Just Food, Organic, Genetically Engineered, Artificial Everything

I'm kind of confused about our food supply.
When I was growing up there was just food.

Then they started putting artificial flavors, colors, and such in the food.
Spraying with coatings to make produce shiny.
Then came the genetic manipulation of the food.
Genetically engineered.

What was wrong with "just food"?
If you want just food now, you have to buy organic.
If you don't you'll get artificial or genetically engineered.

The artificial they have to tell you about on the label.
But they don't have to say squat about if it's genetically engineered stuff.
Why is that?

So, just food is now called "organic" and you have to pay a lot more for it.
The artificial and genetically engineered stuff is cheaper than organic.
We've been told all this stuff to make us believe that it helps to produce "more yield" or "hardy" crops resistant to bugs.

I hear about food shortages for this reason and that.
If there are such great food shortages, then why is the government still paying subsidies to farmers to leave portions of their land bare?
Why are they shutting down grain storages if there is a shortage of food?

I don't recall voting on this stuff.
Do you?
I guess our elected officials did it for us.
But I don't recall them asking me what I though about it.

Did you fill out an opinion poll?
Did your Senator or Congressman visit your city and talk to the masses and get a consensus?
Hmmm.

And what about food prices these days?
Let's take a loaf of bread.
If I want some bread that has some substance to it and not "fake", it costs me about $4.50.

Now, if I have other people to feed, I can spend that $4.50 on one loaf of bread, or I can buy a store brand white, and a couple of cans of vegies for $4.50.
So, not only is the middle class disappearing, but they are forced to eat cheaply processed food which is not good for them.
Sure, they have the choice of buying the $4.50 bread, but then there's no meat to go with it.

If you had $4.50 to buy some food for 2-3 people, what would your choice be?
And would you really call it a choice?
What does this do to people in the long run?
Why does all this stuff happen and the citizens have no say?

Food for thought.
(So to speak.)

Obama, McCain, and Nader

I heard Obama is going back and forth on a couple of issues (the war in Iraq and campaign funding).

Now imagine that.

I'm also seeing bad press about McCain and his military service.
Ever wonder why we don't hear about stuff like this until someone runs for President?
Why don't they speak out against someone when they're a senator?
Maybe because there's more "bang for the buck" and more damage is possible if they are running for President.

I was flicking through the tv channels yesterday and ran across the ending of an interview with Ralph Nader. Did you know he is running for President as an Independent?

If you didn't know that I wouldn't be surprised. He stated he's not allowed to debate with the other presidential candidates. Now why is that? I thought all Americans had equal access to the press/media. (?)

Truth is, being on TV costs money.
But I'm not quite sure why Nader can't be included in the debates.
So apparently not everyone has equal access and time in the media exposure.

Have you ever asked yourself why?
Do you believe everything you see and hear on TV and radio?
Or do you listen to what they have to say, then draw your own conclusions based on facts?

Did your parents ever tell you something like "You can't believe everything you hear."?
Well, I think that was good advice. You can't.
You also can't believe everything you see.

If you want to cast an informed and intelligent vote in November, then do your homework.
It's not about what they say or put in print.
It's about what they have done!

Past behavior is an excellent predictor of future behavior.
Look at how they've (Obama, McCain, and yes Nader) have acted in the past.
What have they voted for? Against?
What causes do they support?

A person can put on a facade for only so long.
If you watch what they do, that will tell you what they are truly like on the inside and what they will most likely be doing in the future.

You think they don't want Nader on the debates because he will bring up issues "they" don't want the American people to think about?

Never simply dismiss anything. Give it some time and thought.
I hope you will make a good decision in November.

Veterans are Killing Themselves . . .

I'm really upset today after reading an article in my local paper "Street Roots".
(June 13, 2008 edition)

Page 12 talks about the numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have committed suicide and attempted suicide. It also talks about our government's suppression of the real numbers.

It also includes some interesting facts from VeteransForCommonSense.org about how the military recruiters have lowered their standards to get "bodies" into the Army which included maximum age from 25 to 42, overweight, physically injured, criminal records, and lowered aptitude standards.

Now this is major for those of you who aren't familiar with military stuff. These people who they are letting in under the lowered standards are normally deemed "unfit" for duty because "experience has shown that they deal with the stresses of modern combat worse than their peers."

Veterans For Common Sense also states that "43,000 soldiers declared medically unfit for duty by a doctor have been deployed to combat in Iraq or Afghanistan."

Now, call me ignorant if you like, but if "fit for duty" veterans are killing themselves in record numbers, then what the hell can we expect of "unfit" soldiers? Why is our government sending people with physical or mental injuries into combat? What is going on? Do you know? Do you care?

Well, I care. I'm a veteran. I worked with veterans for 15 years after I left the military service. I assisted them with food, clothes, housing, jobs, benefits, medical and dental care, drug and alcohol treatment, toiletries, and even some maddening straight talk from time to time.

Why are there people like me out here doing this kind of work for our veterans? Because they are here. They need help. They need a place to sleep after being unable to find a job or their relationship ended. After they used drugs and alcohol to try and deaden the pain, the memories, the loneliness.

I remember watching a majority of our Congressmen and Senators standing out in front of one of the famous buildings in Washington, D.C. shortly after the war in Iraq began. They said they would take care of our veterans. The President of our country has said many times he will take care of our veterans.

All I see is talk. Veterans wait for medical appointments at VA, sometimes for months. The Iraq and Afghanistan vets get priority, but what does that mean if there are not enough physicians or mental health people to see them all?

The veterans file for disability because of injuries from combat. You think it takes days or weeks to get approved? Try months. Again, Iraq and Afghanistan vets get priority (along with the homeless), but how long does it take when there are not enough claims people to sort through the mounds of paperwork?

Did you know that the VA does not have a line item budget? Nope, they have to be separately approved a budget each year and it is rarely approved in a timely manner (thanks again representatives of the people).

Don't get me wrong, I think the VA generally does an awesome job with what they are given (scraps). They work under unbelievable conditions most of the time. Most of them truly care about the veterans they serve.

So, what's the answer to the suicide problem?
Well, I suppose we could start with complaining to our representatives about the lack of funding for VA (including more staff). Let them know that you're aware they lied when they said they would take care of our veterans (cause they're not doing it).

Then the VA could do something about seeing the combat vets sooner and speeding up the process for each veteran (whatever it may be). More money, more staff, more room, less wait.

But those are just band aids as far as I'm concerned.
Call me a little biased, but I think the solution is to fix the root of the problem.

BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!
END THE WARS!

There. I said it.
(I support our troops 100%! I don't support the war.)

Make sense to you?
If we're not sending our Brothers and Sisters, Husbands and Wives, Aunts and Uncles, Nieces and Nephews, and Cousins and friends to the war . . .

THEN THEY WON'T WANT TO KILL THEMSELVES (or be killed) BECAUSE OF IT!

We stop the ever increasing flow of veterans with physical and mental injuries.
The VA can catch up at some point and be able to handle their patient load.
The VA will be able to process the backlog of claims they already have for all the other veterans after they take care of our Iraq and Afghanistan vets.

Sometimes I just get tired, you know?
I get tired of seeing just how well our government takes care of their veterans.
I get tired of seeing the photos of the ones who died today or this week.
I get tired of seeing the cost in civilian lives and money.
Our children will be paying for this for generations to come.

Our government can bail out multimillion dollar companies who made bad risk mortgages, but they can't help the working people who will lose their houses. Meanwhile, stock holders with those companies take home a pretty penny.

But that's another story for another day . . .

Chase Came Back to Haunt Me!

Well, not me personally.
But I was at the point where I had taken care of my business and just wanted to forget I ever knew "that name".

I'm doing a class today and one of my guest speakers brings in a guest speaker to talk about some good benefits/deals, etc.
And the guest speaker is from . . . You guessed it, Chase financial services.

My mind instantly wanted to scream "Beware! Beware!", but I had to be professional.
The only thing I could do was cut him off when his time was up and he kept talking.

I didn't have anything personal against the guy representing Chase.
I just felt like I needed to protect the audience from experiencing something similar to what I experienced.

I think we should all share our personal "horror stories" about any company that has treated us poorly. Maybe it would prevent our friends, family, or coworkers from making the same sort of mistakes.

And maybe these companies would clean up their act and treat customers a lot better.
I don't know . . . What do you think?

What I Did With The Chase Fiasco

Well, after I told everyone I could think of about the raw deal I got from Chase, read about what others have been through with their credit cards, I got rid of my Chase account.

I feel so much better!
One less creditor on my way to zero!

I think we all need to pay off our debt as quickly as possible and give ourselves some breathing room once again.
We work ourselves to death, only to see our money go to this creditor and that.
Some things are necessary, others are not.

To give our money (or business) to ANY company that doesn't appreciate us as a customer, is crazy. We shouldn't settle for being abused and ripped off.

Now's the time to put your foot down and say "No More!".

What Kellogg's Had to Say

Kellogg's scored big points in the integrity category by responding to my letter inquiring about their use of GE ingredients in their food stuff.
(I have yet to hear from M&M Mars or Hershey.)

If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the post on GE (genetically engineered) crops.

I found some really good tidbits in the letter. One being:

"In fact, articles published by leading universities estimate that between 60% and 70% of multi-ingredient foods in the United States may have been made with biotechnology crops."

The letter goes on to say "Biotechnology is not unique to us or other food manufacturers in the United States, with biotechnology-produced grains having been grown in the U.S. for the past decade."

I'm assured of Kellogg's quality and their 100-year legacy of consumer trust and loyalty. They are confident their ingredients are safe and cite " . . . that of the 40+ varieties of biotech crops currently in use, no ill effects on human health or the environment have been detected since modified foods first hit the market during the past decade."

So, after reading the response from Kellogg's I came to the following conclusion . . .
Kellogg's feels that GE products are safe and will continue to use them in their manufacturing.

This leads me back to my previous post where I talk about countries in crisis refusing U.S. food aid because of it being GE. Do they know something we don't as consumers?

I mean, if you are in the aftermath of a hurricane, famine, tidal wave, etc. and you need food, water, and shelter because it's scarce and you may starve to death, then why refuse food that could save your life?

Hmm. This subject (like many others) keeps bringing up more questions.
Stay tuned . . .
I'll let you know if I hear from Hershey or M&M Mars.

Snack Cakes, Sponge Cakes, and Creamy Filling

Some people may think I'm fixated on sweets, food, or chocolate.
But that's not the point of my writing about them.
My point is what is in the food we are eating.
Today our "snackies" are my prime example.

When I was a child, my mom would occasionally go to the "bakery thrift store" where she would get sponge cakes, cup cakes, or fruit pies at a reduced price. Well, I remember reading the label on my favorite twin pack of golden sponge cakes back then . . .

It read "Golden Sponge Cake with Cream Filling".

I become an adult and, as time goes on, I rarely eat those snacks anymore.
(I'm not sure why other than trying to stay in shape and eat healthy. It seems adults just don't enjoy stuff like we did when we were kids. Why is that? I guess that's another story for another day.)

Anyway, one day I have this craving for one of those beloved twin pack sponge cakes.
I buy a pack and can't wait to savor a childhood favorite.
I bite into one and it tastes yucky!
I thought maybe I had bought a bad one or something.

I break it in half (top to bottom) along the entire length to expose the filling.
I used to eat it this way when I was a kid.
I'd eat one half, then the other so I'd taste more of the filling with each cake bite.

I take a bite of my half and it tastes nasty.
It doesn't taste like I remember it tasting as a kid.
So, I do the adult thing and grab the wrapper (and a magnifying glass) to read the list of ingredients.

I immediately found the problem.
An assorted list of artificial flavors and colors.
And worst of all, the little saying on the front.
It no longer said "Golden Sponge Cake with Cream Filling."

It said "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling."

So my heart was broken (the child inside anyway).
They had ruined my sponge cake treat.
I had been trying to eat artificially flavored cake and fake cream filling.

I'm ignorant enough to think maybe it's just this snack that's fake.
So, I go to the store and check the packages for the cup cakes, those little round cakes with white filling, the round log cakes with white filling, and the fruit pies.
Every single one had fake this and that and no real cream filling anymore.

So, it wasn't my adult taste buds not liking kiddie sweets anymore.
It was my taste buds alerting me to all the fake stuff in the snacks.

You see, I didn't eat these snacks often enough to not notice the subtle changes in the ingredients from what they used to be.
Over the period of time that the manufacturer's integrated the artificial whatevers and flavor enhancers.
So, when I ate one after a period of time, it was like a slap in the face with fake stuff.

You may be saying "so what?".
And that's okay.

The reason it's important to me is because I've noticed a lot more people are sick with this and that.
A lot more people are on multiple prescriptions than used to be.
There are more new diseases and early onset of diseases that used to come about in old age.
Obesity is a problem and heart disease.

Does anyone stop to think that it just could be the direct result of our diets?
Remember "You are what you eat."?

What the hell does that make us?
A walking fast food, fake ingredient, genetically altered, guaranteed lifetime contributor to pharmaceutical companies, almost human being?

Even if you don't give a crap about yourself, you should care what your children eat.
What is all this stuff doing to them?
Don't they want you to be around for a long time?
If you're eating all this crap food that we don't know what it can do to us, aren't you robbing them of you being around a while to watch them grow up, marry, have children?

Here's the REAL question . . .
What are you going to do about it?