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Daniel Cordero speech
This is a speech that was read at the DeKalb Anti-Slaughter Vigil on
September 27, 2003. It was written by Daniel Cordero Fernandez. Daniel
has worked very hard in the fight against horse slaughter for human comsumption
in the USA.
I HAVE A DREAM
Ladies and Gentlemen -- Citizens of DeKalb and all Americans,
Greetings from Madrid, Spain. My name is Daniel Cordero Fernández.
I have loved horses ever since I saw my first one many years ago. Today,
I am one of the many people fighting the despicable industry of horse
slaughter.
Horses have always been in my sleep dreams and waking dreams. I ride them
into the sunset. I gently groom them in their stalls. Always, in my dreams,
the horses and I show one another love and respect.
If I'm depressed, I think of horses peacefully snoozing under the moonlight,
or wild horses running fast -- the pure essence of freedom. I hear thundering
hooves crossing endless green plains. My spirits lift.
When I was young, my heroes from European and American history traveled on
horseback, delivering justice in a world full of injustices. What child hasn't
dreamed of being a knight or a princess, a cowboy or a cowgirl? How many of us
haven't dreamed about riding, caring for, and bonding with a horse -- just like
the "good guys" of yesteryear? Do today's children have the same dreams, the
same heroes, that we did when we were lads and lassies?
But horses are not only the loyal partners of our heroes of olden days; the
horses themselves are our heroes! They allow us to find our true selves when
we look deep into their kind eyes. Their sweet hearts make us feel unconditionally
loved.
Did you know that the symbol of ancient Athens, where Democracy was born, is the
horse? Similarly, the horse was part of the dream of Spanish conquerers discovering
America, and of American pioneers heading further West to find a new life.
But the greed of several French and Belgian companies has turned my horse dream
into a nightmare. They have brought gruesome, premature deaths to tens of thousands
of horses murdered every year in the two slaughterhouses left in the U.S. (both
in Texas). And to the hundred of thousands of horses murdered by Belgian-owned
Cavel International when its DeKalb plant was operating between 1986 and early 2002.
And to the three million horses murdered throughout America over the past 20
years.
Yes, those kind horse hearts -- the same hearts that love us so -- are bled out
of these horses, often while they are still conscious and kicking. These loving
hearts beat for the last time so that the wicked whims of wealthy European and
Japanese consumers may be satisfied. Our companions, our loyal friends who are
so gentle with children, our most wonderful of God´s creatures -- destroyed to
make "designer food" for gourmet appetites.
Americans don't eat horses. Did you know that we Spaniard don't either? We share
with you the belief that this practice is outrageous and repulsive.
How have horses served mankind? They've carried soldiers to war. They've made
civilization possible, pulling wagons and carriages through cities and villages,
plows through fields, logs through forests. And how are we rewarding them for
their endless hours of work on our behalf? By sending them to meet the most
horrific and painful death possible, suspended head down abject misery,
drowning in their own blood.
Horses have deep emotions, akin to the feelings of humans. Their innate
sensitivity responds to soft pressure, kind words, comforting songs, gentle
whispers. They are closer to us than most creatures in this world. We humans
and our horses have shared an unwritten pact for thousands of years: We treat
them as partners and companions, caring them like our own children; in return,
they offer loyalty and love, strength and speed. We have tamed each other.
But Cavel and its buddies, Dallas Crown and Bel-Tex in Texas, have no problem
with violating this pact. They see nothing wrong with destroying our dreams to
fill in their greedy pockets by killing our cherished horses.
Why do Americans allow such a barbaric, despicable, and immoral practice?
Because most of you don't know it exists. The companies creep into communities
quietly, as Cavel is doing in DeKalb today. They sneak in like a cancer --
hiding from detection. If and when they are discovered, they cover their tactics
with deceitful propaganda, hoping you will remain ignorant of the truth. They
convince you that slaughter is a necessity, and that horse owners have the
right to do what they want with their "property."
I, for one, am fed up with the lies, misrepresentations and immorality of these
companies and their hired supporters. And so I say:
Wake up America!
Our faithful friends are being carved up into a $15-per-pound delicacy, served
in expensive restaurants in France. Don't believe anyone who tells you
horsemeat provides for the nutritional needs of poor people abroad.
Wake up America!
Don't believe the lie that only old, lame, ill, or useless horses are
slaughtered. The vast majority of them are sound, healthy, fat, 1,100-pound
pets (often stolen), purchased at auction by middlemen we call "killer buyers."
Wake up America!
It is absolutely false that slaughter is either "painless" or "humane."
Pain-searing slaughter is the opposite of painless euthanasia. Slaughtering
a pregnant mare or an innocent yearling – any horse, for that matter – is the
farthest thing from humane! And not just the killing itself, but transport to
the plant constitutes cruel treatment. There are federal laws against such
mistreatment! Many horses reach the plant severely injured; some die en route.
The sole objective of slaughter is profit. It is not a "service" at all!
Wake up America!
Instead of discouraging horse abuse and starvation, slaughter actually
encourages abuse and neglect by providing a way for the abusers to destroy
proof of their offenses and earn a few hundred dollars. Abusers continue to
abuse, whether slaughter is an option or not. Researchers have proved that
abuse cases did not increase during the years that the number of American
horses slaughtered declined precipitously.
Wake up America!
Slaughter offers a great incentive to horse rustlers, who can
easily pocket $700 for a fat, healthy pet horse. When California
banned horse slaughter in 1998, horse theft immediately decreased
by more than one-third, and it has remained at that lower level.
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