Safe Food? What a Crazy Idea!

How ironic the Bush administration’s dual-sided approach to security is: you have a White house, on one hand, hell-bent on illegally wiretapping citizens' phone lines and throwing others into prison in the name of "national security," while, on the other hand, adopting an extremely lax approach to enforcing worker and food security standards.

This week another meat company is recalling 129,000 pounds of beef products in 15 states (including Missouri) because of yet another possible E. coli contamination. And U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has introduced the Food Safety Act of 2007:

Spurred by deadly outbreaks of E. coli and other food-borne pathogens, a group of U.S. lawmakers is pushing to put all food safety oversight under a single federal agency.

[snip]

Currently, 12 federal agencies and 35 laws govern food safety, often with overlapping jurisdictions and different priorities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration play the biggest roles in making sure the food Americans eat is safe. The USDA oversees meat and poultry, while the FDA is responsible for eggs and produce. (Interactive: How science can help keep our food safe )

The lines are not always clear-cut. For example, cheese pizzas fall under the FDA, while pepperoni pizzas fall under the Department of Agriculture.

In January, the Government Accountability Office added federal oversight of food safety to its list of "high risk" programs in need of "broad-based transformation." The GAO urged Congress to consider "a fundamental re-examination of the system ... before public health and safety is compromised."

Critics point to the FDA, in particular, as needing reform. The FDA oversees 80 percent of the food supply but receives only 20 percent of the funding.

"I call it 'Katrina on your plate.' You've got an agency, the FDA, that's understaffed, under-funded, without leadership, and it's not doing its job. And it's causing a real life suffering and death for people," said Andrew Kimbrell, director of the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit watchdog group in Washington.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have introduced a companion bill in the Senate. And it's about time.

Only one major safety rule has been enacted by OSHA since George W. Bush took office, and only after it was ordered by a federal court. The FDA has inspected only 20,662 food shipments out of the more than 8.9 million delivered to American ports. That's less than one percent inspected. Since 200 the number of food shipments has more than doubled.

This critical negligence is the result of the Bush administration's belief that new safety standards and regulations should be limited while old ones be rolled back to prevent the imposition of additional, cumbersome costs on businesses. Slash funds from essential oversight programs in order to pay for tax breaks for the rich.

While OSHA officials point to figures showing declines in both fatality and injury rates since 2001, critics dispute the numbers. Labor and health experts say those numbers severely undercount the actual numbers because the Bush administration has decreased the categories of recognized injuries, and because the majority of the most dangerous jobs are now done by undocumented immigrants.

Many have warned of the distinct possibility of terrorists successfully smuggling biological or chemical weapons in to the U.S. through the laxly inspected ports. But the increasing outbreaks of illnesses present a serious health crisis. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that terrorists could take advantage of lax food inspection to attack the U.S.

"Security president?" Hardly.

British Troops Going Home, Why Not U.S.?

The Sunday Telegraph is reporting that White House officials have briefed President Bush to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals when Gordon Brown becomes prime minister.

The President recently discussed with a senior White House adviser how to handle the fallout from the expected loss of Washington's main ally in Iraq, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.

Details of the talks came as a close ally of Mr Brown called for a quicker withdrawal of British troops. Nigel Griffiths, a former minister, said: "We should get out of Iraq as soon as is practicable. We should consult the Iraqi government - but they cannot have a veto. This cannot be delayed."

Mr Griffiths, who resigned as deputy leader of the Commons this year over the decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, spoke out as reports suggested that Mr Brown would use an early trip to Iraq to reassess Britain's role and accelerate the withdrawal. Revelation of the US fears will reinforce expectations in Westminster that Mr Brown will make a decisive break with Mr Blair's support for the war.

The paper also reports that officials in the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department in Washington have expressed fears about Brown, believing he will not be as strong an ally as Tony Blair.

Nor is Mr Brown seen as a reliable ally in resisting Iranian attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. "If they decided to strike Iran's military facilities and Brown didn't allow the use of British bases, this is an issue that could divide the alliance," a source with security connections said.

Meanwhile, the outgoing defence attaché at the British Embassy in Baghdad says the U.S. surge isn't working.

Speaking on the record last week to a public audience at Chatham House, the London-based foreign-policy research institute, he said: "The evidence does not suggest that the surge is actually working, if reduction in casualties is a criterion. The figures in April were not encouraging."

In unusually candid comments, Mr Campbell also disclosed that American commanders had decided that the criteria for the "success" of the troop surge would be nothing more than a reduction in violence to the level prior to last year's al-Qaeda bombing of the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, which destroyed its golden dome.

The destruction of the shrine, one of the most important Shia sites in the world, led to a dramatic escalation in sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia factions, peaking at 3,500 deaths in September last year. Casualty figures had been running at 800 a month before that, a level that few would regard as anything approaching peace.

According the Bush administration, "success" in Iraq now means reducing the number of murders to fewer than 800 per month.

How many more Americans must die to achieve that "success?"

[cross-posted at The Out of Iraq Bloggers Caucus]

Friday Beagle Blogging

Hellllooooooo! I want in, please!

Mill City Museum

During a recent trip to Scandanavia Minneapolis Mrs. Doc Larry and I visited the Mill City Museum, which "chronicles the flour milling industry that dominated world flour production for roughly a half-century and fueled the growth of Minneapolis...."

Built within the ruins of a National Historic Landmark, the Washburn A Mill, the museum will provide a multi-sensory, interactive journey. The story of flour milling - and its impact on Minneapolis, the nation and the world - comes to life in this one-of-a-kind museum.

The old mill has exploded once, burned twice and now been transformed into a museum within the ruins.

Mill City Museum is built into the historic ruins of the Washburn A Mill, which opened in 1874 and at peak production ground enough flour every day to make 12 million loaves of bread. In 1878, the mill exploded, claiming 18 lives and destroying one-third of Minneapolis’ milling capacity. It caught fire in 1928 and was nearly destroyed again by fire in 1991.

The best exhibit is an interactive one called Flour Tower, an eight-story multi-media experience built into a former grain storage tower.

A media show in an eight-story elevator ride features the stories of employees who worked in the mill from the 1940s through the mid-1960s when it closed; historic film and photographs; and the dramatic use of lighting, sound and special effects. The ride provides a memorable trip back in time - and an appreciation for the powerful, noisy process of transforming grain into flour.

At the end, guests head to the Rooftop Observation Deck for sweeping views of the Mississippi River. . .


St. Anthony Falls, the Stone Arch Bridge, and the Museum’s stunning new neighbor. . .


the Guthrie Theater.


Upon returning to the main floor, guests are treated to delightful aromas and samples of goods freshly baked every day in the Baking Lab. Mmmmmmm...warm bread.

One other treat, an exhibit of vintage radio and television ads for products like Malt-O-Meal Hot Wheat Cereal ("Good stuff, Maynard"), Pillsbury ("Nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven"), and Betty Crocker ("bake someone happy").

Friday Thought

I keep reading statements that creating laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation is evidence of religious persecution. The argument seems to be that adding "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to categories like race and religion is an effort to legally enshrine homosexuality as morally legitimate. Such efforts "stigmatize anti-homosexuality religious principle."

I know plenty of people who've changed their religion but none who've changed their sexual orientation. So either gay-ness is legitimately protectable or religion isn't. Pick one.

What Blue Girl, Red State Said

Guns changed everything.

This has been another edition of What Blue Girl, Red State said.

This Could Be Interesting

CBS plans to air several new series in the fall. One is especially intriguing.

CBS has ordered 13 one-hour episodes of a new reality show where kids build a community from scratch in an abandoned ghost town, sources said.

"Kid Nation," from Emmy-winning "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" producer Tom Forman, placed 40 "over-achieving" kids ages 8 to 15 in the abandoned town of Bonanza City, New Mexico. For 40 days, the group elected leaders, passed laws, established a local economy and performed chores to build a functioning society.

Sources close to the deal emphasized the show is not "Lord of the Flies" or "'Survivor' with kids." There are no eliminations, but participants can go home if they choose. The kids do not have to find food and shelter, but did live in "primitive conditions," without modern comforts, and are responsible for cooking their own meals.

Each episode will conclude with a warm, "Extreme Makeover"-style moment, where a member of the group is rewarded for his or her work by the show's host -- the only on-camera adult in the series.

"Nation" wrapped production last week. CBS had no comment, but sources said the network kept news of the production tightly under wraps to prevent competitor copycats, and to surprise advertisers at its upfront presentation Wednesday.

Kids trying "to build a functioning society." Sounds like the Bush administration's efforts in Iraq. Bet these 8 to 15 year olds did a better job.

OK, Bloggers. Time to Lend a Hand

Fellow Springfield Blogger and weather dude Sniderman needs your help for a worthy cause. He's asking for donations for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, in which he will participate this weekend. I gave him $25. One of you (at least) needs to match that. And if another Springfield Blogger tops it, I'll make a second donation.

Have I EVER asked for money before today? Reach into those wallets and pull out a fiver (or more) for Sniderman.

If Only The Students Had Been Armed

Imagine the outcome of this:

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (AP) -- Staff members of an elementary school staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it was not a drill as the children cried and hid under tables.

The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip.

"We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said.

But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged.

"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip.

Some parents said they were upset by the staff's poor judgment in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 students and professors dead, including the gunman.

During the last night of the trip, staff members convinced the 69 students that there was a gunman on the loose. They were told to lie on the floor or hide underneath tables and stay quiet. A teacher, disguised in a hooded sweat shirt, even pulled on a locked door.

After the lights went out, about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said.

"I was like, 'Oh My God,' " she said. "At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out."

Principal Catherine Stephens declined to say whether the staff members involved would face disciplinary action, but said the situation "involved poor judgment."

The situation involved "poor judgment." Gee, ya think?! And what a lovely Mother's Day present the teachers delivered to those ELEMENTARY school moms.

I'm sure certain wingnuts will believe this was a good "learning situation" that ought to be used in all schools.

Franken-beagle

That's Mrs. DocLarry's pet name for our recovering-from-surgery Baxter. The boy came through it just fine, if quite hungry. He had to fast for 12 hours prior to surgery and simply could not understand why Mrs. DocLarry wouldn't give him "special breakfast," which consists of wet dog food with his daily pills. Upon arriving home after the event Baxter drank an entire bowl of water and ate about half the dry food put out for him. Then it was off to check that no one had taken over his back yard, followed by forced posing for pictures.

One skin tag was inside his right ear and that spot has bled some since coming home. Doctor Tedd says it's OK and it hasn't been a great deal of blood, so I'll trust my vet on this. Baxter doesn't seem to be in pain but is a bit annoyed by the stitches. Nine more days until those come out. I hope I survive.



arrows point to a few of the areas now skin tag-less

MSU's New Mascot?

OK, the color's all wrong and the smile too goofy. Still, he looks happy to see you. It seems 3M is selling these cute self-adhesive hooks in Asia. The company also has a frog, a cat and a monkey, each with it's own appropriate command on the package. The above package commands us to "Hug Me." The frog command, "Kiss Me," adds another layer of eeeewwwwww.

[mortar board tip to watertiger]

Been Away, Now I'm Back

Had to make a trip up north to the parental units and on to the City of Lakes and Scandinavians. Details of all that, and pictures, in future posts. Still processing portions of the trip.

For now, I need to worry about the boy going under the knife today at Dr. Tedd's. It's minor surgery to remove some skin tags, but it's still surgery. Updates will follow.