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Rush Mooing at the Media Over Mad Cow...
Rush will say anything when he wants to paint the media as "politically correct". Facts, fair appraisal of reasonable
coverage has nothing to do with his discourse.
12/24 : BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
All the media attention over this single possible case of mad cow disease in Washington risks starting a panic, but I’m not too worried. I think that people in this country - nearly 300 million strong, I read recently - have far more awareness and consciousness than to be propelled into a panic by never-ending news coverage on a slow news day. McDonald's stock plunged nonetheless, and the $27 billion U.S. cattle industry faced beef bans.
Japan and South Korea, America's top beef buyers, halted imports, as did nations you might not think prosperous enough to import our meat: Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine and South Africa. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman urged Americans not to panic. She called the health risk "extremely low," and said it was too early to call this a "presumptive positive."
A sample of this dairy (note, not beef) bovine has been sent to Britain for confirmation. Veneman plans to serve beef for Christmas dinner. In solidarity, I ate my first lunchtime hamburger in years today. I discussed this on the phone with a vegetarian who studies the disease, and via e-mail with cattle farmers who sought to refute what I was taught in the second grade. One interesting fact is that this cow may have been slated for dog food. UPI contradicts this, saying it may have passed into the human food chain.
So don't eat your dog - or the spinal cord and brain of any potentially infected cow. Are we clear on that? Are we also clear, as one caller who said he had 30 years in the field pointed out, that your supply of vegetables is also at risk? Nobody stands up for the beef industry in this country. It's just assumed here that all beef is potentially tainted, even though we know very little about this disease and how or if it's transmitted to humans.
Eating meat is one of those politically incorrect behaviors that the mainstream press will use any excuse to jump all over. Plus, they love to scare you because it gets you watching. The safety features worked in Washington State - but they worked at Three Mile Island, too. That didn't stop the media from screaming, "Oh, what could have happened!" This country was not built by vegetarians, folks. I have no problem with those who simply don't eat meat, but I object to the militant, extreme nuts among you.
Get Your Scientific Facts from Scientists, Not the Pretty Boys Reading Prompter...
(USDA: BSE Information and Resources)
(The Latest News from the US Department of Agriculture)
END TRANSCRIPT
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Rush starts off by inferring the media is irresponsibly risking the "starting of a panic" by reporting on the nations' first case of mad cow disease. Mad Cow Disease (BSE) costs billions of dollars to the British beef industry. It is no small matter, slow news day or not. Would Rush have the media ignore it? Rush goes on to imply the plunge in
the stock price of McDonalds' is a result of the media's reporting. The reaction of investors has nothing to do with the reporting by the media. It is about the reaction of countries such as Japan, South Korea and the rest halting imports. And their reaction has nothing to do with the reporting in the mainstream press.
Rush suggests the media covered the occurence of BSE due to "political correctness". As usual, his "argument" is unfounded and quite inane. The prospect of BSE caused importer nations to impose a ban on the importation of American beef. This results in the loss of billions of dollars to the beef industry which exports about 10% of the beef produced.
Coverage is a matter important to America. It is not a liberal, political correctness based strike at the beef industry.
Rush also failed to acknowledge Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman had been on TV all day on numerous national news programs. The media also frequently reported on the safety of the beef supply and the very low possibility of harm from eating beef.
Even the "pretty boys" on Fox News spent alot of time reading the latest from the US Department of Agriculture.
It is amazing that anyone takes Rush's shoot from the hip demagoguery and fails to note Rush is an entertainer interested in only selling his shtick.
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