informant38
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...But of these sophisms and elenchs of merchandise I skill not...
Milton, Areopagitica

Except he had found the
standing sea-rock that even this last
Temptation breaks on; quieter than death but lovelier; peace
that quiets the desire even of praising it.

Jeffers, Meditation On Saviors


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4.11.02

Foreman said, "This pilot project should be dumped in the garbage along with the dirty chickens it produces. The only reason for the administration to go forward after the GAO report is to give in to the poultry industry's pressure to run their production lines faster. Faster line speeds result in more fecal matter on poultry. Consumers do not want poop on their poultry."
So who's in favor of poop on poultry?

Surprise -- it's the meat and poultry industry!

Industry officials have argued for years that food-poisoning bacteria are natural constituents of raw meat and poultry and that they have no obligation to control them. It's up to the consumer to cook them properly. That would be fine except, as CFA points out, cooking doesn't stop cross-contamination. The pathogens get on everything that the raw meat and poultry touches -- cutting boards, utensils, hands and other foods.

In December of last year, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the industry in a case that gutted meat and poultry inspection laws. In the case of Supreme Beef (I'm not responsible for the irony), the court ruled that "because cooking kills Salmonella organisms, the presence of Salmonella in meat products does not render them injurious to health."

Which brings us right back to politics, because guess who appoints the judges? After the decision, the Consumer Federation called on Congress to immediately rewrite the 1967 Federal Meat Inspection Act. Sen. Tom HarkIn, who is in a tight race in Iowa, is the leading member of Congress on meat safety issues and is chairman of the relevant committee.

And why would politicians take chances with the very lives of their constituents?

The Center for Responsive Politics reports that 82 percent of the meat industry's political contributions, $4.5 million since 1990, went to Republicans. To labor the point, it does actually make a real difference in your daily life who winds up in public office.



So to all of you who "just don't care about politics," take another bite of chicken and think about it some more.

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