Growing Intolerance of Red Meat

[PaleoPhil]

There seems to be a growing intolerance of red meat and meat in general among the left and the media. Nearly every week now on NPR someone will say that people should stop eating red meat. It seems like the answer to every problem they address.

This week Bill McKibben said in "The Moral Math of Climate Change" (http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/moral-math/) that to solve the CO2 pollution problem "you start eating lower on the food chain" and stop eating red meat. It seems like it will only be a matter of time before they start taking it out of school lunch programs and taxing it and eventually say "You WILL stop eating red meat or else" and prohibiting selling it altogether.

[djr_81]

...that to solve the CO2 pollution problem "you start eating lower on the food chain" and stop eating red meat.

This is the sad part. If most people making all these claims addressed the real problems with mass-market beef (the petroleum dependence for the grain feed) and we moved towards intelligent & sustainable grass feeding we would cut out a fair bit of the carbon footprint meat has right now. There would also be quite a reduction in CO2 when the animal is eating something it's body can naturally process.
One question...how much further down the food chain can you get than a ruminant. I thought grass was the lowest visible rung on the food chain?

[TylerDurden]

Yes, I know, I mentioned this a while back, as it's all over the British newspapers too. I doubt, though, that they can enforce anything(with the exception of school-lunches as I believe the US government has already enforced the requirement that all its school-lunches have to be irradiated first). And, of course, things like military rations are likely to be affected also, since they're already so highly processed. But the vast majority of people will be unaffected, otherwise.

[TylerDurden]

I spoke too soon.This article mentions this professor who proposes a 50% tax on all meats sold:-

http://digital.theensign.co.nz/olive/ode/ens_daily/LandingPage/LandingPage.aspx?href=RU5TLzIwMDkvMTEvMjc.&pageno=MTg.&entity=QXIwMTgwMA..&view=ZW50aXR5

That said, I do agree with the guy in his opposition to the absurd notion of the sanctity of human life.

[PaleoPhil]

Yeah, and they've started pushing for an "obesity tax" on non-diet sodas in at least one state in this country, so it's only a matter of time before someone tries to tax red meat for both the alleged obesity and global warming reasons, and to save the Brazilian rainforest (National Public Radio has been mercilessly pummeling meat consumption on all these accounts).

Governor Paterson proposes 'Obesity Tax,' a tax on non-diet sodas
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/12/14/2008-12-14_governor_paterson_proposes_obesity_tax_a-1.html

[djr_81]

Yeah, and they've started pushing for an "obesity tax" on non-diet sodas in at least one state in this country, so it's only a matter of time before someone tries to tax red meat for both the alleged obesity and global warming reasons, and to save the Brazilian rainforest (National Public Radio has been mercilessly pummeling meat consumption on all these accounts).

Governor Paterson proposes 'Obesity Tax,' a tax on non-diet sodas
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/12/14/2008-12-14_governor_paterson_proposes_obesity_tax_a-1.html

Paterson is a horrible douche of a governor who is only in office because of the Spitzer's extra-marital transgressions. He has a pitiful public approval rating, has alienated just about all of his constituents, and has been pushing a number of outlandish and unreasonable taxes to try and band-aid the state government he's run into the ground.

[goodsamaritan]

It's time we organized pro meat lobby groups

[PaleoPhil]

There's this organization that promotes grass fed meats and takes donations:

Support for Eatwild.com
http://www.eatwild.com/support.htm

[William]

There seems to be a growing intolerance of red meat and meat in general among the left and the media. Nearly every week now on NPR someone will say that people should stop eating red meat. It seems like the answer to every problem they address.

It's a vast conspiracy!

The commies and the docs are after us! Commies, because it makes us too smart for their line, docs because we don't get sick anymore.

[RawZi]

    I hated to eat red meat as a kid, but it was thoroughly cooked and served all the time.  With my raw food, I prefer (raw) white meat.  I know other people who need (raw) red meat for their health.  I'm fine with white.  That's me though.  Present day, I have tried cooked red and white meat.  White had worse effects on me. 

    No one should be taxed just because they need meat for health or need one color over another.  Next they'll be taxing lions but not cows or taxing people if they get color therapy: http://healing.about.com/cs/colortherapy/a/aa_colortherapy.htm.  Taxing people in this case is a control issue; they have no proof buying a raw grass grazed steak is more worthy of tax than another food.   

[PaleoPhil]

It's a vast conspiracy!

The commies and the docs are after us! Commies, because it makes us too smart for their line, docs because we don't get sick anymore.

Good point, William. People who don't eat nutrient-deficient diets comprised of lots of refined grains and sugars don't make very good slaves and don't need many meds.

[redfulcrum]

Look at all the civilizations before us.  They condemned the common person from having meat, while the aristocracy and military were allowed to eat it.  Civilization will always be the same.  The rich use their propaganda to oppress the poor.  Cholesterol, AIDS, ADD, etc... just a way for someone to create a demand and they bring the supply.  That's all economics is about, ripping people off.