Barbi twins: Obama abandoned the horses
PATRICK GAVIN | 12/1/11 1:59 PM EST
Over the years, we've covered the efforts of former Playboy playmates Shane and Sia Barbi to put an end to the slaughter of horses in the United States. And, now that Congress has just lifted a ban that could result in a return to horse slaughter for meat after it had been outlawed for five years, the Barbi Twins are revamping their efforts.
The two blasted a release to their email list, headlined, "Twin Bunnies Campaign Against 'Slaughter House Sue' over Pet Horse Meat."
"Profit over pet flesh is unethical!" the two declare. "Congress approved the Conference Committee report on spending bill H2112 for Thanksgiving, giving funding to USDA for horse meat inspections and lifted the 6 year slaughter ban. More than 70% of Americans don't want slaughter houses here. While Obama was pardoning a turkey, he abandoned our horses."
The twins are asking fans to get involving either by signing a petition, calling the White House ("Tell Obama to keep his promise to ban horse slaughter and pass H.R. 2966," they write) or to call Wyoming Rep. Sue Wallis "who is pro horse slaughter and tell her that Americans don't want to see PET horses as meat on our dinner tables."
"How lovely of them to blast my personal information to the world," Wallis told POLITICO when informed of the effort. "But, hey, that's politics."
Wallis has become the poster-child for the Barbi Twins and their like-minded advocates, earning the nickname "Slaughter House Sue," for her push to bring back horse slaughter. She says she's gotten used to the pushback ("If you Googled by name, you'd see plenty of maligns"), but she's quick to assure everybody that she's not out to hunt down every Mr. Ed in American farmhouses.
Wallis says that since the ban on horse slaughter was enacted "there has been a drastic decline in the overall welfare of horses and a horrific impact on the horse industry."
Wait: Horse welfare improves by bringing back horse slaughter? Sounds ironic, no?
"It does," said Wallis. But "you could always take your horse to sale and get a few dollars. And overnight we turned that valuable asset into a very expensive liability with zero options. … So people in desperation were turning them out, dumping their horses out on the desert where they have no more idea of how to fend for themselves in the desert then you and I would. They die of thirst and starvation, or worse, they have their guts torn out by coyotes while they're still alive because they're too weak to get up. That is inhumane. And that's what really upsets horse people."
The bad blood between the Barbi Twins and Wallis is not new: A few years back, Shane and Sia previously ended up on a "black list" of political opponents put out by Wallis's organization "United Organizations of the Horse" with regards to the issue of wild horse protections.
On Twitter, the Twins aren't nearly a diplomatic to Wallis or the president as their release was.
"Obama screwed up& caved n 2 Slaughterhouse SueWallis," said one tweet. "Many excuse Obama sayn he didnt know what he sign! He caved n $ 2 #Slaughtehouse SueWallis the devil!" reads another.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69542.html#ixzz1fLPTQqMt
