JanC
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Posts: 107
Miss Hannah
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« Reply #105 on: June 20, 2009, 03:08:04 PM » |
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My letter is written, printed & about to be sent off........the more letters the court gets, the more they will see just how the Millers & their toxic imports affected all of us, not just those who lost their beloved fur kids. I'd be happy to PM it to anyone if you'd like to see it & get some ideas or I could post it but it's not really anything earth shattering. Whatever will help push you into writing a letter. I think the more letters they get, the more they will see that this isn't just about about some sick or dead animals, this is about the heartbreak & financial burden on anyone who has a dog or cat that they love. I went through plenty & my dog never got sick. However, that didn't do a thing to calm me down.........I was stressed to the max, as all of us were. Please, sit down & write a nice letter (no angry letters.......those will get tossed first) & tell the court how this whole fiasco affected you & your family. I really believe if they get a bunch of letters & see just what the Millers put everyone through, it could make a big difference. I'm really infuriated by the $35k fine & probation. Absolutely infuriated!  |
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We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made......M. Acklam
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mainecoonpeg
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« Reply #106 on: June 20, 2009, 03:33:09 PM » |
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Thank you for this Jan I'm right behind you!! My letter is also finished and will be mailed along with others first thing Monday morning. I wrote it out long hand. I printed though so it could be read. Working for MD's for so long, I'm starting to write as illegibly as they do.........LOL  |
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lesliek
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« Reply #107 on: June 20, 2009, 04:59:32 PM » |
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Will do one tonight. Tried yesterday,but it was coming off a little too angry.
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"the world's most inept extortionist"
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JanC
Full Member
Posts: 107
Miss Hannah
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« Reply #108 on: June 28, 2009, 04:56:46 PM » |
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Will do one tonight. Tried yesterday,but it was coming off a little too angry.
Tough letter to write, isn't it? Mine is in the mail now, so the spirits of the victim pets will have at least some representation at the sentencing hearing. Also those still suffering. I just recently ran into one at my vet's office. I read through a memorial here and looked at photos of victim pets over at the Defendourpets web site before writing my letter. I was looking at the DOJ press release that Menusux posted and noted the U.S. attorney's quote: " “Millions of pet owners were impacted by the pet food recall in 2007,” Whitworth said. “The conduct of these defendants in violating federal health and safety standards caused the deaths and illness of thousands of family pets, as well as anxiety among dog and cat owners across the country and economic harm to many pet food manufacturers.”"http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/news2009/miller.ple.htmIf you ask me (I know, you didn't), that quote by the U.S. Attorney says it all. There are a couple of great points for your letters. I know how difficult it is to write those letters & how emotional it will be to dredge up all those feelings again. Maybe I'm dreaming but I'd like to think that a bunch of letters from people who were directly affected by these two just might get them a more severe punishment. I hate to see them walk away with a slap on the wrist & go back to business as usual.......importing cheap ingredients where this could easily happen again. |
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We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made......M. Acklam
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JJ
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« Reply #109 on: June 28, 2009, 06:54:44 PM » |
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From this article at VIN: "The contamination of more than 150 brands of pet food with melamine killed thousands of dogs and cats and sickened on the ORDER OF 30,000 to 50,000 ANIMALS, by the estimate of the Veterinary Information Network, which tracked cases and surveyed its members during the crises." And yet the crisis continues to this day....... |
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May your troubles be less,
Your blessings be more,
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door
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Carol
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« Reply #110 on: June 30, 2009, 06:39:58 AM » |
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This morning I was able to finish my letter...it had been sitting half done for a couple weeks...I was not sure I could actually do it...then I thought of how much courage I got from my itchmoers beginning in April of 2007...some still here..some are not..and I said...How could I be that vocal and now not do anything...so in the same way I have been outspoken and public here and elsewhere..I share my finished letter with you..who knows...maybe you guys will be the only ones to read it...but if I share it anywhere other than to who it is addressed...it has to start here...the place that gave me courage to speak my mind.... 
Re: USA vs. ChemNutra /Stephen Miller/Sally Miller
Dear Mr. Xxxxx:
It is with great difficulty we write to you today. Our nightmare started in the winter of 2006/07 with the diagnosis of aggressive cancer for our beloved 16 month old golden retriever, Harry. It was during this emotionally and financially painful period when we noticed our cat, Jessica, was very ill. It was mid February when we discovered her to seem at death’s door practically overnight. She was 15 then so we attributed her sudden condition to her age when we made her vet appointment that morning for what we expected to be her last vet visit. Something in the way she became sick with acute renal failure made our vet say “let’s give her a chance” so although we were prepared to say our goodbyes…we were thrilled to hear she had a chance of returning to her happy life with us. As the days went by she started slowly getting better with supplements and medicines, although eating was a challenge and would not eat the food she was fed for the last 10 years. Despite attempts at forced feedings by us all, she flat out refused her “Special Kitty” food but would eat some others. It was such a surprise when 3 weeks later my younger cat, Smudge, came down with the same thing…I knew it must be some kind of cat flu and could not wait for our vet to see her. Unfortunately she was much sicker with the same affliction…acute renal failure…and was not expected to survive the day…She was kept in our vet’s hospital for 8 days and then we brought her home for a long battle to give her a chance of life…we gave her round the clock forced feedings for months. While Smudge was in the hospital we heard the news report by Campbell Brown on Friday March 16, 2007 that there were a few isolated cases of acute renal failure associated with certain types of food…and I suddenly knew what was wrong with my two cats….It was not a flu, they had not eaten Easter lilies, had not “got into” Harry’s chemo waste…they were poisoned by the food I fed them…and even tried to force feed one of them…
During the cat’s illnesses and prior to finding out the cause, the tension in my home was palpable. There were financial difficulties in our home prior to Harry’s cancer diagnosis, but we still made the painful decision to give him a chance at a life beyond 16 months. We had decided “to tighten our belts” so when we suddenly had an additional two ill cats needing expensive treatments…our plan fell apart... What was normally a quiet happy household would turn into yelling matches at how much we could continue with care for our beloved pets…Tears were aplenty ..Not only because of the sadness of the health of three out of four of our “4 leggers”, but the financial burden became overwhelming. We fortunately had a vet who understood our situation and allowed us to pay him in installments but some of those installments were paid to him in lieu of the utility bills.
The rest of my cat’s recovery and ultimate deaths are too painful for me to write about in detail. Jessica left us on my 50th birthday in December 2007 and Smudge left us one year later. They both died in renal failure…both with my daughter’s sorrow heard echoing through the walls of the same vet hospital that had struggled to save them…from something that should have never happened…
It might be easier for me to think of my family’s “journey” as a result of an elbow knocking something over and into the cat food…thinking that it was just a horrible accident…but knowing that this was allowed to happen to our whole family, and to too many others to count, because someone did not play by the rules. I was raised to know that every action has a consequence and to think my actions/decisions through. I expect that of others as well. As sad as it was to lose our Harry to his cancer, I did not have the guilt that I live with each day knowing that I had a hand in the illness and ultimate deaths of my two formerly happy and healthy kitties…all because someone did not do the right thing.
Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. I do hope that this letter will make its way to the eyes and ears of the sentencing judge and to those that caused this to happen in the first place.edited to remove the name and address of recipient..not sure if it was appropriate to post that.. |
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« Last Edit: June 30, 2009, 01:57:15 PM by Carol »
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
United we stand Divided we fall....
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macushla
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« Reply #111 on: June 30, 2009, 06:53:34 AM » |
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Carol -- A beautiful and very painful letter to read. I hope it touches someone's heart out there. What you have been through should count for something. I'm not sure it will change things and I don't really believe these people care -- but if it makes one person stop and think...then it was worth it. But you stood up for your wonderful animals and that be of some comfort to you. |
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Fizzy1
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« Reply #112 on: June 30, 2009, 11:49:09 AM » |
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Thank you, Carol, for sharing such an emotional and painful letter with us. It is a "must read" for the court.
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catwoods
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« Reply #113 on: June 30, 2009, 02:51:42 PM » |
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Carol, again, you have my complete sympathies...I'm just about shaking after reading your letter.
I called my letter finished last night. I had changed the sentence "(melamine in pet food) is unthinkable, if you've been raised right" to just "(it's) unthinkable"....but now I might change it back.
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catbird
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« Reply #114 on: June 30, 2009, 05:36:44 PM » |
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Carol, I cried when I read your letter. I hope these letters will help the sentencing judge to realize the awful impact of ChemNutra's crimes.
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Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and you'll know where we are going and why we are in this handbasket.
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Spartycats
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« Reply #115 on: July 05, 2009, 05:43:47 PM » |
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3catkidneyfailure
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« Reply #116 on: July 06, 2009, 07:37:31 AM » |
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For all writing letters, I'm so sorry for the pain.
Ty, Spartycats, for link to Daily Kos "Pet Food Sentencing Scandal."
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catwoods
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« Reply #117 on: July 08, 2009, 04:16:51 PM » |
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After several more revisions since I posted last, I've got the letter packed up and on its way out in the mail.
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Sandi K
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« Reply #118 on: July 12, 2009, 10:56:14 PM » |
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I did manage to get my letter sent to, thank you Poco and others here who suggested it and provided the info to do it with. Does anyone remember when they said the sentencing might be, I guess I was thinking sometime in late July but I might be wrong...?
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3catkidneyfailure
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« Reply #119 on: August 23, 2009, 04:18:44 PM » |
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http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=13187U.S. Attorney recommends $35,000 in fines, no prison time for ChemNutra owners Everyone hang on to your hearts in the next few weeks because this will be heartbreaking to take. These "I faked the export codes to avoid inspection" ChemNutra perpetrators may just get probation and end up paying less than a dollar per dead pet, and you have to be prepared for that. However, my personal nominees for idiot U.S. Attorney recommendations of 2009 goes to the Western District of Missouri Office for failure to understand the harm done to people and pets
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