Emmjay loves First Dog on the Moon’s cartoons, but the moderation has gone so harsh and so partial, that he’s posting the banned and horrendously offensive posts over at his favourite bastion of almost free speech – the Pig’s Arms. Does this sound so much like the ABC ? I think so.
So, recognising FDotM’s preference for Emmjay comment-free blogs and balls the size of raisins, and Emmjay’s desire to be heard, here is what Emmjay wanted to say on the topic of Live Sheep Exports:

Death on the Como Express – for a fair dinkum rundown. check out http://www.liveexportshame.com/articles/ships-of-shame-by-morna-wood.php
Scupper the Rats
There was movement at the export docks,
The townsfolk start to weep.
The livestock look so traumatised
Especially badly-treated sheep.
The pollies scan the recent poles
And worry about the votes
Of people in those marginal seats
And refugees in boats.
The live export trade has got no soul;
Nothing interrupts their sleep
Or stands in the way of making dough
By torturing the sheep.
We’ve all seen states like P a k 1 s ta n
Don’t give a toss about who or what they kill
Or how they dish out justice
And stone their hapless citizens for a disgusting public thrill.
So it isn’t hard to understand,
That coming a distant last
Is caring for our Australia sheep.
It’s not a product or a brand.
It’s now high time that we sort out
This bloody awful mess.
Remove some blood from all those hands
Of people who care less.
And stand together with resolve
So Australia makes the grade
By shutting down our country’s shame
The live sheep export trade.
—————————————————————
Bill Hilliger, the grazing community does support the live sheep trade, but not because they want to as a first principle. When local lamb demand is high and supply is low and grass is plentiful, nobody particularly wants to get bottom money by sending sheep to this cruelest fate.
But when the opposite is true – like in a drought, the price of sheep falls so low that it’s not economical to even shoot the starving creatures – much less ship them anywhere. So the poor creatures starve and drop like flies in the paddocks and the crows eat their eyes before they die.
The live sheep export trade falls somewhere between these two extremes.
So I dunno, which is worse. It’s a bastard of a life being a sheep either way.
And not great fun to be a grazier either.
One of the symptoms of the inappropriate idea we are a civilised nation that this continues and will until live animal export is banned.
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One wonders why we would export live sheep to Pakistan, my only thoughts were the Bernardi suggestion. Or why export live animals at all. The middle east isn’t exactly known for its animal husbandry.
Like Vivienne, can’t see why we can’t slaughter here and export.
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Having just answered Vivien’s question, I should perhaps add here that, in theory, we could slaughter and export; what is lacking is good faith from muslim countries that the meat will be properly slaughtered according to ‘halal’ methods… and it seems muslims are just sheer bloody minded when it comes to anything remotely concerning their religion! Even if special ‘halal’ slaughterhouses were built and had only muslims working in them, they still wouln’t trust them, ’cause a muslim that moves to a non-muslim country like Australia must inevitably be ‘tainted’ by the experience, mustn’t s/he? So they’re not REAL muslims at all really, are they?
Sooner the human race outgrows its dependence on the false security blanket that religion represents, the better!
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The live export of sheep and cattle was never in the animal’s interests and I never liked it. Situations as with this latest shipload of sheep prove that the ‘industry’ is not well organised at all. I still do not understand why we can’t slaughter appropriately and export the meat.
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Muslim countries in the middle east want to ensure that the meat is ‘halal’; ie. slaughtered according to biblically-prescribed methods… it’s ironic really; the ‘halal’ laws were originally imposed to ensure that 1) the meat is clean and 2) the beast doesn’t suffer unnecessarily.
😐
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Koranically asty,
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We’ve all seen states like P a k 1 s ta n
Don’t give a toss about who or what they kill
They care about HOW the sheep is killed if they are going to eat the meat as Gerard ‘s favourite Maltese butcher Joe knows when he advertises for HALAL lamb chops..
It’s not easy to be a farmer in Australia, but my heart bleeds for those poor sheep…
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Wonder if he does ‘halal’ pork chops?
😉
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At a bar mitzva perhaps… 🙂
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More than likely!
🙂
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