Scorching The Planet And Caging The Children For A Cause

 

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From: Center for Consumer Freedom

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Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 10:39 AM

Subject: ConsumerFreedom Scorching The Planet And Caging The Children For A Cause

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May 22, 2008     Organic-Only Outlook Not So �Green� Wired magazine is taking on the 10 Inconvenient Truths of the environmental movement this week, and �Green Heresy� number 3 is especially noteworthy: Surprise! Conventional Agriculture Can Be Easier On The Planet! Now that organic food marketers and their devotees are having a harder time using bogus health claims to make their case, the consensus seems to be that the �green� bandwagon is the path to acceptance. Only that doesn�t seem to be working out either. Wired�s Joanna Pearlstein is the latest bearer of bad news: The path to virtue, we all know, begins with organics. Meat, milk, fruit, veggies � organic products are good for our bodies and good for the planet. Except when they're not good for the planet� Take milk. Dairy cows raised on organic feed aren't pumped full of hormones. That means they produce less milk per Holstein � about 8 percent less than conventionally raised cattle. So it takes 25 organic cows to make as much milk as 23 industrial ones. More cows, more cow emissions� That double whammy � more cows and more emissions per cow � makes organic dairies a cog in the global warming machine. That�s right, not only isn�t the organic-only darling, �rBST-free� milk, better for your health, it isn�t better for the environment either. As Pearlstein suggests, it�s probably worse. Moving on: [E]ven organic fruits and veggies are a mixed bushel: Organic fertilizers deliver lower-than-average yields, so those crops require more land per unit of food. Setting aside her misconception that organic foods are pesticide-free, Pearlstein does touch on something very interesting when she points out that Big Organic ships its food thousands of miles. Whole Foods shoppers in Washington, DC were shocked recently when they were approached by reporters from a local news station, who told them to take a closer look at the labels on some of their organic products: "Product of China! Whoa, look at that!" One woman interviewed asked the obvious question: "So you have to ask yourself the question, how would they ever know if the organic rules are being followed?" Whole Foods declined to be interviewed. To recap, then: Organic foods aren�t necessarily healthier, �greener,� or locally produced -- and, apparently, some of them might not even be organic at all! So � why should we pay $7 for milk again? PETA: Cage Children, Not Animals Some North Carolina parents are upset after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals found a new low yesterday in its disturbing use of children to score activist points. As the centerpiece of an anti-circus protest, PETA employees dressed a 12-year-old girl in prison stripes, placed her inside an animal cage, and put her on public display. We�ve told you many times before how PETA targets children with its often lewd and offensive campaigns. But this is the first time we�ve seen the group enlisting the direct participation of someone so young for a live protest (in a cage no less!). Let�s hope it�s not a sign of things to come.   Breaking News Here's a sampling of other stories that have caught our interest today. To see a one-week archive of these items, click here. "From porn to puppies": Former head of HSUS tied up in internet porn scandal Animal people in Portland protest foie gras; restaurant owners, patrons unfazed Scary: American women more concerned about losing weight than about cancer, heart disease, or diabetes Medical community not so sure how to handle childhood obesity Food cop rules guard catering for Democratic National Convention New USDA rule applies to about 0.003 percent of cattle USA Today: Weight discrimination on the rise "Would Lord Vader chug down a Pepsi before he wielded his light saber?" CCF featured in Dan Rather reports Oprah! goes vegan for three weeks   Copyright � 2008 Center for Consumer Freedom. All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 34557 | Washington, DC 20043 | Tel: 202-463-7112 | info@consumerfreedom.com

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