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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
 Posted - 05/07/2004 : 09:53:29
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Over in Media Issues is a thread discussing a possible Media cover-up of the government's cover-up of prison-guard abuse of prisoners. I have a possible alternative explanation.
For many years (-- decades? --) the governments of England and America have been "saving" especially "juicy" scandals to be released as a means to distract the reporting and investigative media away from an even more damaging (-- or "more delicate" --) news story.
After a while the media became chary of the appearance of particularly "juicy" news stories;---such as the "discovery" of a bunch of bare-necked Iraqi prisoners being toyed with (as in: "boy toys") by a Military Policewoman. The prisoners were in particularly disgusting poses; such as, group sex in (handcuffed) bondage.
(Does it get much juicer?) (The story has been on the front page of the Florida edition of the New York Times for the past few days,--day after day.)
Perhaps it is true that the Media have been treading lightly; have been suspicious of the government. As am I.
Off to the side, for example, is an even worse story which has been hardly even mentioned. A story of vastly greater practical importance to Americans, Europeans, and, most particularly, the children of the "third world".
I heard yesterday that the price of dairy products could be expected to as much as double over the next few months. The television news mentioned that the USDA had mandated a 50-cent increase for a gallon of milk to dairy farmers. (The rest of the [allegedly] exhorbitant price increase would presumably come from every "middle man" in the feeding chain adding on an additional nibble for his or her "fair share" of the gouge.) This story has been udderly burried under the avalanche of a couple dozen Iraqi men being forced to have simulated sex in front of the cameras.
(Who needs the Hollywood porn industry when we have M.P.s and Iraqi and Afgan prisoners?)
How serious is the government-mandated skyrocketing milk prices? Some alternative questions are: How serious are the strength of growing children's bones and teeth? How serious is the problem of disintegrating bones of elderly people? How serious is the increasing calcium requirements of women? And so forth. More pricey milk products will mean less milk products eaten and drank; and, of course, less and less calcium being consumed in an already calcium-paucious nutritional environment.
Bad. Bad. Bad. "Ole!" say the money-bags waving wads of photos of buck-necked and handsome Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by their guards under the supposedly watchful eye of a (female) Military Police Brigidier General. Wow!! No wonder the news media can ignore a nutritional catastrophe at the disaster-level of, say, Hiroshima (--in terms of lives-lost and cost).
Now THIS is what I call "Conspiracy".
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Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
 Posted - 05/07/2004 : 21:14:02 [Permalink]
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I would like to know, Computer Org, why you think it's unlikely that the "official" story - as told by CNN - is unlikely or just plain false.
As I remember it, from two days ago, it goes like this: a year or two ago, there was a dairy glut, and dairy farmers wound up selling off cows for slaughter in order to cut back production and save themselves money. Now, when dairy demand has gone up, there aren't enough cows to meet the demand (since it takes two or three years for a new cow to "come up to speed" on production), and with the summer coming and all that ice cream being eaten, prices will naturally rise.
The CNN story said nothing about middlemen or fuel prices. And it's quite possible that if the USDA did not mandate an increase (as I understand it, dairy prices have been regulated for years), lots of dairy farmers would simply sell their cows and quit the business, resulting in an even more-serious shortage than already exists.
The current problem cannot be fixed by switching more cows into the dairy business, as they wouldn't be able to help this year much at all. The current problem cannot be fixed by mandating lower dairy prices, as that would drive farmers out of business. The current problem could be helped with a (higher) governmental dairy subsidy, making up the price difference, but you don't appear to be one who wants the government meddling in these sorts of issues at all.
With those premises, it seems to me that higher dairy prices are the least "problematic" of the obvious solutions, especially since no single solution will please everybody, and (I'm guessing here) none of them please you.
Actually, given the facts as described, what sort of solution would you, Computer Org, implement to get the nation through this particular crisis?
Without mentioning more naked Iraqi prisoners anymore, that is: if that's supposed to be a distraction, then don't let it distract you from focusing on the dairy-industry question. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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