Courtesy of Salon:
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples recently published an op-ed in the Austin American-Statesman in which he condemned school districts that instituted a “Meatless Monday” program, which involves cafeterias serving vegetarian fare one day per week. On Monday, Fox News hosts Steve Doocy and Elisabeth Hasselbeck invited Staples to back up his views on the air:
“Our schools are doing a really fantastic job of meeting the nutritional needs and educational needs of our kids,” said Staples. “But what we have here is a ‘Meatless Mondays’ campaign that’s really an agenda-driven campaign. And the people who are behind this, they don’t want you to not just eat meat one day a week, but seven days a week. Obesity and unhealthy lifestyles are caused because of inactivity and because of not having a balanced diet. It’s just sending the wrong message to our kids. This is not about meat– it’s about hunger, and we need to educate our kids the right way and not have agenda-driven campaigns.”
“So you say that Meatless Mondays are brainwashing?” Doocy asks.
“Clearly it is because we know that a balanced diet is what children need. And the people that are pushing this are saying that having Meatless Monday options is somehow a healthier option menu and that it’s better for the environment. This all stems from anti-animal agriculturalists who are trying to blame animals for some of our environmental problems… They shouldn’t castigate one type of food category and give the false impression to our kids that this is healthier for the environment and healthier for them as individuals.”
Yes leave it to a Texas Agriculture Commissioner to freak out about the idea of less meat being served in schools. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that Texas is the leader in livestock production in this country?
As you may remember Fox News also recently warned us that teachers were sending students home with less homework to limit parental involvement in their school work.
Gee where would we be without Fox News hysterically warning us about imaginary dangers in our public schools?
What's next, are they going to warn us that too much PE time is wearing out children's bodies prematurely?
POUTrage: It's the new black.
ReplyDeleteI always love this outrage over school lunch..send your kid in with a big bologna sandwich and cow pies if you want...school lunch is not mandatory. To quote one of my favorite kids' books "Big Dog, Little Dog" 'why make big problems out of little problems?'
ReplyDeleteLOVED that book! I actually used that book as a teaching tool with my children. To this day, when one of them faces a problem, they quote that book. Good wisdom there.
DeleteKeep in mind that Staples opted not to run for reelection as Ag Commissioner so that he could run for Lt Gov. When he was soundly defeated in the primaries for that position, he realized that he was out of a job come November. This is just him shilling for a job with one of the big ag lobbies, most likely the beef industry.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, even in red Texas, he's been pretty universally mocked.
Eat, wat O/T, but the UK Daily Mail still this morning is featuring the hot and disheveled Sarah leaving her yoga class as the top story right now. Seen by millions around the globe..
ReplyDeleteIt will take a brilliant p.r. Operative -- one the Palins can't afford -- to cover up the brawl (any and all of the versions) and the stark photos of Sarah sweaty, without makeup or eyeglasses
News of the brawl brought out the press. Another consequence that comes with fame or public recognition. Can't have it both ways.
DeleteWhile in New York City my daughter and I turned a corner to see people gathering on the sidewalks. We noticed a few men with cameras including telescopic lenses. Someone said Ruhanna was going to come out of the building. We also noted big burly men by the awaiting SUV. Rihanna followed some others out. A photographer on a bike high tailed it close to the bumper.
Our take was that if one is famous they can't slap their hair back, pull on clothes and go out to buy milk for their coffee. Someone will take your photo.
If you and your family are making headlines over an incident it is prudent to be prepared for reporters and photographers.
When the hell did Texas conservatives-- much less Faux & Fiends-- start caring about children's dietary standards? What happened to their campaign to demonize, defund, and eliminate the insidious socialist fiasco that is the school lunch program? How are my children supposed to build character and American work-ethics on a full stomach?!?
ReplyDeleteOh great.... Now I know what will be appearing in letters to the editor and the anonymous Sound Off column my local paper. It's like clock work- the crap the FOX news entertainers spew is taken as gospel by their fans and the old folks think everything is a communist plot to rake away their freedoms!
ReplyDeleteLet's face it: the fact that the righties are slashing school district funding right and left, that the schools haven't been able to afford decent meat for YEARS, and that veggies might be a cheaper, safer, or better alternative than the pink slime they were formerly serving couldn't have had anything to do with it, now could it?! ;-)
DeleteLook carefully behind every rightie pout rage, and you will usually find that the problem complained of was caused by rightie behavior.
And what sort of "meat" are they eliminating? Have you ever seen what goes into a chicken nugget?
ReplyDeleteLook up synonyms for "shameless".....they all apply....
ReplyDeleteGood, on you, Fox News! Clearly if these innocent children are forced to forgo meat for one meal, one day a week, America as a nation will die! These are just the kids that can afford to BUY their school lunches, of course. Those kids who "need" free or reduced-price lunches better bring their toilet brushes and some Comet to school with them so they can clean the restrooms to earn their lunches! Which of course should be a slice of moldy bread and a cup of water. 'Cause, FUCK poor kids and their "need" to eat, amirite??
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this has GOT to be the most worthless morning "news" show in existence.
They really need to change their names from Fox News to The Chicken Little Channel
ReplyDeleteOh my, so now being vegan is what? A terrorist plot? LMAO!
ReplyDeleteListen, we raise our own meat, hunt a good share of it too and yes, even we sworn carnivores have meatless meals( gasp) one or two nights a week. Not for any other reason than I think quality of meat over quantity is part of a balanced diet. Now I do have to admit our meatless meals are rarely on monday because we always fix a huge meal on Sundays and eat leftovers on Monday.
Bunch of water-heads.
ReplyDeleteA cup of tomato soup and a grilled-cheese sandwich make a meatless lunch. So does a bean-and-cheese burrito. So does a hummus-and-pita-chips plate. And a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich with a cup of vegetable soup. Any of those have to be more appetizing than pink slime.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I went to school under St. Ronnie Ray-gun's reign, where ketchup was a vegetable, and so you could have your greasy, slimy tater tots *or* ketchup, but not both.
I tell you why school districts across the nation are embracing meatless Monday.
ReplyDeleteIt's cheap.
It stretches the cafeteria budget, which like all other school budgets, has stagnated or even been cut over the years.
If Republicans don't like it, they can PAY enough to allow school cafeterias to provide the wholesome, homemade hot lunches they remember as kids. No cafeterias in my district cook any more. It's all pre-packaged crap because that is cheap. They don't need labor to cook, they just need a few people to bag and distribute.
Taking meat out of the menu for a day stretches that piss poor food budget even further.
Look for meatless Fridays returning too. Then they can scream the schools are turning all the students Catholic.
I was just going to mention meatless Fridays in my public elementary school in the 60's. They were every Friday. Wasn't that discrimination against non-Catholic kids? Yet there was never any fuss about it.
ReplyDeleteI rember those Fridays! I was not Catholic, but thought not eating meat on Fridays was the norm.
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