Covering up Mad Cow while we sit around doing nothing

[Sarah Ibarruri]

There have been several recalls lately - and the cattle industry covering up the incidents of "downed" cows that cannot get up. It's already known that the testing of Mad Cow is being left up to the cattle industry, an industry which has no intention of losing profits.

The problem is, neither the media nor ordinary people are permitted to speak out about these problems in the meat industry, or any of the food industry. The reason is: disparagement laws.

"Disparagement" laws (which are additional free speech limitation laws the food industry has gotten passed in many states, and wants wants passed throughout this country) prohibit anyone from speaking out against the food industry. The media is TERRIFIED of telling the truth about the food industry for fear of being sued. Therefore, whenever they report downed cows, and possible Mad Cow incidences, they don't report it that way, and we never get to find out the truth. I've provided an example of one article on today's little meat industry scandal. Notice the way it's almost impossible to tell what the hell is really going on with downed cows, Mad Cow gets no press, and it's all kept very hush-hush because of "disparagement" laws.

I've also provided the website which explains what disparagement laws are, which states have passed them, where the food industry is trying to pass other disparagement laws, and how to fight these laws that destroy free speech. Why should the food industry have special laws passed to protect it, when none of us have any laws to protect us? Will someone please answer me that?

Anyway, here you go. Check it out and tell me what you think:

Article in which the media is very cautious to say nothing about the meat industry:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080218/ap_on_bi_ge/slaughterhouse_abuse;_ylt=Aq4QXvn5KACi_aM.Ljq.BP6s0NUE

Website which explains what "disparagement" laws are:
http://www.cspinet.org/foodspeak/cando/cando.htm

And if you work with the food industry, perhaps you would explain why the food industry feels they need even more laws than those which already exist in the books curbing free speech.

[Eurobabe]

1. Kinda like big pharma doing drug studies n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

11. Exactly! Great comparison! nt

[raccoon]

2. K&R. The cattle industry has been sweeping this under the rug for years,

with the willing complicity of the corporate media and the US governement.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

30. YES. Well, under Bush all agencies are Republican, so we couldn't expect much...

I hope now a Democratic president changes that.

[Eurobabe]

35. No, they've been sweeping (sh)it in our MEAT supply!

[alfredo]

44. Why should they worry about millions coming down with mad cow. By

the time it hits, most CEO's will be long gone from this world and won't have to pay the price for their greed.

[zorahopkins]

3. Your Link

Your link to cspinet doesn't seem to provide any information about what food disparagement laws are.

It is a guide to action against food isparagement laws.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. Basically, these laws give the food industry stronger libel laws to prevent anyone speaking out.....

Here are the actual, real, specific laws on the books currently for each state, so you can read them.
http://www.cspinet.org/foodspeak/laws/existlaw.htm

For an explanation of "disparagement" laws in general for something less legalese, you can look it up in wikipedia under food libel laws. Here's basically what it is:

-------------------------------------------
These laws vary greatly from state to state, but they typically allow a food manufacturer or processor to sue a person or group who makes disparaging comments about their food products. In some states these laws also establish weaker standards of proof than are used in traditional American libel lawsuits.
-------------------------------------------

[movonne]

4. I just gave up eating beef....

[halobeam]

5. I've never looked into eating beans instead of meat

but now I'm going to try and make really great meals to entice my family to choose this over meat. I will have to find very successful recipes that are as inexpensive and easy to make as possible.

I'm on a mission now.

Our schools are closed this week, but the day they re-open, I want to know where they bought their meat from and if they did buy from this company/distributor, is it all pulled at this point.

I think the scariest part of this whole thing is that it's been consumed by so many, for so long. Those responsible should be held accountable for every illness and or death they cause/caused.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

13. I agree that the scariest part is we've been consuming beef for so long

The food industry is just not trustworthy at all. We have to keep our eyes and ears on this.

[Sal Minella]

15. I learned to cook beans in a pressure cooker. Great basis for soup/stew/veggy inventions.

30 minutes at 15 pounds leaves them soft, and cooking them with about a tablespoon of chopped garlic "takes the wind out."

Cooking beans on the stove-top for three hours doesn't cook them as completely as a pressure-cooker, in my experience.

I keep trying to go completely vegetarian -- I know two women (one forty-something and one twenty-something) who have been vegetarians all their lives, and are remarkably healthy and fit, so I know meat-eating is just a bad habit, not a matter of need.

[halobeam]

17. thanks

I'll look into a pressure cooker (I don't have one.) I do have a slow cooker/crockpot and I wonder if that might work decently...

do you go to any good sites for vegn. recipes?

[Sal Minella]

18. Little experience with crockpot here, and I usually don't use recipes because

I tend to buy whatever is on sale at the grocery stores and start cooking from there -- don't have the patience to work with recipes because I'm always missing something they call for. (I hate cooking, actually, because it takes so much time.)

I would think googling "vegetarian bean recipes" would yield an afternoon's reading! I've made "vegetarian chili" which uses the combination of corn and beans to provide complete protein.

iirc, Frances Moore Lappé's "Diet for a Small Planet" explains complementarity in foods so as to provide the "meat quality" we look for in foods. Milk and peanut butter together provide a complete protein, iirc.

[halobeam]

47. thats exactly the information I need .. complete protein/meat quality

from Lappe's book.

and of course recipes, too! :woohoo: thank you.

[Sal Minella]

48. Also "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by a vegetarian restaurant owner

:-)

ah, found it! Mollie Katzen.

She owned the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, strictly vegetarian, and wrote "The Moosewood Cookbook" which was such a success that she wrote "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest."

The instructions are so complete and simple I can even do it right (I made her vegetarian lasagne many times and it was always good).

"Poor folk" cooking is frequently based on complementarity -- beans in corn tortillas, black beans and rice, etc.

[defendandprotect]

54. Ahhhh.... broccoli with GARLIC in linguine . .. !!!

And broccoli RABE . . . with garlic . . .

In fact, I was just talking to someone who also gets a roll and some broccoli rabe when they're out
and need some lunch on the run --- !!!

delicious !!

[defendandprotect]

53. Love beans . . . and would love to talk in veggie area about cooking them cause

I don't always get them right ---

three pots for three different kinds of beans --- ???

but I love them even tossed over a salad ---

[tsuki]

57. If I soak them overnight, I only have to cook them for 18 minutes. nt

[defendandprotect]

64. Really . . . ?? !!! I'll look for you in veggie next week . . .

[Sarah Ibarruri]

12. Good! I did too. I can't trust an industry that has intentions of suing me if I object nt

[LSK]

31. same here

Hope I can stick to it.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

59. Im thinking of giving up ground beef..

[defendandprotect]

65. Did you understand what was happening re the lawsuit against Oprah --- ???

and is this event right now causing you to rethink what you're eating --- ???

If so -- good for you!!!

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

66. Problem is not with beef per se

Its with facotry beef and this kind of crap...

[defendandprotect]

67. These are slaughterhouse problems ....

and the way we monitor -- or don't monitor them ---

PLUS, we obviously have situations where any animals that have been fed other animals will have
MAD COW if they live long enough --- but they can transmit it at any time to a human, with a 20 year
incubation period.

This is not only about cows --- it's about all animals which they fed in this way ---
including small animals; chickens, etal ---

[AndyA]

6. That Food Speak site is seriously out of date.

Frank Keating (R), thankfully, hasn't been the Governor of Oklahoma in quite a few years.

It is concerning, though, that an industry based on profits is expected to police itself and that if there's a safety issue with food, the media is reluctant to report on it.

What idiots thought this was good for the American people? I'll bet they have an R after their names.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

9. Yep. These laws make it possible for anyone speaking out against a wrong in the food industry to be

sued. It has to be a Republican idea. Who else consistently and without fail defends the big guy and crushes the little guy?

[CountAllVotes]

7. I did something about this a LONG time ago

and that was fairly simple: AVOID BEEF. It is not good for you anyway!

:kick:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. I did the same thing when I realized the beef industry was corrupt and against my interests nt

[CountAllVotes]

14. I just heard that some ground pork was on the list too

I don't eat pork either but my god, many people eat tons of meat. This is very scary!

As for the beef industry, after my husband heard about Mad Cow he refused to eat any more beef. He was raised on a farm and they raised livestock. He loves beef btw. That right there should give a few people a clue. :scared:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

16. Lots of people eat lots of meat. I have a nephew that does nothing but eat meat every day

Better being safe than sorry and eat products that we can consider safer and in better hands.

[halobeam]

49. I haven't found a list yet.

Do you know where there is one? I'm trying to find out the distributors names too. I don't think the slaughterhouse info is on a box of burgers.

I've got everyone here off the meat, which of course is all I can do, but getting info about this is important when we have little money for food and there is still meat left in the freezer.

[defendandprotect]

29. There are the same problems with ALL animals being slaughtered . . .

chickens just don't live long enough to show signs of Mad Cow ---

but they were also fed the same crap ---

Scrapies . . . .

[CountAllVotes]

36. some chickens are fed ground up spinal cords from cows

that is why I would STRONGLY suggest buying organic chicken if at all possible. I know of one major chicken producer that adds this to the chicken feed in order to give them that "added umph". :grr:

I wonder how long it will take before actual cases of Mad Cow disease begin to appear in the populace?

Maybe after it begins (which will be far too late) people will stop eating beef!

Buying organic beef isn't necessarily an answer either. Ask the people selling it where their bulls are from and see if they can give you a real answer. Usually you get a real duh of a look from the sellers.

No beef is safe, none.

Seems pork is the same and chicken is highly at risk too if you buy the crap they sell at the stores that do a buy one chicken, get one free deal. Those deals are chickens fed this food I describe and no, I am not making this up.
:scared: again ...

:kick:

[defendandprotect]

55. Oh . . . I know . . .including ROAD KILL --- !!!! and every other kind of

garbage --- and I believe in some cases even fecal matter --- !!!

I'm a VEGAN . . . wanted to be one since I was 6 years old --- but unfortuantely my family
went nuts.

Got to do it much, much later --- !!!

Happy now .. . !!!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

61. Where did you hear they're feeding chickens the spinal columns of cows? nt

[defendandprotect]

63. I don't know where "Countallvotes" found the info . . . but you can start HERE . . .

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/10/01/bse_041001.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/amr1304.cfm

Mad Cow Disease
... is a disease of the brain and spinal column, so even if a cow with the disease ... The reason cows get it is that they eat feed that has ground up animal parts in ...
www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen01/gen01477.htm - 8k - Cached

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen01/gen01477.htm

Look around . . . you'll find more . . .

[CountAllVotes]

70. I called the place up that produces the chicken

They have a toll-free # on the package. I called and asked them, "What do you feed your chickens?" The answer was "Wonderful food with a little added umph." I said what is the "added umph". Reply was: ground up spinal cords from cattle. :puke:

I had quite a bit of this particular brand of chicken in my freezer and I threw it all away. This was a few years ago. I now only buy organic/free-range chicken. It costs a lot of $$$ but I don't want to take the risk. I'm fortunately not much of a meat eater anyway and never have been.

:kick:

[defendandprotect]

71. Lots of people here are also concerned about pollution and the planet, of course . . .

and ridding ourselves of animal-eating would help a great deal ---

spiritually, as well, of course --- !!!

[leftchick]

19. "Order The Fish"

was a great article in VF a few years ago. It is stunning the control the meat industry has over the USDA.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

22. And the meat industry gets LOTS of our hard-worked tax dollars, to boot!

They steal our money, want to feed us poison, AND want laws passed so they can be allowed to screw us.

[defendandprotect]

32. Fish, of course, is being factory farmed which presents other problems . . .

such as viruses and worms . . . I think that's it --- I haven't looked into this in a while cause
I don't eat fish, either.

AND, mercury, of course ---

and scarcity ---

My husband had some fish in a restaurant the other night and it was very expensive ---

[doni_georgia]

41. Have you tried to buy fish that isn't from China?

The source for most of the fish in US grocery stores is China. Much of that is farm-raised and there have been numerous stories of those fish being raised in raw sewage. Not to mention the fact that much of the seafood out there is high in heavy metals - mostly mercury. The only meat we eat is organically raised, and we limit that to 2-3 nights a week. The rest of the time we are a veggie family.

[defendandprotect]

56. Ugh . . . !!! Fortunately, I don't eat fish either . . . !!!

[Caria]

20. Federal School Lunch Program

They were feeding meat from sick cattle to schoolchildren all over the country!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

23. I know!!! To children! This is out of control. nt

[fascisthunter]

27. "feeding meat from sick cattle to schoolchildren"

Pretty sick isn't it? Not only do the wealthy powerful defund our schools, crippling students education so they remain uninformed as tax paying citizens but they poison them for profit.

[doni_georgia]

39. As a teacher I can say

School food tastes like shit and here's the proof! Seriously, there is no way in hell I would allow my kids to buy school lunch. You should see the crap they feed our kids and then expect teachers to be held accountable when the kids can't learn. I can't remember the last time my school served anything remotely resembling real food.

[hootinholler]

21. Wasn't there a requlation passed in the last 2 years

That prevents meat packers form doing extra mad cow testing?

I have a bell ringing but can't seem to find a reference.

-Hoot

[Sarah Ibarruri]

26. Yes. The meat industry didn't want to test, so they got a law passed that would prevent.....

.... 1 or 2 "organic" meat companies from conscientiously testing their own meat for Mad Cow so they could label it safe. The meat industry is heinous beyond belief.

[defendandprotect]

24. They're refusing to do the testing --- which is how it's being covered up . . ..

[defendandprotect]

25. But there's a simple solution, folks--give up eating animals . . .

they are your friends if not brothers and sisters on the planet ----

[Sarah Ibarruri]

28. Exactly. I think there must be mad cow beef all over the place nt

[defendandprotect]

33. Remember --- 20 year incubation period . . . . . . .. . . . .

[Sarah Ibarruri]

34. TERRIFIYING. The CEOs of meat industries are making their $ and by the time people get sick

They'll have their billions offshore.

There will probably be a statute of limitations thing going preventing them from being sued, or they'll point at the law they themselves got passed saying that the meat industry CANNOT be over-testing and blame that.

Then these CEOs will move to some country where they cannot be extradited and live well for the rest of their Japanese-beef-fed life.

SCUM is what they are.

[defendandprotect]

50. And, Plan B...offer the public some pretty new, recently CLONED cows . . . ???

[Sarah Ibarruri]

58. Oh yes. There's nothing these people won't do to fill their pockets with money nt

[defendandprotect]

62. If you look at the corruption of this move with the lengths they went to with

feeding these herbivore animals such garbage --- other animals, road kill, fecal matter -- !!!!

In fact, because cows couldn't digest this stuff in any way they stuck the plastic from beer/coke
six packs down their throats in order to have something there to help break up the mess they were
shoving into them!!

What's so sadly laughable right now is to watch people who still --- despite all they've learned
about corrupt government and what happens when agencies get BUSHED -- they still want to TRUST
that . . . "Nah, no one would feed us shit that would kill us!" . . .

Just look at these threads and see how desperately people want to delude themselves . . .
so that they don't have to make any kind of CHANGE in their lives!!!

[Caria]

37. Kick

[katsy]

38. Question:

If you have mad cow which hasn't been diagnosed, is your blood infected and can this disease be passed through blood donations to the Red Cross?

Just curious because I had a friend who was a nurse, now deceased, who insisted that the government has been covering up the real impact of this disease and its spread even through blood transfusions.

[blues90]

40. The only thing I can do is

not eat meat and not buy imported products and try to keep what I have working and if it fails do without it and find another way .

These huge corps have the control and as long as people continue to buy their products they will continue to maintain control .

There is no new government who will change a damn thing ever . It has gone to far now for that .

People have to realize they do have control over this machine but this too will never be realized even on the day it all ends and they find themselves saying , what happened as the last drop of water dries up .

[yewberry]

42. Oprah Winfrey & Howard Lyman were sued for disparagement

by the TX Cattlemen's Beef Association several years back. The suit was pretty well-publicized, but I don't think it was well-argued.

Essentially, Winfrey & Lyman (AKA The Mad Cowboy) won the suit because their lawyers were able to demonstrate that they hadn't knowingly made false statements. The argument should have been that disparagement laws are unconstitutional.

[alfredo]

43. One meat producer wanted to test all cows, but he was prevented by

the bush junta.

[rodeodance]

45. Press Release: Hillary on Beef Recall (2/17)

Press Release: Hillary on Beef Recall (2/17)

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=604...


2/17/2008
Statement from Hillary Clinton

"The news today of the largest beef recall in our nation’s history is yet another troubling reminder that we have done too little to protect our food supply. This incident also reveals a danger to our children, since the Hallmark company is the second largest supplier to the U.S. School Lunch program. I believe that American families should not have to worry about the safety of the food on their dinner tables or in their children's school lunches. That is why I have long been calling for common-sense - and long-overdue - food safety reforms, building on my work in the Senate. As President, I will fully fund our food safety system so that our inspectors have the resources and manpower they need to do their jobs. I will create a single food safety agency to replace the patchwork of regulation we have now. I will implement an effective recall system so that potentially tainted food immediately comes off grocery store shelves and families receive instant notification. I will strictly enforce safety rules and impose stiff criminal and civil penalties on violators. And I will crack down on the slaughter of sick or injured cows, a practice which poses health risks to families and children. Now more than ever, America needs a President who will deliver concrete reforms that fill the gaps in our food safety system."

[defendandprotect]

51. Better than a vote for Sen. Clinton would be to enjoy the pleasures of veggie/Veganism . . .

Do you know how fantastic it is to eat vegetables --- !!! ???

I guess we veggies should talk about that more often ---

it's also a great spiritual feeling ---

[Sarah Ibarruri]

60. How about removing the subsidies from the meat industry and hiring inspectors with that money? nt

[MadHound]

46. Since the government can't, or won't do it for you, people need to get to know their food source

When you go to your local farmer's market, one of the advantages is that you get to know the farmer, the person who is producing your food. They are happy to talk with you about their methods, how the food was raised, etc. The same applies to those who sell meat as well as those who sell produce.

Take advantage of this, get to know who's raising your beef, pork and chicken. Most are even willing to let you come out to their operation so that you can see for yourself.

We have become so used to the grocery store model of food distribution that we've forgotten others exist. But with farmer's markets and local small farmers, you can reconnect to where your food comes from. You can find out for yourself how healthy the animals are, what they're being fed, etc.

When I moved to the country, one of the reasons was to raise my own produce(and a surplus for sale in the farmer's market). One of the pleasures I rediscoverd from my past was buying meat while it was still on the hoof. I grew up in a rural area, and my folks would by meat in bulk, freezing and storing it. I found that forty years later, this is still going on. My neighbor raises organic beef, some of which grazed on my land for awhile, and I got to know the cattle. I purchased in bulk(I have a freezer), and thus the price was far below retail(3.16/lb any cut). I also know people in the area who do the same thing with pork, chicken and sheep.

Being on a farm, I realize that I'm plugged into this network, but if you go down to your local farmer's market, you can plug in too. There are a wide variety of ways to do so, from CSA's to simply getting to know the local organic beef producer. But in an age of factory farming and lax inspection, it is time we all took responsibility for getting to know where our food comes from.

[defendandprotect]

52. ...and what, spend time at the slaughter houses picking the cow part they want?

THESE things are happening where the public can't see them . . .

[MadHound]

69. Actually when you order beef or pork in large quantity,

Yes, you get to pick the cuts you want.

However many small and organic farmers either butcher the meat themselves, or use local, small operations that yes, you can visit.

Hey, I didn't say any of this would be easy, however it will be healthier for you. And don't think that becoming vegetarian will help you out. Remember the e-coli spinach last summer?

[depakid]

68. Bottom line: don't eat cows.

The American beef supply has been contaminated for more than a decade. The only thing I'm waiting to see is what the epi curves look like for BSE in the states.

Will it be tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands?

Will there be clusters? Where will they be?

The midwest? The South? or more uniform?