They Picked Gere!

They Picked Gere to talk about this? Monks, Protest, Free Tibet, Threats to Summer Games!

____________________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT! BY Terry Bankert 3/15/08
http://attorneybankert.com/
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 ___________________________
Full article at Flint Talk with discussion on Tibet
http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=26051#26051
_____
HUMAN RIGHTS , SERIOUS OR ACTING

I think there are real human rights violations in China. But not enough to stop an Olympics. With all this country is doing we would be hypocrites.[trb[ Bystanders cheered the group Tuesday as they walked along the mountain roads. Police were not around.[afp]

A simple act of defiance by an oppressed people.[trb] Tibetan monks have defied Chinese authorities by staging a protest in the remote Himalayan region's capital Lhasa, provoking Beijing to respond that it would strike hard against such illegal activities.[g]

China still practices summary execution.[trb]

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Full article on Republican incompetence at Flint Talk with discussion http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=26118#26118
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A WORTHY ISSUE BUT SUBSTANDARD SPOKESPERSON

China should suffer a boycott of its cherished Beijing Olympics if it mishandles protests in restive Tibet, Hollywood actor and Tibetan activist Richard Gere said on Friday.[r[Well lets set international policy on the word of another actor.[trb[

Gere, a close follower of the Dalai Lama and chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, stressed that neither the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader nor the ICT advocates a boycott of the Summer Olympics.[r[ Then pray tell from what authority is he.[trb[...... It would be unconscionable to isolate America fro the game under this ruse. Dose it not seem hypocritical for a US patriot like Gere to mouth this while our government violate human rights daily in military prison.[trb[

"I've not been pro-boycott, but I think if this is not handled correctly, yes we should boycott. Everyone should boycott," Gere told Reuters in a telephone interview.[r[ I begin by calling for a boycott of Gere and his empty rhetoric.[trb[ Gere, a Buddhist for some 25 years, said he was grieving for "my bothers and sisters" in Tibet but "sad for both sides" in a dispute has that simmered and occasionally exploded since China annexed Tibet in 1950.[r[Another Hollywood nut job.[trb[

Following are a couple of articles of the type that make us look foolish to the world.[trb[

FLINT IN THE NEWS -EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS , PASTORS AND GOOD GOVERNMENT FIRE CHIEF

An investigation into the multimillion-dollar Career Alliance Inc. has been taken by agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, The Flint Journal has learned.[f1[

Flint is strutting its stuff again.[trb[

Labor Department agents will present their findings in pieces or in whole to the U.S. attorney's office in advance of criminal charges -- if they are filed. [f1[

Meanwhile, Flint's fire chief and his son, a city police inspector, have hired one of the area's leading criminal attorneys to defend them against possible charges stemming from their private security company's dealings with Career Alliance.[f1[

City Security Guard Co., which has provided security at Career Alliance buildings, lists Fire Chief Richard Dicks as its president and treasurer in documents filed with the state. [f1[

Federal agents last month searched the homes of Dicks and his son, David, a Flint police inspector, looking for records related to Career Alliance. Richard Dicks' home in Genesee Township is the main office for City Security Guard [f1[

Frank Manley, a well-known criminal attorney, said he has talked briefly with federal officials, telling them he has been hired to defend the Dicks.[f1[

Keep your money in the community.[trb[

The Flint Journal could not reach the U.S. attorney's office for comment Thursday or Friday. Career Alliance is a $20-million-a-year agency that provides job training and education to the poor and unemployed.[f1[

PASTORS

"When it comes to right and wrong, you want to stand up for what's just ... (but also) life is about forgiveness," said the Rev. Quintin Marshall Sr., pastor of New Life Tabernacle C.O.G.I.C. in Flint. "Who do you find who doesn't have a (crease) in their armor?" [f1[ Marshall, president of Genesee County Church of God in Christ Alliance, supports a group that has been working to keep Career Alliance's Broome Center open despite a high vacancy rate there.[f1[ "We got people who are homeless and need a job (and) leaving prison and can't find work," Marshall said. "Let's work on these problems."[f1[

CITY ATTORNEY

Leading African-American pastors have a message for City Attorney Trachelle Young and City Clerk Inez Brown: Cooperate and make peace.[F2[ The ministers gathered at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church to make a public plea for two of the city's most powerful women to settle an increasingly bitter dispute.[F2[

Last month Young filed a lawsuit against Brown on behalf of the city for her refusal to call a meeting of the Standards of Conduct Board concerning a complaint about her actions toward another city employee.[F2[

The seven-member conduct board looks into the actions of elected city officers, appointees and employees.[F2[ Wrong[trb "We're asking City Attorney Trachelle Young to drop the charges and the lawsuit against Ms. Inez Brown and we're asking the clerk to turn over and give to (City Administrator) Darryl E. Buchanan the list of names of the Standards of Conduct Board," said the Rev. Lewis A. Randolph.[F2[

What does Buchanan have to do with this[trb "We all agree this in-house fighting at city hall has to stop," Randolph continued. "It's time for dialogue and not debate. We are speaking from a point of healing and from a point of righteousness. We're trying to stand up and say let's come together as a family."[F2[ Young needs only to withdraw her frivolous lawsuit[trb[

AND MORE PASTORS

Besides Randolph, the group included other notable pastors such as Bishop Otis Floyd, Bishop Rory Cavette, Bishop M.C. Akins, and the Revs. Roosevelt Deloach and Leroy Shelton.

The group said they were acting out of concern about the message the legal fight would send to area youth.[F2[

"It's a no-win situation and it projects a bad image to our young people," said Shelton, of Christ Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. "We have come too far as a community and we have to find a common ground."[F2[ Young started it and Young can stop it.[trb[ Young attended the news conference and said she supports the pastors' stance.[F2[

They are simply trying to save ....her.[trb[ "I absolutely agree with their message," Young said following the event. "This has been blown out of proportion. The problem is an unwillingness to communicate. I'm not anti-Brown or pro-administration. I'm advocating for an employee."[F2[ Nonsense[trb[

Brown said she spoke to Randolph about the matter this week but was not told about the news conference. She declined comment on the ongoing legal battle or the news conference.[F2[ Class.[trb[

City Administrator Darryl Buchanan said he was on hand representing Mayor Don Williamson, who also has battled with Brown in the past.[F2[ Nothing else to do?[trb "Clergy has always been in the forefront on issues viewed as divisive," Buchanan said. "The mayor is grateful for their involvement to assist with a resolution. ... He wanted me to keep my thumb on the pulse of this situation."[F2[ Words 37 SUBSTANCE 0[trb[

Posted here by Terry Bankert ...GOOD LUCK
http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference,
http://www.michigandems.com/join.html —
[f1[ The Flint Journal http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/03/us_labor_department_stake_over.html [F2[ The Flint Journal http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/03/in_flint_top_pastors_call_on_y.html [R[ Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSN1444309320080315

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REPUBLICANS ARE BAD DOG FOOD,PRODUCT RECALL

REPUBLICANS ARE BAD DOG FOOD, PRODUCT RECALL

_______________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT! 03/14/08 EARLY POST
By Terry Bankert
http://attorneybankert.com/
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362
Full article at Flint Talk with discussion
http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=26118#26118
_______________________

"The House Republican brand is so bad right now that if it were a dog food, they'd take it off the shelf," said retiring Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), who chaired the NRCC for four years earlier this decade.[c] If they were dog food..I love this guy.[trb]

REPUBLICAN THIEF,.....OXYMORON

The former treasurer for the National Republican Congressional Committee transferred as much as $1 million in committee funds into his personal and business accounts, officials announced today, describing a scheme that could prove to be one of the largest campaign frauds in recent history. [w]

NOT US!

Several lawmakers have told Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, head of the NRCC’s auditing subcommittee, that they think money may be missing from their political committees as well.[f]

THE BUSINESS SPIRIT

For at least four years, Christopher J. Ward, who is under investigation by the FBI, used wire transfers to funnel money out of the NRCC and into other political committees he controlled, then shifted the funds into his own personal accounts, the committee said. [w] THEY DID NOT WATCH THIS GUY DURING THE ENTIRE IRAQ WAR.What was he really doing? What Republican mischief was really going on?[trb]

DECIEVED! ...WMD WAS DECIET! YOUR TOP MONEY GUY IS JUST A SCUMBAG

"The evidence we have today indicated we have been deceived and betrayed for a number of years by a highly respected and trusted individual," said Rep. Tom Cole ®-Okla.), NRCC chairman. [w]

CLIENT-10

The committee also announced that it had submitted to banks five years of audits and financial documents allegedly forged by Ward, some of which were used to secure multimillion-dollar loans. It is a violation of federal bank fraud laws to obtain loans through false statements; such crimes are punishable by up to $1 million in fines and 30 years in prison. [w]

A PARTY FULL OF ACCOUNTANTS, CLUELESS

Prior to today, the committee had not acknowledged that any money was missing. It announced Feb. 1 that it had discovered "irregularities" and had called in federal investigators to pursue a fraud case. [w]

Robert K. Kelner, a lawyer with Covington & Burling, which has been hired by the committee to oversee a forensic audit, told reporters that at this point he could say for certain only that Ward had diverted "several hundred thousand dollars" in unauthorized payments dating to 2004.[w]
Diverted is a soft word, this Republican committed felony embezzlement.[trb]

However, he said that the year-end report filed with the Federal Election Commission in 2006 overstated the NRCC's actual cash on hand by $990,000. [w]

That might be the upper level of how much money Ward allegedly skimmed from NRCC coffers, but Kelner said forensic auditors need to keep "drilling down" to determine how much was inappropriately taken and how much might have been the result of sloppy bookkeeping. [w]

HE WAS ...THE MAN

Kelner said that Ward had the sole power at the NRCC to use wire transfers to shift money into any accounts he wanted. "He was able to get a wire transfer without getting a second sign-off," Kelner said. [w]

After allegedly transferring the NRCC money into accounts he controlled, Ward would move it from those GOP committees into either his political consulting business or his personal bank accounts, Kelner said. [w]

These joint committees from which Ward allegedly diverted funds include committees set up to raise money for an annual dinner with President Bush put on by the NRCC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Those dinners usually meant millions of dollars from the Republican campaign committees. [p]

Ronald Machen, Ward's attorney, has declined comment on the ongoing investigation.[w]

IF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY CANNOT MANAGE ITS OWN MONEY HOW CAN IT MANAGE OURS?

The NRCC, which has been trailing badly its Democratic counterpart in the pursuit of campaign cash, had less than $5.7 million cash on hand Jan. 31, rather than the initial reported total of more than $6.4 million. [w]

The Post reported today that Ward has served as treasurer for 83 committees that raised more than $400 million this decade. The NRCC investigation has sparked widespread jitters among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill. [w]

THE DAM BROKE

What might set this investigation apart from previous confirmed cases of political embezzlement is the sheer number of clients Ward served. Drawing on at least 15 years of experience in the complexities of campaign finance laws, he built a reservoir of trust among House Republicans. [w]

BEST AT HELPING HIMSELF..A REPUBLICAN TRADITION

"We were told he was the guy that handled all the campaign committees, he was the best," said Rep. Peter T. King (N.Y.). [w]

King said in an interview that he has discovered that Ward paid himself $6,000 in consulting fees from King's political action committee in 2007 -- though King believed that he had shuttered the committee early last year. Upon learning of the NRCC investigation, King said he found that his PAC remained open all last year. Ward paid himself the fees from King's PAC, which received just three contributions and dispensed one check last year, FEC records show. [w]

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

In an election year that holds dismal prospects for congressional Republicans, possible financial problems at the cash-strapped NRCC are the last thing the GOP needed. [w] It's a pretty good idea to me.[trb]

BRAND WELL EARNED, ..BOW WOW BOW WOW ..the Dog Food Party!

"The House Republican brand is so bad right now that if it were a dog food, they'd take it off the shelf," said retiring Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), who chaired the NRCC for four years earlier this decade. [w]

HE WILL JOIN WITH THEM IN HADIES

The recently indicted Rep. Rick Renzi (Ariz.) and now imprisoned former congressman Robert W. Ney (Ohio), as well as less controversial lawmakers with minor accounting problems, are among the many members of the GOP delegation who turned to Ward to keep them out of trouble with FEC regulators. [w]

SCANDALS ARE JUST A ROUTINE THING FOR REPUBLICIANS.

The financial woes are the latest blow to a congressional Republicans still reeling from earlier scandals, which some members blame for the Democratic takeover of Congress.[c]

LETS COUNT THE OTHER REPUBLICIAN BOTTOM FEEDERS

1.Former Majority Leader Tom DeLay resigned in 2006 to battle a money-laundering indictment in his home state of Texas,
2.and Rep. Bob Ney, the former chairman of the House Administration Committee, pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the scandal surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.[c]

3.This year, Rep. John Doolittle, a California Republican whose ties to Abramoff are under scrutiny, announced in January that he will not seek re-election. [c]

4.And in February, a federal grand jury indicted Arizona Rep. Rick Renzi on charges that he promised to support legislation in exchange for a land deal that netted him more than $700,000.[c]

JUST A REGULAR GUY

With a wife and three children, a Volvo sport-utility vehicle and a house in Bethesda, Ward was the classic anonymous party bureaucrat. [w]

LOW LIFE BEGINNING AND END

After receiving his undergraduate degree in political science from what was then Towson State University in 1990, Ward began working in lower-level Republican politics. In the early 1990s, he moved to the compliance side of fundraising dinner committees, the small orbit of staff who ensure that the aides raising and spending donations do so within federal election laws, according to several former NRCC officials. [w]

By the mid-1990s, he started working full time in the compliance shop of the NRCC, gaining an increasing amount of trust from senior staff members, former co-workers said. Lawmakers facing troubles with the FEC, as Renzi did shortly after he won election in 2002, were steered to Ward for help. [w]

MR.FIXIT, WENT TO WORK ON THEM

"He was known as a fix-it guy, and he was known for being good at it," said one former NRCC aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. [w]

Ward was assistant treasurer for the NRCC for half a dozen years, then was promoted to treasurer in 2003, the former officials said, putting him on equal footing with the directors of finance, communications, political operations and legal counsel. [w]

In a system that was designed to prevent fraudulent spending, former aides said that Ward's signature was the last of the four or five required on most major expenditures. [w]

Of the four campaign committees run by House and Senate members, the NRCC raised the largest amount of money by far during House Republicans' 12-year reign on Capitol Hill. Contributions to the committee totaled more than $368 million during the years Ward was treasurer. [w]

Former co-workers and lawmakers said they saw no signs that Ward would ever be the subject of an investigation like this one. Several suggested that he was a workaholic who was in the office 14 hours on some days. [w]

In 2005, 2006 and most of 2007, the NRCC paid Ward paid $80,000 to $90,000 a year, but he was one of only two full-time aides there who were allowed to work as an outside consultant to lawmakers. That doubled his salary, according to a review of records compiled by CQ MoneyLine, a Web site that tracks campaign finances. [w]

Last year, for example, Ward's consulting firm collected $100,000 from the 19 PACs and committees for which he served as treasurer. In October, Ward left the NRCC as treasurer but remained on the payroll as a $7,500-a-month consultant.[w]

AN INKLING

The first inkling of trouble came when Conaway took over the NRCC's auditing subcommittee in early 2007. A certified public accountant himself, Conaway said in interviews that he asked for something considered routine in the corporate world: an audit of NRCC books for the previous year by an outside firm and a meeting with the auditors. [w]

"My expectation was that that frank meeting would take three minutes," Conaway said. [w] Instead, Ward kept putting him off, he said. "Okay, we'll get it for the next meeting, we'll get it for you," Ward said, according to Conaway, who became suspicious of what he described as Ward's "passive aggressive" behavior. [w]

He said Ward avoided the issue for months, until January, when Ward told Conaway that he and GOP lawmakers would meet with auditors. But Ward canceled the meeting 30 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. [w]

FABRICATED AUDITS

Republicans called the outside firm and found out that no audits had been done since 2003. After looking at the documents Ward had given them for each year, they determined that he had fabricated them, according to Davis and other officials with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. [w]

Davis, who now chairs an executive committee that serves as the NRCC board, said that for several years, Ward turned over documents to lawmakers that appeared to be legitimate reviews by an outside firm. They showed accurate balance sheets. [w]

"This guy produced audits, and they looked fine," he said. [w]

In retrospect, Conaway said he wishes he had pushed Ward harder, but added that Ward had become such a trusted presence that he never doubted him or thought to examine his background.[w] "Like a lot of folks, he had grown into the job, had grown into the trust," Conaway said. "It would have been pretty weird if we had said, 'Let's do a background check.' " [w]

But now the committee is working with the FBI, which it called in as soon as officials realized that the audits may have been faked and that they may have violated bank fraud laws. The NRCC has hired an auditor to review its books and a law firm to oversee an internal investigation. [w]

REPUBLICANS COMMIT BANK FRAUD

"Any material misstatement on a bank application is a federal crime," said Stanley Brand, a Washington defense lawyer. He said the committee probably contacted the FBI in an attempt to portray itself as the victim of a crime -- punishable by as much as $1 million in fines and 30 years in prison -- and inoculate NRCC officials from prosecution. [w]

"They blew the whistle on themselves, which is what you'd do to protect yourself," he said. [w]

The committee official said that there has been no sign that the scandal has affected the committee's fundraising but that receipts have dropped since Democrats took control of Congress last year. [c]

Wachovia spokeswoman Carrie Ruddy declined to comment. An official at the Federal Election Commission, which could fine the committee if it misstated the NRCC’s financial position in monthly reports, also declined to comment.[f]

Posted here by Terry Bankert ...GOOD LUCK
http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference, LED BY SAINTS AND VISIONARIES
FORGIVE ME MARK I WAS JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME.
http://www.michigandems.com/join.html

—WHERE DID THIS STUFF COME FROM--

[p]
POLITICO http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9027.html

[w]
The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031302841.html?hpid=topnews

[c]
CNN http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/13/gop.probe/

[f]
Fortwayne.com http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080313/NEWS03/803130330

[cbs]
CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/13/politics/animal/main3933440.shtml


43646

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WHERE'S THE BEEF/

WHERE’S THE BEEF
_____________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT!
BY Terry Bankert 3/14/08
http://attorneybankert.com/
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 ___________________________
Full article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
Summary at Flint Talk with discussion
http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=26085#26085
__________________________

WE HAVE TO TRUST OUR FOOD CHAIN

Steve Mendell poured millions of dollars into stainless-steel paneling and state-of-the art cleaning systems to upgrade the decades-old meatpacking plant he has run since the late 1990s. But while Mr. Mendell focused his attention on the inside of the five-acre plant, he and other top executives at Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. spent little time monitoring the facility's outdoor cattle pens, plant employees say.[w]

WHAT EFFECT HAS BUDGET HAD ON THE REDUCTION OF MEAT INSPECTORS

The president of a slaughterhouse at the heart of the largest-ever meat recall denied under oath on Wednesday, but then grudgingly admitted, that his company had apparently introduced sick cows into the hamburger supply. [n]

How can that happen? Is there need for more regulation? He then tried to minimize the significance. [n]

Steven Mendell routinely left his million dollar Corona del Mar home at dawn – only to return late in the evening from a long day overseeing one of California's most prestigious meat packing plants.[c]

Was it new bush policy that allowed this to happen?[trb]

At the end of February, the Humane Society brought a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department over a change in its inspection rules. The group says the change made last year could make it easier for sick and injured cows to enter the food supply.[v]

THIS GUYS PLANTS HAVE KILLED BEFORE In 1993,

Mr. Mendell's company and other meat suppliers came under scrutiny when four children died and 600 other people were sickened by burgers sold by fast-food chain Jack in the Box Inc. Although the exact source of the E. coli bacteria found in the beef was never determined, Westland was among companies that settled legal claims totaling $58.5 million.[w]

THEY WERE ONLY A LITTLE SICK

The executive, Steve Mendell, of Hallmark/Westland Meat Company of Chino, Calif., said, “I was shocked. I was horrified. I was sickened,” by video that showed employees kicking or using electric prods on “downer” cattle that were too sick to walk, jabbing one in the eye with a baton and using forklifts to push animals around.[n]

WE TRUSTED HIS COMPANY

Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. was considered so safe that federal authorities used millions of pounds of its beef to feed children under the National School Lunch Program, including students in Orange County. Meat from the Chino plant also landed in sirloin patties sold at Costcoand burgers and tacos served at In-N-Out Burger and Taco Bell, both headquartered in Irvine.[c]

APPROPRIATE USE OF FORCE

The video was taken by an undercover agent from the Humane Society of the United States. One tape showed a worker using a garden hose to try to squirt water up the nose of a downed cow, a technique that Representative Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat who conducted the hearing, referred to as waterboarding. [n]

POLICY TO KEEP COWS HAPPY NOT MAD

The workers kicked them and shot water at their faces. They also used electric shocks and forklift trucks to force the animals to their feet. The Agriculture Department bans downer cattle from entering the food supply. The ban is part of measures to protect against the human version of mad cow disease.[v]

I WAS NOT THERE BUT I KNOW IT DID NOT HAPPEN

Testifying before the Oversight and Investigations Committee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Mendell, who appeared only after being subpoenaed, assured lawmakers that despite his lack of knowledge about conditions at the plant, sick animals were not slaughtered for food so no safety issue existed.[n]

Mendell, 55, has been in the beef business for at least 18 years.[o]

Much of that time he acted as a meat broker, buying carcasses or slabs of beef from slaughterhouses. His company, Westland Meat Co., processed the beef and sold it to other meat suppliers. One slaughterhouse Mendell patronized in the 1990s was Chino-based Hallmark Meat Co., owned by Donald Hallmark. [o]

OOPS! ... IT DID

But Mr. Mendell retracted the statement when shown a second video at which a “downer” cow was shocked and abused by workers trying to move it to the “kill box,” and then finally shot with a bolt gun and dragged by a chain to the processing area.[n]

HE WAS RESPONSIBLE

When Mr. Mendell told the committee he was unaware of the abuses, Mr. Stupak asked him, “What’s your curiosity, as president and C.E.O. of the company you’re responsible for?”[n]

Mr. Mendell replied that after he had seen the first video, he concluded, “it was a regulatory violation, for sure, it was inhumane treatment, for sure,” but that he did not believe it was a food safety issue until he saw the second video on Wednesday. [n]

BUT, HE IS A GOOD OLD BOY...GOT MONEY TOO!

Hallmark described Mendell as a good Christian and avid golfer who worked at least 12 hours a day. "He's a very hard worker. He's a nice man," said Hallmark.[o]

BIG MAC OR WHOPPER?

Mr. Stupak asked if one could conclude from the video that the cow dragged into the killing area had gone into the food supply. [n]

“That would be logical, sir,” Mr. Mendell replied.[n]

WEB VIDEO TELLS ALL

Mr. Mendell said he had asked for a copy of the second video but had been refused. The president of the Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle, said however, that the video had been on the group’s Web site since Feb. 19.[n]

The undercover video, shot by the Humane Society of the United States, led to the record recall of 143 million pounds of beef produced by the slaughterhouse.[c]

NOT CERTIFIED, JUST CERTIFIABLE

The undercover investigator for the Humane Society did not appear but Mr. Mendell found a way to make his identity public, seeking to contradict the investigator’s accusation that when he was hired at the plant, he had not received the required training in humane handling. Mr. Mendell volunteered that he had with him a form signed by the agent acknowledging such training. (Whether the training actually occurred was not established.)[n]

ONLY KIDS AND ELDERLY

Of the 143 million pounds of beef that were recalled, about 50 million pounds went to school lunch programs or federal programs for the poor or elderly, Mr. Stupak said. But the recall covered all the meat produced for two years, Mr. Mendell said, so most of it had already been eaten.[n]

Ding Ding Ding

The biggest threat from “downer” cattle is mad cow disease. The chairman of the full committee, Representative John Dingell, also of Michigan, said the incubation period for the human form could be 20 years.[n]

THE BEATING ARE JUST A TENDERIZER

A “downer” animal can still be slaughtered if a government veterinarian has determined the cow was fit for human consumption, but Mr. Mendell acknowledged that no veterinarian was visible on the tape. [n]

MAD COW OR JUST A LITTLE PISSED

After the testimony, Mr. Mendell’s lawyer Asa Hutchinson, a former member of Congress from Arkansas and former under secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said that Mr. Mendell still did not have all the facts about the events shown in the videotapes. Mr. Mendell made the point that parts of the animal most likely to carry the defective protein that causes mad cow were routinely removed. [n]

I WILL STAND BY MY COW

“I think there is less than a minute chance of that product being contaminated,” he said. He also produced audits from outside companies showing that the plant complied with rules on humane treatment of animals, evidence that some committee members said shook their confidence that Mr. Mendell understood the operations of his company.[n]

3 KIDS KILLED 1993

The committee is considering several remedies, including food irradiation. That would reduce the risk of contamination by e. coli, the bacterium that killed three children in a 1993 outbreak linked to the Jack in the Box restaurant chain. (Westland/Hallmark was one of the slaughterhouses closed down in that outbreak.) But it would not affect the mad cow risk.[n]

NEEDED: INSPECTORS GOT IT

Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado, has proposed improving the ability to track meat back to the slaughterhouse as well as giving the agriculture department the authority to issue recalls. That could make it easier, she said, to catch tainted meat before it was consumed, “or preferably, to deter conduct like this.” [n]

JUST DON’T ASK

A spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department, Amanda Eamich, refused any substantive comment, saying that the case was still under investigation.[n]

When food recalls are announced, they often include the names of some of the stores that were supplied with the products. But under a new state law, California has published an online list of the names, addresses and phone numbers of thousands of places affected by the beef recall. These include markets, restaurants, hotels and school systems. [c]

ITS CRIMINAL

Paul Shapiro, who oversees the Humane Society's factory farming campaign, said the abuse was a criminal act that warranted an investigation by local prosecutors, not the USDA. When asked if Mendell was present on the plant floor when the downer cows were tortured, Shapiro said: "No."[o] Then added: "The abuse was happening out in the open and wasn't a secret."[o]

Regardless of what happens next for Mendell, the damage to the packing house that still bears Hallmark's name is already done. "He had a beautiful business," Hallmark said. "But, it's lost now. Years of hard work, shot."[o]

Posted here by Terry Bankert ...GOOD LUCK 3/14/08

http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference,
http://www.michigandems.com/join.html

—WHERE DID THIS STUFF COME FROM
[n] The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/business/13meat.html?ref=us

[c] CBS News http://www.kgan.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/3bd3c759-www.kgan.com.shtml

[v] The VOA News http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2008-03-10-voa6.cfm

[trb] Comments of Terry Bankert and CAP headlines http://attorneybankert.com/

[o] OCC http://www.ocregister.com/money/mendell-hallmark-meat-1996857-plant-cows

[w] The Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120520382464126297.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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