Youngster run and sent to kill auction (rescued). If you care about the welfare of this baby you are “an enviro nut”

As we advocate for wild horses and burros, the western rangeland, or any other issue that we feel is important, opposition to your position takes interesting “turns.” Last night we began our winter hay drive and were attacked online by a man heading a pro horse slaughter movement through a large organization that claims to be pro livestock, hunting and farmer. Essentially that organization is backed by a large “oil man.” If you read their tactics they are simply “anti advocate.” They are an attack campaign, not a productive action campaign.

“If someone you know makes their points through personal attacks to opposition, and not the facts, you may be dealing with a sociopath.” Dr. Martha Stout, The Sociopath Next Door.

Dr. Stout also advises simply to stay away from those that exhibit this behavior. However we watch as others are drawn in and repeatedly get upset. So instead of addressing “them” we thought we would allow one of our readers a chance to “present the position of the opposition.”

One of our readers posted this “item list” she gleaned after watching the “back and forth” between advocates and the opposition. Many advocates get “compassion fatigue.” Often issues seem insurmountable and are filled with images of horrific conduct perpetrated on living beings and battered and beaten landscapes.

Guest Blog, Rachelle Anne

So I turn on my FB this morning, and of course my news feed is a very depressing one, I have mostly wild horse and horse slaughter posts running through my news feed – this was my original intent for getting back on Facebook was so I could watch the horse pages.
But in the midst of this I started reading the “opposition” pages, and I see the comments they make on wild horse OR environmental threads.

What I have learned from the “opposition” about advocates:

1. If you love your horse you are a “whacko”
2. If you stay responsible for your horses you are a “whacko”
3. If you want wildlife protected you are an “enviro nut-job”
4. I f you want ON range management for the horses and burros – you MUST be vegan and must be against pet ownership
5. if you support the humane treatment of animals that are raised for food production, you do not “understand the ranching way of life”
6. Water? oh what water? the west has been in a DROUGHT and it “is the horses fault.” (But there is water for the cows, but only cows.)                                                                                                                               7. Oh, and wild horses are “feral,” “rats with tails,” and “shitters” – doesn’t everyone know that they are “not native to North America and there exists “no paleontological evidence” (obviously i am being sarcastic. the evidence exists clearly).
8. Wild horse advocates are tree huggers, none of us shower, or we live in cities. (GOD FORBID THE CITY! you mean the city that the West could not survive without, where Wall Street and all the financial districts are and the trademarket/stockmarket?) And because they live in cities we are not “real Americans.”
9. If you support wild horses and burros, then you must have never owned a horse, and you know NOTHING! about horses, because remember they are “feral”
10. Cows are good for the land in MASS numbers! WHO KNEW????? All that cow poop in our natural watersheds, and trampled earth and grasses ripped by the ROOTS that NEVER grow back is good! In fact, cows are so good for the land – we have like what! 8 MILLION OF THEM roaming around on our public lands that we pay for – America loves cows!!!.
11. Wild horses are taking over the West – RUN IN YOUR HOUSES and hide!!! There are WILD HORSES EVERYWHERE! In fact there are so many – never mind that COWS OUTNUMBER wild horses 50:1 – that’s right, you are going to be so lucky not to be stampeded by a wild horse when you walk out your door, because there are 50 times more COWS than horses – so be careful!!!!!!!
12. Slaughtering a horse while they are alive is completely humane! all these years people have been so wrong (silly us). 13. Don’t forget!!!! toxic pesticides are healthy!!!! and the honey bee is doing JUST! fine, don’t worry.
14. My personal favorite, if you have a gun, call the militia, and run trespass cattle on our public lands – you do not have to pay your bill – in fact – our government will pay YOU!
So there you have it.

This member of the “public” at a BLM trap site adoption might just be on of those “city people” because she cares about the welfare of the horses removed from the range

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