Pesticide Makers To Michelle Obama: Please Grow Tasteless, Chemically-Soaked Food

by tristero

Looks like pesticide makers have been spraying themselves silly with their own products: Their brains have rotted. Go ahead, read the letter The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) sent to Michelle Obama. It would be funny if it weren’t for the simple fact that it’s not in the slightest bit funny, given the unbelievably unhealthy way we Americans typically grow, distribute, and consume our food:

As you go about planning and planting the White House garden, we respectfully encourage you to recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S in feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy and providing a safe and economical food supply.

For some reason or another, the letter fails to mention the latest recall of pistachios or a recent report that food safety is no longer improving:

Roughly 76 million people in the United States suffer foodborne illnesses each year, 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die, according to C.D.C. estimates. Children younger than 4 are sickened by food more than those in any other age group, but adults over age 50 suffer more hospitalizations and death as a result of food-related infections.”

It should be mentioned that most of the food safety issues are the result of growing food industrially, as monocultures, not simple organic gardens like the one at the White House. And pesticides used in the vast quantities in which they are used to maintain these artificial monocultures contribute in numerous ways to undermining the quality of our food. See The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, for example.

Never mind. They were so proud of their letter that they forwarded it to their supporters with a cover letter that asked:

Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an “organic” garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama’s and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder.

You can sign a petition to oppose these creeps here. I strongly suggest you do.