WHO’S JOINING BUSH’S WAR?
Remember the famous Army recruiting posters from World War II? They had a red, white, and blue drawing of Uncle Sam pointing straight at us, declaring: “I Want YOU.”
Today, however – even though George W. has tried to compare his disastrous war in Iraq to World War II – the recruitment poster would have Uncle Sam pointing to the side and declaring: “I Want THEM.” Bush insists that his war is an urgent matter for the very survival of our nation – but not so urgent that he’s willing to point at affluent young Americans and ask them to enlist and, you know, risk their lives … or make any sacrifice whatsoever.
Instead, he keeps calling on “THEM” – the less affluent and nonaffluent who make up America’s “volunteer” Army – to do his dirty and deadly work in Iraq. To meet the quota of roughly 80,000 new recruits a year needed to maintain the force in Iraq, the Bushites have already lowered the minimum standards so more high school dropouts and people with low mental-aptitude scores can be taken. They’ve also raised the enlistment signing bonus to $25,000. Now, no kid from an affluent family is going to sign up for war in exchange for $25,000 – but that’s real money to poorer kids. So, they go to war … and the affluent go to college.
And here’s a good one: The Bushites have raised the maximum recruitment age from 35 to 42. Think about that. If you and your spouse had kids when you were 20, and you’re now 40, the whole family could join George’s war. Wow – the Brady Bunch does Iraq!
Meanwhile, West Point graduates – the Army’s elite – are also saying “no thanks” to Iraq, choosing to leave active-duty service at the highest rate in three decades.
For an accurate barometer of how things are going in Iraq, just look at the recruitment reality. George keeps trying to sell Americans on his war, but no one wants to join it.
WHY IMPORT SO MUCH FOOD?
People are upset. Their little Fidos and Fluffies are being poisoned by a chemical additive in pet food imported from China. And now it’s been found in feed for chickens and hogs. Why isn’t the Food and Drug Administration protecting us?
Well, inspections by the FDA are a cruel joke. Some 9 million shiploads of foreign food came into our ports last year, yet the FDA sampled only about 20,000. That’s barely 1%! Foreign suppliers know this, so they’ve turned America into an easy-access dumping ground for fish, grains, fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and other foods tainted with everything from cancer-causing toxins to illegal veterinary drugs.
But wait. There’s a much bigger issue here than FDA’s poor inspection record. Why in holy hell is so much food being imported into the U.S.? In the past decade, food shipments to our ports have more than doubled, with shipments from China nearly quintupling.
China? We already have a massive trade imbalance with the Chinese – why increase it by buying catfish, nuts, wheat products, and other common foods that our own farmers produce in abundance … and with great quality?
Can you say, Wal-Mart?
Wal-Mart, giant supermarket food chains, and the big food processors from our own country are steadily abandoning American farmers to get cheaper commodities and packaged goods from countries like China, where farmers, workers, and the environment are easily exploited. That’s what these retailers and processors mean by “cheap” foodstuffs.
And now we’re learning that “cheap” foreign food also comes at a mighty heavy price to us consumers. By the way, these are the same corporations that are trying to kill legislation requiring food imports to be labeled by country of origin.
To avoid bad imports, buy as much of your family’s food as possible from farmers’ markets and grocery stores that feature locally grown food.
This article appears in May 18 • 2007.