The gluten food scare is just another example of what the Bush admin has done to America

[LSK]

When I wrote this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x538463

This is EXACTLY what I was talking about. When you fill government positions with "yes-men" and that filters down all the way, we start having problems such as contaminated food supplies.

Congress needs to investigate this hard too.

Who will be the Michael Brown of the FDA??? You know hes there. You know he brought along his college buddies with him to fill top positions. You know they purged the FDA of legitamite employees who actually cared about public safety and filled them with people loyal to the party and loyal to the Corporations. Who knows how many honest FDA workers quit because of this.

This is just another example of how we are fucked.

[Cha]

1. Of course, unless you watch out

for yourselves and support organic farmers and food grown without gmo.

It's more expensive now but saves you health and money in the long haul.

[Buzz Clik]

2. GMO? No, it has nothing to do with GMO.

:silly:

[Cha]

19. Oh yes, you know so

much.

[Buzz Clik]

28. Fine. Go ahead and make your case.

Be sure to tell us how the presence of rat poison in wheat gluten grown in China is a GMO issue. This should be interesting.

[LSK]

3. point being, that we have a broken government

If we had a Government that did its job and protected its citizens, then we wouldnt have to watch out.


ps: So if I buy foods labeled Organic, then its safer? I am starting to see more organic foods everywhere, even in Target.

[Buzz Clik]

8. Don't trust the government-approved labelling system for organic foods.

The "organic" food lobby is alive and well and pushing the government to mislead the consumer. If you're going to buy organic foods, you'll need a "trusted" source. I don't know how you can determine that your so-called organic market isn't simply selling the same old stuff at radical prices. In fact, you can't tell. Period.

And as far as the safety of organic foods go -- have you had the courage to buy a bag of organic spinach yet? Are you confident that organic salad fixin' isn't tainted with E. coli?

[Cha]

21. Sorry, I missed your

point..I just haven't been in the mainstream of food for over 25 years and do watch out for myself(cause the fookin' government isn't going to). I don't even have a doctor so I guess I'm not any help.

Certified Organic food is safer and it does pay to read labels.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Yeah, we're pretty screwed. But why is this Bush's fault?

You're suggesting that the administration had some prior knowledge that the Chinese were applying rat poison to their fields of wheat and that the poison was transferred to the grain?

[LSK]

5. no, but there are steps between growing it in China to selling it in our stores

What happened between those 2 points?

What is supposed to happen between those points?

In addition, isnt this a post 9/11 world?? Why isnt Dept of Homeland Security being even more careful with our food supplies?

[Buzz Clik]

9. Let's take a step back: who could have anticipated this ridiculous situation?

Why the hell would any sane human being spray rat poison on food? Why would we expect them to?

[LSK]

10. isnt this a post 9/11 world?

After 9/11, how many theories were there about attacking our food supply?

[Buzz Clik]

17. Hm. So... time to start growing your own food?

[LSK]

20. we as a Country or as Individuals?

Part one yes
Part two no

[Buzz Clik]

29. Your concern in about food safety.

Lacing food with toxins as a terrorist event would be trivial. It's been done many times before, only it was usually Americans doing it because they were pissed off about something. And then there's the accidents.

No, consuming only American food is not much of a guarantee.

[uppityperson]

14. First, has it been proven that that happened? Second, sane?

How safe is our food supply? Not very. How much can we trust those in power to keep our food supply safe?

[entanglement]

18. So you suggest that the Chinese deliberately tried to poison food exports to the US?

n/t

[Buzz Clik]

26. No. I'm not even 100% certain about applying the rodenticide to crops in the field.

It came from one source only. If true, it was probably assumed that carryover to the grain would be minimal.

[Cogito ergo doleo]

22. Who would have expected spinach was grown in or near a field

where wild pigs stomped through cow feces? Who would have expected that diseased workers would be handling green onions?

Maybe you are happy to make excuses for contaminated food, but I expect better, and certainly we have done much better in the past. These food contaminations are the result of deregulation/inspection cuts. We used to pride ourselves on our quality of life in this country, and now we make excuses for bad water, air and poisoned food so that companies can make more money? No.

[melnjones]

23. they've ruled out rat poison.

Now they're talking melamine, but they're still not sure.

[Buzz Clik]

30. I see that you are correct.

This makes it more confusing and further diminishes the argument that the government food safety programs somehow missed the boat on this.

How long has it been? Two weeks? Three? Lots of searching, lots of recalls, lots of accusations, but no one can say with any certainty exactly what the problem is.

[snappyturtle]

13. I'm reiterating what I said yesterday:

Why are we importing wheat gluten? All Homeland security will do is figure out another invasive way to enter our lives. By the time they get done with whatever lame brain idea they come up with we can probably rest assured it will either invade our privacy or cost us dollars at the grocery. Let's bring our companies home along with the troops and re-create the jobs lost here. It may not cost anymore and I, for once, would feel somewhat safer IF the FDA is shown to be competent at this task.

edit: I think your questions are good ones, BTW.

[w4rma]

11. It really doesn't take much to figure out that that is what would happen if the public is misled

about the *nation* of origin of this food. After you know the nation, you can do less than 1 hour of research to find that their safety and regulations are dismal.

[Buzz Clik]

12. Right. And when you find out that half the gluten is imported...

... and wheat gluten is in half the food you buy, then what?

[w4rma]

15. Now you're catching on. (nt)

[Buzz Clik]

31. Actually not. My entire point in responding to the OP was that this is NOT Bush's fault.

-- We don't know what the cause of the problem might be.
-- We don't know if the cause was natural, human-caused, or accidental
-- We don't know how to solve it.

But we know it was Bush's fault?

I started hating Bush in 1999. But, the current discussions are starting to resemble the knuckledraggers' despise of Clinton -- "It's Clintons fault" was the answer for every problem that emerged in this country.

[w4rma]

32. It the fault of the entire Republican Party that fought and killed regulations requiring the country

of origin for wheat gluten to be listed on the label.

Once that is known then everything else falls into place.

[Eurobabe]

6. Gluttony' is one of the 7 deadly sins.

:rofl:

It's GLUTEN.

[LSK]

16. oops, thanks!

:hi:

[paparush]

7. Food controlled by MegaCorps - Import (buy low) Export(sell high)

Can't allow little things like quality control, inpsection, and public safety to interfere with a strong Q1.

[Eurobabe]

24. Just like everything ELSE for sale in the US, from housing to equities, etc.

It's the 'Murican WAY to screw the little people.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

25. We don't even know what the culprit is yet.

if you mean "an example of what Bush has done to America" as in the abandoning reason for fear and rumor mongering, then you've hit the nail right on the head.

[bdamomma]

27. relaxing all regulations is endangering all of us even our pets

to the air we breathe. we have a end times president.