Can We Believe USDA?

USDA Caught In Major Contradiction Over  Possibly Contaminated Meat.

by

Sheila Totten

First it was N.A.I.S. and the need for registering premises and chipping all livestock that  USDA claimed we needed to protect us from everything  from Mad Cow Disease to terrorist  biochemical hazards aimed at livestock.Then the information surfaced that the director had a big interest in one of the chip manufacturing companies and  even had a micro-chip implanted in himself. Pushing for N.A.I.S. came at a time sales were down due to "lazy "chips.   Now USDA  is contradicting itself about the  danger in the ground beef that came from the downer cattle  slaughtered  at  Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Southern California.

When USDA issued the recall for 143 million pounds of beef from  the  California slaughter  house  the actual  recall had nothing to do with cruelty to animals charges but rather the violation of the laws set up to protect everyone from Mad Cow Disease ; those final  laws having been set by FSIS went into effect on July 13,2007.FSIS is the arm of the government  which is responsible for making sure  the commercial meat,egg and poultry products are safe for human consumption.  Yes,the plant has received a suspension from FSIS and USDA because of the inhumane treatment of the downer cattle but  it is the inherent health danger that has caused the recall.  During the BSE scare several years ago  they passed an ordinance prohibiting  the sale of "downer" cattle  at sale barns and prohibiting the slaughter  and use of said animals for human consumption and also for use in livestock feeds. Now USDA is saying that it is okay for   school children and other consumers to use that beef as long as it is mixed with beef from healthy cows.This is not only ridiculous but a travesty of justice.

What are they thinking? If even one person gets sick from this  beef then who gets the blame? Maybe USDA will say it came from the non- downer beef mixed in and use this as an excuse  to make N.A.I.S. mandatory. Okay,this tells everyone how much I trust USDA  ever since the NAIS business.

According to  the Wall Street Journal USDA published this decision in a memo which they quoted as thus:

"If a processor or grinder has records demonstrating that products were produced using less than 100% of recalled Westland meat for the meat component, then there is no need...to retrieve that 'commingled' product."
 

Does this make any sense?On one hand the meat from the downer cattle  is so dangerous that no one should eat it but it is safe if mixed with beef from other cattle.Come on USDA,stick to one side of this.Beef from downer cattle is suspect not only for mad cow disease but possible e coli., salmonella and several diseases.Why would you allow people to consume it? Between  this USDA fiasco and the toxic FEMA trailers what is our government  doing? How many incompetents do we have in places of trust?To endanger the lives of our people with toxic trailers and then to try and  cover that up was bad enough.Now USDA does this!

USDA actually issued a statement  that  a mix of 99% of the meat from downer cattle can be used as long as one percent  of the beef  from healthy cattle is mixed in with this. All USDA is doing is  trying to prevent monetary  losses for the beef industry irregardless of safety. To make matters worse much of this meat has gone out to schools, to reservations  and to  the Federal Food Assistance Program.   I think the CDC needs to step in just as they did with FEMA. We cannot allow this unsafe  practice to continue. Lives are at stake.

Even if a cow is down because  of a broken leg,infection sets in quickly in ruminants and there is a good chance that meat cooled from that cow could  go bad.I have seen it locally in private processing plants when downer cows due to fractures  have been brought in for slaughter and processing by their owners.After being hung  for a week that meat begins to get slimey and bubbly.Downer cattle  are a danger to all of us and we have to wonder if yet again someone in USDA would lose money if this beef   was pulled from the market and destroyed.

 

Bonner Bolton Is The CBR's 2007 World Champion And Finals Champion

Bonner Bolton Takes The CBR World Championship And Event Title

by Sheila Totten

When Gardendale, TX rider Bonner Bolton won both the CBR's World Championship and  the event title , CBR  President Tuff Hedeman was probably as proud of Bonner as if it had been one of his own two sons  who had won.I learned from the CBR's press release that Tuff  used to rodeo with Bonner's father Toya  and he watched Bonner grow up.Tuff has been high on Bonner's  riding all season long while his broadcast partner Andy Stewart has called Bonner " Mr. Consistency" on every broadcast and also while doing the  arena announcing . According to the CBR news Bonner  really does not feel that way about himself but then that's  so like Owen Washburn when he was referred to as "Captain Consistency".

Bonner like so many of the young riders today gave his thanks to the Lord for being able to make a good ride.Bonner ,like Adriano Moraes credits his reading of the Bible and prayer  for getting his life back on a good keel and allowing him to become focused on his game.

Bonner made a solid ride on Scott Burruss' Rafter Jack in round two for 88.5 giving him 172.5 on two head. In the short go he drew the bull Corey Davis had won round one on- Mike Johnson's The Air Up There .Bonner topped Corey's score with a great 94.5 ride  which thrilled the crowd.The bull is wild in his leaps and Bonner stayed in control which made for a very exciting ride.

Bonner  earned $54,100 which sent him to the top of the standings for the World Title.

Travis Sellers won round two with his 93 point ride aboard Bobby Harrison's Sam T Straight.Jake Littlefield was second in the round with 91 points aboard Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo's Maverick.If the judges sheets were correct then Jesse Bail tied with Jake with his 91 points aboard Jesse Hill's Mucked Out.There were 19 qualified rides including Navajo Nation Champion Spud Jones aboard Jason Diedrich's JR's Jacket for 85.5.When I interviewed Spud at Longview ,TX he was thrilled to be heading to Vegas for the World Finals.Spud is truly living his dream.

Kenny Westrope scored 87 aboard Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo's Derringer for 87 in the first section while Danell Tipton rode the Bruce/Martinez bull Apache Warrior for 89.

Cody Sundby rode Alan Murphy's Peep Show for 88 and that was the only ride in thesecond section. In the third section Bryan Richardson rode  Flenniken Cattle Co's High Dollar Habit for 86 points while Cody Whitney tied that score aboard Brice Cooper's Chipaway.

Pistol Robinson had led in the standings until the Finals and unfortunately he just didn't have the weekend  he would have liked to have  but he did make a good ride aboard Alan Murphy's Deuce Bigalo for 88.5 while round one leader Corey Davis  bucked off of  Martin Baca's Swamp Dog.

Wesley Silcox rode Talbert Land & Cattle Co.'s Bobby Knight to tie with Pistol  and Jody Newberry rode Martin Baca's Speedy Gonzales for 85. If a bull comes from Martin or Caspar you know he has to be good. Cooper Kanngiesser Jesse Hill's Hou's for 81. Cole Echols rode Mike Johnson's Captain Jack  for 88 while Willis Trosclair  rode Johnson's  Ridin Dirty for 87 points and I wonder  if Mike is trying to tell us this bull is full of dirty tricks or he sure is going to get you down in the dirt.Danny McDowell rode Owen Washburn's  Whiskey Bent for 88.5. to join a five way tie while Cody White scored 88 aboard Owen Washburn's  Wolf brand.He was "Captain Consistency" as a rider and he has kept that name as a stock contractor. Bronson Butcher rode Scott Burruss' Navajo for 87 and John Jacobs rode Tut Henry's Kamikaze for 87.5.

Only four riders  made  qualified rides in the short go and of course one was Bonner Bolton aboard The Air Up There. Bronson Butcher rode  Alan Murphy's Border Patrol for 87, Josh Jacobs rode Scott Burruss' Georgia Sun for 89.5 while Jarrod Craig rode Burruss' White Chocolate for 90.5.

The top five in the final standings for the 2007 season are:

Bonner Bolton         7097.4

Pistol Robinson      4667.1

Jarrod Craig            3731.1

Bronson Butcher     3514.6

Corey Davis            2632.2 

Tags: Bull Riding CBR News

FEMA Trailers

Why This Does Not Surprise Me

by Sheila Totten

 I have just read an article by Associated Press writer Eileen Sullivan in which she states that  FEMA has done what many of us suspected - manipulated scientific research in order to hide the dangers  inherent in the Trailers they bought for Katrina and Rita victims. These are the very same trailers they have  attempted to foist on to the unsuspecting public  after other disasters as the California  wildfires-many  to be set up on affected reservations. Again,these are the same trailers they offered  to send to Pine Ridge for a cost.And  finally these are the very same trailers that sit in Hope ,Arkansas for sale  or to be auctioned off to the public.

Years ago the problems with formaldehyde in mobile homes was discovered and  guidelines were set to avoid health problems. Rumor has it that the FEMA trailers,both mobile homes and  travel or camping style trailers  were assembled here but their  parts came from overseas which is why the formaldehyde  levels in them are high. Again this is another thing FEMA disguised -the high levels.

And now in MS the FEMA trailers are not all in use by hurricane victims as I know of ones that are being rented out to people who recently moved down to the affected areas. Cheap rental units!

This entire trailer fiasco is now being compounded with FEMA's happenstance way of testing ; or rather their devious  testing of formaldehyde levels.It is well known that with proper ventilation the levels of formaldehyde would show up to a lesser degree.What is proper ventilation? FEMA choreographed their tests by first airing out  unoccupied trailers for days so to them that is proper ventilation! The levels would be lower this way and so their tests would be manipulated to make them look innocent.They then compared these to federal standards for only short term exposure.

According to Ms Sullivan Rep Brad Miller (Dem-NC) he, along with other lawmakers are questioning the truth in the research done for FEMA by the Agency for toxic  Substances and Disease  Registry. FEMA  blames the registry for not addressing long term health problems which can develop as cancer. Rep. Miller who heads the investigation  claims that  the health agency 's own expert  Christopher De Rosa "s research was ignored.In a quote from Ms Sullivan's  column:"Any level of exposure to formaldehyde may pose a cancer

risk, regardless of duration," De Rosa wrote.

Having been a medical technologist I agree wholeheartedly with Rep.Miller's statement that scientific studies do not begin with a conclusion and then work backwards from that point.You start with a hypothesis and run tests to reach a conclusion. People are getting sick. Cancer is not the only concern.Respiratory ailments  and allergic reactions are more  health issues. Before  the government set federal guidelines I remember friends  who bought a new mobile home  and within a few months  their children  began to have asthma attacks. They themselves  began to have migraines.That home was stripped of the building materials that tested positive for formaldehyde and the manufacturer put them up in a hotel while their new home was being redone! We have been aware of the problems  for years now.I am ashamed of FEMA  for buying trailers that are dangerous.Worse-FEMA is part of  the Homeland Security Department.Now what does this say to all of us about Homeland Security?It sure has me questioning it!

Tags: Current News, FEMA