WILD HORSES!

Madeleine & Boone Pickens

"Wild free-roaming horses and burros belong to no one individual. They belong to all American people. The spirit which has kept them alive and free against almost insurmountable odds typifies the national spirit which led to the growth of our Nation. They are living symbols of the rugged independence and tireless energy of our Pioneer heritage".
(U.S. Senate Report No. 242, 92nd Congress, 1971)

-

T. Boone Pickens is not particularly a man I've admired during my time as a news anchor and a reporter in Texas. I never met the man. But I served for five-years on a non-profit board under the able leadership of a fine president who led our board and took early retirement as a geologist with General American Oil--a company that was sold to Phillips Petroleum after Boone made a run at the company's stock. So, I've heard a great deal about Boone Pickens. And he always sounded too much like Carl Icahn to me. I lay blame for much of the ruination of TWA (Trans World Airlines) at Icahn's feet, and he is definitely not my role model for a businessman. However, my late father was the role model of a very honest small businessman. He used to say that the bakery business was a "clean business"--and I remember seeing the look of pride in his eyes when he mentioned this. So, allow me to put Boone aside for a moment. Someone who caught my attention of late happens to be Boones' wife Madeleine (No, not for THAT reason!). Here's the scoop: Unless someone convinces me otherwise, Madeleine Pickens may be onto something. She has proposed developing a 1 million acre sanctuary for over 31,000 wild Mustangs currently in holding facilities under the Bureau of Land Management in long-term facilities. This past June, BLM had more than three times the number of the 9,807 horses held in captivity in 2001. Budget pressures led them to the conclusion that the horses should be euthanized. If my Cousin were still alive, she would be on the phone to Mrs. Pickens to help. Here's what Madeleine Pickens says. You be the judge. "Can you imagine somebody suggesting that you euthanize 30,000 horses? It was abominable," said Pickens. "That will never happen." So far, I like what I'm hearing.

-

Two years ago on this BLOG Page I told you about a petition drive involving the ASPCA and many of you signed that Petition aong with me. The focus of the Petition to the government was to close down four foreign owned slaughter houses that killed hundreds of horses each year. The Washington Post stated that Boone and Madeleine "led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States." I cerainly hope so! If that is true, I applaud the couple. “We have mismanaged the horse situation and I will fix that,” Madeleine said. “Everyone is on board with it. They want this project to happen.” Evidently the location won't be in Texas, but if all goes as planned the refuge property will be accessible to the public. “You shouldn’t be coming to this country to see Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck,” she said. “We are more than that. We are a country that was formed on horseback and we should enjoy it, not slaughter it.” Plans include creating a foundation to support the project. To me, this is an amazing and ambitious effort deserving of a tax credit. If it works, animals brought to the refuge would be sterilized. The refuge would also be able to accept extra horses the bureau takes out of the wild each year. “We will never turn an animal down,” she said. What are your thoughts?

-

(Happy Monday!)