Nevada wild horse, 2017

Part one; overview, big picture: https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/09/16/the-wild-in-wild-horses-the-land-they-stand-on-timeline-public-land-seizure-movement/

Part two; some of the “wild horse” set up; https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/09/17/the-wild-in-wild-horses-the-land-they-stand-on-public-land-seizure-movement-segment-two/

This is part three in an essay that, at this time may become 4 segments or 20, depending on the time that can be spent on this keyboard. Over the course of the last decade we have published literally hundreds of articles on this subject. Nothing in these articles presents something we have not put in written word, or discussed with one journalist or another, over the course of the last ten years.

In segment three we planned to discuss how reality and “alt reality” clash from 2009 forward to create the “bullet in the head” in the current budget bill debate and the massive public land challenges faced today. We will publish that in segment four. These articles are getting a lot of “read through traffic” and we want to give you a tool to use to begin to understand “the place you now stand” as a concerned citizen with a vote.

As we move this discussion forward the intensity of the political climate to transfer management decision powers, and often public land itself, into the hands of states and private interests is more than evident. As wild horse advocates you need to take just a moment to get a feel for how the legislative battle is playing out, beyond the proposed budget that intends to put a bullet in the head of tens of thousands of wild horses.

A quote from our section two of this series is worth repeating here; “Wild horses are the only animal in our country legally defined by where they stand, not what they are. Wild horses as a ‘living symbol of the (pioneer) spirit of the West’ literally carry the history of the land they stand upon within their legal identity. This fact makes wild horse management the most vulnerable of all to public land policy and the whims of any political climate.”

Just as we have key species on the land itself that are the rapid responders to environmental change, wild horses are a key species that can track the political climate, clearly.

A discussion about an amendment to the Appropriations bill made by Jared Polis (D-CO) is extremely relevant. On September 8th Polis introduced amendment 76  to prohibit the use of funds to pursue any extra-legal ways to transfer federal lands to private owners in contravention of existing law. Essentially what this is saying is that tax payers wont fund any shenanigans to circumvent existing law to transfer land to profiteers.

The amendment failed to pass. As absurd as that sounds, it didn’t pass. You can click HERE to see how your Representative voted. What you might find is that your representative will say at a town hall meeting, or in a press release, that they do not support the transfer of public land… but their votes will say otherwise.

Another bill to note is the SCRUB Act. The SCRUB essentially sets the bar on any regulations made to industry be determined by cost; cost to the industry to comply and cost to the government to enforce. If that pesky regulation creates a financial burden to comply, scrub that thing off the books. Why would we place public safety and environmental health above a profit line? Obviously there are those in government that feel they represent “profit margins” over people.

Be Aware that SCRUB goes beyond public land, it can enter every facet of your life. Lead paint, anyone?

SCRUB passed the House. Want to see how the votes went down? Click HERE.

While we have your attention on this series of articles we are taking a moment to remind everyone about the mid-term election next year. We are constantly asked “What can I do?” We have run a series of webinars on how to use your voice in process. One of the offshoots of the “digital age” is people thinking signing a petition or clicking a button, is exercising your voice. Besides not being fully informed on who you are giving your voice to and if it will/will not be used appropriately, the public is “forgetting” what their voice really entails. If you do not identify who your representatives are, how they vote on issues you care about, how will you be prepared to deal with the next onslaught of political media during a campaign? Will you know if that meme being shared is the truth or propaganda? (Our next piece will delve deep into the world of the internet)

Jut check those two vote counts above. If you have a “yes” to Polis, and a “no” to SCRUB, you are likely to have a representative in the House that may have been inundated with propaganda about wild horses, but is understanding in the “big picture.” Those people are people that you can remind, educate, and discuss your concerns with about wild horses and public land. Remind them that wild horses are the only animal in our country legally defined by where they stand, not what they are. What they are witnessing in the “public land giveaway” is the exact same thing they are hearing with the horse, shenanigans. (The next article, segment four, will have a specific action you can take to help us address the corruption)

Next year every seat in the House will be up for re-election. Getting involved, as an educated advocate, is the single most important thing you can do.

The budget vote on “putting the bullet in the head of wild horses” still requires you to do the same thing you have been doing (we hope you are doing). Pick up the phone or send a FAX. https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/09/06/fast-update-the-budget-votes/

We hope this article answers many of the questions we are receiving.

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