MSNBC - Americans worry about mad cow disease

[Guest guest]

I read about BSE ( the version of mad cow disease that makes it to humans)

ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. It seemed a terrible menace at that time. Now it is

here...what else, locusts, seven days of darkness,etc. READ what your

government is passing on as truth: " Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said

....there was no danger to the food supply because muscle cuts of meat have

almost no risk. Read that again, " ALMOST no risk. " That is rather

reassuring... kind of like almost pregnant, or almost infected with HIV.

Read on: " USDA officials announced early Wednesday that the beef 'would not

be expected to be infected or have an adverse public health impact.' " In

other words the government is hoping it isn't a large problem, but has no

ability to assure this.

The most reassuring part is that " Veneman asserted, 'the risk is extremely

low to human health and I would without hesitation say that no one should be

afraid to eat beef'. " This because " parts of the cow that would be

infected - the brain, the spinal cord and the lower part of the small

intestine - were removed before the animal went to a meat processing plant -

standard operating procedure in this country. "

 

Now think: BSE is a wasting and progressive brain disease. It takes about 5

to 20 years to kill one, but completely destroys the brain. It is caused by

a virus, and is transmitted through the food chain, through beef that

contains a virus that passes the blood brain barrier in infected humans.

 

The virus passes the blood brain barrier, the virus kills the host cows, and

yet somehow this virus is not found in the meat of a cow if the brain and

spinal cord are removed? I don't believe it. Kind of like I don't believe

that given a choice between poor economic indicators- affected by the

collapse of the beef industry- and a few million demented and dying

Americans, the government would choose to protect us all. DON'T RISK your

childrens futures on the weak protestations of an inept government agency

which obviously is protecting the beef industry.

Once again, THINK. Don't believe all that you hear. Use that thing God gave

you to sort through and make decisions with: your brain. And while you are

thinking with it, think about how BSE could remove that ability from the

precious children you are looking at this moment.

 

Michael