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3catkidneyfailure
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« Reply #510 on: September 27, 2008, 02:58:19 PM » |
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Behind the Milk Scare, A Frightening Silence
Sunday, September 28, 2008; Page B05 However, my humanity has been hurt. The damage is immeasurable. Trapped in this kind of silence and not able to do anything about it, I feel bad about myself. I almost feel that I've become a pile of [dung], or a slave who only knows work but not how to speak. I chat and joke with people around me, but I am not able to talk about the biggest bewilderment on my mind.
To speak, or not to speak, this is the question. This is a question that is hard for our judgment. But what we've lost is the ability to make basic moral judgment.
-- Cui Weiping Cui Weiping teaches at the Beijing Film Academy. This blog post was translated by theChina Digital TimesCross-posted: http://itchmoforums.com/off-topic-no-politics/editorials-chinas-milk-crisis-t6333.0.html;newhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/26/AR2008092603451.htmlThe US needs the government to show it still has basic moral judgement. There is no way to trace where these Chinese melamine contaminated milk products have gone. Take no manufacturer's word as to the source of its ingredients, for none are trustworthy. Act decisively to ban the direct source of adulteration and begin as fast as possible to test everything that may sicken or kill babies, infants, and all other American consumers.
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« Last Edit: September 27, 2008, 03:09:32 PM by 3catkidneyfailure »
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DMS
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« Reply #511 on: September 27, 2008, 03:12:35 PM » |
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3cats, from your article:
"What could I do after I heard something like this? Where could I go to report the problem? I can't think of any official in this vast country who would patiently listen to me and try to address the problem. Most officials would probably regard me as insane if I went to talk to them."
I had the same feeling calling politicians, FDA, USDA, and food manufacturers during the pet food poisoning, and now again. Still, they respond as though we are over-reacting or drawing some insane, tangential conclusion. You ask some customer service rep at Kraft where they get their milk protein concentrate and they are taken aback that you want to know. It's their proprietary secret, you have no right to that information. You're just feeding it to your kids, afterall....Trust them to abide by FDA standards, etc, when we know the real rate of import inspections. So then you ask the government where it all goes? Confidential? Call your Congress person--the person who answers the phone doesn't know what you are talking about--they'll make a note of it. So, you follow up with an email, does anyone even read it among all of the others? And all along, you have the sneaking suspicion that even if they know, they will try to hide it as long as they can get away with it.
That's why I think we have to do the testing ourselves.
And this from the article as well:
"Is there a devil who lives in our hearts and sneers at our actions all the time? His mission is to deprive us of the ability to respond, to smother our enthusiasm, and to paralyze our will to take action. I am caught in the same situation as my imaginary, impassive official. Both of us are controlled by a curse and have lost the ability to take appropriate action . . . "
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« Last Edit: September 27, 2008, 03:22:53 PM by DMS »
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None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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dingbat
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« Reply #512 on: September 27, 2008, 03:23:13 PM » |
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Still, they respond as though we are over-reacting or drawing some insane, tangential conclusion. DMS Don't you know by now that we are all a bunch of over the top, lunatic fringe, crazy people. Who by the way predicted this happening last year, when we saw what was happening and knew it was just a matter of time until the melamine made its way into the human food chain. db
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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straybaby
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« Reply #513 on: September 27, 2008, 03:28:58 PM » |
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said Friday that all Chinese food imports should be suspect because of the melamine contaminations. Glad to see she's on top of this, and I agree with her.
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3catkidneyfailure
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« Reply #514 on: September 27, 2008, 03:40:31 PM » |
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I have my two children of the heart and three grandchildren, one of whom is severly compromised by a birth defect and will be one year old on December 17. I am also a citizen of the US, not subject to the control of the Chinese Communist Party. And I don't give a tinker's #@%& about the effects of a ban on food imports from China on manufacturer's profits or free trade agreements in comparison to the present threat to my famiy's health. There have already been three victims at my house of the 2007 recalls. It's just that unambiguous for me. China has a problem which the US cannot fix, but the US government can stop it from coming into our country.
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« Last Edit: September 27, 2008, 03:58:48 PM by 3catkidneyfailure »
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DMS
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« Reply #515 on: September 27, 2008, 04:31:26 PM » |
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/4708639a11.html" In another development yesterday, there are reports lactoferrin has also been contaminated with melamine. Only three New Zealand dairy companies produce lactoferrin - a milk protein used in sports drinks, infant formula and capsules."The Food Safety Authority has ruled out deliberate adulteration, and says the contamination did not present any health risk." So, how do they figure? How else was the lactoferrin contaminated?
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« Last Edit: September 27, 2008, 05:26:07 PM by DMS »
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None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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DMS
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« Reply #516 on: September 27, 2008, 04:47:05 PM » |
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I guess they are looking at cryomazine degradation or packaging leachate. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4706140a6479.html"but food safety officials have declined to name the product or its manufacturer."
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None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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dingbat
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« Reply #517 on: September 27, 2008, 05:07:00 PM » |
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which no one has ever studied long term that is the point, no one has but will they now?? or will this be the SOS, don't worry be happy db
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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3catkidneyfailure
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« Reply #518 on: September 27, 2008, 05:12:28 PM » |
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Sorry, db, I yanked my post about no one studying the long term effects of accumulated melamine consumption because I'm starting to just rant and be unproductive. So I'm going take a break and leave the posting to others who aren't just furious about this for a bit and can contribute to the discussion with a cooler head.
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« Last Edit: September 27, 2008, 05:14:54 PM by 3catkidneyfailure »
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dingbat
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« Reply #519 on: September 27, 2008, 05:17:02 PM » |
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3cat
take a break if you need one, but I personally don't believe you are ranting. You have posted links and have been quite level headed.
see you later
db
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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DMS
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« Reply #520 on: September 27, 2008, 05:25:19 PM » |
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Sorry, db, I yanked my post about no one studying the long term effects of accumulated melamine consumption because I'm starting to just rant and be unproductive. So I'm going take a break and leave the posting to others who aren't just furious about this for a bit and can contribute to the discussion with a cooler head.
I think you have reason to be furious. And you are definitely not alone in that feeling. I bet most of the world is beyond belief at this point.
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None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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lesliek
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« Reply #521 on: September 27, 2008, 06:00:47 PM » |
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Yes most of the average citizens in the world are furious,but are any of our goverments listening ? And if they are,do they care ? You can't get any lower than poisoning and killing babies. If thats not enough to ban all Chinese imports and force co's to stop using the "its proprietory" excuse,nothing ever will be.
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"the world's most inept extortionist"
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menusux
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« Reply #522 on: September 27, 2008, 08:27:23 PM » |
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carolo
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« Reply #523 on: September 27, 2008, 09:47:18 PM » |
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3cat, your posts don't sound like out of control, repetitive rants at all but rather good information. I feel your same outrage. I look at locally made product labels and see "milk solids" and other ingredients that should come from our many somewhat local dairies...but do they and will I ever find where certain ingredients originated? Not in most cases and perhaps none as far as who to trust, anyway. What still continues to surprise is the number of people around me who know nothing of melamine contamination in products in the US. They think it has all stayed in China!  Reading Wilkipedia I see the following: "By early 2006, melamine production in mainland China is reported to be in "serious surplus".[49] In April 2007, DSM's melamine industry update painted a grave global picture.[50] Between 2002 and 2007, while the global melamine price remained stable, a steep increase in the price of urea (feedstock for melamine) has reduced the profitability of melamine manufacturing. Currently, China is the world's largest exporter of melamine, while its domestic consumption still grows by 10% per year. However, reduced profit has already caused other joint melamine ventures to be postponed there." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MelamineSo serious surplus in 2006 = bury melamine in animal feeds by late 2006 thru 2007 and by 2008 move to human foods? Thinking since we have free trade and all, we need to find clever way to package our dog poo and litter box dumpings, put fancy label on this and bury it in products to sell to China? I wish! However, it is the Chinese businesses and government that is to blame and not the average citizens themselves. They are as much the victim as we are and moreso in some cases. There is an election coming up. People we will return to Washington or send for their first term need to respond to our questions and requests for a safe food supply. This should be the very time they will listen and respond if ever there is one.
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JJ
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« Reply #524 on: September 27, 2008, 10:51:22 PM » |
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3cat your definetly not alone in your outrage at what is happening. The lack of response from any agencies here to enact stronger laws to ban adulterated foodstuffs from any country at once make it seem like we think its perfectly fine to do this but like db said this would come back in another form since they couldn't dump it into the pet food any longer.
Always appreciate your posts so please take your break but don't make it too long of a one, take care.
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'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, But how to dance in the rain.'
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