Tons of donated Brit food for Katrina to be burned by Americans?

[Maple]

"HUNDREDS of tons of British food aid shipped to America for starving Hurricane Katrina survivors is to be burned.

US red tape is stopping it from reaching hungry evacuees.

Instead tons of the badly needed Nato ration packs, the same as those eaten by British troops in Iraq, has been condemned as unfit for human consumption."

SNIP

"The food, which cost British taxpayers millions, is sitting idle in a huge warehouse after the Food and Drug Agency recalled it when it had already left to be distributed."



http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16147117%26method=full%26siteid=94762%26headline=exclusive--58--up-in-flames-name_page.html

[cynatnite]

1. The 'mad cow' crap is what's holding it up

It's fucked up because I think this whole 'mad cow' thing is way overblown and the FDA is just as screwed up as FEMA.

That's my guess since the article mentioned meat.

[warrens]

11. It is

They sent a plane full of German MRE's back last week for the same reason. I'm pretty sure that if you asked starving people if they would prefer to die of starvation or take a one in a million risk that they might contract vCJD, they'd take the food.

BSE is way overblown. You wanna get scared, look at the growth in listeria and the development of drug-resistant salmonella. They kill hundreds for every BSE victim.

[htuttle]

20. I stopped eating beef due to worries about BSE and even *I* would eat them

Were I, a person who hasn't even eaten mammal meat for several years, presented with a choice between starving and eating a 'possibly vCJD tainted' MRE, I would eat the MRE, no questions. I'm not stupid, and neither are most people.

Consider that fact that if people don't get food like these MREs, they going to have to dig around in the trash for formerly waterlogged food. Do they think that a starving person is going to refuse a loaf of bread, stating 'Oh no. That has *carbs*...' These people obviously have no experience with hunger.

In any case, I bet they would say they are worried about potential liablity, but that would be a lie. Look at how they've acted so far -- it's obvious they don't give a rat's ass about liability or responsibility.

I think the reason they keep turning away material aid, and only accepting cash, is that they want to ensure that whoever is selling the government supplies makes as much money as possible from the taxpayers. I'm sure that they are some Bush Mob front or other.

We have THE greediest, most selfish, WORST GOVERNMENT EVER!!!

Seriously. Even Nero wasn't this bad, though he wasn't half as bad as he's been made out to be. The Bush administration is really much worse.

[Horse with no Name]

27. The only reason we don't have the Mad Cow disease over here

is because we don't test our beef as stringently as the other countries.
Keeps us on the moral high ground ya know.
I read an article a few months back that the Secretary of Agriculture I believe--another inexperienced Bush croney--was highly irritated that some suspect cattle were tested.

[sunnystarr]

31. We have had Mad Cow disease here and not so long ago. (nt)

[Horse with no Name]

32. Yes.

And the Secretary of Agriculture was pissed because the cows were tested in the first place--without his knowledge.
Our approach to Mad Cow disease is "Don't ask don't tell".:sarcasm:

[sunnystarr]

35. Do we feel safe yet? lol (nt)

[leftchick]

2. am I surprised? no!

Outraged? you bet I am!! :grr:

[sandnsea]

3. This food is in Little Rock

Arkansas DUers, here's a project for ya! Protest this food and bring attention to this idiotic administration and their beef industry protectionism.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. For God's sake, the brits are light years ahead of us on screening

for mad cow. Here we still have companies mixing animal remins into their feed.

[cynatnite]

9. And any of us who have been overseas in the last 20 years...

can't donate blood. The govt. is so stupid. :freak:

:grr:

[tkmorris]

14. Yep. That was pretty weird

I went to donate blood not too long ago only to discover that my time spent in Sicily meant I couldn't do it. It made me feel like some kind of second class citizen for a couple of minutes, watching my wife and others donate while I stood by, rejected.

[wellstone_democrat]

16. What a surprise!

I went to a conference in the UK in 2002 for three days. That's it. My big trip "overseas" and found last week that I have "tainted blood" honest to God, that is what the local RC phone answering clerk said!

OK, but I could have done without the immediate: "but a cash donation would be just as good!" Maybe, but your timing was lousy Mr. RC....(and, yes we'd already given as much as possible to hurricane relief trhough a variety of agencies)

[petronius]

18. Forever?

Travel overseas once and you can never again donate blood? Do Canada and Mexico count, or do you have to fly over water? That sounds like a totally bizarre rule...

[cynatnite]

25. It's for Europe as far as I know

It is bizarre.

The receptionist told me the rule has really hurt the nation's blood supply.

[phusion]

19. What?

So, since I traveled to the UK and France in 1997, I can't donate blood?

[cynatnite]

24. Nope

If a person's been in Europe in the last 20 years they cannot donate blood.

[ofrfxsk]

30. Only if you've actually LIVED in Europe for 3-6 months

From the Red Cross site:
You should not give blood if you have:
Since 1980, live in the United Kingdom for a total time that adds up to 3 months, or in Europe for a total time that adds up to 6 months

http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_553_,00.html

Still weird though.

[leftofthedial]

5. british, food and burned oddly DO seem to belong in the same sentence

ridiculous waste, but very FEMA-like

[Taxloss]

6. LOL

Our cuisine has improved much in recent years, but I see your point.

[leftofthedial]

23. sorry

I've actually had many an excellent meal in England

but I couldn't resist the easy joke

[Inland]

7. Must.... resist.... must..... resist..... (nt)

[NYC]

8. ...cost British taxpayers millions...

They must be thrilled.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. why am I not shocked?

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. Imagine the reaction in U.S. press

if aid that we sent for Tsunami victims in Asia victims had been burned.

[mandyky]

13. Talk about "winning friends and influencing people",

this administration is tone deaf!

[bobbieinok]

15. bushco stopped MadCow testing for 1+ years after 1st appearance in US

are US beef products safer than British and German ones?? countries that at least have some care for the health of their citizens

[cornermouse]

17. We have a pack of idiots running the country.

Disgusting.

[Maple]

21. A German plane

full of supplies was sent home again, and there were planes on the runway in Sweden, fully loaded, that never even got cleared to take off. Canadians sailors with loaded ships were sent home early, and now this.

Millions of dollars and a lot of time and effort wasted, and yet people still doing without.

What bothers me is that if Rita is just as bad, or any of the other hurricanes to come...nobody is going to rush to help the next time.

[nyhuskyfan]

22. If it's British food, I can understand...

Burning it might actually make it taste better.

Sorry, sorry. Just a little playful humor (ha ha!). I was actually just going to have meself some tea and scrumplets right now.

[Maple]

26. Also being discussed in LBN

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1791980

[mr blur]

28. Why don't they give it to McDonalds?

The terms "McDonalds" and "unfit for human consumption" seem to go together perfectly.

Or Burger King. Or KFC. Or...

[Maple]

29. Because there's nothing wrong with it

And people need it

[Pooka Fey]

33. Is it not obvious to everyone that * wants the poor democrats to die?

They want the poor to die. Everything they have done, everything they continue to do is proof of this. Withhold food, poor people die; we get their land and we'll sell it to rich white Repugs.

[defiant1]

34. What a farce....

So NATO MRE's are acceptable for British troops, but not for Katrina suriviors?

:puke:

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. think POLITICS

and how badly will this make the Bush admin look.. you see we needed help from them foreigners...