6-4/238- January 23, 2011
 
 

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HORSE SENSE
Periodic updates about issues and actions concerning New York City's Carriage Horses +
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages www.banhdc.org

Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

PLEASE FORWARD TO LISTS, FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES - animal rights compromised -- comments by Donny Moss & Zelda Penzel ** carriage horse updates below

NYC'S FUTURE FOR ANIMALS LIES IN YOUR HANDS
sell out Dear activists, advocates and just plain animal lovers: The future of NYC's animals - including its carriage horses - lies in your hands -- but only if you question authority and think for yourself. Speaker Christine Quinn has been the Council Speaker for several years. It is expected that she will run for mayor in 2013. Quinn's history in the City Council has been very bad on animal issues. She is tight with the Irish political community in Queens that was responsible for making sure she became Speaker. They are very strong supporters of the carriage trade.

TWO LIGHT WEIGHT ANIMAL BILLS: Recently two "animal" bills were passed in the NYC Council and are expected to be signed by Mayor Bloomberg. One prohibits the tethering of dogs - the other increases the licensing fee for intact dogs. Speaker Christine Quinn championed both bills at the request of the ASPCA, which now has an unholy alliance with NY-Class and PETA. So what could possibly be wrong with a bill that identifies the problem of tying up dogs and seemingly encourages people to neuter their dog, thus preventing more unwanted litters. Here's what:

DANGEROUS AND DISINGENUOUS SITUATION: This has created a very dangerous situation for the animals of NYC because we know that Quinn will never get behind truly substantive, meaningful bills - like banning the carriage industry - because she is entrenched in its politics -- or a meaningful "pets in housing" bill because she takes big money from real estate developers who oppose it. PLEASE do not believe the hype about these bills. It is reminiscent of the hype put out about the carriage horse bill signed into law in April, 2011 and did nothing to really help these animals but gave the owners a rate increase, which is renewable every few years. PLEASE read the bills and make your own decisions Don't be fooled by the hype put out by these three organizations. We must fight the alliance they have created to help Quinn become our next mayor.

THE BILLS:

  • INTRO 425 - this is the bill that increased the license fee for intact dogs to $34. In NYC, it costs much more to neuter or spay a dog (especially a large one), so this bill will do nothing to affect the overpopulation crises of animals in NYC, as the PETA testimony erroneously and disingenuously claims. See costs for spaying and neutering from 2006. Click here. They are undoubtedly more now.
  • INTRO 328 - The only good thing that can be said about this bill is that tethering of a dog will be more or less illegal now. However, the bill is not only impossible to enforce but it would require someone to actually monitor a situation for more than 12 hours because the bill prohibits tethering of a dog for 3 hours out of 12 hours. Yes you read that correctly. So if a junk yard owner tethers his dog for 3 out of 4 hours and then takes the dog in - he is not disobeying the law. If someone wants to hold a junk yard owner accountable, they would need to camp out at that junk yard for over 12 hours and be sure the dog was actually tied up for 3 of those hours Really -- it makes no sense. Besides - do they really expect the ASPCA officers to enforce it!!!

DAVID AND GOLIATH!
I know some of you will say - "Why can't we all just get along?" Well, I am sorry to disabuse you of your idealism, but that simply does not happen when money and power are at stake for the Big Boys. And I am talking about donations to "animal" organizations and the power that comes with lots of money at stake and the ability to influence public opinion. I am talking about the carriage horse issue in NYC. I am also talking about your power - of the wallet - and your ability to change these organizations. Every time you donate to organizations that do not do the right thing by the animals and take you for granted, you are hurting the very animals you want to save.

We started the campaign to ban the carriage industry in 2006. No one had advocated for these horses since 1994. Our campaign was a first ever. We have kept the issue in the public eye by generating many articles and letters to the editor and other media coverage, ads in tourist publications, getting the NYC Comptroller to do a first ever audit of the overseeing agencies - the Department of Health and Department of Consumer Affairs, creating a very extensive and informative web site; getting Council Member Tony Avella to sponsor the first ever bill to ban the carriage horse trade; working with him on a hearing of this bill and continuously monitoring the lack of law enforcement over this trade.

But who are we? We are a grass roots organization made up of volunteers. We pay no salaries. I work at something else for a living but I have a committed and intense focus and put much of my free time into this issue. I am dedicated and have the will - as do the members of our coalition with whom I work. I also have been involved with this issue and animal rights since the 1980s. The Big Boys -- the wealthy and powerful (Peta, ASPCA, NY-Class, et al) cannot tolerate that. They all came on the scene late. If they wanted to; if any of them really cared about these horses, they could have easily started a campaign for a ban many years ago. They all waited until we started it and it was "safe to go into the water." Yes this a case of David and Goliath.

"For the sake of the horses we do not want to work with you" - that's what Steve Nislick the founder of NY-Class said to me in 2008 as a result of me vehemently complaining that his electric car proposal did not address what would happen to the carriage horses -- and for my support and loyalty to former Council Member and present state Senator Tony Avella who was running for mayor. I brought Nislick into this movement but I was not willing to be bullied by him. Yet, our Coalition tried to extend the olive branch by inviting him to our October fund raiser so he could talk about the status of the electric car bill. He blew us off. We preferred to keep this all under wraps and we have successfully done it for over two years. But No More! There is too much at stake.

Since 2008 attempts have been made to marginalize me and my organization through: fraudulent e-mails in my name attempting to make me appear deranged, that resulted in my complaint to Google and the FBI; trying to get Tony Avella to cancel his hearing on the truly ground breaking carriage horse ban bill so their electric car bill would be considered instead; the ASPCA continuously ignoring our legitimate complaints about the carriage trade -- and telling their officers and vet to ignore me; interfering with our work with certain celebrities and persuading them not to work with us - and always, always pretending we do not exist. These things were not done by carriage drivers - they came from people within these organizations.

We continue our work and we are not going away. While we do not have much money, we are working diligently on many related issues but we do not telegraph our intentions. We are not about hype - we are about substance. We believe the only way the carriage horse industry will go away is with a new mayor - and it is not Christine Quinn. We hope you agree.

WHAT IS BEHIND ALL OF THIS?
NY-Class recently put out this e-mail -- next paragraph - under the subject heading of Groundbreaking News for all Animal Rights Advocates!. I do not know if they were so arrogant to not expect a reaction or if they simply did not care. See two excellent comments below from Donny Moss - the director of Blinders: the Truth Behind the Tradition --the award winning documentary about the carriage trade -- and Zelda Penzel - long time eloquent activist who is co-founder of the new organization in NYC, SOS - Save Our Shelter Animals. While I mostly agree with both of them, I wish Donny had indicated that Quinn has co-opted PETA also. The ASPCA has always been co-opted. Also according to the NYC Campaign Finance web site $7,350 has been donated to Quinn's campaign to date from Nislick and other execs from Edison Properties, his company. The maximum contribution is $4,950 per individual.

FROM NY-CLASS: Big Wins for the Animal Rights Community - Members and Friends, It is my pleasure to announce some very exciting and encouraging news for the entire animal rights community. On Tuesday, January 18th, the City Council passed two animal rights bills that acknowledge the importance of curbing abuse, neglect, and overcrowding in New York City's animal shelters. I am confident that the triumphant passage of these two bills is only the beginning for our organization. We know now that the City Council is willing to work with us to help make this city a more humane one. We are still going to have to fight and push to get our legislation passed, but the tide has turned. The people of New York City and our elected officials can no longer ignore animal rights issues. The news coverage received after the bills were passed only goes to show that New Yorkers truly do care about animal rights, and it is only a matter of time before they join our forces to help stop the carriage horse industry's abusive treatment of its animals. It is time to encourage and push our City Council to continue passing legislation that protects the animals of our great city. If we keep the pressure on, the City Council will have to pass a bill protecting horses and stopping the carriage horse industry in New York City! Thanks so much for all of your support and please continue to spread the word! Sincerely, Laura Eldridge Executive Director

DONNY MOSS STRIKES BACK
Dear fellow activist: We've been undermined. And we can't be silent about it. Christine Quinn has co-opted one of our own groups, NY-CLASS, to both work against us and build support for her in the animal rights community. She's even provided them with the tools to do it -- the licensing and tethering bills. Here are the facts:
  1. NY-CLASS was founded by the CEO of a real estate development company whose business depends in part on a good relationship with the Speaker, Christine Quinn. In 2009, he helped Quinn get re-elected by donating $2,000 to her campaign -- http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&oldest=1&lname=Nislick&fname=&search=Search
  2. The founder of NY-CLASS has told me several times since 2009 that Quinn is holding him personally responsible for our campaign against her, and he has implored me -- with a sense of desperation and urgency -- to suspend the campaign. (Our campaign aims to protect the horses, not business interests.)
  3. NY-CLASS is promoting Quinn's licensing and tethering bills as "exciting" and "groundbreaking" "animal rights" bills. At best, these bills are a major disappointment (See e-mail from me at the bottom of this chain).
  4. In a separate message to supporters, NY-CLASS suggests that we should vote for Quinn: "If Quinn believes that this change will give her votes, she will continue to react positively to more important . . . animal rights legislation." If Quinn wants our votes, shouldn't she build our trust by passing a "more important" bill first -- perhaps one of the many bills that she has blocked?
Christine Quinn and NY-CLASS appear to have struck a deal: If the founder of NY-CLASS silences the anti-Quinn activists and builds support for her in our community, Quinn will protect his business interests in the City Council. But what happened to the horses in this deal? NY-CLASS' effort to ban horse-drawn carriages has been compromised.

Here are some other questions we should be asking:

  1. Why is NY-CLASS working on licensing and tethering bills, which have nothing to do with their mission or area of expertise?
  2. What is NY-CLASS doing to help the carriage horses? Their website contains no information about their activities and simply directs people to send letters to City officials.
  3. What happened to NY-CLASS' electric antique car prototype? Activists have been promoting this humane alternative (and the corresponding bill at City Hall). Does it even exist?
Quinn's deceit surrounding these bills and her attempt to generate support among activists through NY-CLASS reinforce the need for us to educate the public about why she should be voted out of public office for good. See you in the streets. Donny Moss -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jWz6s6r5f4

ZELDA PENZEL IS OUTRAGED AT THEIR CHUTZPAH
When I saw the eye-catching headline, Groundbreaking News for all Animal Rights Advocates! Big Wins for the Animal Rights Community, I couldn't help but wonder: What? Where? How? and of course, WHO had managed to get something really important accomplished for the animals? I immediately thought, "How can we, here in NY, get 'big wins' too?"....and then I read the rest of the meaningless and insulting drivel in the e-newsletter, put out by NY-Class. How dare they!!!!

Who appointed NY-CLASS, a self-serving group, claiming to be interested in "clean, livable and safe streets" the spokesperson, the "voice" of the Animal Rights Community and of "all" Animal Rights Advocates? Who assigned an organization known for currying favor with the "rich and influential" the roll of arbiter in deciding just what activists, who've been "busting their chops" for years, consider to be significant, "groundbreaking" measures that will improve the lives of animals in New York? Sadly, the two bills referred to in their e-newsletter, will have little to no effect on the horrific problems faced by animals in our city!!! We're still asking: Where is our:

  • PETS IN HOUSING BILL?
  • FREE/LOW COST SPAY-NEUTER BILL?
  • CARRIAGE HORSE BAN?
  • BAN ON SELLING PUPPYMILL DOGS AND CATS IN PET SHOPS?
  • ANIMAL SHELTER IN THE BRONX? IN QUEENS?
  • BAN ON RODEOS, ON ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES?
  • FUNDING AND PASSING OF A FORWARD THINKING NO KILL NY BILL THAT WOULD SAVE THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS KILLED IN OUR SHELTERS?
The passage by the City Council of a bill concerning tethering and another relating to licensing fees was nothing more than "window dressing" and a cynical distraction by the likes of an opportunistic Speaker Quinn, who heretofore never saw an animal-friendly piece of legislation that she liked; a distraction from some of the most serious issues confronting animals in New York City today...issues that do NOT have the support of the monied interests and power-brokers in our city and therefore, are not on the Speaker's "To Do" list.

Tethering, while in and of itself, a horrible practice that has been made illegal in many places, is hardly of primary concern in a city like New York where most people live in apartment buildings and where most chained dogs in backyards will never be seen. Moreover, this bill has been denounced as unenforceable since it would require manpower, money, and a 12 hour stakeout to prove that an animal has been left tethered for more than 3 hours. A dog tethered for 3 out of 4 hours would not be illegal since it must be 3 out of 12 hours. Furthermore, getting organizations like Peta and the ASPCA to sign on, in order to give greater credibility to these two bills only raises the red flag and raises suspicions about this unlikely alliance to promote two inconsequential bills which will do little, if anything to protect animals or the citizens of New York.

As for the relationship of either of these bills with "overcrowding" in shelters, "If is it tea time in Hong Kong, who will be playing Beethoven's Fifth in Carnegie Hall? (LOL!!!)....no relationship whatsoever...but it almost sounds good. Shame on NY-CLASS! Do they take animal rights activists for total fools? Zelda Penzel, Co-Founder SOS:SAVE OUR SHELTER ANIMALS

NOTE: if you would like to work on the Stop Christine Quinn campaign, please contact Donny Moss at donnymoss@me.com. If you are interested in Save Our Shelter Animals, please contact Zelda Penzel at zpenzel@twcmetrobiz.com

BACK TO THE CARRIAGE HORSES
Important petition and videos
PLEASE NOTE:
  • If you have not already done so, please sign this petition at Change.org. This asks Council Members to sponsor legislation concerning the carriage horse "disposition" and assure that they do not go to the kill auctions. Click Here.
  • Please see these Youtube videos: Click Here. They incude the congestion in Central Park; institutionalized cruelty in the carriage industry and the truth about the pro industry legislation
  • OUR NEXT DEMO: Valentine's Day - February 14th at 5:30 to 8:00 - north west corner of Central Park South and Fifth Avenue - (look for us - it is a complicated location)

JOIN US ON FACE BOOK & SIGN ONLINE PETITION
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See our Facebook page called No Walk in the Park. And while you are there, please join another anti carriage horse page by a colleague called 212HorsePower

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.

Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth Forel - Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages - a standing committee of The Coalition for New York City Animals, Inc.

Please DONATE to our campaign to ban the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse industry.