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WAGING WAR ON THE LUNCHBOX (AUSTRALIA))
NewsWithViews.com ^ | Oct. 8, 2002 | Graham Strachan

Posted on 10/08/2002 5:31:42 AM PDT by madfly

The problem with ‘post-modern’ society is there are too many people with nothing meaningful to do, building ‘careers’ around controlling the lives of others and generally making social nuisances of themselves. They justify their meddling by discovering social ‘problems’ and getting the media to magnify them out of all proportion.

The latest example in Queensland, Australia, concerns the ‘discovery’ that schoolchildren are in danger from their own lunchboxes. While millions of members of former generations ate lunch out of lunchboxes and lived to tell about it, it seems today’s mummy-chauffeured generation is at risk. A recent lunchbox survey (sic) at six Queensland schools revealed that 70 per cent of students came to school with an unhealthy lunch, according to ‘nutritionists’ from the Griffith University School of Health [The Courier Mail: Lunchboxes targeted in war on obesity, 07 October 2002].

The nutritionists want lunchboxes banned because they “may encourage youngsters to graze on snack foods.” How could a lunchbox encourage kids to graze on snack foods? According to nutritionist Shawn Somerset, “The lunchbox is a bad system, because it makes it difficult for parents to provide a healthy mix.” How could a lunchbox make it difficult for a parent to provide a healthy lunch? It seems that from the very fact that a lunchbox is a lunchbox, “It’s not surprising that the easiest food gets thrown in.”

Aha! But this is not a problem of bad parenting, or of working mums more concerned with the career than providing healthy lunches for their children. This is a lunchbox problem. The lunchbox is not only a menace in Australia. So bad is the situation in Tony Blair’s socialist paradise, that schools in Britain have begun confiscating unhealthy lunchbox items. One supposes there are people actually employed as ‘lunchbox inspectors’ with the power to ‘confiscate’. One can be sure Australia’s nutritionists would like to see similar measures adopted here, if only to bring Australia into line with growing international practice.

The nutritionists want to see Australia adopt a cafeteria system, whereby a government-funded full lunch is provided for each student. This will presumably overcome a particular problem with the lunchbox - revealed by an examination of lunchboxes at the start and end of the day - most healthy items such as fruit and vegetables were left untouched. Right. But why kids would eat with relish in a cafeteria, things they leave untouched in a lunchbox is left unexplained. It’s clear that logic is not part of the nutritionist course.

As usual, with every case of social meddling, there is the ‘growing social problem’. This time it’s ‘Australia’s growing obesity problem’. Always the scheme is justified by wildly optimistic estimates of huge cost saving somewhere else in the system. This scheme is no exception: “Obesity is expensive. We spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the health system treating diseases related to obesity.” As usual the problem is on the increase: “This is a problem now, and it’s going to be an even bigger problem in the future. The cost of putting decent meals through the school system has got to be cheaper in the long run.” Got to be, you see.

It seems a cafeteria system would also reduce the risk of another problem: according to a senior nutritionist at Nutrition Australia, there are concerns about bacterial infection when food is left to sit in a hot lunchbox. “In the Queensland climate, a chicken or meat sandwich kept at room temperature has a risk of bacterial growth.” One supposes that would apply to picnic hampers too. Is the next step to make picnic hampers illegal and force picnickers to go to cafeterias? Has nobody ever been poisoned in a cafeteria?

Lurking in the background to all this is something far more sinister than obesity: a thing called Agenda 21, adopted illegally by Australia at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, never debated in any parliament, and being implemented in Australia by stealth. One stage of that programme concerns the regulation of ‘Patterns of Human Consumption’ – controlling what people are allowed to eat. As in all United Nations social programmes, the targetting of women and children is emphasised. Expect more of this type of activity as funds flow into universities for projects of this nature. Absolutely nothing human beings do is to be left uncontrolled.

© 2002 Graham Strachan- All Rights Reserved

Graham Strachan is a lawyer, author and international speaker on globalization and world affairs who lives in Queensland, Australia. Buy his books at www.grahamstrachan.com



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: australia; earthsummit; governmentcontrol; homeschool; parentalrights; riosummit; schoollunches; socialists
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Expect more of this type of activity as funds flow into universities for projects of this nature. Absolutely nothing human beings do is to be left uncontrolled.

Checked out any College course catalogs lately?

1 posted on 10/08/2002 5:31:42 AM PDT by madfly
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To: Free the USA; Carry_Okie; 2Jedismom; 2sheep; 4Freedom; Aliska; Alabama_Wild_Man; Aquinasfan; ...
ping
2 posted on 10/08/2002 5:33:15 AM PDT by madfly
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To: TonyWojo; FreedomFriend; ppaul
ping
3 posted on 10/08/2002 5:34:13 AM PDT by madfly
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4 posted on 10/08/2002 5:37:44 AM PDT by Mo1
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To: madfly
Some 7 years ago, the pubic skool my son went to wouldn't allow "sugary" foods in the lunchbag.

He always had a (vitamin enriched) beverage, a sandwich usually of meat, cheese and lettuce [sometimes tomato], another item such as yogurt, jello w/fruit or just some fruit or cheese crackers and a "dessert" [ah, the sugar]. Something to look forward to at lunch. No, no, not good [realizing some children shouldn't have sweets, all children had to suffer].

Mommy-state, save us from ourselves please!

5 posted on 10/08/2002 5:39:34 AM PDT by fone
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To: madfly
The sky is falling and the do-gooders are here to help.
6 posted on 10/08/2002 5:55:44 AM PDT by metesky
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To: madfly
That first paragraph really says it all.
7 posted on 10/08/2002 6:10:31 AM PDT by babyface00
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: madfly
This doesn't have any thing to do w/ this story but what does.... (sic) ..... stand for? I see it quite a bit.
9 posted on 10/08/2002 6:17:31 AM PDT by OXENinFLA
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To: madfly
Yee-haw! Us smokers/smoker sympathizers are laughing our asses off!

Everytime cigarette taxes are raised, I want a corresponding increase in the taxes levied on ice cream.

And after that, I want a study done on the dangerous chemicals in hair dye.

10 posted on 10/08/2002 6:21:50 AM PDT by TontoKowalski
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To: madfly
The communists-socialists already succeeded here in the US... some schools have breakfast, lunch and even dinner.

Anything to keep the kid from seeing his parents as his providers... and to convince him or her the state shall provide.

If Australia does this it will eventually grow to be the same monstrosity it is here.

My lunches were in a small cooler and I wouldn't have traded it for anthying in the world. My folks usually put an egg, peanut butter (*dreaded right-wing killer peanuts, now banned), or ham sandwich (*Islamic terrorist deterrent) , or even shrimp we'd bring back from the Gulf; fruit, salads, a thermos of soup and I'd buy milk or bring tea. Once in a while mom would make strawberry pie and throw that in. Beats the heck out of the filthy substandard crap the cafeteria was serving.

11 posted on 10/08/2002 6:50:06 AM PDT by piasa
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To: OXENinFLA
sic adv : intentionally so written
12 posted on 10/08/2002 6:52:34 AM PDT by madfly
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To: OXENinFLA
"sic" is Latin for "thus" or "so".

In this instance the use of (sic) indicates that the quote is EXACTLY as written (it's usally done to leave visible to the reader any spelling or grammatical errors that were in the original).

Regards,
13 posted on 10/08/2002 6:59:04 AM PDT by VermiciousKnid
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To: piasa
Tea!? You were allowed to have Tea!?
14 posted on 10/08/2002 7:22:51 AM PDT by ladylib
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To: piasa
Our schools are now going to offer breakfast to poor kids and to children of parents who are just so busy in the morning, what with getting ready for work and school, that they just really don't have the time to prepare any type of breakfast.

A lot of principals are not happy with it.
15 posted on 10/08/2002 7:24:44 AM PDT by ladylib
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To: VermiciousKnid
In this instance the use of (sic) indicates that the quote is EXACTLY as written (it's usally (sic) done to leave visible to the reader any spelling or grammatical errors that were in the original).

Sorry. It was just standing there asking to be done.

16 posted on 10/08/2002 7:36:43 AM PDT by T. P. Pole
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To: VermiciousKnid
Oh, that's all. Thanks.
17 posted on 10/08/2002 7:38:33 AM PDT by OXENinFLA
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To: ladylib
parents who are just so busy in the morning, what with getting ready for work and school, that they just really don't have the time to prepare any type of breakfast.

They really gotta get rid of that law that makes it illegal for parents to get up before 6:30 AM. If they were just allowed to get up a little earlier, at 6:00 AM, they would have plenty of time to fix junior's lunch.

18 posted on 10/08/2002 7:42:09 AM PDT by gridlock
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To: madfly; dd5339
Gee, first they banned the guns...now it's lunchboxes! How stupid can they get??!
19 posted on 10/08/2002 8:01:44 AM PDT by Vic3O3
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To: madfly
Now, why did you have to go and confuse me like that?

I thought this story was about some stupid, ignorant Aussies pissed off at Kevin Smith.

20 posted on 10/08/2002 8:48:19 AM PDT by Houmatt
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