Unnatural Consumption

   I'm sure that several if not all of you have heard of the notorious "pink slime". If not, let me inform you. Pink slime is, literally, all the bits and pieces that no one wants, mainly consisting of connective tissues and fat trimmings. I think this "pink slime", or chemically modified...meat, should be illegalized in Texas.

     "Pink slime", or the trimmings, are originally NOT edible.  The "slime" must undergo a unique process before it is considered consumable. First, the slime is separated from the actual meat using heat and spinning it at high speeds. The slime then undergoes an extremely delicate process that uses ammonia as well as many other toxic chemicals to turn the "meat" into a tallow, kill the E.coli and salmonella, and essentially make it "edible". This is an extremely precise precedure. Too much ammonia, you get sick. Not enough ammonia, you get sick. I'm not entirely sure how they test it which makes me even more uncomfortable.

     Some of you may be thinking, "well who's in charge of such repulsive procedures?", well, let me tell you. The main "pink slime" producer is Beef Products Inc. An honest little company that tries to redeem themselves by saying some rubbish about the slime being "90% lean". My question is, 90% lean... what? Beef? No. Meat? Not quite. Spam? Doesn't even get that benefit. This is GOO we're talking about. Literally. Unrecognizable slime. The ends and edges of something that's already been pumped full of hormones and chemicals.

     It's funny, I can recall another time when this was a problem. In the early 1900's Upton Sinclair wrote a book called "The Jungle"(which again, I'm sure many of you have heard of but for those that haven't...) about an immigrants work in the meat packing industry and how outrageously disgusting it was. The book primarily focused on the chemicals being put into the meat and really forced the reader to realize how grotesque the meat packing process WAS. Well, When I read the book I found myself thinking, "man, I sure am happy that we evolved past that. Good thing we have the FDA!"... oh wait. We didn't evolve past it, all we did was give the ol' chemical process an update!  Basically what's happening to our meat behind closed doors is the EXACT same thing that Sinclair wrote about. The only difference is that the meat packing industry gave the chemical process a hip new makeover with modern technology.

    What's even crazier is that this pink slime is being found in packages labeled "100% Ground Beef", which I'm trying to figure out how in the hell that's legal. False advertisement? Chemically altered beef? How is it not clearly labeled on the package? That's just the beginning. Pink slime made it's claim to fame by showing up primarily in children's lunches at school. It may by 90% lean but there is literally no nutritional value. No protein for their growing muscles, no iron, no necessary vitamins or minerals, no nothing. How is this not already illegal?

     What we call "organic" or "all natural" is simply... food. Somehow we've gotten to the point where we have to search and pay extra for something that happens on this planet naturally. It's absurd. If the FDA (who is probably in cahoots with someone at Beef Products Inc. ... we were all thinking it) insists on keeping this junk legal, I think it should be absolutely mandatory that it's CLEARLY labeled on packaged meats. I also think that kids and their parents have the right to know what they're ingesting. I just have a feeling that if this "pink slime" were more widely recognized by kids and their parents, it wouldn't be legal for long.

     Lastly, please note that this process has been illegalized in several countries including the United Kingdom. I really do think it's time for America to follow their lead and just set down the extra cash they're piling up from this sanitized crap.

 

   

Wars On Oil Rage On

     Alright, so. The blog that I found was written on March 17, 2012 on The TexasFred Blog. The TexasFred is written by an extremely conservative man who refers to himself, patriotically, as TexasFred. I feel like TexasFred is really trying to reach any audience that will listen. Though I disagree with a lot of his opinions, I do find him credible. He proves himself to have done thorough research as well as cites a lot of his findings.
   
 The title, "Obama to Visit Oklahoma to Talk About Oil Drilling", really caught my attention and I'm really glad that it did.

     Basically, TexasFred is criticizing Obama for going state to state trying to gain support for "greener" and more abundant sources of energy. TexasFred brings up several arguments that aren't necessarily against alternative energy but just ranting about the economy for oil in general. He repeatedly calls Obama by his full name, sure to distress at least two or three old ladies, as well as makes Obama seem extremely self righteous. He also bashes himself over and over saying things like, "what do I know, I'm just a neanderthal", clearly trying to be "ironic" or "silly"(but I personally feel like maybe TexasFred has a few more insecurities that he'd like to discuss along with those he has for the economy...).


     TexasFred argues that there are not only NEW ways to drill for oil, (as if the world hasn't taken enough of a beating with emissions as well as current ways of drilling that already cause tectonic plates to shift) but points out that "We Don't Need Foreign Oil"! We get to destroy our lush greenery rather than desecrate a barren desert (which, I'm not saying is a good thing either). 

     

     TexasFred also points out that BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars are going to the enemy for oil. Well Fred, this is true. We ARE in Libya for oil. But if memory suits me correctly wasn't it the Bush Administration that STARTED the whole "start-a-war-for-oil" thing? Hm. Also, I really don't agree with how much money we are giving to other economies. Especially when we have the resources ourselves. HOWEVER, if we could find an easier and more renewable resource that doesn't involve destroying the planet, I'd much rather money be invested in THAT rather than worrying about what's to come... something Obama is trying to advocate by doing things such as promoting tax incentives designed to encourage the production of electrically run cars. That doesn't really make Barrack Hussein "I'm a Terrorist" Obama sound too terribly evil to me.

     

     Good Ol' TexFred doesn't stop there. He then explains the newly discovered method of oil pumping. Apparently, the "new drilling is expected to raise U.S. production by at least 20 percent over the next five years. And within 10 years, it help reduce oil imports by more than half, advancing a goal that has long eluded policymakers". This genuinely sounds great, doesn't it? And I get it. But it really doesn't make the "big picture"(words of Obama himself that TexFred defensively criticizes and takes offensively as if Obama is talking down to us). Anyway... FRED, in the "big picture", having more or less money really won't matter in the long run if we're suffering from polluted air (like in China due to emissions) or having to spend whatever money we made off of oil on repairing damages from natural disasters that drilling for oil has proven to cause.

     
     TexasFred rounds off his blog with "Oil Drops as International Reserves Are Tapped"... TexasFred makes a short rant about OPEC and how america has enough oil for generations to come. Well, this also might be true. But going back to my last argument, it literally is destroying the earth. I understand that it's absolutely essential to have oil. What I don't understand is how people can ignore that FACT that we WILL run out one day. Oil is NOT replenishing itself. We can drill as deep as we can, from Saudi Arabia, America, the Moon, whatever, for as long as we possibly can... but it WILL run out eventually. Maybe not for us... maybe not even for our kids we continue to cut the world in half. But what's going to happen to our grandchildren? How are they going to find sources of energy? We continuously prolong finding a permanent solution to a problem because it's so much easier to say, "Oh, the next generation can worry about it".
     
      TexFred, or whatever the hell he calls himself, can criticize Obama all he wants for trying to gain support for alternative energy, but all he's doing is making himself look selfish and narrow viewed.

Post Script: 
     I've never met TexasFred personally. I have absolutely nothing against him. He's probably a great guy. I'm sure we'd get along beautifully... you know, so long as we didn't discuss environmental issues.