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Mar. 23rd, 2006 10:36 pmPeople are often confused by my stated dietary restrictions.
I say "I don't eat beef." "Oh, you are vegetarian," they say. "No, I just don't eat beef." "Oh, you are one of the people who doesn't eat red meat." "No, I love lamb and pork, I just don't eat beef." "Oh, it's because you are Jewish?.." "Nope, I eat pork, bacon, ham, etc." I just don't eat beef.
This is why I don't eat beef.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Kansas meatpacker sued the government on Thursday for refusing to let the company test for mad cow disease in every animal it slaughters. Creekstone Farms Premium Beef says it has Japanese customers who want comprehensive testing.
The Agriculture Department threatened criminal prosecution if Creekstone did the tests, according to the company's lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington...
Testing for mad cow disease in the United States is controlled by the department, which tests about 1% of the 35 million cattle, or about 350,000, that are slaughtered each year. The department is planning to reduce that level of testing.
Let me reiterate that, in case you didn't catch it the first time. BushCo threatened to PROSECUTE this beef producer if he tested for mad cow disease. And they are planning to reduce their own (already completely inadequate) testing policy.
Um, doesn't that alone make you not want to eat beef under this administration?
Of course, testing is a pesky problem when, if it was uniform with any supplier, the market would force higher testing standards for the whole industry. And the beef lobby has a lot of $$ leverage. Yep.
I say "I don't eat beef." "Oh, you are vegetarian," they say. "No, I just don't eat beef." "Oh, you are one of the people who doesn't eat red meat." "No, I love lamb and pork, I just don't eat beef." "Oh, it's because you are Jewish?.." "Nope, I eat pork, bacon, ham, etc." I just don't eat beef.
This is why I don't eat beef.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Kansas meatpacker sued the government on Thursday for refusing to let the company test for mad cow disease in every animal it slaughters. Creekstone Farms Premium Beef says it has Japanese customers who want comprehensive testing.
The Agriculture Department threatened criminal prosecution if Creekstone did the tests, according to the company's lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington...
Testing for mad cow disease in the United States is controlled by the department, which tests about 1% of the 35 million cattle, or about 350,000, that are slaughtered each year. The department is planning to reduce that level of testing.
Let me reiterate that, in case you didn't catch it the first time. BushCo threatened to PROSECUTE this beef producer if he tested for mad cow disease. And they are planning to reduce their own (already completely inadequate) testing policy.
Um, doesn't that alone make you not want to eat beef under this administration?
Of course, testing is a pesky problem when, if it was uniform with any supplier, the market would force higher testing standards for the whole industry. And the beef lobby has a lot of $$ leverage. Yep.
