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  • Carol Hartsell
  • Member Since Aug 26th, 2008

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Recent Comments:

Things Guys Shouldn't Do in Public. Ever. {Lemondrop}

Feb 19th 2009 4:30PM Silly, zippy, I use my vagina for sex, so I don't have to take the stick out. In fact, the stick makes it better!

Thanks for reading!

The 51 Hottest Politicians in America {Lemondrop}

Oct 23rd 2008 1:08PM Congressman Artur Davis, Alabama:
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/01/large_davis012908.jpg

HOT.

Just Because It's 'Organic' Doesn't Mean It's Better {Lemondrop}

Sep 18th 2008 1:01PM I agree that the word organic has become more of a catch-all marketing term that can sometimes disguise just as many problems as non-organic products. The greater issue, which addresses the concerns you mention about the global food crisis, is sustainability. Whole Foods sells organic products that have traveled thousands of miles to get to your table, using fossil fuels, cheap labor and putting small family farms out of business. I'm happy to pay more for wholesome food even if I don't have a lot of money, but I would rather pay it to a local farmer than Whole Foods. Big organic is just as counterproductive at this point as Big Industrial.

The more we support the farmers closest to us, the more we promote a healthy, self-sustaining community.

On top of that, our corn industry is in horrid disrepair, forcing farmers to grow as much as possible for the cheapest price, wearing down their soils and putting themselves out of business. We produce corn for everything from feeding cattle, which they do not eat naturally so we have to pump them with antibiotics so they can "stomach" it, to producing ethanol for our cars. Meanwhile, global poverty is at a devastating high.

My point is, we actually have to start putting MORE thought into the kinds of food we eat and how it's grown and where, rather than make excuses for going back to eating the hormone and fatty corn infused ground beef from Costco. I'm a vegetarian who is having to go back and rethink all of my choices based on a more nuanced world view than simply, "I don't feel ok about eating animals." Believe me, it sucks. But we no longer have the luxury of making excuses.

At the risk of making a suggestion that almost everyone in this kind of discussion makes, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It's extremely eye-opening and it addresses exactly what you're talking about here, as well as many other issues.