People talk...E.coli, ethanol, immigration, Chic-fil-A, BSE

"The USDA has been showing an unwillingness to trace it (E. coli) back to the slaughter plant of origin. All we've been doing is shoving the bad news under the carpet, hoping it would go away."
(Source: Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel, June 24, 2007)
John Munsell, forced to sell his family business, Montana Quality Foods, after an E. coli recall in 2002, talking about the loss of consumer confidence in meat production practices.
>PS: Munsell now manages the Foundation for Accountability in Regulatory Enforcement.


“They're presumed to be male, we don't do udders."
(Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 25, 2007)
Don Perry, Chick-fil-A public relations director, talking about evolution of the cow in their advertising campaign.
>PS: Illiterate bovines pushing the consumption of chickens? Hogs of America, unite! You could be next.


"We have a number of allegations that the government didn’t act in a prudent way to prevent risk to Canadian cattlemen. They never told anyone about the first B.S.E. case, for example.”
(Source: MEAT&POULTRY, June 29, 2007)
Gilles Gareau, Canadian attorney, talking to MEAT&POULTRY’s Steve Bjerklie about a court case asking if the government knew B.S.E. was in Canada 10 years before they admitted it.
>PS: The same old question asked of every government – who knew what and when did they know it? “Round up the usual suspects!” said Captain Renault.


"The American people don't have faith in their government's ability to win a war, enforce border security or even process passport requests."
(Source: Washington Post, June 29, 2007)
Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), one of the sponsors, talking about the defeat of the new immigration bill.
>PS: It was killed on the senate floor. Unindicted co-conspirators include the ACLU, the AFL-CIO and Rush Limbaugh.
>PPS: Bush’s last best chance to gain a moral victory of any kind before he leaves office goes down in flames.





"Critics of ethanol, including those in the animal feeding and oil industries, are engaging in baseless scare tactics to convince people that ethanol production will irreversibly increase their grocery bills. While it is true increased ethanol production is creating a real market-driven price for corn, this report clearly presents the undeniable facts: energy prices, not ethanol, are responsible for much of the increase in the price of food. Further, our industry is rapidly developing next generation cellulosic ethanol technology that will allow us to meet the growing demand for renewable fuels from wood chips, switch grass and other materials in addition to corn. Ultimately, the market will adjust and all those in the food, fuel and fiber industry will be able to prosper."
(Source: Mercopress, June 29, 2007)
Bob Dinneen, Renewable Fuels Association president, denying any real linkage between the rise in food and feed costs and the fast-rising price of corn.
>PS: Bob, four questions: 1. You don’t consider ethanol an energy resource? 2. Are only corn growers allowed to prosper for now? 3. Hasn’t the price of High Fructose Corn Syrup, an unavoidable ingredient in thousands of foods, skyrocketed in the past few months? 4. Are food processors all doing the noble thing and swallowing that added cost? Enquiring minds want to know, Bob.
PS: Hey, Spinmeister Bob, don’t worry about a thing. You’re serving your constituents well.