H.R. 503 (the ban on horse slaughter) has been lingering in the house judiciary committee this entire legislative session. It has not been brought into the house for a vote in spite of 184 co-sponsors in the house and tremendous public outcry. Speaker Nancy Pelosi can bring it into the house for a vote if she wants to, she simply has not wanted to.

We obtained 83 co-signers on the letter within 4 days time. This is an awesome number especially since most legislators are very busy with election time right now and there was only limited time to sign.

Respect4Horses lobbying group has just concluded our most recent lobbying effort of drumming up our co-sponsor Congressmen and women to co-sign onto a letter initiated by wonderful Congressman Moran to the Speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi.

This is a last ditch effort before the legislative session ends and this bill will die with the legislative session. We do not believe that it's over until it's over.

It took a lot of organizing and bringing people together and a few sleepless nights but we all really came together in a big way.

I would like to thank these organizations and people who all came together in a big way for this important mission:

EWA, Animal Law Coalition, S. Florida SPCA, AWI and SFTHH community plus every individual and organization calling and writing our Congressmen and women.   

These individuals played an important role in this important mission:

Respect 4 horses coordinator Maria (legislative affairs)
And on the ground, walking the halls, office to office, handing out the information and talking to legislative advisors: Maria Kimble, Lauren Mayer, Valerie Stanley, Jean and Joe Cavis, Margaret Stephanie, and Randi Altman.

I want to thank the 20 determined tireless ladies in the Respect4Horses calling and emailing team, who have no voices left and no nails either.

I want to thank every single individual in America and even some in Canada, that put aside their own priorities and relentlessly called and emailed and faxed our wonderful H.R. 503 cosponsors, in order to make them aware and ask them to sign onto this letter.

The very helpful legislative assistant Barry in Congressman Moran's office,  and of course our wonderful Congressman Moran himself and the rest of the Congressman and Congresswomen who took the time out of their extremely busy election schedule to sign this letter as a clear and undeniable message to Nancy Pelosi. Enough is enough, we want to vote on it!!

A special thank you goes out to Congressman Conyers, who took the time himself to speak to Simone Netherlands and thank her personally for the efforts. Congressman Conyers is one of our absolute hero’s for the animals, he is from Michigan.

Legislator's aids also called to ask me to have people please stop calling and emailing. The answer was: "Absolutely, as soon as your Congressman signs the letter."  

The letter to Nancy Pelosi speaks volumes and she will have no choice but to respond to it, we await her response un-patiently.

It takes all of us, it takes every single horse advocate group and individual in the country, it takes every person telling 10 other people, it takes people putting their own lives on the back burner, it takes people putting aside their differences, it takes selfless effort and action and determination. We need to save our 120,000 horses per year suffering the most torturous death imaginable.

Even though the poor souls on the slaughter trucks right now are not nearly saved just yet, and the mission will not be over until its over, I think tonight we are allowing ourselves a little smile on our face for the renewed hope that comes with this letter. 

"Let's put aside our perceived limitations, go one step beyond what we think we are capable of, and go the extra mile for the defenseless". Simone Netherlands. 

"The greatest wisdom is knowing the difference between right and wrong, the greatest purpose is to fight for what is right, and the greatest satisfaction is knowing you made a difference". Simone Netherlands