StarHorsePax Fun

Teddy bears and horses are distantly, oddly, connected. They are connected through the battle between money, greed and honor. The honor was in at the beginning of the bear. The greed and money battle even now for the mustangs. The choice is always available in the USA.
The connection comes from Teddy Roosevelt, president, hunter and true sportsman. When he couldn?t scare up any game on a hunting trip, one of his companions found a bear cub. He caught the cub and offered it to the President on a leash. Roosevelt, a true sportsman, refused. There is no fairness, no sport in killing a tied up bear cub! The report made it?s way to cartoonist Clifford Berryman. And so we have the teddy bear.
The President could?ve shot the bear, taken a pelt, and lied about it. People have been known to poach even endgangered species, even killing them in cages. Just for those pelts and a cheap trophy, unearned by sweat or skill. But he showed honor. Our country is founded on such, and at far higher a price.
The United States was founded by those who suffered. They not only fought, bled and died. They went home from the Revolution to find debts piled up. Ungrateful businesses didn?t praise their courage. They wanted money more than they cared about the freedom they?d won from England. They threw veterans in jail and took there property. They hadn?t been home to tend to their affairs. Promised payment for their service to their country was on hold. The congress that offered it had no money and no power to tax. Justifiably outraged they went to General Washington and offered to help him become the American King.
Washington refused. They?d fought for freedom from Kings. He marched to congress and resigned his commission. Did this mean he didn?t care about his men?s suffering? Hardly. But he would not betray the trust he?d been given by the people. Even if some of those people reaped the benefits without being willing to pay the cost.
The soldiers were not the only ones to suffer. Some signers of the Declaration of Independance, famed in history books, died in poverty. There property and livelihoods were destroyed by the war.
The decision was made at the beginning. Some things are more important than money. Some things are worth suffering for.
The same hardy spirit settled the West. People set aside familiar things, jobs, families and homes to go settle. They weren?t perfect. Some got that far and turned to greed and fear, leading to the battle with native americans. Meanwhile President Lincoln refused to heed the Southern States insistance that slavery was important to their economy. Perhaps that wasn?t the only reason for war. Certainly many confederates fought honorably just because the south was their home. But the basic principle: is money more important than doing what?s right? Lincoln won. His repayment? Assassination. But America lived free of slavery?s shadow.
During this time as the west was settled the mustang was there. He carried the message with the pony express rider. It went out each time a new state was formed. Slave or free? It went out when Lincoln was reelected. The horses were used in exploration, they gave new, if temporary freedom to the natives, they herded cattle and filled the west with untamed beauty.
Even now, the bloodlines of these wild horses go back to the founding of America. They reach back to war horses and conquistadors. But there were those who did not and do not appreciate the horse for beauty or history. They only see the profit. In 1971 Velma Johnson, an ardent mustang supporter won a crusade to gain federal protection. These horses deserved respect and honor. Enough people agreed that the legislators were bombarded. Not only America, but the world cheered the victory.
But was it a victory? The same Bureau of Land Managment that had allowed the mustangs to be rounded up for slaughter were put in charge. They periodically removed horses for adoption, thinning herds so the land wouldn?t be overgrazed. But overtime a new, insidious situation has emerged. Land supposively overgrazed was then leased to the cattlemen. So the land is too overgrazed for horses, yet some how has enough for cattle. Other land apparently is used for drilling. A few years ago a senator snuck a rider onto an appropriations bill. It allowed the mustangs not adopted to be sold to the highest bidder, even if it was a slaughter house. The BLM claimed it had too many horses and not enough money to support them.
Outraged horse lovers reacted. Congress bombarded by complaints, investigated. The numbers didn?t add up. The science didn?t add up. The BLM?s answers made them appear either ignorant, incompetant, or guilty. Yet in spite of the demands of congress they went ahead with a round up of the Pryor mountain herd, famed for the PBS star Cloud. Some of the horses rounded up were well passed adoptable age.
This information has been gathered from various news sources all over the internet, as well as congressional documents availale for public view. The BLM may be stocked in some areas and some levels with good people. But the policies of it?s leaders have led to war. Now the Mustangs are on the Hill, their humans battling in the spirit of Velma Johnson.
But what it comes down too is not a horse. It?s heart. It?s the spirit of the USA that drove the founding fathers and soldiers to suffer and die against those who bear the spirit that would cast the soldiers in jail for bills unpaid, rather than extending credit out of gratitued. It?s the spirit that says money shouldn?t decide what?s right and what?s wrong. That history?s artifacts-even living ones-shouldn?t be destroyed for convenience.
Sometimes a horse is just a horse. But sometimes it?s not. Sometimes it?s a man whose job has been shipped overseas because it?s cheaper. It?s a child suffering because mom is sick and can?t afford to the doctor. Sometimes it?s the question are we willing to suffer in the present to preserve hope for the future? Are we going to let money buy out our honor?
Yes, times are hard. But look outside. In America their are beautiful spaces, creatures, and causes worth fighting for. Now look farther. Our poor look rich to those far off. They have less than nothing. No food, shelter, doctor or medicine. The laws are in flux, non-existent or created by the powerful to abuse the helpless. The police are to be feared, not turned to for help. The news all supports the government, even if it?s lies. Who makes the law here?
So don?t quit on the mustangs. There is an ancient saying of horse that most of us know but take for granted.
    For Want of a Nail a Shoe was lost.
    For Want of a Shoe the horse was lost.
    For Want of a Horse the message was lost.
    For Want of a Message the battle was lost.
    For Want of a Battle the War was lost.
    And all for the Want of a Horseshoe Nail!

He is small, shaggy and living wild. He isn?t touted in the show ring or winning trophy?s en masse. But he isn?t useless either. He?s just living free. Just like that teddy?s bear. And isn?t that what we are? Not so famous, not so popular, mostly average but just wanting to live free. If he is worthless than what are we? Who do we WANT to be?