What is Digg?181 Comments
- reflex768, on 05/12/2008, -0/+114Defies belief. The government can prevent me from testing my own cattle meat on my own initiative? I think that's very near an indefensible position on the part of the Bush admin.
- rnwen2750, on 05/12/2008, -0/+59Oh, the wonderful effects of powerful lobbies.
- mentallyinhell, on 05/12/2008, -3/+64Politicians are not scientists or proffesionals of any sort in these fields. Why do they make these decisions? King George is the last person I want telling me what's good for me.
- spinchange, on 05/12/2008, -1/+46So because the current standards for testing livestock are unacceptable to others in the developed world, and private enterprise wants to adapt to that demand and test all their cattle, these jokers in the WH /Justice dept. contend people might "falsely assume" they're eating safe meat !?!
Beside being a logical, legal, and moral conundrum, That has to be the worst argument for the USDA and public health, ever - FearFactory, on 05/12/2008, -6/+41George Bush has Mad Human Disease
- inactive, on 05/12/2008, -4/+37If ever you were unsure that Bush does NOT have your best interests at heart, this should convince you.
Well, most of the stuff he's done during his presidency should convince you, but just in case your head was up your ass, THIS should convince you.
It's not about the American people, it's about the $$$$. - inactive, on 05/12/2008, -2/+27This is the third story like this over the last 6 months. The first whiff of this story was that the government was going to SUE ranchers if they decided to test every cow!
- flossdaily, on 05/12/2008, -5/+31My roommates think I'm insane because I only buy beef from Wholefoods (or other places that guarantee 100% grass-fed beef).
- hayzeus, on 05/12/2008, -8/+26Cow to other cow: "Aren't you afraid of getting mad cow disease?"
Other cow: "No -- I'm a penguin."
Thanx -- I'll be here all week - crapmatic, on 05/12/2008, -5/+26Only eight more months... please, please let it come quick. I can't take any more of this administration's self-serving *****.
- pixelfishfood, on 05/12/2008, -1/+18This shows how the Republican party has been taken over by Neocons. Republicans are supposed to step out of the way and let businesses operate as they see fit. From what I've seen, all Neocons want is to keep the population ignorant and scared while amassing $$$ for corporate lobbyists, such as the meat industry.
- aliengoods, on 05/12/2008, -1/+15"Why do they make these decisions?"
I'm not sure, but I'll take a guess. Some major corporate beef producer doesn't want to have to test to compete, so they gave the Bush administration a couple hundred thousand to try to shut it down in some half ass manner. This is similar to the way the Big Three in Detroit killed the Tucker cars because they were too safe and reliable, only they did it with Senators. It's always about the money. - inactive, on 05/12/2008, -2/+14It isn't just our troops, he hates ALL Americans.
- inactive, on 05/12/2008, -1/+12Dear sweet God... That's exactly the argument they use with regards to why we can't have any sex ed. that isn't abstinence only.
- Defuser, on 05/12/2008, -0/+11There would be NO "false positives". You can bet your ass that if a cow came up positive, the meat packers would make DAMN sure to re-test until they were absolutely certain. It's not like they're going to say "Woops, got a Positive, but let's let it slide without confirming, because nobody really cares".
- FredFredrickson, on 05/12/2008, -2/+12"I think that's very near an indefensible position on the part of the Bush admin."
At this point, what isn't? - Vector713, on 05/12/2008, -1/+10Meat is not altogether unheathly. Stop asserting hypocrisy and then playing it off like it's okay because you acknowledge it. That's like saying "I'm a murderer but it's okay because I admit it"
I hate hypocrites and pompous *****. - DoubtingThomas, on 05/12/2008, -0/+10Actually if read further, the whole "false positive" logic is a cover for a bigger issue. What the real issue is is that other meat packers fear that they will be pressured (by the consumer) to rise to the same level of testing that Creekstone Farms Premium Beef has.
- jpop, on 05/12/2008, -3/+14My suspicion is that the reason they don't want to test more is because it is more widespread than we think. If they tested more, they're more likely to find it. If they find it, it decimates the beef industry, hurts the economy, etc.
In terms of lobbying, you'll have the beef companies that have good cows lobbying for the testing so they have an extra selling point. You'll have the marginal or untested companies lobbying against the extra testing because they may not pass the testing and will and be hurt by it. - gayforvaginas, on 05/12/2008, -2/+11From Lewrockwell.com:
Many thanks to Mark Anderson, who read my article proposing the end of the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA), for provding the following link to a news web site in Arkansas City, Kansas, the ArkCity news. In it, Creekstone - a beef processor - asked permission to test each head of cattle prior to slaughter and processing for BSE, also known as "mad cow disease." It seems that Creekstone has lost a lot of business in exporting quality beef to Japan, as the Japanese consumer insists that the beef be tested. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service forbid them from doing this, claiming that such young cattle do not need to be inspected. What is the point of this? It seems that USDA doesn't want the private sector to monitor the safety of the products it sells. USDA's bureaucrats seem more concerned about keeping their jobs than they do about true food safety!
From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creekstone_Farms_Prem ...
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, LLC is a conventional and angus beef producer and limited liability company with livestock based in Campbellsburg, Kentucky and processing and sales in Arkansas City, Kansas. The CEO of Creekstone, John Stewart (who is also the owner of the Triad Foods Group) founded the company in 1995 along with his wife, Carol Stewart. Creekstone Farms is also co-owned by Sun Capital Partners. The majority of their distributors are not chains, but Publix does distribute their products in some states.
Creekstone Farms is most well known for its attempt to test all of its beef for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease"). At a cost of about half a million dollars, Creekstone built a testing lab, the first inside a U. S. meat packing plant, and hired the necessary personnel. In 2004, however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which controls the sale of testing kits, refused to sell Creekstone enough to test all of its cows.
The USDA's stated position was that allowing any meatpacking company to test every cow would undermine the agency's official position that random testing was scientifically adequate to assure safety. The USDA also claims that testing does not ensure food safety because the disease is difficult to detect in younger animals. An alternative position is that the USDA's objection is the result of pressure from larger meatpacking operations. The president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association told the Washington Post that "If testing is allowed at Creekstone, we think it would become the international standard and the domestic standard, too." Creekstone Farms says tests cost about $20 per animal, increasing the cost of beef by about 10 cents per pound. The USDA currently tests about 1 percent of cattle slaughtered in the U.S.
In March 2006, Creekstone launched a lawsuit against the USDA for refusing to allow complete testing. On March 29, 2007, Judges James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that USDA cannot lawfully prevent Creekstone from testing its cattle for BSE. USDA's appeal of that decision to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is pending.
The company reports that Japan's ban on U.S. beef beginning in 2003 caused the company to lose a third of its sales, prompting the layoff of about 150 people. - DanMiller, on 05/12/2008, -1/+9Meat is not unhealthy, however, fast food meat is generally bad for you. We are a species which has evolved to eat meat. Quit acting like the whole damn food chain should be standing around holding hands.
- JoeVet, on 05/12/2008, -0/+8I ate British beef when I was stationed in europe during the mad cow outbreak. There has been no great epidemic of vCJD as far as I can tell. The only drawback I have is that the red cross refuses to take my blood. I don't believe the cow disease causes the human jlkidse sadlifsdfg and f sdfisdfasdfnalsdf. Tesasdfsdi fasdlfidf asdfisdfnasdlfksdf asdlfisdf asdfidf.
- swordphish, on 05/12/2008, -2/+10Treason.
- flossdaily, on 05/12/2008, -0/+10no, just in debt
- Zarokima, on 05/12/2008, -0/+8Yay for cheaper disease?
- DanMiller, on 05/12/2008, -0/+7"Welcome to Wholefoods! Would you be interested in one of our low interest/low monthly payment meat loans?"
- akkibaba, on 05/12/2008, -0/+7You're missing either a Bible verse or the ever-popular WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!!
- hadees, on 05/12/2008, -5/+13I don't think you are insane just filthy rich otherwise you couldn't afford beef from whole foods.
- Jexie, on 05/12/2008, -0/+7Yeah, ***** safety, I just want cheap. Lets stop dating it for freshness too, beef will be cheaper if we let them sell us stuff thats gone bad, also lets stop testing pharmaceuticals before they go to market, they'll get so much cheaper!
- inavat, on 05/12/2008, -3/+12Well, you can ask them "Who's insane now?!" when they're suffering from:
rapidly progressive dementia, leading to memory loss, personality changes, hallucinations, speech impairment, jerky movements (myoclonus), balance and coordination dysfunction (ataxia), changes in gait, rigid posture, and seizures.
Then you can steal all their stuff. - ozziedog, on 05/12/2008, -0/+6The reason is simple. There are more cows with the mad cow disease than they would like to report. Canada had 1 case of mad cow disease and America immediately shut it's borders to our beef. America's "cleaner" record is not due to better farming standards but weaker testing standards.
- ErikHarrison, on 05/12/2008, -2/+8He wants to bury this country so deep that NO candidate will be able to recover.
- inactive, on 05/12/2008, -0/+6^Right you both are, that makes sense. Pretty obvious that government shouldn't be interfering, and big surprise, it's due to lobbyists.
- DubBucket, on 05/12/2008, -0/+5I have a personal interest in this area, as my mother died of "sporadic" Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. It's classified as sporadic because they don't know how it's contracted. CJD can have an incubation period of up to 50 years, and it is therefore difficult to discern the point of infection. Only variant CJD has been identified as the direct result of eating infected meat, because its onset is much faster and can be more easily traced. It is this lack of information about this disease that needs to be addressed. There is no telling how many cows and people are already infected. While I understand the desire to keep the prices low, and reduce paranoia from advertising "Mad Cow Free", that's not a good enough reason to prevent a private industry from ensuring it's product is safe for consumers.
- Shogi, on 05/12/2008, -7/+14Dugg for Mad King George.
- cerejota, on 05/12/2008, -1/+7It is sad that many people die in car accidents a year.
However, the relationship between transportation safety to food-borne disease prevention, is beyond me.
Apple and oranges my friend, apples and oranges... - twipley, on 05/12/2008, -3/+9Meatpackers will then have an excuse to permit increased productivity, because “the disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.” -- Stanley Milgram
- dakbonsa, on 05/12/2008, -0/+5Well, they actually use something called Advanced Meat Recovery, which basically squeezes cow out so that they could get to that last piece of meat. And in this process, you can actually get BSE prion mixed with your beef...
- Cattywampus, on 05/12/2008, -0/+6There's a lot that's not known about CJD (the human form of mad cow disease), including whether it can be caught from eating beef. It may be possible to catch it from eating cow parts other than the brain.
One reason why authorities are being overly cautious in dealing with mad cow and related diseases is that it can have an incubation period of up to *40 years.* - DavidYeah, on 05/12/2008, -1/+6The problem I have is that after this administration is gone, their hardlinke conservtive appointees will continue poisoning the well for years to come.
- AnarkeIncarnate, on 05/12/2008, -0/+5This is not forcing anybody. The meat processors were testing of their own volition. The gov't is stepping in to say "No, you cannot do that."
- inactive, on 05/12/2008, -9/+13What? Why did you vote for Bush?
- Defuser, on 05/12/2008, -0/+5I'd rather see a few "false positives" (if such a thing is indeed possible) than people dying of Mad Cow. You'll forgive me if I'm willing to pay slightly higher meat prices if it means that nobody dies from having their brain rot.
- bdbr, on 05/12/2008, -2/+7I don't think you're insane, nor do I think you're decreasing your risk of mad cow disease (which was already very, very close to zero). You are getting healthier beef, though - which might reduce your chances of other problems (like heart disease) that are actually LIKELY to occur.
Making your food-purchasing decisions based on worries of mad cow disease makes less sense than planning your future on winning the lottery...because your chances of winning the lottery are much higher. - mnemy, on 05/12/2008, -1/+6I really hope that's sarcasm because if not, you're an idiot talking about something you have absolutely no knowledge of
- nblsavage, on 05/12/2008, -1/+5so what if there is an increased chance of it killing you, as long as it's cheap!
- DoubtingThomas, on 05/12/2008, -1/+6You are quite ignorant when comes to how large meat processors work. Unused portions of the cow (read: brains and other no salable organ meat) are usually made into feed for subsequent generations, hence there is a very real risk of cows ingesting BSE prion from this feed. It is true that you need to consume either the spinal or brain tissue of the cattle to be exposed to BSE. However, it is very easy for pieces of either brain matter or spinal tissue to contaminate other cuts of meat and especially ground meat processed at the plant.
- boomshakalaka, on 05/12/2008, -0/+4please tell me you have a source. i need to get my rage on today...
- CiXeL, on 05/12/2008, -2/+6you have to wonder how latent madcow disease affects the decision-making process of world leaders.
would it confuse and screw with your decision making enough to launch the nukes? - LeeSoong, on 05/12/2008, -3/+7Well, is it the only way to make George sound smarter - make other people dumber with MCD ?
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