Have yourself a Merry Little Burger.

Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | December 24, 2003 | Rush Limbaugh

[ConservativeMan55]

Have Yourself A Merry Little Burger

December 24, 2003

All the media attention over this single possible case of mad cow disease in Washington risks starting a panic, but I’m not too worried. I think that people in this country - nearly 300 million strong, I read recently - have far more awareness and consciousness than to be propelled into a panic by never-ending news coverage on a slow news day. McDonald's stock plunged nonetheless, and the $27 billion U.S. cattle industry faced beef bans.

Japan and South Korea, America's top beef buyers, halted imports, as did nations you might not think prosperous enough to import our meat: Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine and South Africa. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman urged Americans not to panic. She called the health risk "extremely low," and said it was too early to call this a "presumptive positive."

A sample of this dairy (note, not beef) bovine has been sent to Britain for confirmation. Veneman plans to serve beef for Christmas dinner. In solidarity, I ate my first lunchtime hamburger in years today. I discussed this on the phone with a vegetarian who studies the disease, and via e-mail with cattle farmers who sought to refute what I was taught in the second grade. One interesting fact is that this cow may have been slated for dog food. UPI contradicts this, saying it may have passed into the human food chain.

So don't eat your dog - or the spinal cord and brain of any potentially infected cow. Are we clear on that? Are we also clear, as one caller who said he had 30 years in the field pointed out, that your supply of vegetables is also at risk? Nobody stands up for the beef industry in this country. It's just assumed here that all beef is potentially tainted, even though we know very little about this disease and how or if it's transmitted to humans.

Eating meat is one of those politically incorrect behaviors that the mainstream press will use any excuse to jump all over. Plus, they love to scare you because it gets you watching. The safety features worked in Washington State - but they worked at Three Mile Island, too. That didn't stop the media from screaming, "Oh, what could have happened!" This country was not built by vegetarians, folks. I have no problem with those who simply don't eat meat, but I object to the militant, extreme nuts among you.

Listen to Rush...

(...discuss the discovery of mad cow disease on a single cow in Washington State)
(...pick Angela's brain, on her experience in studying mad cow as a vegetarian)
(...read some e-mails, and take more calls from experts in this field)
(...make the key distinction: this was a dairy cow slated for pet food)

Read the Articles...
(AP: Rogue Protein Lurks Behind Mad Cow)
(UPI: Japan, S. Korea ban U.S. beef imports)
(CNN: Agriculture secretary: Mad cow risk to humans extremely low)
(CTV: Borders shut to US beef over mad cow scare)
(AP: Dow sinks following news of mad cow disease)

Get Your Scientific Facts from Scientists, Not the Pretty Boys Reading Prompter...
(USDA: BSE Information and Resources)
(The Latest News from the US Department of Agriculture)

[ConservativeMan55]

Rush Ping!

Freepmail me if you would like on/off the Rush Pinglist! Search for the latest Rush Limbaugh news on Free Republic. Limbaugh Prosecutor a Janet Reno Democrat Lawyers accuse maid of blackmail. Limbaugh takes off the gloves! Limbaugh medical records ordered resealed! ACLU Offers Help to Limbaugh Rush Limbaugh Question.... Kendall Coffey Comments on the Rush Limbaugh Case Rush Limbaugh.com

[ConservativeMan55]

The Vegetarians (PETA) are going to do all they can to make the beef industry look bad and attempt to scare Americans.

[ConservativeMan55]

BTTT!!!!!!

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Hey, I asked to be included on the Rush ping list a few weeks ago. You were good forthe first couple of days, but you have not pinged me lately. What gives?

[ConservativeMan55]

Did anybody just see the impersonation of Rush Limbaugh on SNL?

[ConservativeMan55]

I'll check my file to make sure you are on it.

[ConservativeMan55]

Hmmm. I added you now. Are you sure it wasn't the other Dittohead Ping List?

This time I made sure you were added.

Thank you.

[kingu]

The media will be raging this story for the next few weeks, but not to help PETA or to support the Vegans, but because it is the latest 'crisis' that they can pounce on.

It's just like this stupid flu that's floating around with daily death toll numbers. But of course, the media is not mentioning that the numbers of dead from the flu at the end of the year will be some of the lowest ever on record.

The idiocy will continue on our nightly news, just like it always does.

[ConservativeMan55]

I can't count the number of times that I've seen that stupid cow falling down.

[Prodigal Son]

No such thing as a T-Bone steak in Great Britain any more.

[ConservativeMan55]

Nope. They've just about banned hunting over there altogether.

[kingu]

Come Monday, we'll likely have interviews from England about how they fought their Mad Cow outbreak, and interviews with 'survivors', along win random useless advice on how 'not to become a victim.'

Come Tuesday, we'll have Canada offering to slaughter whole herds in an effort to 'cleanse' the herds and calls on the United States to do the same.

Come Wednesday, we'll have a 'second suspected case' of Mad Cow that will eventually be pr oven to be nonexistent and reported on page 17.

And on Thursday, we'll hear about a lawsuit being filed on behalf of the families of the victims... Victims that don't exist, but that won't matter.

Media hysteria.. Gotta love it. You're sick of seeing the video of the cow falling down? Wait until you have to watch the nine dwarfs alternately eating beef and boycotting it at the same time.

[christiankungfu]

Like most issues, the media exists to support itself and it does so not necessarily by factual reporting, but more often by arousing the clamoring of the masses.

Those who do their homework will find that McDonalds and BurgerKing, being ubiquitious in the fast food industry, have taken measures to isolate themselves from the beef industry. Both companies long ago secured self-contained cattle sources with inspection standards beyond the industry average.

Saavy investors smiled at the media frenzy, profiting on the reactionary selling of burger and beef stocks, waiting for the Wall Street crowd to sort the details and bring stock prices back to fair value.


On a practical note....MCD exists in brain tissue, NOT muscle tissue....those nice steaks at the grocery store are perfectly safe....if the 1 in a 30 million chance at contracting mad cow scares you, just stay away from lesser sources of ground beef......use only lean ground from high quality cuts.

[longtermmemmory]

The question is whether red mean prices are going up (due to a shortage of good "clean" meat) or down (due to consumers demand dropping).

Given the commodity markets dropping, I predict that prices will drop for a brief period then go even higher than they are now.

[Positive]

"I can't count the number of times that I've seen that stupid cow falling down."

I punish FoxNews by switching to CNN for a minute every time they show that scene.

BTW how about those raggedy alquedas who run into that mud shack and shoot up an empty room every time al queda is spoken of? That or the truck with the raggedies that shoots up the empty wrecked auto then takes off leaving one raggedy behind and he goes sprinting after it?

Apparently FNC just doesn't have much file footage or they feel the need to show pictures any pictures whenever something is being discussed generically.

[ConservativeMan55]

LOL! That one and the one with the Saudi Royal family guy drinking as people go through the line to meet him.

[KneelBeforeZod]

Taiwan is not prosperous to import beef? get with the program Rush. geez.

[kingu]

Mmmm.. $25 bucks a pound Kobe beef steaks!

It'd be amusing to ring up Omaha Steaks and ask them if their orders fell apart right after the news broke or not. I've a feeling that they've been still doing fine business in anticipation of New Year's Parties.

Yes, beef prices will go up, and go up big.

[boycott]

I had a Whataburger w/ cheese add jalepenos today for lunch.