, "the horse is man's greatest, most useful, faithful, and powerful
friend. He never whines when he's hungry or sore footed or tired, and
he'll keep on a going for the human till he drops."
Americans have never considered horses to be livestock, animals
raised for food and hide. Instead, they have been seen as partners in
conquering insurmountable odds, whether they be the land and elements in
blazing new frontiers, plowing the ground for raising crops, hauling
logs for building our homes, mining necessary resources, fighting
invading armies, thrilling the hearts of our children by giving them
rides, and lifting or calming our spirits with nothing more than their
majestic and powerful presence. Yet, while we have built monuments to
horses, there has also existed what some have termed a "dirty little
secret" in the horse industry: horses have been slaughtered in the
millions for diners in other countries that consider horse meat a
delicacy. Reminiscent of Jesus' words, "Everyone who does evil hates the
light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be
exposed" (John 3:20), great efforts were made to keep the American
public from knowing about this, or, to whatever extent the word got out,
to lead them to believe that these were just old, sick horses. But the
truth is that the majority of these horses are young and healthy. Some
are deliberate throw away from the entertainment industry, no longer
useful because they make money by winning races, or failed to measure up
on the rodeo circuit. Others are stolen from loving homes. And some are
bought by "killer buyers" under the false pretense of giving them good
homes.
Since the mid-1970's, efforts have been made to end this ugly
practice, but the industry always had powerful people in key places to
make sure the legislative bills never made it to the floor of the
Congress, in spite of overwhelming support for it from hundreds of
co-sponsors. This past Thursday was a dream-come-true for those of us
who have worked for years to save our horses, as HR 503, the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, made it to the floor and was passed by a
big majority, just as we knew it would be. It now must go on to the
Senate, where we are hoping and praying for the same level of victory.
While I believe we can and should strive to live without slaughtering
and eating any animals, I think a biblical case can be made for a
culture that does so to grant "favored status" to an animal that
partners with man in expressing his imago Dei (image of God). No animal
has done that like the horse. If any animal deserves to be treated with
dignity in life and in death, it is the horse.
Craig
Your question and comments are welcome
