It genuinely baffles me that there are still American citizens fighting for equal rights in the United States of America. I feel we, as a country, should have learned from our previous mistakes by now and have open minds and hearts for all. Mostly, it breaks my heart there are still millions of Americans who can not get married because they are same-sex couples. Why should I be able to marry but they cannot? Marriage is about being in love and committing the rest of your life to that person. It should not be about gender.
It was not long ago when our government believed African Americans did not deserve the same rights as white citizens in this country. African Americans were separated from white citizens as if they were an inferior race. They were worked as slaves, and then later paid next to nothing while not having the right to vote. We all know now how repulsive this way of thinking was, and we are, as we should be, disgusted by what happened. Yes, African Americans were allowed to marry one another, but interracial marriage was illegal in most states in the 1950s. There is a heart-wrenching documentary showing an interracial, Virginian couple who fought this law, taking their case to the U.S. Supreme court. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the couple which resulted in states overturning their ban on interracial marriage.
I don't understand how the government can realize how erroneous and ignorant our laws were against interracial marriage, but they do not grasp that keeping same-sex couples from getting married is equally wrong. If two people are in love, and they can legally make decisions about marriage, the government should not be able to intervene.
After allowing same-sex marriage, the government must change the federal law which defines marriage only if it is with one woman and one man being married. This inaccurate definition of what marriage should be, must be changed to allow same-sex couples the benefits of social security, tax breaks, family and medical leave, and more.
The government must realize how hypocritical this is, and we must do what we can to change these laws.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Pink Slime For School Lunch
"Lean beef trimmings" is the official term for the seven million pounds of pink slime the U.S. Department of Agriculture just purchased for our childrens' school lunches according to The Huffington Post. The article was written on March 5, 2012, and it goes into detail about how this meat is treated and processed. According to the article, "the product is a ground-up combination of beef scraps, cow connective tissues and other beef trimmings that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens like salmonella and E. coli." Perhaps to help the parents feel better, it is then mixed with ground beef and hamburger patties. This pink slime the government is using for the school lunches was rejected by Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Burger King.
Microbiologist, Carl Custer, argues that the pink slime is not real meat, as it uses connective tissues instead of muscle when it is processed. He worked at the Food Safety Inspection Service for thirty-five years, yet the USDA claims the beef meets its high standard for food safety. People are meant to believe this meat is safe, but it is made with ammonium hydroxide which can turn into ammonium nitrate. This component is used to make homemade bombs, cleaning agents and fertilizers. Although the meat is treated to kill salmonella and E. coli, there have been several cases of both pathogens found in the "lean beef trimmings" throughout the years.
What is most bothersome is that this purchase of meat comes only weeks after the government announced new guidelines for school lunches. They claim to be implementing more whole grains and produce into the lunches while discarding high sodium / fat foods.
There is a large number of schools in California fighting these issues by bringing in professionals to show the schools' cooks how to make healthier lunches for the children, and I believe this should be something done in every state.
I have no doubt this article was written to inform parents of what is going on, and I agree with the distressing horror the author displays in the facts.
Microbiologist, Carl Custer, argues that the pink slime is not real meat, as it uses connective tissues instead of muscle when it is processed. He worked at the Food Safety Inspection Service for thirty-five years, yet the USDA claims the beef meets its high standard for food safety. People are meant to believe this meat is safe, but it is made with ammonium hydroxide which can turn into ammonium nitrate. This component is used to make homemade bombs, cleaning agents and fertilizers. Although the meat is treated to kill salmonella and E. coli, there have been several cases of both pathogens found in the "lean beef trimmings" throughout the years.
What is most bothersome is that this purchase of meat comes only weeks after the government announced new guidelines for school lunches. They claim to be implementing more whole grains and produce into the lunches while discarding high sodium / fat foods.
There is a large number of schools in California fighting these issues by bringing in professionals to show the schools' cooks how to make healthier lunches for the children, and I believe this should be something done in every state.
I have no doubt this article was written to inform parents of what is going on, and I agree with the distressing horror the author displays in the facts.
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