Mr. and Mrs. Henshaw have graciously allowed me to post the documents from the government pertaining to the Henshaw Incident. The purpose in doing this is because I have been getting a large number of letters from people who are asking for proof of this incident, some denying that our government would act in the way described in the above mentioned article and reported by the Henshaws. It is my hope that these documents, which should at least in part be publicly accessible at the government offices in Virginia, will resolve this issue as to whether or not the “Henshaw Incident” occurred and as to many of the particulars.
The state of Virginia provided a plan for testing 30 pigs without destruction of the herd. It is interesting to note that the date of the order for quarantine and testing is the same as the date for the order of destruction of all the pigs. One must wonder why this was such a rush emergency situation within a fenced enclosure, as noted on the orders, of animals that are not a threat to human health that they had to move to full combat mode and destroy as many animals as possible.
It is also worth noting how the government uses the threat of high costs for disposal of the destroyed personal property to coerce the cooperation of the Henshaws. Not only is the government now taking by eminent domain the private property of citizens but it is billing them for the process.
One comment that Mrs. Henshaw made to me by email at one point was:
“The deadline that is on the order is for them to complete the eradication w/in 15 days [9/27/06]. That would give them until Wednesday or the State of Virginia looses its “PR Free” status. They have killed 78 hogs.”
-Mrs. Cynthia Henshaw, private email communications
It is to be noted that they failed to kill all the hogs. Given this, if the state’s claim of Pseudorabies is true then the state of Virginia should now be considered a Pseudorabies positive status state and ineligible for interstate transport of animals. It will be interesting to see if this is so.
It is interesting to note that according to the Merck Manual on Pseudorabies, the authority on animal diseases, the Pseudorabies fatality rate for piglets is nearly 100%. The Henshaws say that they have a lot of piglets running around raising into question the diagnosis. Given that the government removed the evidence we may never know or it may take years to come out like in the Faillace case.
Some people have said:
Don’t get your hopes up. Whether you agree or disagree with the concept of “hunting enclosures” is not the issue. What government does to your brother and sister they will gladly do to you. If you do not work to protect your neighbors right to own and raise livestock, to farm traditionally, then you will lose your rights too.
Lastly, you will note that, as stated at the bottom of their stationary, the state of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. It is good to know our government cares.
I have deleted Mr. Henshaw’s Social Security number and birth date from the documents for his privacy as well as the fax ID/number from which the document were sent again for privacy. Other than that the documents are as I received them, although reproduced in compressed JPG form to minimize the load on my web server and maximize accessibility for people with slower dial-up modem connections.
Please note that the names of the government officials are on these documents. Please do not take reprisals against these individuals - they were only doing their jobs. We must allow for a full investigation and judicial review to peacefully resolve this issue and compensate the Henshaws for the loss of their animals and abuse of their Constitutional rights.
I have closed comments on this article. Please instead leave comment on the original “Henshaw Incident” article to keep the discussion organized.
The Henshaw Documents
Arrest Warrant
Quarantine Order
Virginia State Vet Letter
Testing Plan
Destruction Order
Eradication Costs
