NEWS: Future (Vegetable-Only) Farmers Of America? - Center forConsumer Freedom 10/24/06

[Guest guest]

It's pretty clear that the editors of the so-called "Center for

Consumer Freedom" disapprove -- but it seems like a hopeful sign to me.

 

If you have the stomach for it you might want to check out their website.

 

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3163

 

Basically a smear-job of everyone who questions the healthfulness of meat.

 

Apparently, their idea of "consumer freedom" is that people should be

able to eat meat and meat producers shoulc be able to raise animals in

any type of abominable condition they want to.

 

It seems very suspicious that this group is based in Washington. I'm

betting it's part of a big meat-industry lobby. Very, very cynical from

the looks of it.

 

ys

 

hkdd

 

*************************

 

Future (Vegetable-Only) Farmers Of America?

 

October 24, 2006

 

This week Indianapolis hosts the national convention of Future Farmers

of America <http://www.ffa.org/convention/index.html> (FFA), which has

helped educate generations of young American farmers-to-be. Many FFA

members grow up to put steaks, pork chops, drumsticks, milk, and eggs on

our tables

<http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=%22animal+agricultur

e%22+%28ffa%2C%22future+farmers+of+america%22%29+-sturla>.

The group's best known program involves teaching children as young as

seventh-graders to raise beef and dairy cattle

<http://library.thinkquest.org/J001571/ffa.htm>. The kids then enter

their prize animals in livestock-judging competitions

<http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=ffa+livestock+judgin

g>

and sell them at state and county fair auctions

<http://www.google.com/search?q=ffa+auction+livestock>. So we were

surprised (okay, a little annoyed) to learn that country singer Carrie

Underwood <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Underwood> -- a long-time

vegetarian

<http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/chrystiecorns/carrie.jpg> and

supporter of the anti-meat Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

<http://www.activistcash.com/?oid=136> -- will headline tomorrow night's

FFA Convention kickoff concert

<http://www.ffa.org/convention/html/event_concert.htm>.

 

Yes, that's a link to HSUS's website at the bottom of Underwood's

official website <http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/>. And that's

her voice promoting HSUS's fundraising

<http://stream.realimpact.net/?file=realimpact/hsus/katrina/psa-disaster-audio-

carrie-underwood-1.wma&type=wma>

after Hurricane Katrina (the same $32 million effort being formally

investigated

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR200603250100

2_pf.html>

by Louisiana's Attorney General

<http://www.ag.state.la.us/ViewPressRel.aspx?RelID=451>). Underwood told

an online /Washington Post/ chat in January that she has also "donated a

lot of articles of clothing [to HSUS] for them to auction off."

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/01/19/DI200601190

2576.html>

 

 

Underwood takes her meatless eating seriously. In 2005 PETA gained a

willing spokesperson by naming her the "World's Sexiest Vegetarian."

<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=3&entry_id=99>

She told /Reader's Digest/ in June that "to me, every single animal has

a heart and a mind and a soul ... I'm a vegetarian."

<http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060928/ENT/609280389/1031>

And speaking to the 'tween audience of "PBS Kids" this year, she explained:

 

I quit eating beef when I was about thirteen. I kind of phased

everything out, so it took a few years actually. I do it because I

really love animals and it just makes me sad. Like, I don't like to

watch commercials where they have meat. It weirds me out.

<http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=26895&pageIndex=2>

 

It's tough to decide who's more masochistic: Carrie Underwood, for

subjecting herself to a live-action commercial for animal agriculture

that's likely to really "weird her out"? Or the FFA leadership, who we

assume have heard about Underwood being booed at a Nebraska concert this

summer <http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/celebs/interviews/carrie.html>

after announcing -- in the middle of cattle country -- that she won't

eat beef

<http://consumerfreedom.com/downloads/reference/docs/060713_carrieUnderwood.pdf

>.

 

 

Cowboy activist and broadcaster Trent Loos

<http://www.feedstuffs.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=49804C6972614A63A1A10DF54CD95D65&

nm=Search+our+Archives&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=AA01E1

C62E954234AA0052ECD5818EF4&tier=4&id=E88EF21FF10E4F749C2DC32325918155>

is encouraging FFA members to walk out of the concert in protest

tomorrow night after the opening acts perform

<http://loostales.blogspot.com/2006_10_15_loostales_archive.html#11612739514669

4486>.

It's a tall order for kids who have paid good money to be entertained.

For those who can't stomach voting with their feet, we recommend

listening while eating a juicy burger or a fragrant pulled-pork barbecue

sandwich. Especially those of you in the first few rows.

 

 

URL: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3163