Boy, do I have some confused emotions about this one. Horse meat. Horse meat?

The last “plant” (AKA slaughterhouse) in the U.S. was just shut down when an Illinois law banning the sale of horse meat for human consumption was upheld in court:

A FEDERAL appellate court panel has upheld the constitutionality of an Illinois law that prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption

The ruling effectively shuts down a DeKalb horse-slaughtering plant, the last facility of its kind in the country. Cavel International, Inc., a Belgium-based company that operates the plant, kills horses and ships meat overseas for human consumption.

Okay...horses are big, meaty animals like cows. Why shouldn’t they be a food source? Because we humans have an emotional issue with horsies and not with cowsies, that’s why. Horsies are pretty. Cowsies are....not. There is really no logic to it. Just emotionally driven perspective. And even the court recognized that and agreed with it:

“States have a legitimate interest in prolonging the lives of animals that their population happens to like,” said the opinion written by Judge Richard Posner. Judges Ilana Rovner and Frank Easterbrook sided with him in the decision.

Which is why it’s illegal for your local Chinese restaurant to serve boneless kitty in lobster sauce instead of chicken. Kitties are cute. Chickens, like cowsies, are not

Rationally and logically, if you take all the emotion out of it, I suppose that a big slab of horse on the grill would be just as tasty as beef. Horses were a food source for our ancestors long before some enterprising individual figured out that riding one beat the tar out of walking. We just see horses differently now.

Anyway, those of us who wouldn’t like to see horsies killed for food can relax. It doesn’t look like that plant (slaughterhouse) will reopen. Those of us who like a little horsie on a platter from time to time will just have to live with their disappointment. Personally, I don’t really like horses (too big, mind of their own, that sort of thing) but I’d rather look at them than eat them

Speaking of which, I’m hungry and am about to fire up the grill early today. Good thing cowsies are ugly

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