Letters to the Editor
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Trying to save Eight Belles
Here is what I don't understand -- why couldn't they have sedated her so that she wasn't fighting or in pain and was calm enough to be lifted by crane into the ambulance? That is what they would do for human beings. I realize horses are much bigger but if they had the capability of moving a dead horse, they have the capability of moving one that had was in a deep sleep.
I think part of it was they were horrified at the spectical of having to put down a horse there in front of the world. It would have drawn more attention to the situation if they had tried to save her and mover her while alive -- it would have taken longer and more people would have noticed.
I saw one news account where it was said (with some pride, it seemed) that they were able to euthanize the horse and move her off the track before the awards ceremony for Eight Belles. If that is true, they didn't give a darn about saving the horse; they just didn't want to screw up the picture of the "triumphant" victory of Big Brown.
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In Response: Lynx
If you are going to place my words in quotes, I would respectfully request that you take the whole passage and not just portions in order to fit your argument.
Case in point - As far as grass for goats and cows' milk for calves...huh. Considering your affinity for pointing out what you consider to be erroneous comparisons, that's a bit of a stretch, don't you think? Milk from a cow you equate to grass? And you cherry picked. I guess you don't feel the whole pus issue is worth noting in your response?
Obviously you have strong feelings about PETA. Fair enough. I'm not real sure why you felt the need to attack, but that's your choice. I happen to agree with a lot of their policies, perhaps not some of their choices but they get attention for the plight of animals and for that, I am happy.
I put "pets" in quotation marks because I was quoting the previous poster. Sorry for the confusion. PETA does have an issue with animals as "pets" because many people mistreat them - beating, neglecting, collecting, etc. - and again, the PETA point of view is a complete end to "animal ownership". I happen to disagree with this particular point of view.
I always find it amusing how people take something that someone writes and says something like "The latter statement doesn't follow even as a comparison" with no backup or supporting documentation.
I have no affiliation to PETA, but I admire anyone that commits his or her life to those without a voice.
I also believe that many of the posts, especially webcat's, are insightful and comprehensive, establishing that the industry needs regulation.
What exactly would be the point of your post with my name as the title? Except to go completely off subject and attack someone offering an opinion. Besides that, I mean.
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The author is intellectually dishonest and a moral coward
We’re told repeatedly that Eight Belles death was a freak accident while also being told it’s the nature of racehorses to be “injured”. Yes, the exact nature of Eight Belles injury may be statistically unusual, but given how horses are bred and raced, it’s inevitable that they’re killed as a result of racing them.
He justifies this because “It's a sport with agrarian roots, a product of an era when we had a different relationship with animals, when it was acceptable to ride a horse into battle, or work him 12 hours a day behind a plow”. At least someone who rides a horse into battle risks his own life. What does this ass clown risk except an excess of euphemism by calling calling death “an injury” and “turning-away” from the “gruesome site” caused by his patronage of the “sport”. And just how many farm horses had to be killed after 2 minutes of work back in the day?
Of course this is the same person who compared to a racehorse to a marathoner. Last I checked marathoners volunteer to run; they aren’t forced to run. For that matter we don’t whip marathoners, nor do we kill them at the end of the race to treat their “injuries”.
So by all means, keep racing 2 year olds to prepare for the Derby because when Moses came down from the mountain, the 11th commandment said “Thou shalt race only 3 year olds”.
And for God’s sake don’t propose anything, anything at all, that would reduce that chance of injury. I guess that’s all part of the Butchers' Bill that we'll just have to man up so, as our sainted agrarian ancestors did.
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What exactly would be the point of your post with my name as the title?
It was my response to your response to me. You couldn't follow that far?
If you are going to place my words in quotes, I would respectfully request that you take the whole passage and not just portions in order to fit your argument.
I took the parts I was responding to, quite large parts in fact. I'm not going to repost your whole letter when it is available just a few pages earlier.
Milk from a cow you equate to grass?
Why not?
I guess you don't feel the whole pus issue is worth noting in your response?
It wasn't one of the things I felt like responding to at the time, no. Not unless you're suggesting pus is meant for calves, not people.
the PETA point of view is a complete end to "animal ownership".
Really? Even though according to you "The organization allows employees to bring their "pets" to work with them, so that they are not left home alone." Seems like an odd contradiction there. Don't own animals, but if you do, bring them to work with you!
with no backup or supporting documentation.
How would you like me to show a lack of correlation. The first is the characterization of the actions of a group, the latter is the actions of a group being interpreted as the actions of all the individual members of the group, despite half the individual members or more disagreeing with those actions. Are you suggesting that PETA is similarly riven? Or that they don't like all animals? There's just no logical connection between the two statements.