Thursday, May 13, 2010

Some #WildHorseHealing thoughts for May 17th 10 pm EST on tweetchat

   

With the ruling on the lawsuit regarding the Calico Complex, Nevada wild horses due no later than May 25th we should think about beginning to surround the judges deliberations with our positive loving thoughts for a ruling that is in the best interests of all concerned in the situation.  Many will be effected by his verdict in this case. 

Since it is best not to try to directly influence anyone when working on an energetic level, as this is a violation of someone else’s free will, I would like to share some of my thoughts.

If we each mediate on what our experiences with the wild horses and what the experiences mean to us we can open up a line of communication with Judge Friedman so he can feel and understand aspects of the situation that he may not otherwise understand.   

By meditating on and then sharing our feelings and thoughts on the wild horses, their home ranges, our public lands and what is happening to those formerly free horses now in captivity we can open a pathway of communication that will enable Judge Friedman to rule with courage, honesty and understanding.  

The idea behind this wild horse healing session will be that through our meditation/healing we share fully with the judge what the situation means to us and by doing so we bring a fuller experience of the situation to the judge so he can make a fair decision. 

A possible meditation can take the form of a conversation between your higher self and another’s higher self, an exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings.

A river flows both ways. We can allow ourselves to be open to gaining new understanding into aspects of the situation we may need to understand.

Sometimes I like to think of having a conversation with someone’s guardian angel. 

More will follow on a specific meditation since some find that helpful but by beginning to think about these things may be of help in opening up the flow of energy to this next meditation/healing.      

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Please join the #WildHorseHealing hashtag on tweetchat Monday 10 pm EST 7 pm PST

 

The overall concept is that as people are focusing loving energy on the wild horses, they are indeed sending healing energy to the situation.

 

By reaching out to one another and focusing loving energy on the wild horses and their current plight, we will be working to heal the deep wounds thousands of mustang families have suffered at the hands of the BLM and other vested interests.  

 

We will ‘meet’ there each Monday at the focus of our energetic intention will change as the situation evolves.

 

A guided meditation written by @fourlegsandasoul is below and will be available as a podcast on website soon to help you.

 

Please share this with your friends and loved ones, encouraging them to join, too.  The more people sending love to the wild horses and burros, the more power our healing movement has.  

 

Below is a guided meditation for week one of #WildHorseHealing

 

 

WILD HORSE HEALING MEDITATION

[Monday May 10th 10 pm EST and 7 pm PST]

 

Please join us for the Wild Horse Healing Meditation followed by a Twitter discussion using the #WildHorseHealing hashtag.  

 

Group distance healing has a tremendous ability to bring blessings to those in need.  It is not necessary for you to be a trained energy healer.  All that is required are your loving thoughts focused on the horses and hope for their future.  Intention is everything.  As you meditate, think of sending healing love and the horses will receive it.  The combined power of our group's positive intentions will be inspiring and will only become more vibrant as more people pray and meditate on the peace and freedom these magnificent wild horses and burros deserve.  The effect of our prayers will multiply as more and more souls join our #WildHorseHealing group.

 

Prior to joining the group discussion on Twitter, please set aside 15 minutes (more if you like) to meditate on the wild horses: those "gathered" into captivity in holding pens, those adopted out and living in unfamiliar surroundings, those still running free with their families, those who have been separated from their herds... all wild horses everywhere.  Please feel free to use the following script, to write your own or simply to meditate freely.  It may help you to record yourself slowly reading the script and then play it back to guide your meditation or prayer process.  By opening yourself to this journey on behalf of the mustangs who crave freedom, you are becoming a vessel through which love and healing and positive intentions can flow directly to the horses who need it most.  In addition, as a group, we will become a force for change with a unified voice to speak up and be heard by the BLM and other government agencies perpetrating atrocities against one of the greatest symbols of freedom America knows.

 

Thank you for reaching out and joining up.  Every voice and every heart counts.

 

MUSTANG MEDITATION script:

 

Close your eyes and breathe deeply.  Take three deep breaths.  In through your nose and out through your mouth.  

 

Clear your mind and be present.  Begin to feel yourself relaxing into the moment.  

 

Feel the green of the earth reach up through the bottoms of your feet, connecting you to the natural world.  The vibrant green energy of Mother Earth fills you, surrounding and relaxing each cell of your body as it travels up through your legs to your heart.  

 

From above, feel the brilliant blue of the sky and Higher Power dropping down through the top of your head and behind your eyes and into your throat, merging with the green earth energy at your heart.

 

Swirling together in your heart, the vibrant green and brilliant blue become brighter and brighter until you cannot distinguish them and the light from your heart is blinding.  Silver white light expands your heart and fills your whole body from the top of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes.  That bright light is the pure love in your heart, growing stronger and stronger.  This is your healing energy.  The truest expression of healing energy is love and compassion.

 

As this light grows brighter and brighter within you, the walls of the room fall away, the floor dissolves into the earth and you are outside.  Walking in a meadow.  Tall grasses grazing your legs as you move out into this beautiful open space.  Wildflowers just beginning to bloom.  

 

The air is fresh and cool and damp with dew.  The sun is low in the sky, gently warming the horizon.  In the distance, you hear a whinny.  A soft blowing neigh from a mare calling her foal closer.  You cannot see the horses but you smell them faintly and know they are not far.

 

Walking deeper into the meadow, you feel the land undulating into foothills dotted with trees.  And you hear the whinny again.  That soft sound almost like a sneeze.  Almost like the leaves of the trees rustling in the wind.  Such a gentle noise could easily be mistaken but it calls you and you feel sure the horses are near.  You follow the sound of the mare talking to her foal, gathering her family closer.

 

As you rise up into the hills, you take some time to appreciate the grandeur of your surroundings.  There are no other people.  The space goes on seemingly forever.  The sky is as wide and endless as you can imagine.  The smell in the air is so crisp but also so familiar and comforting.  The feel of the rough grasses tickles your feet as you continue to walk.  

 

And then you see him: a mustang stallion alone on the rise of a distant hill.  His black mane is backlit by sun as he shakes his head and arches his neck.  His profile is unmistakably regal and his protective stance makes his intentions clear.  His family grazes behind him.  Will he welcome you?  You take your time now, admiring his beauty, his freedom, his nobility.  And you treasure this moment, totally alone, observing the definition of wild peace.  

 

Take some time to listen to the stallion and learn from him.  He has gifts to share that are just for you.  Learn his secrets.

 

After awhile, the stallion turns and you understand that you can follow.  He is leading you to his herd.  You are welcome here.  This fills your heart with humble pride.  You are deeply touched.

 

You follow the stallion, walking in his steps, feeling the heat left behind in his hoofprints and the stories his hooves have to tell.  He shakes his mane and steps aside to reveal the whole herd.  Large and healthy, this wild herd has horses of every color, size, age and character.  You marvel at their beauty and the way they welcome you, surrounding you with their warm flanks and flicking tails.  

 

One of the horses reaches out to you, touching your hand with his or her muzzle.  Spend time with this mustang, learning who he or she is and what message he or she has for you.  This wild horse has much to share with you and much to ask of you.  Listen to what the wild horses need and how you can help them.  

 

Share the healing you are carrying in your heart.  Allow the bright white light in your heart to spread to all the horses, connecting your heart with theirs one by one until the whole hillside is suffused in brilliant silver light and the healing spreads across the country to wild horses everywhere.

 

Take your time sharing and experiencing the pure healing light.

 

When you are ready, say good-bye to the horses.  The stallion escorts you down from the hillside as you take your leave of his band of wild beauties.  

 

Eventually, the stallion must return to his family.  He allows you to touch him now and you run your hand along his sleek, shining coat.

 

And then you are walking alone through the meadow again, feeling the grasses swaying against your legs.  Taking one last deep breath of the sweet smell that permeates the wild horses' home.

 

Once again, you become aware of the room around you, the walls and floor and ceiling back in place.  You return to your physical body, rolling your shoulders, stretching, wiggling your toes and your fingers.

 

When you are ready, open your eyes and remember the love the wild horses have shared and the passion you feel to help them stay forever free.

 

Please join us on Twitter using #WildHorseHealing to share your experiences and ideas and honor the mustangs wild hearts.

 

Brooke Baxter

Four Legs & A Soul

 

www.fourlegsandasoul.com

brooke@fourlegsandasoul.com

http://twitter.com/fourlegsandsoul

... for a healthy, stress-free relationship with the animals in your life.

 

 

 

Friday, April 23, 2010

Unique Protest Rally in Nevada for Wild Horses

 

WHAT?  DON'T TAKE MY BALLS!
                Las Vegans will rally in sympathy with the young stallions under 4 years of age that were painfully castrated last week by the BLM at the Fallon Nevada holding pens. If the BLM wins the federal lawsuit, they will castrate all the remaining mature stallions from the Calico roundup. The BLM has severely limited public access to the captive Calico horses despite public demands for transparency. 
     
We will hang bloody balls from lariats and circulate petitions asking President Obama to rein in the BLM, an outdated agency and friend of welfare cows.
 
WHERE?
RED ROCK CANYON SCENIC OVERLOOK ON HIGHWAY 159, from Las Vegas Strip, go west on Charleston, past the 215 Beltway and Red Rock Canyon entrance gates

WHEN?   SUNDAY APRIL25, 2010 from NOON to 2pm
 
WHY?   Castration is a way of wiping out the unique gene pool of the mustangs that have unique bloodlines and unique traits adapted to their specific area. Pictures of the castrated horses taken by Craig C. Downer appear below.
 
BACKGROUND?  In January 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted a deadly roundup of 1922 wild horses from the CALICO MOUNTAINS COMPLEX in northwestern Nevada, despite a federal lawsuit underway to stop the roundups and the recommendation of the federal judge that BLM should NOT conduct a roundup in the dead of winter. The Calico horses were not starving and had not damaged the public range, meanwhile the BLM sharply increased the number of private cattle allowed to graze at subsidized cost on the horses' range. Stress and trauma lie behind the majority of the 86 wild horse deaths (to date) and 40 spontaneous abortions, a report issued today by the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC) concludes. AWHPC notes the expense of the Calico roundup which will cost taxpayers at least $1.3 million through April, and $1 million a year to warehouse the non-adoptable horses over their 20+ year lifespans. This costly policy, which relies on expensive roundups every four years, is pursued while cost-effective, on-the-range management strategies are ignored.
 
CONTACT PERSON?  ARLENE GAWNE (702) 277-1313 artistfromafrica@hotmail.com 

Info on volunteering for the wild horses go to www.grassrootshorse.com

 
FOR MORE INFORMATION, see:

American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/

The Cloud Foundation press releases: http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/press-releases

News Story on Calico, rising death toll & skewed numbers from George Knapp (KLAS- Las Vegas): http://bit.ly/9f1DYb

BLM Daily Reports from Calico Roundup/Fallon Holding: http://bit.ly/aSaeVc

American Herds - http://americanherds.blogspot.com/

Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit.  America’s Disappearing Wild Horses - A History

http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/wild.html

Roundup Schedule- updated February 2010  http://bit.ly/bOhwdk


 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Donations to save Abandoned Florida Mustangs and to Honor a Good Man Betrayed

The 15 mustangs abandoned in Florida have quite a history. More on that later but right now, we need help.

Homes are secured for all fifteen- yippe. Auction is tomorrow !

We have to go to auction and bid against kill buyers and homes known to be unfit- fined or arrests for either cruelty or neglect. Nice system huh ?

Anyway- Brogan Horton is on the ground in Florida, representing the twitter, FB, rescues & regular people who care enough to take action for these mustangs. And WE NEED YOUR HELP. The horses need you.

We are raising funds in this effort and if you can help- the horses need you. Whatever you can give is needed and appreciated.

CJ Animal Acres has agreed to take donations through their site for us http://www.cj-acres.org/ tax deductible too. Mention Florida Mustangs. Please add MyFlyingCloud too so I will know whose praises to tweet. Loudly !

The mustangs had belonged to Larry Jones, well know mustang lover and advocate who believed everyone needed to step up and be responsible for saving these mustangs from what he believed was the government/BLM plan to destroy them. He was betrayed by an even closer enemy, his son.

He dedicated his life to saving the mustangs and any horse needing a home found one with him, for life. Sadly this great man believed his family’s word that they would carry on his work and care for his beloved mustangs, many of whom were sweet, gentle saddle horses. He was wrong. He died of cancer in February 2009 and soon after his son began abandoning the horses in different locations, in batches- there were 90 horse in Larry’s herd. He sold some to the rodeo for “wild horse stock”- a horrific end for these horses he so loved and cherished. He dumped others in state parks and along rivers. 

Please pass this on to anyone who may help.      

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Florida Mustangs Abandoned in Okeechobee

To Whom It May Concern:

 

You are hereby notified that I will offer for sale and sell at public sale to the highest and best bidder for cash the following described livestock:

1.       Bay, Mustang, colt, left hind white fetlock, right front white pastern, approx 2 years and 13hh

2.       Bay, Mustang, colt, white star, approx 1 year and 13hh

3.       Bay, Mustang, mare branded on neck and numbers on quarters 6820, approx 10 years and 14hh

4.       Blue Roan, Mustang, mare, approx 8 years and 14hh

5.       Dark bay, Mustang, mare, approx 8 years and 14hh

6.       Brown, Mustang, filly, approx 2 years and 14.2hh

7.       Bay, Mustang, filly, left hind white pastern, right hind white fetlock, white star, approx 2 years and 14hh

8.       Bay, Mustang, filly, tiny white star and thin white stripe on nose, approx 2 years and 14hh

9.       Gray, Mustang, colt, left hind white pastern, right hind white fetlock

10.   Bay, Mustang, mare, right hind half white pastern, left hind white pastern, white star, approx 2 years and 14hh

11.   Bay Roan, Mustang, mare, white pastern to fetlock, white star, approx 3 years and 14hh

12.   Bay, Mustang, filly, left front club foot approx 8 months and 12hh

13.   Bay, Mustang, filly, approx 1 year and 13hh

14.   Bay, Mustang, mare, right hind white half pastern, left hind white fetlock, tiny white star, approx 5 years and 14hh

15.   Bay, Mustang, colt, right hind white pastern, approx 2 years and 14hh.

 at 12:00 o’clock, pm on the 22nd day of April 2010, at 1885 Hwy 441 N Okeechobee 34972 (Rodeo Grounds) to satisfy a claim in the sum of $1590.00 for fees, expenses for feeding and care and costs hereof.

 

Animal Control

of Okeechobee County, Florida

 

Monday, March 8, 2010

BLM Pleads for More Money from House Committee

Call or Fax before 3/9 NOON Eastern time–“No More Money to BLM”

Democratic House Subcommittee Members

Norman D. Dicks (WA) (Chair), 202-225-5916
James P. Moran (VA), 202-225-4376
Alan B. Mollohan (WV), 202-225-4172
Ben Chandler (KY), 202-225-4706
Maurice D. Hinchey (NY), 202-225-6335
John W. Olver (MA), 202-225-5335
Ed Pastor (AZ), 202-225-4065
David E. Price (NC), 202-225-1784
David R. Obey (WI) (Ex Officio), 202-225-3365

Republican House Subcommittee Members

Michael Simpson (ID) (Ranking), 202-225-5531
Ken Calvert (CA), 202-225-1986
Steven C. LaTourette (OH), 202-225-5731
Tom Cole (OK), 202-225-6165
Jerry Lewis (CA) (Ex Officio), 202-225-5861

 

 

Friday, February 26, 2010

Factsheet on Fiscal Grazing Costs on Public Lands-BLM Self Dealing Racket-Fox guards henhouse-taxpayer pays-By Govt Accountability Office investigation

 

Fiscal Costs of Federal Public Lands Livestock Grazing

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported the federal government spends at

least $144 million each year managing private livestock grazing on federal public lands, but

collects only $21 million in grazing fees—

for a net loss of at least $123 million per year.1

•

The GAO reported that ten federal departments and agencies operate grazing programs

on federal public lands: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), USDA-Forest Service, D

National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Energy, Bureau of

Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers, the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

•

The GAO admits its report is incomplete because several agencies, including the

Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Environmental Protection Agency,

which spend millions of dollars mitigating for grazing damage such as non-point source

water pollution, did not provide estimates of their grazing related costs to the GAO.

Other programs that benefit both private and public lands ranchers, such as the

“Livestock Compensation Program,”

2 were also not included in the total subsidy to public

lands ranchers.

•

Considering the additional direct and indirect costs not included in the GAO report,

economists have estimated that the federal public lands grazing on only BLM and Forest

Service lands

may cost as much as $500 million to $1 billion annually.3

•

The majority of BLM and Forest Service grazing fees are not deposited to the U.S.

Treasury, but instead are

diverted to the "Range Betterment Fund" to pay for fencing,

water developments, and related infrastructure to support continued livestock grazing

(see below).

•

No report has ever fully analyzed the incredible environmental costs of livestock

grazing on federal public lands.

1

GAO. 2005. Livestock grazing: federal expenditures and receipts vary, depending on the agency and the purpose of

the fee charged. GAO-05-869. Government Accountability Office. Washington, DC.

2

The Livestock Compensation Program was a huge boondoggle that paid farmers and ranchers $635 in 2002 and

2003. G. M. Gaul, D. Morgan, S. Cohen. No drought required for federal aid: livestock grazing program grew to cover

any “disaster.” Washington Post (July 18, 2006).

3

Moscowitz, K. and C. Romaniello. 2002. Assessing the Full Cost of the Federal Grazing Program. Center for

Biological Diversity. Tucson, AZ. The estimated cost of the federal grazing program at $500 million is consistent with

estimates developed by other experts. K. Hess (former special advisor on policy to the Assistant Secretary for

Program, Policy, and Budget of the Department of the Interior) and J. Wald (senior attorney and Land Program

Director, Natural Resources Defense Council) estimated the annual cost of the federal grazing program to be

approximately $500 million. Hess, K. and J. H. Wald. 1995. Grazing reform: here's the answer. High Country News

27(18). The

Economist magazine has also reported the annual cost of the federal grazing program to be $460 million.

Subsidized cow chow.

The Economist (Mar. 7, 2002): 39.

Federal Grazing Permit Loans

While taxpayers pay millions of dollars to subsidize livestock grazing on public lands, federal

grazing permittees and lessees are also allowed under dubious federal policy to collateralize

their grazing permits/leases to finance their public lands grazing operations. Both the Forest

Service

4 and the BLM5 sanction the use of publicly owned federal grazing permits and leases as

collateral for

private bank loans.

♦

The BLM has documented more than $1.1 billion in liens on BLM grazing permits/leases

in the eleven western states.

6

♦

Approximately 300 ranch operations have taken more than $450 million in loans on

Forest Service grazing permits.

7

♦

In Supreme Court documents, the State Bank of Southern Utah confirmed that financial

institutions hold an estimated $10 billion in loans and related credit transactions to the

public land ranching industry, with the grazing privileges alone worth approximately $1

billion.

8

4

The Forest Service “escrow waiver” program is further described in M. Salvo. 2002. “Mortgaging Public Assets: How

Ranchers Use Grazing Permits as Collateral.” Pages 271-273

in G. Wuerthner and M. Matteson (eds.). WELFARE

R

ANCHING: THE SUBSIDIZED DESTRUCTION OF THE AMERICAN WEST. Island Press. Covelo, CA.

5

T. Jones and M. Salvo. 2006. “Mortgaging Our Natural Heritage: An Analysis of the Use of Bureau of Land

Management Grazing Permits as Collateral for Private Loans.” Distributed report. Forest Guardians, Santa Fe, NM;

Sagebrush Sea Campaign, Chandler, AZ.

6

Mortgaging Our Natural Heritage: 5.

7

Mortgaging Our Natural Heritage: 5.

8

Brief of Amici Curiae State Bank of Southern Utah in Support of Petitioner, Public Lands Council v. Babbitt, 529

U.S. 728 (2000).

Predator Control to Protect Livestock

Of the millions of dollars that taxpayers spend annually to subsidize public lands grazing, perhaps

$5 - $8

million

is dedicated to killing “predators” to protect livestock grazing on federal lands.9 Native wildlife

killed to protect livestock include coyotes, bobcats, wolves, mountain lions, and bears.

•

Number of predators Wildlife Services killed in sixteen western states (FY 2007): 71,196.10

•

Wildlife Services spent more than $61 million of federal funds to control wildlife in FY 2007; more than

$18 million was spent to protect “agriculture” (including livestock) from animal damage; of that

amount, $10,303,903 was spent in the eleven western states with the most federal public land and

federal public lands grazing.

11

•

Percent of Wildlife Services predator control budget spent to protect livestock on public lands: 75

percent.

12

•

Percent of predator control budget paid by ranchers: 1 percent.13

•

Percent of cattle and calf losses attributed to predation (including dogs) (2005): 4.7 percent.14

•

Percent of cattle and calf losses attributed to digestive problems, respiratory difficulties, calving

complications, weather and other causes (2005):

95.3 percent.15

For more information, please contact Mark Salvo, Director of the Sagebrush Sea Campaign for

WildEarth Guardians, at msalvo@wildearthguardians.org.

9

Wildlife Services claimed to spend $5.1 million to protect domestic livestock from predators on federal public lands

in FY 2004 (

$5 million). GAO. 2005. Livestock grazing: federal expenditures and receipts vary, depending on the

agency and the purpose of the fee charged. GAO-05-869. Government Accountability Office. Washington, DC: 6.

However, this amount may be higher. The agency annually spends approximately $10.3 million on activities in the

eleven western states, and it is estimated that 75 percent of this amount is used to control predators on public land

(

$8 million).

10

Data compiled by WildEarth Guardians from Wildlife Services data tables for FY 2007. Total count includes black

bears, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, northern gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves.

11

Wildilfe Services. 2008. Wildlife Services' 2007 Annual Tables: Table A. Wildlife Services Federal and Cooperative

Funding by Resource Category – FY 2007. USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services.

12

O'Toole, R. 1994. Audit of the USDA Animal Damage Control Program. Cascade Holistic Economic Consultants.

Oak Grove, OR: 1.

13

Rogers, P. 1999. Cash cows. San Jose Mercury News (Nov. 7, 1999): 6S.

14

USDA-NASS. 2006. Cattle Death Loss. USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board.

(May 2006).

Domestic dogs kill as many livestock as mountain lions, bobcats, bears, and wolves, combined.

15

USDA-NASS. 2006. Cattle Death Loss. USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board.

(May 2006)