Chinese Using Trojan Horse?

Who needs guns when you can poison a nation... and better yet, they ask to be poisoned? Remember the Trojan horse scenario? Not only do we get gifts with hidden toxins, but we in turn go out and buy them to give. Our kids are playing with lead covered toys with who knows what kind of cumulative affect. We're brushing our teeth with anti-freeze laden toothpaste from China.

Yes, I understand that most likely it simply boils down to the Chinese having lower standards than we do, but still the end result is the same. We are eating lead, our pets are suffering and people are being killed. Yep, killed.

What will be the long term affect on our economy? Have you ever thought about how much it costs a company to have an item recalled? What impact does a recall have on a company's public image when consumers see an empty shelf with a recall note on it at the grocery store? How many parents have stopped buying any item made in China as a result of the large number of lead paint toy recalls?

I know it's a wild thought that keeps going through my mind (at least I hope it is), but, in addition to all the problems with tainted products from China, think about how much of our country is being bought by companies based in other countries. I heard, but haven't verified, that we had to borrow money from China for the rebate the government dished out to try and get us out of the current financial downturn?

We all go merrily on our way, buying this, buying that without paying much attention. Are we someday going to look back and see that our own indulgence resulted in the downfall of this great country?

I'm great at seeing potential problems or possible conspiracy theories. However, it's too big a problem for little ol' me sitting here typing away at the computer. In today's world a true conspiracy talked about on the Internet gets lost among those imagined and those tossed out in malice.

I'm watching what I buy these days. But I do it with the knowledge that while I may be protecting the health of my family to some degree, I can't know which product will be a Trojan horse. I also do it knowing that by avoiding items made in China, I'm hurting businesses here in the United States.

Tainted Chinese imports spur calls to protect consumer
Toxic blood thinner may have killed as many as 81 people, US says.
Lead in toys. Melamine in pet food. Toxic chemicals in toothpaste. And now, tainted pharmaceuticals.
The unfolding scandal of contaminated blood thinner from China is the latest in a string of revelations about dangerous imports from a country that has risen to become manufacturer to the world.
US lawmakers now are pushing for more protection for American consumers, as hearings in Congress this week have made clear. Even the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says he needs more money – and a new approach – to try and ensure that products entering the country are safe.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0424/p02s02-usgn.html

From June 2007: Throw away Chinese toothpaste, FDA warns
Products may contain poisonous chemical used in antifreeze
The government warned consumers on Friday to avoid using toothpaste made in China because it may contain a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze.
Out of caution, the Food and Drug Administration said, people should throw away toothpaste with labeling that says it was made in China. The FDA is concerned that these products may contain diethylene glycol.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18985512/

I'm not Catholic Bill Maher

I'm not Catholic Bill Maher, but I won't be watching your show ever again.

In this particular case, I think Protestants should stand with Catholics in letting their displeasure at Maher's statements regarding the Pope and Catholics be known. I plan to do so and I'm going to, as a friend says, put some feet with my words. I'm ditching HBO unless they ditch Maher.

I had heard the one snippet that's being played on television news until just a few minutes ago. I was shocked. But when I popped over to YouTube and listened to the entire rant by Maher, I was abhorred.

Maher plans to apologize tonight. There is no apology that Maher can make that will ever convince me that he is sincere. He was sincere when he spewed his hateful monologue. Even the studio audience seemed to be taken aback by what he had to say. Watch the clip I'm posting below, listen to the laughter when he trashes the sect in Texas, then hear the laughter when he goes after Christianity.

And yes, when Maher took on the Pope, he took on ALL Christians. Protestant roots are firmly entrenched in the Catholic Church. There are disagreements in many areas, if there weren't we'd still all be Catholic, but we're all Christians. We all believe in the same God. I know everyone gets sidetracked on technical issues... but honestly folks, do you really think when you're standing at the pearly gates someday that you'll hear "Oh, you believed in being baptized when you came of age --- you're wrong, you should have baptized your children at birth. Sorry, can't come in."

I took a side trip with that, didn't I? Back to Maher and his comments...

I'll be zapping an email to HBO letting them know I'm discontinuing my subscription unless they discontinue Maher. If they get enough flack, they'll cut him. But watch out, he'll either pop up somewhere else, or he'll be back on HBO after they think the stink has died down.

Here's the entire clip:

Boycotts... do they work?

I've often wondered about boycotts of products, whether they have an impact or not. I've seen that bombarding companies with letters, phone calls, faxes and emails can work. I know that our politicians can be swayed at times when they're inundated with the same. But how successful are boycotts?

I have participated at times in a boycott of a product, but I get lazy after a while and sooner or later usually start buying the product again. Sometimes I find a new product to replace it and don't go back. However, even when I've decided to stop buying something, I've never followed up to see if it had any impact.

I would think that a boycott would have a much higher chance of succeeding if participants took the time to contact the company in question and let them know they wouldn't be buying whatever it was along with a reason for doing so.

Which reminds me. A few years or so ago I received an email about some company doing something that I thought was horrible. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was right now (brain is falling asleep, fingers are continuing to type). Anyway, I sent the company an email about whatever it was and received a very nice reply almost immediately with sufficient information to convince me they were not the big bad guys portrayed in the email. They sent links and documentation supporting their assertion, which I researched. I "assume" the email is still making the rounds, and that it was started either as a prank or by a disgruntled customer. What a devious way to get back at a company!

The following boycott is one I'll have an easy time participating in since I haven't bought a bottle of vodka in so long I can't remember the number (given that I couldn't remember the company I wrote about in the last paragraph are any of you surprised?).

I have been getting friends to move their accounts from Bank of America though. I had a problem with them before they started chasing after illegals. Clark Howard, of WSB Radio Atlanta fame, had a run in with them that showed me their true colors. Some kid got thrown in jail for cashing a check the bank told him to cash... they then went after him. It's a detailed story that I can't remember (that was a joke, I do happen to remember that one ;-). It is a long story though and if I remember at some point in the future I'll write about it! I only wish I'd had an account with them so I could have pulled my money out!

Which reminds me of another quick story. A friend of mine was sharing that she was getting ready to move her account from her bank. First, she was piling up as much money in the account as she could just so she would have the satisfaction of being able to walk in the bank one day and tell them to hand it all over! She's hoping they'll ask her why, and blanch when they see the amount she's taking with her. Love it!

I'm done. Here's the article:

100 American Organizations Launch Boycott of Absolut Vodka!

Over 100 American organizations dedicated to border security and the enforcement of existing immigration laws launched a nationwide boycott of Absolut Vodka today in response to their ad that ran in Mexico, which panders to a rising separatist movement inside the US, that is being fueled by illegal immigration.

The National Illegal Immigration Boycott Coalition (NIIBC) is known nationally for prior sustained boycotts against Miller Brewing and Bank of America for their support for illegal aliens in the US.

The NIIBC has launched a new website at www.boycottabsolut.com to inform American consumers and provide resources for citizens to engage in the boycott.

"Absolut vodka is trying to sell liquor to Mexicans that aspire to control the Southwest United States," says William Gheen of ALIPAC. "The warning signs are everywhere. Illegal immigration is creating a rising threat to our existing border lines and the very existence of the United States. The separatist sentiments and animus towards America are prevalent in the Mexican population and the ranks of illegal aliens inside the US creating a clear and present danger to our nation. Everywhere we look, Global corporations have a hand in this brewing disaster and Absolut just made the list."

The 100 organizations supporting the boycott will be informing their collective hundreds of thousands of supporters using websites, e-mails, and talk radio shows.

The offensive Absolut ad was created by the Mexican advertising agency Teran/TBWA. The boycott website will also feature video, audio, and text evidence of the growing separatist movement in America to warn the public.

"Zogby polls tell us that most Mexicans feel they do not need American permission to enter the US and consider this land rightfully theirs. This invasion has leaders, groups, thousands of supporters on the streets, and global corporate support. It is time for Americans to fight back by boycotting businesses that support the separatist movement." said William Gheen.

For more information, please visit www.boycottabsolut.com, www.illegalimmigrationboycott.com or www.alipac.us

Swarm of earthquakes detected off Oregon

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080412/ap_on_sc/earthquake_swarm

Lead is everywhere it seems...

We should probably put this one in our Recall Roundup blog rather than here since so many of the recalls involve lead these days. However, since I've ranted before about China and lead, I thought I'd share this info on crowns (for teeth) here so I could comment. Recall Roundup doesn't allow me to vent or share my thoughts. Yes, sometimes I just share without ranting...

I've not once ever thought about what my crowns were made of, much less where they came from. I would have "assumed" they were a mix of products and that they were mixed here. The dentist is local, the stuff is mixed here in the U.S. --- my mental picture of what occurs didn't go beyond some guy or gal in a white coat patiently mixing stuff while looking at a mould of my tooth.

I've had two crowns, getting ready to go for a third. When I was a teenager I tripped, knocked some teeth out, have had various problems ever since. Luckily, none major. It wasn't exactly fun wearing a cast in my mouth while they worked to save my teeth (they stuck 'em back in and did manage to save them!). More luck that there was a local dentist available to students in the middle of the evening who knew what he was doing!

Back to my original rant...

Who'd-a-thought we needed to worry about crowns? I've been reading, and been told by a dentist friend, that it's a good idea to get the metal out of my mouth from fillings. I was all for it until I heard the cost of switching and then just decided all the metal that would leech into my system had probably already done so... tain't cheap going to those pretty enamel colored fillings. Especially when you have a life-time of silver in your mouth that need to be switched.

Ha, it just connected! Neurons are firing in the old brain... my rants and conspiratorial thoughts come from the metal in my fillings. Voila, now I have a ready-made reason for any whacky theories or thoughts.

Still trying to get back to my original rant...

Or at least stick with it for a few minutes...

Lost my train of thought...

Oh, who cares where I was heading, just read the story:

Dental Lab Industry Launches Web Site to Inform Consumers on Lead Scare
(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Association of Dental Laboratories has launched a Web site to inform consumers concerned about recent reports of lead contamination in dental crowns imported from overseas. The Web site, http://www.whatsinyourmouth.us/, provides consumers an opportunity to contact the association’s staff with questions regarding the news reports about the potential for such products to be contaminated with harmful amounts of lead.

Numerous news outlets have reported on this issue since Feb. 27, when WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, reported a confirmed case of a victim made sick by lead contamination from an imported dental restoration. The station further reported that an independent analysis of dental crowns imported from offshore dental laboratories found some products to be contaminated with dangerous levels of lead.

The case confirms long-standing concerns of the National Association of Dental Laboratories, which for years has urged federal and state regulators to implement more stringent regulation to protect patients receiving dental restorations.

These products are currently under-regulated, with few legal requirements for technicians to be certified and no mandates for dentists to document or disclose the source of dental work to patients. Although dentists prescribe the type of device they need for a dental patient, the product is actually manufactured by a dental technician employed by a dental laboratory, which could be located anywhere in the world. As more and more Americans seek dental restorative treatment and some dentists face pressure to cut costs, a growing percentage of the dental work Americans carry in their mouths is now imported from countries such as China, Pakistan, the Philippines and India.

The National Association of Dental Laboratories, based in Tallahassee, Fla. – the leading trade group for the $8 billion U.S. dental-restoration products industry – has been on record since 2003 supporting federal and state regulation to assure patients their restorations are safe for use, regardless of where they are manufactured. Through public advocacy and outreach, the Association has worked with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, state health officials and the dental industry to support:

Mandatory certification and continuing education for dental technicians who manufacture restorations;
Mandatory registration of all dental laboratories with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration or appropriate state government agencies;
Mandatory documentation of all materials included in a restoration, as well as the point of origin (country and laboratory) where the restoration was manufactured; and
Mandatory documentation of all these items in a patient’s dental records.

The National Association of Dental Labs is a trade association with 43 affiliated state and regional commercial dental laboratory associations representing more than 1,600 members. For more information, please visit http://www.nadl.org/.

Bad Olsen, Good Terrorists

Normally I wouldn't have read the story, but I was curious when I noticed a couple of headlines in my RSS reader regarding an "ex-radical going back to jail." Turns out they were referring to Sara Jane Olsen of Patty Hearst 'fame' in the 70's. That entire event, as heinous as it was, barely registered in my mind back in the 70's so I only know the surface details. I remember when Olsen was found living a sedate life, the mother of three children a few years back.

I'm assume that my readers know the story and who I'm talking about. However, just in case, here's a nutshell recap.

Radical group in the 70's, botched robbery, people killed. The group did some very nasty things. Olsen managed to disappear, blend into normal life and from all accounts, did good works and possibly tried to make up for past sins. As a result of one of those Most Wanted type programs she was outed, captured, and sentenced to long years in jail. What a secret to hide for so many years. I bet there wasn't a night her head hit the pillow without a prayer of thanks for being free and a strong twist of pain in her gut knowing she had a huge monster lurking that could reach out and grab her at any time.

Skip ahead to now. She was released on parole, people screamed and yelled, they "discovered" an error and back she went to prison. She'll serve another year before being eligible but I'm not so sure it'll be as easy for her to get out then, either. The mother of the son who was killed in the mid-70's by Olsen's group has teamed up with the police and they're hopping mad. Can't say I blame them.

Finally, I'm getting to the crux of my blog!!! Promise.

Here's a few lines from one of the stories that I just read:

"Parole shouldn't even be an option for terrorists who are convicted of murdering innocent bystanders and attempting to murder police officers," said the group's president Tim Sands. "Anyone who tries to kill police officers should get significant jail time and serve their full sentence."

Contrast that with all the people yelling and screaming about what we're doing to the poor terrorists in Guantanamo Bay, all those who are upset because we're keeping terrorists in jail at all and those who want to talk to them and make it all better.

These people blow up people then go celebrate. They strap bombs to children and send them into crowded markets. They are plotting to kill us as I type this blog. Yet we just need to learn to get along.

It's easy to succumb to believing we can overcome an entire cultural and religious upbringing simply by having a better dialog. Those people who are preaching peace, love and forgiveness for all can't even stop the violence in their own neighborhood, much less an entire country. It's a great idea in theory and one I wish were a reality. But it's not.

I don't know how the people who want Mary Jane Olsen to stew in jail feel about the war. They could feel exactly the same way about the terrorists who are today threatening our country and the world. It just struck me because the Olsen situation is happening in California where most of the stories I read seem to show they majority would give a terrorist from another country a pass, yet throw the lock and key away for a warped kid who seemingly repented and saw the error of her ways.

All I wanted to do was toss the contrast out into the big Internet yonder and maybe spark some thought. In regards to Olsen, I don't know enough about it to have an opinion as to whether she should rot in jail forever or be able to attempt to resume the life she built after vanishing. Maybe she truly repented and has never walked over the line since. Maybe she was scared into seeing where she was headed. The 70's were not quite as radical as the 60's but there was still an awful lot of anti-establishment stuff being crammed into kid's heads. I generally think consequences are a good thing. I just can't say whether she's paid the price yet or whether she ever will.

Sick, evil people in this world

I'm going to forewarn you --- the story below will break your heart. I can't imagine what the poor girl in the story must have suffered before finally dying. What must her life have been like? What kind of people would do something that is worse than anything you could expect from the cruelest of cruel? This isn't something that happened for a day or a week, the torture of this helpless girl went on for longer than I'd like to believe possible. Why didn't someone check on her? How could this happen? A part of me would like to see everyone who participated fry. Slowly. But we are more civilized than they and thus we'll put them in a cell and let them live, possibly a better life than the one they'll leave behind. At least they won't be able to torture anyone else.

Torture death shocks Ill. town
ALTON, Ill. - Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete floor. Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator upstairs, where prosecutors say housemates used her for target practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080321/ap_on_re_us/torture_slaying