US finally finds native case of mad cow!

[kato]

Absolutely, that is the role of government.

The big question is, does our government fulfill it's role?

[kato]

cswilson - I am sorry for my reactionary name calling. I'm as redneck as the next guy and should take a bit of time after reading some of rsomers BS before posting my own.

Yes rsomer, it is policy change that is needed. Major policy change. The fact that Canada is telling the Japanese to make an excetion for Canadian Beef while upholding our own rules to keep their "tainted beef" out is ludacrous.
If testing is to be allowed, of course it will need to be legislated. And to ever get close to that point it needs to be a raised through a democratic process. I have appreciated your arguements all along, but sooner or later your words could change a bit to help this call for freedom.

[grassfarmer]

C'mon rsomer, that gave me a chuckle! The fact that Pearl Harbour happened because the US put a trade embargo on the Japanese? The Japanese must have been trying some major trade expansions around then when they similarily "fell out" with Burma, Thailand, Viet Nam and the rest of the far east and had their eyes set on Australia and India as well.

[cswilson]

Was talking to a brand inspector and he told me that alot of the smaller abbatoirs could be slaughtering for resale but there aren't enough meat inspectors to go around-everything is in place just nobody to do carcass inspections-maybe the gov. could address that issue. Also RP the fact that we aren't allowing Japanese beef in while begging at their door is patently absurd-I don't blame them for blocking our access. Guess I'll see everybody at Saskatoon on Wednesday.

[cswilson]

Was talking to a brand inspector and he told me that alot of the smaller abbatoirs could be slaughtering for resale but there aren't enough meat inspectors to go around-everything is in place just nobody to do carcass inspections-maybe the gov. could address that issue. Also RP the fact that we aren't allowing Japanese beef in while begging at their door is patently absurd-I don't blame them for blocking our access. Guess I'll see everybody at Saskatoon on Wednesday.

[cowman]

The fact is the federal government has not protected our interests? What have they done? Have they filed a suit against the USA under NAFTA or any other trade organizations? Now I might be just a dumbie but I suspect they could have done a lot more?
How come the US can do outrageous things like the corn deal two years ago and our useless bunch of bums in Ottawa do nothing? If the shoe was on the other foot the US would have had the darned tariffs up the next day...and if they lost a year later who would care?
We are a mouse sleeping with the elephant! That does not mean we are powerless! We have things the elephant needs...and I'm not necessarily talking about raw materials!
How about this fact: Other than the UK, we are about the only nation in the world that doesn't hate their guts? Maybe we need to start playing a little hard ball with Uncle Sam? Can America afford to lose its only friend in the world?

[whiteface]

I sure agree cswilson that not allowing in Japan meet while we position oursleves to ask them to take ours is hypocritical on a good say and downright shameful on any other day. Aren't we taking American meat AND LIVE CATTLE these days while they refuse ours???!!!! You know that whole ploy a month or so ago where if we relaxed our "science" they would too and then R-calf stepped in? Why are we worshipping them and not Japan? This is going to make us look stupid at best if we don't consider seriously who we want to crawl into bed with and then nurture that relationship rather than acting flaky like the States are famous for.

[whiteface]

No they sure can't afford to lose us cowman and I want our politicians to stand up for our country and demand better treatment for us. I like your sign rpkaiser, and thanks for letting me know he acknowledged you, makes me feel a little more confident in voting for him. I like his platform of our country counting for something in big decisions, that even if we argue we don't have to be arguementive. I want that to mean that he will work to help us achieve some independance as a country while still being able to work with others, on all issues not just BSE.

[rsomer]

Grassfarmer: You will be interested in this story from the BBC, December 7, 1941. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/7/newsid_3494000/3494108.stm

Beginning of Paste: Details of the attack in Hawaii are scarce but initial reports say Japanese bombers and torpedo-carrying planes targeted warships, aircraft and military installations in Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, the principal island of Hawaii.

News of the daring raid has shocked members of Congress at a time when Japanese officials in Washington were still negotiating with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull on lifting US sanctions imposed after continuing Japanese aggression against China. End of paste.

These sanctions revolved around scrap steel. Historians point out the role that steel had in the U.S. not entering the war sooner than they did. Of course Japans bombing of Pearl Harbour forced the Americans hand. The role trade played in World War II is now often overlooked.

[grassfarmer]

More than trade they were looking to take over some more territory though - much the same as the Germans at the same time. They kind of thought the world needed a bit more of their domination.

[BWC]

The history report is very interesting , but I fail to see what in the *%$# it has to to with improving our situation as producers. Don't get me wrong history and knowledge are important, but I think that is a part of our problem at every level one group goes one way and another goes a different way , and then someone in the middle, stands up and provides a total distraction to the situation at hand. The important chronology with the Japanese is that we reproted a case of BSE on May 20/2003, they wanted to be a part of walking us thru the first steps of CFIA investigations... we sent them packing, on top of keeeping the gates closed to their insignificant few tonnes of tested safe beef, and on top of that the North American industry tells them they are unreasonable. Now if I were a Japanese official I might just have a jaded view of this situation too. Way too much emphasis is being put on the Japanese market there are other countries in the Pacific Rim, maybe some talk with these countries would bear fruit. My apologies for the rant but all of us seem to get caught up in meaningless disractions , if we do not work together towards common goals for the beef industry, the fanily farm will disappear, yours , mine and everyone elses. Personal survival is most certainly the number 1 goal in everyones mind right now, but we are all all in the same boat let's start talking about positive solutions, rather than history lessons.

[grassfarmer]

BWC , sorry if my postings offend you by not being relevant but sometimes points are raised in a thread that seem factually incorrect to me as was the case here with rsomer. I think it is my right to respond to these if I want to - bottom line as you will discover once you visit this site more often is that many "side issues" are raised and discussed and that is good as it relieves the tension we are all feeling at the moment. You needn't tell me to focus on the BSE issue, I dealt with that for 14 years in the UK before moving here and believe me after a while you realise you need occasional distractions.