MY NAME IS NATHANAEL JACKSON, I LIVE IN COOKEVILLE, TN. MY WIFE JENNIE COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY AS SHE IS IN TRANSITS AS WE SPEAK FROM DOING A CLINIC OUT OF STATE.
WE HAVE PREPARED THIS STATEMENT WE WOULD LIKE READ INTO THE RECORDS.FOR YEARS WE HAVE HEARD THE ARGUMENTS OVER THESE ISSUES AND STEADFASTLY MAINTAINED THAT THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE CESSATION OF EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF HARM TO OUR HORSES.
WE WANT TO APPROACH THIS ISSUE FROM A PERSPECTIVE NOT MANY HAVE DWELT ON. ABRAHAM LINCOLN ONCE SAID "BUT FOR THE BIBLE, WE WOULD NOT KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG"
FORMALLY EDUCATED OR NOT, WE KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG, THERE IS THE WRITTEN LAWS WE ALL KNOW AND RESPECT AND HONOR AND THERE ARE UNWRITTEN LAWS WE ALSO KNOW.
WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF COMFORTABLE AND UNCOMFORTABLE AND WE CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. WE KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHEN WE AS HUMANS ARE COMFORTABLE OR UNCOMFORTABLE, WHETHER PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY OR EMOTIONALLY. WE ALSO KNOW WHEN OUR ANIMALS ARE COMFORTABLE AND UNCOMFORTABLE, WHY EVEN WHEN AN ANIMAL BECOMES UNBEARABLY UNCOMFORTABLE WE 'HUMANLY PUT THEM OUT OF THEIR MISERIES' WE CALL IT.
NO ONE IS FOOLING NO ONE WHEN THEY SAY THAT THESE HORSES ARE COMFORTABLE IN BEING TRUSTED UP THE WAY THEY ARE WITH PADS, CHAINS, DOCTORED SHOES AND FEET.
ARGUING THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO DO THESE PRACTICES TO HORSES IS SO TRANSPARENT THAT EVEN CHILDREN IN CLASSES ALL ACROSS THE WORLD DISCUSSING THIS IS ISSUE IT'S OBVIOUS TO THEM. IN 1986 THE WORLD WAS INTRODUCED VISUALLY TO THE PRACTICES OF SORING BY THE CNN WALKING HORSE TV REPORT. BACK IN THOSE DAYS IF YOU DID NOT SEE THE LIVE BROADCAST, YOU ONLY HEARD ABOUT IT FROM THOSE THAT DID VIEW IT ON THAT JULY 19, 1986 NIGHT.
BUT WITH THE ELECTRONIC BOOM AND THE INTERNET I WAS ABLE TO RESTORE THAT VHS AND DIGITALIZED IT AND PLACE IT ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB, WHERE THOUSANDS HAVE VIEWED THAT VIDEO, FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT VIEWED IT CAN BE WATCHED ON WWW.WALKINONRANCH.COM, NOW THAT WAS NOT A ADVERTISEMENT, BUT IT'S THE ONLY PLACE OUT THERE THAT IT CAN BE VIEWED.
20 YEARS AND ONE, MONTH SINCE THAT VIEWING, THE USDA HAS BEEN WORKING VERY HARD TO GET A HANDLE ON THESE ISSUES, THEY HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH OUR INDUSTRY IN LETTING US REGULATE OUR SELVES AND POLICE OURSELVES, BUT LIKE THAT STRONG-WILLED CHILD, A PART OF THE INDUSTRY RESISTED TIME AND TIME AGAIN. WELL, THEY CAUGHT UP WITH THEM AND GAVE THEM THE WHUPPIN THEY FOR SO LONG NEEDED.
WHEN YOU SAY NO TO SOMEONE OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WHICH TIME DID YOU MEAN IT?
MY PERSONAL BELIEF IS NOT SO MUCH THAT THERES A LEGAL INTERPRETATION OF RIGHT OR WRONG ON THE ISSUES, BECAUSE IN OUR HEART OF HEARTS WE KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG, ITS SOMETHING MORE DEEPER THAT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CIVIL WAR. THE SOUTHERN STATES SECEDED FROM THE UNION NOT BECAUSE OF SLAVERY, IN THE MAIN, SLAVERY WAS AGREED BY BOTH SIDES THAT IT SHOULD STOP. BUT THE SOUTHERN STATES SECEDED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT LIKE BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THE SAME EXIST TODAY ~ THE WALKING HORSE INDUSTRY DOES NOT LIKE BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. NOW BEFORE SOMEONE YELLS, ~ "THEN WHY DID YOU MOVE HERE?" WE LIKE MILLIONS HAVE MOVED TO THE SOUTH BECAUSE WE LOVE IT, THE PEOPLE, THE COUNTRY, THE LIFESTYLE, ~ BUT HISTORY IS HISTORY AND OUR HISTORY HAS SHOWN US THAT Y'ALL WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH TO DEFEND SOMETHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG JUST BECAUSE OF WHO TOLD YOU IT WAS WRONG!
WELL, MANY OF US DO NOT AGREE WITH YOU AND WILL FIGHT YOU TO 'LET IT GO!' THOSE DAYS ARE BEHIND YOU, YOU'LL NEVER RECOVER IN THE PUBLIC'S EYE FROM THIS PAST DEBACLE OF THE CELEBRATION. LIKE SLAVERY WHOS VICTIMS WERE ALSO TRUSTED UP WITH CHAINS,
THE CHAINS MUST COME OFF THESE HORSES. WE ALL KNOW A 10 OUNCE CHAIN WOULD NOT MAKE A 1000LB HORSE RESPOND THE WAY IT DOES IF IT WAS THE CHAIN ALL BY ITSELF, IT IS ONLY EFFECTIVE AS 'AN ACTION DEVICE' IF IT USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SORING AGENT WHICH IT BANGS ON AND NATURALLY CAUSES INFLAMMATION WHICH LEADS TO SCARRING. THAT'S A MEDICAL CERTAINTY.NON-INJURY SCARS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.
THE TIME WILL COME WHEN OUR POSTERITY WILL WONDER AT OUR IGNORANCE (LACK OF KNOWLEDGE) OF THINGS SO PLAIN.. BECAUSE THE GREAT SNARE OF THOUGHT IS THE UNCRITICAL ACCEPTANCE OF IRRATIONAL ASSUMPTIONS.
