The Penzance Horse

Yahoo News on NAIS:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=NAIS&c=
Google News on NAIS:
http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn&q=NAIS

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1-20-2008: Some informative videos to watch concerning our general state of "the union" as well as the reasoning behind NAIS:

Reason behind NAIS?
(Note the mention of the big corporation Meat producers being involved in the first video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwIMux8qhSk&feature=related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T74VA3xU0EA&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu9oKmqQpD4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgoVpgQm4fQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIRK1y52FTQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFUo92FVCG8&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hiPrsc9g98&feature=related

What's happened to "We The People"?

May GOD BLESS AMERICA!

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URGENT ALERT!!!!
10-23-07

URGENT ALERT: Call the Senate Agriculture Committee IMMEDIATELY. The Senate Agriculture Committee has just released the draft language of the Farm Bill, which will be discussed by the Committee tomorrow. The bad news is that the Livestock Title includes NAIS! Senator Harkin has included a provision that defines NAIS and addresses confidentiality of the information collected under it. This section implies approval of the USDA's program, without addressing the many problems with NAIS, including the USDA's misleading and coercive tactics.

TAKE ACTION: Call the Senators listed below. Ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues, not just the front desk!

MESSAGE: I want section 10305 taken out of the Farm Bill. I do not want NAIS included in the Farm Bill in any manner at all. While we appreciate Senator Harkin trying to protect people's privacy, the provision does more harm than good. The Senate should not imply approval for any form of federally planned or funded NAIS.

KEY CONTACTS:

Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of Agriculture Committee, (D-IA) 202-224-3254 Senator Saxby Chambliss, Ranking Member (R-GA) 202-224-3521 Your Senators: Go to www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or toll free at 877-851-6437

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:

Calls to other members of the Agriculture Committee are most effective when they come from people within the state the Senator represents. But, as Committee members, they are supposed to take input from anyone. If you have extra time after calling your Senators, Senator Harkin, and Senator Chambliss, call the other members, listed below. And pass this on to your friends and relatives in those states!

Other Members of the Committee:
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 202-224-4242
Kent Conrad (D-ND) 202-224-2043
Max Baucus (D-MT) 202-224-2651
Blanch Lincoln (D-AR) 202-224-4843
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) 202-224-4822
Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551
Ken Salazar (D-CO) 202-224-5852
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) 202-224-2315
Robert Casey (D-PA) 202-224-6324
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) 202-224-3244
Richard Lugar (R-IN) 202-224-4814
Thad Cochran (R-MS) 202-224-5054
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 202-224-2541
Pat Roberts (R-KS) 202-224-4774
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) 202-224-5972
Norm Coleman (R-MN) 202-224-5641
Mike Crapo (R-ID) 202-224-6142
John Thune (R-SD) 202-224-2321
Charles Grassley (R-IA) 202-224-3744

MORE INFORMATION

Section 10305 of the draft Farm Bill provides:

Sec. 10305: Protection of Information in the Animal Identification System: The Animal Health Protection Act (7 USC 8301 et seq.) is amended … by inserting … the following:

(a) Definition of National Animal Identification System – In this section, the term "national animal identification system" means a system for identifying or tracing animals that is established by the Secretary,
(b) Protection from Disclosure ….

For the full provision, go to http://agriculture.senate.gov/ and follow the links for the Farm Bill.

TALKING POINTS

Please do not put any provision for NAIS in the Farm Bill. It is not right to insert a section to address confidentiality of information collected under NAIS, without addressing the myriad abuses that USDA has committed under the program.

NAIS will hurt our economy:

* There still is no cost-benefit analysis of NAIS. USDA has only recently requested one from Kansas State University. The study is unlikely to be a thorough or unbiased study, given that Kansas State has just established a federally-funded Animal Identification Center.
* Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor
* Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs
* Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.

Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, adding to inflation

The USDA has provided no scientific proof to show that NAIS will improve disease control:
* It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
* It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.

NAIS is not necessary for the market. Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program

NAIS will not improve food safety:
* USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program
* Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point.

NAIS will not protect against terrorism:
* The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
* The database of information, created by the state agency and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers.

NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom.

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NO-NAIS EVENT CALENDAR FOR MASSACHUSETTS CLICK HERE

The words of Ben Franklin are timeless; “Any person who is willing to sacrifice liberty for safety deserves neither liberty nor safety”.

7-12-06:
YOU ARE NEEDED!

Coming up on the 19th of this month there will be a Hearing at the State House in Boston starting at 10:30 am.
WE NEED YOU THERE!!

Join us at the State House's Great Hall for a Legislative Day about NAIS:
Hearing w/legislators
Face to face visits with area legislators.
(If you'd like to speak, please contact Pat Stewart at 978-827-1305)
Can't make it to Boston? CALL, FAX OR EMAIL your Senator and Representative. Tell them that the NAIS ISN'T NECESSARY! Let them knowhow much yu value our rural lifestyle, freedom of choice and privacy. Most of all, let them know that this program is noticed and
NOT WANTED!

6-12-06:

Action Alert:

The Agriculture Appropriations Bill (H.R. 5384) that passed the House on May 23 is expected to be considered by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture sometime during the week of June 12. It is important that the members of this subcommittee know that a significant number of people want all funding for NAIS to be removed from this Bill.

Members of this subcommittee are:

Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Arlan Spector (R-PA)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Larry Craig (R-ID)
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Herbert Kohl (D-WI)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

If you live in any of these states, or have friends or relatives who live in these states, please generate all the calls and emails possible to these targeted Senators early and often during the week of June 12.

The Capitol Switchboard number is (202) 225-3121. You can find email addresses for your Senators by going to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home

and entering your zip code in the box on the left-hand side of the page.

Below are talking points that may be helpful in explaining why you oppose funding for NAIS. Keep your message clear: You oppose any funding for NAIS in the appropriations bill.

Judith McGeary

Executive Director
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

8308 Sassman Rd
Austin, TX 78747
512-243-9404
www.farmandranchfreedom.org

Sample Talking Points:

A. The program has had no Congressional hearings or debate, nor has there been sufficient input in the rule-making process.
B. The program, as now designed, will be too costly and burdensome for farmers and ranchers.

C. The program invades the privacy of every American who owns even one livestock animal, whether a horse, pet pot-bellied pig, or chicken.

D. NAIS will not protect us against disease or bioterrorism because:

1. it does not address the causes of disease;
2. it does not address how diseases are transmitted;

    3.    we already have sufficient means of tracking diseases and quarantining; and
    4.    the recommended technology can be easily reprogrammed, so that it is ineffective against intentional (or even many unintentional) introductions
        of disease.
E.    NAIS will expand the government bureaucracy, at the cost of individuals' rights and the free market.

F. NAIS will raise the cost of food, while not providing any additional food safety.

6-2-06:
Some factual information about local NAIS compliances as of this date:
In MA, the Dept of Ag took data from local town animal inspectors and
assigned Premises ID #'s without informing the owners. (fact)

In Idaho, the state hired a company to comb existing state records and
assigned Premises ID #'s without informing owners. (fact)

In Nebraska the state would pay FFA $20 for every Premises ID their kids
could register with the forms supplied by the state.

In NY, data from Coggins Tests are being used to assign Premises ID #'s.

In MD, the state has been pressuring horse owners with official forms to
register without indicating the voluntary nature of the NAIS program.

Collecting data in the guise of an 'equine census and then using the data to
assign premises ID #'s

5-29-06:

Stop the National Animal ID System

Congressman Ron Paul, May 29, 2006

The House of Representatives recently passed funding for a new federal mandate that threatens to put thousands of small farmers and ranchers out of business. The National Animal Identification System, known as NAIS, is an expensive and unnecessary federal program that requires owners of livestock-- cattle, dairy, poultry, and even horses-- to tag animals with electronic tracking devices. The intrusive monitoring system amounts to nothing more than a tax on livestock owners, allowing the federal government access to detailed information about their private property.

In typical Washington-speak, NAIS is "voluntary"--provided USDA bureaucrats are satisfied with the level of cooperation. Trust me, NAIS will be mandatory within a few years. When was the last time a new federal program did not expand once implemented?

As usual, Congress is spending millions of dollars creating a complex non-solution to a very simple problem. NAIS will cost taxpayers at least $33 million for starters.

Agribusiness giants support NAIS, because they want the federal government to create a livestock database and provide free industry data. But small and independent livestock owners face a costly mandate if NAIS becomes law.

Larger livestock operations will be able to tag whole groups of animals with one ID device. Smaller ranchers and farmers, however, will be forced to tag each individual animal, at a cost of anywhere from $3 to $20 per head. And NAIS applies to anyone with a single horse, pig, chicken, or goat in the backyard--no exceptions. NAIS applies to children in 4-H or FFA. Once NAIS becomes mandatory, any failure to report and tag an animal subjects the owner to $1,000 per day fines.

NAIS also forces livestock owners to comply with new paperwork and monitoring regulations. These farmers and ranchers literally will be paying for an assault on their property and privacy rights, as NAIS empowers federal agents to enter and seize property without a warrant-- a blatant violation of the 4th amendment.

NAIS is not about preventing mad cow or other diseases. States already have animal identification systems in place, and virtually all stockyards issue health certificates. Since most contamination happens after animals have been sold, tracing them back to the farm or ranch that sold them won’t help find the sources of disease.

More than anything, NAIS places our family farmers and ranchers at an economic disadvantage against agribusiness and overseas competition. As dairy farmer and rancher Bob Parker stated, NAIS is "too intrusive, too costly, and will be devastating to small farmers and ranchers."

NAIS means more government, more regulations, more fees, more federal spending, less privacy, and diminished property rights. It’s exactly the kind of federal program every conservative, civil libertarian, animal lover, businessman, farmer, and rancher should oppose. The House has already acted, but there’s still time to tell the Senate to dump NAIS. Please call your Senators and tell them you oppose spending even one dime on the NAIS program in the 2007 agriculture appropriations bill.

Congressman Ron Paul, a Republican, represents the 14th Congressional District of Texas, which encompasses the Gulf Coast region south and west of Houston.

5-16-06: URGENT NAIS ACTION ALERT:
Call your US House Representative today to stop NAIS - please call & distribute

The agriculture appropriations bill is expected to be voted on the US House floor this week. Congressman Ron Paul has introduced an amendment to block funding for the National Animal Identification System. The amendment will probably be voted on late Wednesday afternoon or evening.

If you need information about NAIS, go to www.libertyark.net.

This is a great opportunity to stop NAIS.

Please call your Representative in the US House today!

We do not have much time to rally support for Ron Paul's amendment, so it is critical that everyone take action without delay.The Capitol Switchboard number (202) 225-3121. If you don''t know who to call, go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ and enter your zip code in the box on the left-hand side of the screen. Your official's contact information will be provided. Or, go to http://www.libertyark.net/tools.shtml and insert your zip code to find your representative. Time is precious - please make the phone call; emails and letters won't have the same effect. Follow up with an email afterwards.

Ask him/her to vote for Ron Paul''s Amendment to HR 5384 to block funding for NAIS because (choose a couple of reasons you think most appropriate, or use your own):

1. NAIS will be too costly and burdensome for farmers and ranchers.

2. NAIS invades the privacy of every American who owns even one
livestock animal, whether a horse, pet pot-bellied pig, chicken, cow,
goat, sheep, etc.

3. NAIS will not protect us against disease or bioterrorism because
(a) it does not address the causes of disease; (b) it does not address
how diseases are transmitted; (c) we already have sufficient means of
tracking diseases and controlling outbreaks; and (d) the recommended
technology (ISO radio tags) can be easily reprogrammed, so that it is
ineffective against intentional introductions of disease.

4. NAIS will greatly expand the government bureaucracy, at the cost of
individuals' rights and the free market.

5. NAIS will raise the cost of food, while not providing any
additional food safety.

6. NAIS has been developed by the USDA without Congressional hearings
or debate, and without any real involvement of the tens of thousands
of individuals who will be affected.

If you have questions about this action alert, please contact Karin Bergener at bergener@config.com or 330-608-5906 (eastern time)

Please call now.

And forward this alert to all of your contacts, so that we can create the support we need for Congressman Paul's amendment!

5-11-06: ATTENTION MASSACHUSETTS HORSE OWNERS:

Hi Everyone … looking for horse people from Massachusetts! Clubs, Organizations, Groups, Stables, etc.

On May 30^th there will be a meeting with invited Gubernatorial Candidates, Elected Officials, Town officers in this region (Ashby), along with the press for an informational meeting on the NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (NAIS). The meeting will be held at the Grange in Ashby, MA at 7:30 pm. PLEASE – if you can, attend this meeting to exhibit our “force” against this devastating program from the USDA!

Also, we are planning a RALLY on July 8^th for the ENTIRE State of Massachusetts. Our goal is to have representatives from every Horse Council, Pony Club, 4-H Equine Club, Trail Club, etc. plan an event with local farmers in their area to get the word out to the public about NAIS. A parade, small show, exhibit, educational presentation or just a trail ride en force with informational posters, pamphlets, flyers, etc. as well as companion farm animals joining the force will speak volumes to townspeople and area residents.

If you would be interested in HELPING with the organization of this Rally in YOUR AREA, please contact either Pat Stewart at Farm@hamesaxle.com or myself at caballus@charter.net.

http://www.SmallHoldersAlliance.com (Pat Stewart) will list your rally date and any pertinent information to help coordinate your rally. When you have an event started, or something NAIS related occurring, let Pat know at Farm@hamesaxle.com and the info will be posted on the site. Also, send in your website as a supportive organization to help fight the NAIS program.

This is STATE WIDE for Massachusetts!

We also invite you to join MA Against NAIS yahoo group to keep up on what’s going on in each other’s areas and share info, ideas, thoughts, etc. The address to that is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MA_Against_NAIS/

If you don’t KNOW what NAIS is, please, please, please go to: http://www.nonais.org to find out. This program that the USDA has put into high gear will be absolutely devastating to us as horse owners and equestrians as well as fatally destructive to our local farms and local food supply! This is NO joke! In order to save our sanctity as US Citizens with rights afforded us by our Constitution, we’ve GOT TO COME TOGETHER NOW and let our government know, in no uncertain terms, that we will not STAND to be forced into collectivism! States across the country are already beginning to feel the force from NAIS and our neighboring states have begun to stand against it. WE MUST DO THE SAME!

Thanks for your attention and I hope to hear from many of you soon! There is no time to waste! Again, the 1^st meeting is set for:

MAY 30
7:30 pm
Grange Hall
Ashby, MA

Thanks, again!

4-30-06: A number of states have learned more about NAIS and are now saying they will NOT agree with the program in their state. Please, the time to be proactive about this is NOW! Inform your neighbor's, your farmers, set out notices at your feed & grain stores, TALK to people about it! If you don't feel you know enough to share truthfully, go to http://www.nonais.org or http://www.stopanimalid.org or http://www.libertyark.net. READ UP and then make an INFORMED decision and then help your neighbors and community be able to make INFORMED decisions. Attend your state meetings about NAIS and VOICE your opinion. WRITE to your representatives, congressmen, and state veterinarian. WRITE to your local newspapers, local cable TV stations and let them know what is going on. Let them know that you are against this program! This is AMERICA where we do have the rights and freedom to speak our minds -- use this RIGHT to STOP NAIS! Don't wait another minute ... this program is being pushed through fast! Read the NAIS timeline here: http://nonais.org/index.php/timeline/ . Read the latest US CODE on ANIMAL HEALTH here: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode07/usc_sup_01_7_10_109.html
then think of your own horses and animals. Think of how you would feel if you were to find out a neighbor's horse came down with WNV? Or Lymes? Or Strangles? If you're within an 8 mile radius of this then you know YOUR horses will be destroyed under the new NAIS. Period. No questions asked, no warrants needed, no rights to fight against it. GET ACTIVE NOW!!!! Please!

YOUR VOICE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Speak up NOW!

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From http://www.nonais.org:

MA NAIS Meeting 3/30

Thursday, March 30th, 2006 from 6:30-8:30 at the Palmer Community Library in the Community Room at 1455 North Main Street Ben Grosscup will hold a Hearing to Learn About NAIS. If you raise poultry or buy from a farmer who does, you might want to come to this meeting to ask questions and find out exactly what the USDA and MDAR are saying about this proposed program. A key concerns is that the NAIS will put undue restrictions on small farmers, increasing already tough economic pressures.

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3-24-06: From http://www.nonais.org:

MA NAIS Meeting 3/30

JFYI: If you think "that isn't gonna happen!" - THINK AGAIN. Read this excerpt from the USDA:

"...NAIS is currently a voluntary program. To ensure the participation requirements of NAIS not only provide the results necessary to maintain the health of the national herd but also is a program that is practical for producers and all others involved in production, USDA has adopted a phased-in approach to implementation."

Notice the term "National Herd" ... YOUR ANIMALS ARE ALREADY CONSIDERED PART OF THE NATIONAL HERD! Our private ownership of our own animals has been revoked by the USDA! Also notice that it is stated, "adopted a phased-in approach to implementation." ... Folks, this system is well underway and by 2009 EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO OWNS A CHICKEN or a DUCK or a pet GOAT or HORSE or any other animals (yes, dogs and cats are due to be included, too) will be MANDATED to obtain a premise id, microchip all your animals and to report all movements off property of ANY NATIONAL HERD MEMBER ... your cat, your llama, your cow, your goat, your alpaca, your rabbit, your ducks, your geese, your chickens, your pig, your whatever. Failure to comply will first result in $1000 a DAY fine for each animal that is non-compliant.

Are YOU ready to begin reporting of every movement you take with your animal? To the vet? For a trailride? To visit a friend? What about if your chickens "fly the coop"?

MORE SO .... are you willing to succumb to the revokment of our 4th Amendment to our US Constitution? This system will allow a government official to come onto your property and seize or destroy all your animals without notice, without warrant, anytime night or day.

Here is the Timeline from the NAIS Draft Strategic:

IF YOU'RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION YOU REMAIN PART OF THE PROBLEM.
Speak up! Write to your congressman, your senator, the White House, the USDA, your Farm Bureau ... Let them know just what you think!
Go to: http://www.nonais.org
for contact info and more detailed and up-to-date notices and reports.

3-2-06 Attention Organic And Local Food Consumers, Livestock And Horse Owners:

The USDA plans to make every owner of even one horse, cow, pig, goat, sheep, chicken, or pigeon register in a government database and subject their property and animals to constant federal and state government surveillance, and the animal owner will have to PAY for the privilege of owning animals!

Click HERE to read the latest developments and to find out what YOU CAN DO to stop YOUR HORSE and YOUR FARM from becoming Government Property!

We must begin to think in terms of TEACHING our horses rather than "training" them ...
"We do not talk about good education of humans as demanding only obedience and domination but rather one in which the human is given the basic tools (which may require considerable application and motivation, hard work and obedience, too). Once these have been acquired, the human is encouraged to use them to develop his or her art and particular skills. Some end up great artists and dancers; some are mediocre. What makes a great performer, though, is not blind obedience and the domination of one individual by another, but imagination, sensitivity to each partaking individual and willing cooperation. How much greater our respect for all participants then becomes. If we have yet to see this with (horses), it is not that it cannot happen, it is just that it has not yet been thought about and efforts made to try it out. " -- Marthe Kiley-Worthington

NOTICE: As of this spring, 2006, PENZANCE will accept one, possibly 2, RESCUE horses that have hoof pathologies. These particular horses will be treated, completely rehabbed and then re-homed to an approved, natural home only. If you know or you have such a horse for whom you need a placement, please contact us at 508-476-1317 for consideration. Thank you.

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Creator of Life has done this? In God's hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being." -- Job 12:7-10
"Men try to fix problems with duct tape. God did it with nails."
-- Anonymous, John 3:16

Learn to accept Your Blessings so you can Bless others.
Learn to accept YOURSELF so you can help others.
Accept JESUS as your Lord and Savior so you can lead others to HOPE.

DEFINITION FOR "PENZANCE": God's Holy Headland; A Place for Spiritual Growth.