El Frijolito -> RE: Spanish Gastronomy (Mar. 13 2016 18:27:20)
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Do you want to add to that the US doesn't have a gun problem either? This is quite far off-topic, but I will attempt to address it as quickly as time and my patience allow. Whether the US has "a gun problem" is debatable. The right to bear arms is a constitutional right in the US and is widely seen as indispensable to preserving the freedoms of the people of the nation. Although the US has mass shootings, the US has escaped the high death tolls of the worst of Europe's mass shootings (Utoya, Bataclan) and the most horrifying mass shootings in the US seem primarily to occur in gun-free zones (Virginia Tech springs to mind as an obdurate example). Between this and the spectacularly ham-fisted "Fast and Furious" operation, which sought to curb illicit gun sales in the US by illogically and illegally selling a large quantity of firearms to criminal gangs in Mexico, there is ample reason to be skeptical of the efficacy of federal interests in curbing legal gun ownership. US local law enforcement largely and publicly views legal public gun ownership as an aid to law enforcement and crime deterrent. These aside, a substantial portion of the US population resides in areas where gun ownership is desirable for protection from predatory or dangerous wildlife. This is not an issue that affects most Europeans. In my particular area, there is significant danger from venomous snakes, mountain lions, the occasional stray wolf or bear, and javelina. I find a gun comes in handy between 2-3 times per year for this reason alone. quote:
If you look at the labelling guidelines of the FDA, for meat products alone, the percentages required of meat in a product to actually label it as meat are ridiculously low. This problem also exists in Europe, but not nearly to the same extent (not even close). What is À la Table de Spanghero? What is Comigel? What was "Draap Trading, Ltd."? What is "Draap" spelled backwards? Clearly those regulations are only as good as the quality of enforcement. Also, I'll observe that the US adopted sound livestock feeding principles that largely enabled the US to avoid BSE - which - with apologies to Peter Kay, does NOT stand for "Bit of Something Extra." quote:
Add to that that there is a significant share of public opinion in the US that claims the right to eat sh** as if it were something to be proud of and you have recipe for disaster. This is clearly meant to be inflammatory. Have a cake from IKEA... quote:
So yes, from a European perspective, US food safety standards are judged very low, at least enough to warrant being reluctant at the idea of just opening the borders to any type of product coming in. To be fair, I suppose it all depends what you're comparing it to. If your benchmark is India, then sure, the US is doing just fine. quote:
...it's much easier to trace the problem back to food when it's a E. Coli outbreak, somewhat more difficult when it's cancer or other forms of long-term diseases or affections. Give it a few generations.. Ask yourself this: What was the 'dioxinecrisis'? What is "Harles and Jentzsch?" How could these occur given a (superior?) regulatory framework? quote:
Also, I wouldn't dismiss these criticisms as coming from "people who haven't done so much as grown (sic - my original is 'grow') a carrot" The sad fact is, a lot of what passes for consumer advocacy in food is scientifically uninformed political activism. A surprising amount of it is authored by people who: 1) have no scientific qualifications; 2) have no background in agriculture; 3) are primarily supported through a framework of liberal institutions (press, funding-tax, and advocacy groups); 4) are educated as and/or work as journalists. It is this group that I targeted in my statement. Prudent questions to ask include: What are the qualifications of the author(s)? How was this funded? Who supports it? What are their goals and ambitions? What critical reviews exist? What do credible entities consider? - and if you have at least some science background (esp. in the life sciences, chemistry, mathematics and statistics, surficial geology) - How does this dovetail with what I know? Frequently "food advocacy/activism" is directed at aims that have very little to do with consumer safety - but have much more to do with political goals and "environmental" activism. There are profit and association motives for the originating producer, and frequently material and policy objective gains to be had by the backing entities. You may be interested, as a by-note, to discover that "factory farms" is in fact a term credited to Ruth Harrison, a British citizen who was a mid-century animal welfare activist and author. The term was used (derisively) to describe livestock management conditions in Britain at the time. Her qualifications were that she was educated in English, and studied drama at RADA. Later she worked for an architectural firm. Subsequently she became involved with animal welfare activism. Her supporters included Rachel Carson, who had a great deal to do with enhancing her visibility and reputation. Rachel Carson is best known for "Silent Spring," publication of which is credited with widespread rejection of the pesticide DDT (and not as often, credited with the loss and impairment of tens of millions of lives in the developing world to mosquito-borne diseases). The effect of her work is a profound example of the impact of panic over sound policy, or failure to consider all consequences beyond a narrow objective. quote:
And we'll just pass over the fact that several groups of scientists have warned against a repeat of the "dust bowl" since little to nothing has changed in the deep plowing practices in the Midwest grasslands. Equally, scientists have asserted that a repetition of the "Dust Bowl" is unlikely. Also, many who support the idea that a repetition is inevitable are global warming proponents, and global warming is at best a debatable hypothesis that many scientists continue to express skepticism over. In the US, Al Gore is not considered a scientist, with good reason. quote:
unless you intend to also dismiss the voices of numerous local farmers in the US, many of whom had to close shop as larger corporations brought down prices As a small-scale agricultural producer myself, I guarantee you that my concerns and those of my fellow small-scale producers are almost entirely with excessive tax burdens (which has probably done more to reduce farming involvement in the US than any other single thing), and the actions, regulations, and sometimes overt misbehavior of federal TLAs (three-letter agencies). Beyond that we are concerned about "environmental" activists pursuing industry-killing agendas (frequently and ironically at the detriment of the environment itself), misleading and uninformed media coverage, and propaganda masquerading as sound scientific research. quote:
But as usual, a large business manages to pass off as the victim, as the "little guy", when the actual little guys will just have to drink up their polluted effluents and somehow try to survive. Actually one of the biggest polluters in the region of the US where I live is the EPA itself. I am far more concerned about a criminalized, weaponized, politicized and power-hungry EPA - a clear and present threat - than I am about some industrial bogeyman.
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