Sick beef sold to schools to feed our children!! ACTION ALERT

[sam sarrha]

Type in 'downer cows lunch program alert' then go to www.organicconsumrers.org then to www.maddeer.org then type in 'Prion disease' Is this program a product of CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS influencing the USDA to allow the sick animals normally destroyed to be sold to school lunch programs!!!!!!!!!!! the animals fall down because they are DIEING !!! to sick to walk into the slaughter house, I have seen these sick animals electro prodded up several times and into the slaughter house. they were really pitiful. I am really pissed off about hearing this you better be too and write your elected Representatives.. if they dont change this real quick replace them!!!!!!!!!!!!

[htuttle]

1. Check the maddear link

It's http://www.maddear.org , not com.
The other one is http://www.organicconsumers.org/

I guess I sadly not surprised about the lunch program news. I knew the lunch program got the lowest grade meat, not suitable for any other purpose (except, perhaps, feeding prisoners. I've heard they get roadkill out west...).

Here's the actual petition page:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/meat/downercows.cfm

PETITION TO THE FDA TO PROHIBIT THE SLAUGHTER OF DOWNED ANIMALS:

Last year, the USDA announced a landmark policy to stop purchasing meat from
downed cows for Federal programs, including the National School Lunch
Program. The Agency stated, "USDA will no longer accept ground beef that
includes product from non-ambulatory cattle, commonly known as "downers'.
This development shows a growing consensus- even among livestock industry
and government officials- that the marketing and slaughter of downed animals
is unacceptable.

Our chances of stopping the downed animal trade are better now than ever,
and letters are needed to urge the Food and Drug Administration to grant
petition 98P-0151/CP1 to prohibit the slaughter of downed animals. Please
write today, and please encourage others to write as well:

(more at link)

[JailForBush]

2. Wow. I wonder if Mad Cow Disease could actually make liberals and

conservatives alike actually give a damn about children. I worked at Seattle's Rainier Valley Elementary School, shortly after its food services had been privatized. I've never seen such disgusting shit fed to kids - nor have I seen them line up and throw so much of it in the garbage. But no teachers or parents I talked to gave a damn.

Just recently, it was revealed that the water at Seattle's View Ridge Elementary School may not be safe to drink. Teachers have been drinking bottled water for FIVE YEARS, but they apparently didn't think it was important to tell parents about the problem.

If Mad Cow Disease IS discovered in school food, I think it ought to be force fed to school boards, teachers unions and the corporations that have taken over our schools.

What a crock of shit.

[BlueCollar]

3. but surely

contaminated meat in the food supply is just another example of conservative capitalism at work.

Logically, the market will decide...if enough people die from bad meat...the supplier will go out of business when people decide they don't want to die from eating contaminated meat...

[sam sarrha]

4. here in el paso tx the Arsnic was up to 160 ppb and they said the water

was perfecly safe.

[BlueCollar]

5. it is

unless you plan to actually drink it...

on edit: Remember..we're in Texas...nobody gives a G****mn about anything except redistricting...

[sam sarrha]

8. The worst part about the Gerrymandering of TX was it actually was to

eleminate the Moderate Republicans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JailForBush]

6. "Sick school syndrome" is another problem ignored by Republicans

and Democrats alike. Factor in derelict high-stakes tests and increasingly abusive principals and teachers, and public education can clearly be a health menace.

[KT2000]

7. You are on to something

After years of being involved in environmental health issues, I have had to come to the conclusion that we really do not care about children, as a nation.
I live in WA too, where one paper mill caused as much illness in local children as a southern town with many chemical manufacturing plants. The health department cared enough to do a health study that showed this. Ecology came to the rescue and said that it was not possible to link the illnesses to the pollution because their computer program that could identify wind currents was broken.

Did the people, especially the parents object and demand cleaner air for the sake of the children? No.
Everyone wanted the activists to just shut up.

Now, I know that parents will knowingly expose their children to harm (even with possible life long health damage) rather than rock the boat. "Protecting the next generation" is meaningless when there are RVs, boats and hot tubs to buy.