Organic Panic

On the Alternet website, food writer Ari LeVaux complains that the Silk soymilk company has switched its supplies from American organic farmers to Chinese farmers. LeVaux argues that this move harms American organic farmers, while risking imports of reduced quality.

My Gut Reaction: Oh, boo-hoo.

Analysis: LeVaux seems to believe that the Silk company is a charity rather than a business. He whines that the decision to switch to Chinese supplies was taken by Dean Foods-a "megacorporation." He forgets that the objective of any business, no matter of what size, is to make a profit, not to fund its friends and neighbors.

His misunderstanding of basic economics extends to consumers. He expresses consternation that they buy supermarket garlic from China rather than domestically produced garlic from farmers' markets. Maybe that is because the supermarket garlic is generally cheaper. In case you haven't noticed, we are in a recession. People don't have huge amounts of money to spend on organic food.

Olympic Protests

You have to give kudos to the protestors who are standing up to China and the Olympic Committee. They're putting the Chinese government on notice that they cannot attack human rights with impunity.

The Chinese government, of course, is having none of it. They, and their appeasers in the Olympic Committee, are calling this an insult to the Chinese people.

Well, perhaps not all the Chinese people. I suspect the inhabitants of Beijing who were forcibly expelled from their homes as part of Olympic "redevelopment" plans probably commiserate with the protestors. Ditto for the Tibetans whom the Chinese government claims as its subjects.

Yeah, Great Priorities, Opie

Oprah's getting socially conscious again. In a world where millions of Chinese and Tibetans are having their human rights violated, guess what she's up in arms about?

Yep, you guessed it: puppy mills. Torture, executions, and robbing entire cultures and religions of their freedoms are all trumped by dogs.

Who do we have to thank for this stupidity? Take a look at the morons at Main Line Animal Rescue, who think the life of a dog or puppy is more important than those of a thousand Chinese people. If you air-dropped these mental cases into Auschwitz, one cannot help but wonder if their main concern would be how the attack dogs used by the SS were being treated.

Action on Tibet

The True Majority website has set up a petition calling for an end to China's violent actions against Tibet. Click on the link and you can sign it.

For too long, our people and our government have been appeasing China in order to advance our own economic interests. We should begin taking action to show the Chinese that they cannot trample on human rights and international law without consequences.

Tibet Troubles

They told us that bringing the Olympics to China would quell Beijing's human rights issues.

Yeah, just like the 1936 Berlin Olympics turned Nazi Germany into a human rights leader.