Nevada Governor Becomes a Horse Hero

On June 17, 2013, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill paving the way for the State of Nevada to enter into cooperative agreements with organizations to humanely manage mustangs under the State's jurisdiction. Primarily these horses live in the Virginia Range near Reno.

Deniz Bolbol from the American Wild Horse Preservation Group attended the signing ceremony with representatives of local wild horse advocacy groups. The Preservation representatives: "We look forward to working collaboratively with local and national organizations to put in place a humane management program for the Virginia Range horses and prevent them from being removed from their homes on the range."

I wrote to the governor:

"Thank you with all my heart for signing the bill to improve the lives of wild horses.
They are as American as you and I.  They belong to our heritage and our ideals of freedom. They share with us co-habitation on this planet, our only home. 
Your enlightened action is an invaluable example of the kind of approaches we need to take as we become stewards of life -- for the sake of all of us and for our souls."

U.S. Navy Wants to Bring Hell to the Oceans

I am writing to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel about the Navy's plan to blast the oceans with explosives and sonar, bringing torture and death to marine mammals and other destruction we haven't yet realized. 

"Dear Secretary Hagel -- Now that you are even more prominent in the world, please reflect on the new perspectives now arising about the web of life and how we need to be caretakers, shepherds and stewards instead of being those who exploit, harm and kill life on the planet, without thought. 

 We cannot live if we reach a certain tipping point in our destruction of this web, in our harm toward the earth, our only home.  The tipping point is far closer than we thave thought.  Please think, not just for reasons of a deeper morality than the usual, but for reasons of survival of our descendants.

 It's not beyond the realm of possibility that our children and grandchildren will be alive when the waters rise disastrously, when the planet tells us in the ultimate way that the harm we have done has ended forever life as we know it."

"They" Keep Trying To Kill The Wild

Our government's Fish and Wildlife continually bows to pressures to remove protection from "wild" horses, wolves, coyotes, prairie dogs and almost anything else considered "wild" in the western states. The only truly "wild" -- in the meaning of out of control - creatures in the west are the ranchers or "cattle barrons."

The "wild" horses and other "animal" beings in the West are as much or more of an integral part of America the Beautiful as are you and me and any human alive.

When governing forces, local and federal, "manage," corral, torture and kill them, they are killing part of our heritage, part of the dream of this nation to be a light to the world. American advisors continuously work in "developing" countries to persuade them not to eliminate their "wild" animals and "wild" spaces, teaching and trying to get them to see that these are an irreplaceable part of their heritage. As well as being a limitless resource for travel and tourism income.

Are we to be more primitive than those "natives" we seek to educate about care of their lands?

The true driving force behind these movements to kill and eradicate the wild in the west of America comes from the wealthy ranchers who act as kings and despots, separate from the laws and interests of this nation, separate from mankind's historic quest for a more informed morality.

The cattle (meat) industry is a major cause of destruction of the planet, as well as a cause of multiple diseases for the human population. These ranchers need to be seen in the perspective of the reality they actually represent. No matter how much raw money they may have from their meat industries, no matter how much raw money they give to political candidates -- they must be brought to see that they are not apart from humanity, from other living things, or from the planet. There is no option except for us to become stewards instead of killers. We must do this for all of life and all of the dreams that impel us to acts of thoughfulness rather than domination and death.

 

Struggle For "Wild" Horses Continues

These "wild" horses are as much or more than an integral part of America the Beautiful as are you and me and any human alive.

When governing forces, local and federal, "manage," corral, torture and kill them, they are killing part of our heritage, part of the dream of this nation to be a light to the world. American advisors continuously work in "developing" countries to persuade them not to eliminate their "wild" animals and "wild" spaces, teaching and trying to get them to see that these are an irreplaceable part of their heritage. As well as being a limitless resource for travel and tourism income.

Are we to be more primitive than those "natives" we seek to educate about care of their lands? 

The true driving force behind these movements to kill and eradicate the wild in the west of America comes from the wealthy ranchers who act as kings and despots, separate from the laws and interests of this nation, separate from mankind's historic quest for a more informed morality.

The cattle (meat) industry is a major cause of destruction of the planet, as well as a cause of multiple diseases for the human population.  These ranchers need to be seen in the perspective of the reality they actually represent.  No matter how much raw money they may have from their meat industries, no matter how much raw money they give to political candidates -- they must be brought to see that they are not apart from humanity, from other living things, or from the planet. There is no option except for us to become stewards instead of killers. We must do this for all of life and all of the dreams that impel us to acts of thoughfulness rather than domination and death. 

Ignorant official killing in Newton Massachusetts

They found a bear cub in the city of Newton, MA, which has a large population percentage of wealthy, elites, and "well educated" persons.  What to do?   The quickly arrived solution:  Kill it. The options of relocation, sanctuaries, and consultation with wildlife and animal agencies were not even considered.

I wrote to the mayor:

"Treatment of the bear cub -- What a shameful commentary on your community.  What ignorance is revealed.  Can we hope that officials and police of your city can become aware of the evolving consciousness about the web of life itself and the human relationship to all of life?  Unless we develop an enlightened perspective on the natural world a day will come – and not in the far distance but closer to now than you think – when humanity cannot live on this planet. 

 It’s not namby-pamby to protect rather than going immediately to killing when encountering other forms of life.  A more enlightened perspective has to do with our survival. 

 Additionally, is this kind of killing the example you want to hold up to children?  In an increasingly violent time the examples held up from leaders need to be for thoughtfulness, peace and kindness, not knee-jerk murder at random."    

 

China Altman 1 Melrose St #4  Boston MA 02116  617 933 9926