Exclusive: Mexican Truck Pilot Program – Fast Pass to Disease and Drugs

[seafan]

Exclusive: Mexican Truck Pilot Program – Fast Pass to Disease and Drugs





Mark Taylor
July 8, 2008

The most recent outbreak of salmonella poisoning of produce caused much alarm across the country and cost American tomato growers millions in lost revenue. As of this writing, over 900 salmonella cases have been diagnosed in 40 states.

While American farmers struggled as the CDC did their best to pin the tainted tomatoes on them, their crops rotted on docks and in warehouses as consumers refused to buy potentially contaminated goods. For those of us in Arkansas, it was a relief when our famous Bradley County pink tomatoes were cleared; harvesting had not begun when the outbreak occurred.
It came as no surprise when the CDC finally had to admit, rather reluctantly it seemed, that the contaminated goods were not only tomatoes but possibly jalapeños and bulb onions as well - all imported from Mexico.

.....

When Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters began pushing the program to allow Mexican trucks access to American highways and offered the "fast pass" through Customs, it became an open door for drug and human smuggling. Ignoring opposition from the Teamsters Union, the Owner/Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and individual truckers nationwide, President Bush and Ms. Peters continued to pander to the Mexican government while pushing their spin on how "safe" it is to allow trucks from a country rife with drug lord crime and corruption to have free access into the United States.

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On June 13, 2008, SignOnSanDiego.com reported finding 805 packages of marijuana weighing more than 5,500 pounds and with a street value of over $2.2 million dollars, hidden among jalapeños, cucumbers and husk tomatoes. The driver of the truck was a Mexican national with cargo originating in Mexico.

On June 27, 2008, the Missouri State Highway patrol busted truck driver Marcos J. Tirjerina of McAllen, Texas, in New Madrid, Missouri. Tirjerina's cargo? Assorted produce, including 1538 pounds of marijuana.

Then there is Manuel Zuniga of Weslaco, Texas. Zuniga's tractor trailer was searched after being stopped for speeding through Indianapolis' east side, on June 16, 2008. Among his cargo of assorted produce were 500 pounds of marijuana.

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The possibility of bio-terror cannot be ruled out as America continues to fight the War on Terror. It takes only one spraying of contaminated water at any point in time during growth and transport, and even on a produce stand display, to create economic distress to American farmers and spread illness and disease among unsuspecting consumers.

It is well past time for the United States government to put the safety and security of the American people above the desires of a corrupt Mexican government. Trucks must be inspected at the border. Not just randomly, but each and every truck attempting access to the United States. The continued complacency and appeasement to the Mexican government as they peddle contaminated food products and drugs into the United States, sickening our citizens and strengthening the illegal drug trade within our borders, is inexcusable.

Americans must insist upon American-grown produce, strict compliance within our food processing plants with regard to sanitation and most importantly, a government of the American people, by the American people and in the best interests in the health and security of the American people.

Bush uses loophole to get around law blocking Mexican trucks from entering U.S. highways, January 6, 2008


Mexico Sends First Long-Haul Trucks to US, September 9, 2007



The Bush destruction of America continues.

[sharp_stick]

1. Actually the CDC admitted no such thing

They said, at first that it may be tomatoes, the media in all it's glory spouted off "IT'S TOMATOES, WE'RE GONNA FUCKIN' DIE" Then when that died down the CDC once again came out and said they were expanding the search and the media comes on with "THE CDC FUCKED UP, IT'S NOT TOMATOES, IT'S PEPPERS! WE'RE ALL GONNA FUCKING DIE"

Then of course some loser has to come up with a "IT'S THE BROWN PEOPLE FROM DOWN SOUTH" bit but I'll leave it at that.

on edit:

Perhaps I should consider suing the right wing rag that you collected this little gem from: that looks suspiciously like an old E. coli image on that page that I published a few years ago.

[seafan]

4. No. It's the un-inspected produce crossing our borders that our gov't refuses to test for our safety

This is not about race. It's about our public health and how Bush has destroyed our safeguards.

[sharp_stick]

5. Of course it isn't about race n/t

[Kali]

2. pot...kettle

"trucks from a country rife with drug lord crime and corruption to have free access into the United States."

[EFerrari]

3. Your source is Family Security Matters, a front group for Center for Security Policy.

a neo con think tank that boasted Dick Cheney as one of its early members.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Family_Security_Matters

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Security_Policy

eta: link

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Family Security Matters extreme right wing ..... and the title is bullshit.

Now who goes looking at right wing news sources with inflammatory titles?

[seafan]

6. More information:

FDA Tests (some) Mexican Produce Before It Enters The U.S. Border, July 9, 2008

.....

As of this weekend, serrano and jalapenos are being sampled a little more intensively.

Lupita Murillo, reporting: "Here at the Mariposa port of entry is where FDA inspections are taking place, and it's here where the FDA is stepping up its inspections on tomatoes, cilantro, serrano, and chile jalapenos."

Because of security measures, we weren't allowed in the inspection center, but increased inspections are causing concern among the produce industry.

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Tracing tomatoes' travels, from farm to table, July 9, 2008

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It is in large part the lengthy route taken to the table - sometimes from the U.S. to Mexico and back - combined with what the government claims is insufficient record keeping in the produce industry, that has made it difficult to trace the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly 1,000 people.

Federal health officials have pointed to tomatoes, but in recent days also expanded their focus to other salad bowl constituents - cilantro, jalapeño peppers, serrano peppers, scallions and bulb onions.

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Decades ago, food production was a local enterprise - from nearby farms to small mom-and-pop stores. Now, when food arrives in supermarkets, it's not unusual for it to have traveled across numerous state lines, and increasingly, across several international borders.

Politicians, watchdog groups and food policy experts point to a regulatory system that has not kept pace with the complexity of modern food distribution. Inspectors are repeatedly stumped when attempting to pinpoint where contamination occurs.


.....

Have tomato will travel

In a recent briefing, he said the FDA during the course of this investigation was surprised to learn about extensive repackaging of U.S.-produced tomatoes for retail distribution. Investigators found some American tomatoes are picked, boxed and sent to Mexico for sorting and repackaging. The products bear stickers stating they were grown in the United States.

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Many multi-ingredient foods that cross jurisdictions are not inspected. An estimated 13 percent of the food supply is imported from abroad but 98.7 percent of those items are never inspected, a study earlier this year found.

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Anger Rises Over Salmonella Probe, July 1, 2008

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Investigators from the FDA have fanned out across farms in Mexico and Florida, two top growing regions, and into irrigation, packing, washing and storage facilities in search of the virulent salmonella Saintpaul strain responsible for the outbreaks. All 1,700 samples they collected were negative, the FDA said in a joint conference call on Friday with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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If 1,700 samples from the farms, irrigation, packing, washing and storage facilities in Florida and Mexico were all negative for salmonella, it would suggest that the contamination occurred nearer in time to highway transport to end destination.


That scenario is even more troubling.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Listen, if I wanted white supremacist rhetoric...

about how degenerate races and classes are spreading diseases amongs up proper folk, I'd go read Nazi literature.

[seafan]

8. Epidemiologists, hopefully, are on it.

4 Canadians with salmonella infections linked to U.S. outbreak, July 8, 2008

Health officials have confirmed that four Canadians have been infected with the same strain of salmonella identified in a U.S. outbreak that has sickened at least 943 people.

Public health officials said Monday evening three of the people became ill after returning from a trip the U.S.

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Canadian health officials confirmed the first case, which involved an Ontarian who had travelled to the U.S. on July 3.

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From the WSJ:







http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/NAFTA_Superhighway_shown_on_Canadian_GOVERNMENT_web_site