Please take a moment to read Rob & Marisol's message. Thank you. ________________________
Regrettably, Matchbox Twenty will not be able to perform at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July, 18th. After careful consideration, it was decided that participating in this event would directly contradict the mission statement of SIDEWALK ANGELS FOUNDATION, our non profit organization. The other members of Matchbox Twenty support this decision and while we understand that a great deal of effort went into the planning of this show, we apologize to any and all fans who purchased tickets to see us. We ask that they please understand that it would be impossible for us to put ourselves in the position of making money from what we believe to be the mistreatment of animals.
Sincerely,
Rob and Marisol Thomas and The Sidewalk Angels Foundation
Thanks Sam. i support their decision 100%. I feel bad for those who were looking forward to seeing the guys at this show, but... you have to do what you feel is right in your heart, and we all know that the guys were not ok with this.
Posts: 2 | Location: Illinois | Registered: 10 April 2008
As a child, my affinity for animals bloomed. It makes it daunting, as an adult, to see the truth behind what, as a child, I watched innocently, as forms of "entertainment." What a world it would be if children were raised to have a respect and reverence for all living beings. The modeling of turning them into forms of entertainment, products and commodities, has taken a bit of our hearts away. The coolest thing is to understand how violence to animals transcends every fiber of human social order, or in the world today, dis-order. Thanks SO much to the brave souls who are a voice for those whose animal cries go unheeded. Strength, manhood, power, success....these things are measured not in abuses over the weak, but in our human capacity to rise above tradition, and create new paradigms that model mercy, empathy, and compassion. Cheers for taking a stand. I was sickened to see the young animals being brutalized and tormented, against anything they would ever be involved in naturally, but only by the use of force, sometimes, deadly force.
The news hit me so hard yesterday, because I had given my sons 11 and 16 front row tickets to their favorite band Matchbox 20 (the first time in my life I ever got front row tickets) My husband and I were so excited too! What great family time. The hardest thing was telling the boys that we werent going. They understood because we love animals too! My youngest son thought that CFD would of been a great place to educate people on animal abuse.
Allow me to preface this by saying that I'm perfectly fine with the stand that Matchbox Twenty has taken in choosing not to perform at CFD. I had tickets and am disappointed, but we're all entitled to our beliefs. That being said I have to reply to the quote in which it was stated that the animals are "brutalized and tormented, against anything they would ever be involved in naturally". Wow, what an amazingly exagerrated comment. First and foremost anyone who's ever looked a bull in the eyes will be the first to tell you that a 180 pound rider is an afterthought. If you've ever been involved in rodeo you'd be aware that all animals are given the best of care and feed...far better than anything they'd ever receive naturally. In the natural many of these animals would die of overexposure, exhaustion, starvation, wolf attacks, disease, etc. I have no issue with folks disagreeing with rodeo, but please don't exaggerate to try to further your cause. Rodeo animals are the healthiest best treated livestock on earth. I hope on your morning commute you remember to treat human beings with the same affection you do the animals of this world.
quote:
Originally posted by Laura B: As a child, my affinity for animals bloomed. It makes it daunting, as an adult, to see the truth behind what, as a child, I watched innocently, as forms of "entertainment." What a world it would be if children were raised to have a respect and reverence for all living beings. The modeling of turning them into forms of entertainment, products and commodities, has taken a bit of our hearts away. The coolest thing is to understand how violence to animals transcends every fiber of human social order, or in the world today, dis-order. Thanks SO much to the brave souls who are a voice for those whose animal cries go unheeded. Strength, manhood, power, success....these things are measured not in abuses over the weak, but in our human capacity to rise above tradition, and create new paradigms that model mercy, empathy, and compassion. Cheers for taking a stand. I was sickened to see the young animals being brutalized and tormented, against anything they would ever be involved in naturally, but only by the use of force, sometimes, deadly force.
Posts: 2 | Location: Wyoming | Registered: 11 April 2008
I am not a real fan of rodeo's myself, but to cancel playing at Cheyenne Frontier Day's (CFD) and then turn arund a schedule to perform at the North Dakota State Fair and Rodeo seems a little two faced. After all a rodeo is a rodeo no matter if it's called CFD or a Fair/Rodeo.
Actually, Greg, it is a little different. While there is a rodeo at the ND State Fair, it doesn't boast of being the "World's Largest Outdoor Rodeo."
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Originally posted by Greg: I am not a real fan of rodeo's myself, but to cancel playing at Cheyenne Frontier Day's (CFD) and then turn arund a schedule to perform at the North Dakota State Fair and Rodeo seems a little two faced. After all a rodeo is a rodeo no matter if it's called CFD or a Fair/Rodeo.
SezJez...I hate to tell you but you just posted a BIG FAT LIE. Bulls/Calves in rodeos are certainly NOT well treated. I'm sorry but that is a completely moronic thing to say. It has already been proven and caught on videotape that many times these so-called "brave" cowboys are tasering the bulls and horses in order to get them to buck (I've seen the videos myself), and I would love for you to tell me how a calf that is roped around the neck while running and yanked off of its feet is "well-treated." There are times when these calves are seriously injured by this stupid and completely ridiculous practice, and they are not always given veterinary care. There have been undercover investigations into rodeos in which calves were left to suffer all day long with no veterinary care at all, after being injured by being roped and yanked off of their feet. Rodeos are simply barbaric, and another excuse for weak and cowardly men to abuse and take our their aggressions on something weaker than themselves. I know cowboys think of themselves as the epitome of masculinity and manhood, but in my humble opinion, no real man needs to harm something in order to have fun or get his kicks.
Posts: 1 | Location: Maryland | Registered: 17 April 2008
I am extremely disappointed in the Thomas's gullability to animal rights activists propaganda. I've been involved in rodeo's for years and am one of the biggest animal lovers you will ever meet. I believe in ANIMAL WELFARE which benefits animals far greater than ANIMAL RIGHTS whose groups murder more animals than they save. SHARK and PETA are scams and should not have been able to so easily pursuade the Thomas's in this decision. Shame on you for being so naive. Rodeo takes greater care of their animals than most do of their children and the injury rate is less than .001%.
You can love Animals and Rodeo
Posts: 3 | Location: Nebraska | Registered: 17 April 2008
As a Statistics professional, I'd like to ask where you got your percentage of less than .001% of animal injuries? Can you please provide the numbers that went into your calculation, and the source? I've been searching for those numbers, and funny....the PRCA will give me nothing! From my many years of experience that means either they don't keep track of the stats, or they don't want you to know. I'm quite certain it's the second choice here.
So if you're going to quote numbers, pass along the source and your method of estimation....because I'd certainly like a crack at validating your work.
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Originally posted by rodeoanimallover: I am extremely disappointed in the Thomas's gullability to animal rights activists propaganda. I've been involved in rodeo's for years and am one of the biggest animal lovers you will ever meet. I believe in ANIMAL WELFARE which benefits animals far greater than ANIMAL RIGHTS whose groups murder more animals than they save. SHARK and PETA are scams and should not have been able to so easily pursuade the Thomas's in this decision. Shame on you for being so naive. Rodeo takes greater care of their animals than most do of their children and the injury rate is less than .001%.
Take it from me...a Cheyenne native who now lives in Minnesota...the rodeos in ND and MN are a joke compared to CFD.
Regardless, here's what you're missing...the issue is not Rodeo as a whole...the issue is the way the rodeo in Cheyenne is conducted. We don't want to see the rodeo in Cheyenne end...we want to see the CRUELTY in that rodeo end.
The PRCA has specific rules and guidelines for Rodeo, and the fairs in MN and ND follow those rules. CFD completely disregards them because they believe (for a lack of better words) they are 'Above the Law'. To add to it, the officials know the rules are being violated, but they could care less...because the mentality is 'We are Wyoming - nobody can tell us what to do'.
In an essence, by going to the ND rodeo we are actually rewarding them for running a good clean rodeo. For Matchbox20 to boycott ND would be punishing them for something CFD does, when ND is playing by the rules.
Bottom line...CFD is the problem, not rodeo. CFD could clean up their act in a second and restore their reputation as the Best outdoor rodeo in the country...THEY choose not to...
So if Matchbox20 doesn't schedule a stop in MN this tour, I'll drag my husband and four children from the Twin Cities to ND not only to see the concert, but to watch a rodeo (which I love) that has the common decency to follow and enforce its own rules. That doesn't exist in Cheyenne!!
quote:
Originally posted by Greg: I am not a real fan of rodeo's myself, but to cancel playing at Cheyenne Frontier Day's (CFD) and then turn arund a schedule to perform at the North Dakota State Fair and Rodeo seems a little two faced. After all a rodeo is a rodeo no matter if it's called CFD or a Fair/Rodeo.
