Parents across the nation were shocked this week by the story of a preschool child whose home-packed lunch was inspected by a government lunchbag inspector (see, there were "jobs created or saved!"), deemed dangerously non-nutritious, and replaced with a healthy, well-balanced, taxpayer-subsidized lunch which the child wouldn't eat (except for 3 chicken nuggets).
The offending meal (apparently prepared by an abusive, child-hating mother) was a turkey & cheese sandwich, some chips, a box of apple juice...and a banana for dessert. If she had included a "Happy Meal" toy, she'd be in Guantanamo Bay by now.
Many people now think that the government is getting much too intrusive when its agents are reaching into children's lunchbags, and believe they should instead restrict themselves to more benign activities like reaching into children's underpants before they can board an aircraft.
But in the government's view, meal-planning is far too important and complex an issue to be left in the hands of ordinary people (unlike family-planning, which they assume any idiot can handle).
That's why besides putting the Goodie Gestapo in schools, they've also issued tough new nutritional guidelines intended to cut down on the consumption of things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, basically putting George Washington Carver in the same historical category as Lucretia Borgia and other famous poisoners.
But perhaps Hope n' Change is being too cynical about this. Perhaps the government really does care about keeping little children healthy enough to live long, productive lives. And they'd better. After all, those kids are the ones who'll have to pay off Barack Obama's skyrocketing deficits.
So it's important that they be denied the food that "sticks to the roof of your mouth" which was developed by a former slave...Because the president who can't stick to a debt ceiling has already sold them into being future slaves.
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32 comments:
Dr. Jarlsberg:
I posted this on my web site, "OUR ETERNAL STRUGGLE", giving you full credit, and providing links to the web sites of both the "HOPE 'N' CHANGE" and the "JOHNNY OPTIMISM" comic strips.
Thank you.
John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
The worst part of this story is that so many people accept this nanny-statism without so much as a whimper when they should be telling these busybodies not to touch their kid's lunches or they will find their heads "inspected" by hickory ax handles...and mean it.
Seriously, folks, do you believe we will defend our liberties by asking nicely??
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was calling for violence. I'm calling for us all to demand that the government get their "...stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty apes!". And yes, "it's a madhouse...a madhouse".
(Need more Chuck Heston around here)
I am utterly appalled that this person is drawing pay. Here I am, busting hump, trying to get / keep a productive job and this d-bag is sucking up tax money. Disgusting.
I guess it isn't at all germane that peanut allergies are on the rise...
Annie, how much of it is peanut allergies, and how much a reaction to High Fructose Corn Syrup? Just sayin'...
I thought black history began with Barry Obama. Hell, I thought American history began with him.
@John Robert Mallernee - Thank you, sir!
@Angry Hoosier Dad- I took the "ax handle" suggestion to be metaphorical, and thoroughly approve of the Chuck Heston approach to dealing with bureaucrats. It's hugely dangerous for us to accept these intrusions when they seem to be relatively benign, because the real goal is to get us to accept government intervention as a baseline normality. But it isn't, and must never be.
@Pete(Detroit)- Who knew that "lunchbag inspection" was a shovel-ready job?
@Annie Kelleher- Peanut allergies can be extremely serious (especially for young kids). Yet another sin that Mr. Carver may be answering for in the afterlife (assuming he got past Saint Peter with his bagged lunch).
@My Dog Brewski- I, too, was surprised to find out that Black History includes more people than Barry, many of whom (unlike Barry) actually did things that were important.
Annie,
Allergies to the Obama administration are on the rise as well.
Sorry, but it is up to PARENTS what they feed their kids, not the damn government! How about the feds butt the eff out and do what they are supposed to do, which is to maintain a strong national defense. That is ALL the constitution empowers them to do. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams would be appalled at what our government has become. Iran is about to start friggin World War III, and our beloved federal government is busy confiscating turkey sandwiches from kids and giving them mystery meat as a substitute. GRRRRR....!
Oh, and by the way. The one thing that the Constitution empowers the federal government to do (national security) is the one thing Obama wants to cut the most.
But God help you if you eat a french fry or try and pray in public.
The Food Police are bad enough, but as part of Black History Month one school is requiring kindergarteners to memorize and perform a chant praising obama.
The mind boggles...
AHD/Stilton: I'm reminded of an incident in a town in Missouri where a truly despicable man by the name of Ken McElroy was gunned down by multiple shooters while sitting in his truck - in broad daylight in the middle of town. This scumbag had terrorized residents in the area for over twenty years, and had avoided jail with the help of an equally scumbag lawyer. So it was no surprise that nearly fifty witnesses all claimed to have dived under the pool table at the local bar when the shooting started, which prompted the sheriff to remark that it must have been the biggest damn pool table in the world. This "mystery" was never solved, and harkens back to the bad old days when there was such a thing as "western justice". Here, a killing was not necessarily tried as murder if it could be determined that the alleged "victim" really just needed killin'.
Now, I am not by any means advocating violence against misguided public administrators who call the cops when they see a twelve year old girl kiss a boy on the playground, though I firmly believe that the cops should promptly arrest the caller in such circumstances. But when educators attempt to teach impressionable young minds that capitalism is evil while communism is just peaches, when government Nazis are installed in public schools so that children grow up feeling no outrage at overt government intrusion, then one cannot help but feel that there is a very finite limit as to how far a metaphor can be stretched. Ultimately then, just as the preacher said: "there's nothing like a good piece of hickory".
So, then are turkey allergies on the rise, too? I know you're probably commenting onthe GWC connection, but it was a turkey sandwich they turned their Gummintal nose up at; not peanut butter. In any case, if you have an allergy, I'd invite you to stay the @#$% away from anything of mine that may trigger them. Don't you @#$%in' dare try to justify any such action to legislate my or anyone else's rights away as being "for the public good".
Too many see government meddling "for the public good" as a good thing. For instance, though I personally detest cigarette smoke, I find it an egregious trampling of rights and personal accountability for the government to mandate that no-one may smoke in an establishment open to the public - regardless that this legislation appeals to me personally, it is not my right to tell someone else where they can smoke, but is my right to go somewhere else if it offends me. This issue is little different. One person's idea of "a nutritious lunch" clearly differs from another - particularly since a turkey sandwich is likely far better in nutritional value than a deep fried blob of batter and chicken (well, mostly chicken) parts.
I dunno how anyone is supposed to tolerate (?) all this constant government intrusion into our daily lives.
@Annie ... every allergy is currently on the rise ... "In fact, all allergic diseases in children—including foods allergies (most commonly peanuts, milk, egg, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish and shellfish), environmental allergies, asthma, and eczema—have been increasing at similar rates over the last decade. One theory for this is the Hygiene Hypothesis, which suggests that because children now have fewer infections (due to improved hygiene), their immune
systems are more likely to target other things such as items in the environment and diet, resulting in allergies."
Shall we have the Lunch inspectors take all those items out of childrens' lunch bags? More info here:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/lesson/health/pdf/Binky_Peanut_Allergy_QA.pdf
Every single day, some government creep is expanding their authority, and making parents less relevant. Can any of you say "It Takes a Village"? Socialism as practiced by the Nazis in Germany, took children and used them as the primary force for creating the "Master Race". Parents were irrelevant, because the goal was to create a state of good Nazis of "pure bloodlines" (can you say Planned Parenthood?). "...Lebensborn",or "Source of Life",home outside Munich. The home was one of several set up by Heinrich Himmler's dreaded SS to care for unmarried pregnant women whose racial characteristics,blond hair, blue eyes, no Jewish ancestry,fit the Nazis' Aryan ideal." You can learn more about that here: http://www.rickross.com/reference/hate_groups/hategroups164.html
Go to a school, and find that, without parental consent, the school nurse can issue birth control pills, or even take your child in for an abortion.
As life continues to imitate art, Government has been intruding deeper and deeper into our family lives, without anyone screaming at the top of their lungs As did Howard Beale in Network: "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"
As for me ... if some SOB reaches in my pants, or my lunch bucket ... he better have a warrant, duly signed and delivered. I'm with Howard Beale.
@Colby- Clearly, this is all insane overreach by the government. And not only does nanny-statism strip all of us of dignity, but it explains why all-encompassing government is now totally unaffordable.
And as you point out, it's ironic that the one thing Obama should do - keep our defenses strong - is the first thing he wants to cut. Here's an idea, Mr. president - if you want to save money, try pulling the troops out of school lunchrooms.
@CenTexTim- I'm afraid that your link didn't work. Was this the "Mmm-mmm-mmm! Barack Hussein Obama" chant, or is there a new one out there?
@Mike Porter- Good anecdote, and it raises an important but troubling question. What are good people to do when the institutions which are supposed to protect the innocent and punish the guilty become corrupted?
@Emmentaler- I take peanut allergies very seriously, but don't think we should have paid inspectors stationed everywhere to make sure no creamy or chunky contraband sneaks through. And I don't think that the inspector in this case was looking for allergens. Odds are, the "inspector" is a perfectly nice person who feels good about helping make sure kids are eating healthily, and is blindly (and stupidly) "following orders." And we all know how well that's worked out in the past.
@elcedar- Terrific post. Thanks for sharing!
Since health care is now public welfare they think they have the right to control what we put into our bodies, for the good of the public purse. And since politicians of both parties are now floating the idea of government service as a draft-like requirement, then to make a better recruit for government work (serfdom) they shall become all the more intrusive. And since there are many ideas afoot for drug testing "welfare" recipients, and virtually all of this government is being cast as "public welfare," the government is not nearly done in their efforts to be intrusive, nor with their efforts to make us their ideal form of man. And there are moves afoot to get sugar declared a drug and toxic substance, and probably many other things too, beyond peanut butter even. Indeed, they are going Orwell as we speak, or some sort of body/mind control and command, so as to make their perfect citizen in their ideas. The liberals, and alas, many so-called conservatives, in our two political parties are simply creating the totalitarian state of our nightmares. Already the military is being given permission to fly drones over our cities and 'burbs. Perhaps there will be revolution, peaceful or otherwise, but so long as either Democrats or Republicans are in office this will get worse. One side is not "for" and the other "against" -- they are both "for" but with different semantics; and a different cast of charlatans to rule the roost. And frankly, it's rather scary, but not irreversible.
If the Fed Dept of Ed did not exist, these incidents would not happen. But since the schools are not under local control but rather are controlled by faceless DC bureaucrats by the power of fed tax dollars, they must dance to the tune. Dump the Fed Dept of Ed which has done nothing to improve primary education since it was created in 77(?).
@MP I never heard of the McElroy incident but it makes for fascinating reading.
@elcedar: Go to a school, and find that, without parental consent, the school nurse can issue birth control pills, or even take your child in for an abortion.
And yet, you must sign a permission slip so that they can administer medical aid in the event your son or daughter is injured at school or when on a field trip. Perfectly logical. On some of other planet....
@ The Old Man:
5% of funding for public schools comes from the fed, but 70% of the regulation they are burdened with is federal. But what do I know, math was always my weakest subject. Someone around here reminded me that there are three kinds of people in this world; those who can do math and those who can't. I'm a can't.
That news article had to have been one of the most pathetic I've read in awhile......sick, sick, sick, sick, sick. The NERVE....
@Jim Hlavac- I think you're right that Democrats and Republicans are basically two sides of the same coin. Neither is inclined to clean up the messes because A) the other side will attack them for it, and B) they'd have to admit the sins of their own party in the past - including those committed by people still in office. It makes optimism about our future somewhat challenging some days.
@TheOldMan- And just this past week or so, Obama "freed" many schools from "No Child Left Behind"...the only condition being that they would bring their schools more into line with federal dictates and standards instead of answering to local school boards.
@Emmentaler- Excellent point. The school needs your permission to bandage your daughter's ankle, but not to kill your grandchild.
@Angry Hoosier Dad- I think the three kinds of people are those who can do math, those who can't do math, and Timothy Geithner - who doesn't know if he can do math or not because he relies on Turbotax.
@Suzy- And there was a followup article today which proved that this wasn't an isolated case.
Seriously, have all of America's other problems been solved so completely that we can devote tax money to taking turkey sandwiches and bananas away from kids?
I'm late to the party today, so it was inevitable that @Jim Hlavac & @elcedar would make the big points I had planned to make today.
This is where the liberals have taken us. On one hand they're agonizing about how parents are not capable of feeding their children, while at the same time they argue that pre-teens are "mature enough" to make their own reproductive decisions and are happy to dispense birth control and abortions without parental consent.
To be fair, this was largely inevitable just because of the sheer number of parents who willingly and happily abrogated their parental responsibilities to the state.
Also, as Jim alluded to, this is just the beginning. Soon it won't just be schoolchildren who have their lunches examined. As the state is taking over responsibility for our health via "health care reform", they will logically extend that responsibility to "preventative" care. Yes, what you eat, how you recreate, and eventually, even how you procreate will be regulated because of how it impacts "interstate commerce.
@Stilton, the GOP will go along, because they keep foisting the "squishies" on us. And to protect us against the evil left, we'll keep voting for them. In the end, we get the very same government.
I think "the right" need to take a new tack on this. Perhaps we should demonstrate to the left the real implications of giving the state such degrees of power over our personal lives. After all, a right-wing despot with that kind of power is no better than a left-wing despot. For example, in the name of health and interstate commerce, perhaps we should go-for-broke and advocate homosexual marriage, and then the outlawing of all sex outside of marriage. After all, how many of our national crisis are the result of sexual disease and illegitimacy? I'd say almost all of them...
I'm waiting for the day that one of these lunchroom monitors takes away a kid's bagged lunch from home and make them eat the school lunch only to find out the kid is allergic, and mom and dad had packed food that they could actually eat.
You know it's gonna happen. That or far more likely, some kid whose parents keep kosher or halal will wind up eating a BLT for lunch and all hell will break loose.
That's what it takes, someone to get sick/nearly die, or get their religious beliefs trampled before people actually think about what they're doing.
@badlarry
http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/halal-bacon-a-big-porkie/story-e6freuzi-1111114214906
Teehee.
@Annie - If my kid wanted peanut butter sandwiches, guess what they'd be getting in their lunch?!
You might be concerned about allergies; I'm far more concerned that my kid might be forced to eat food that was sacrificed in the name of a death cult invented by a murdering, lying, warmongering pedophile. Of course, that's just how *I* prioritise things...
My youngest is in preschool, same age as this child. I can NOT imagine how he would feel if a "teacher" took away his lunch and made him eat something else that he did not like. He wouldn't even understand what was wrong with the lunch his Mommy had packed for him.
These people pretend to care for kids...they really only care about their own pathetic feeling of power and authority.
@Jim H., I'm okay with requiring drug testing to get "welfare". If I have to take a drug test to get the job that "welfare" money comes from, the person getting my money should have to take the same test. And if those people decline the test or fail it, they should never receive any money from me again. A drug test to get welfare would wipe out the welfare rolls pretty quickly and that's a good thing. Besides, since when is someone "entitled" to a piece of my paycheck?
Stilt - re: your comment about the link I supplied not working - I went there and checked it out. You're right. It is "not found."
I don't like to self-promote, but here's a link to my blog where I discussed the original post. The URL is below, just in case I mess up the link.
http://bergheimfollies.blogspot.com/2012/02/our-dear-leader-can-beat-up-your-dear.html
The 'missing link' is curious, because it's a well-established blog hosted by Joanne Jacobs (www.joannejacobs.com). In fact, if you Google "Joanne Jacobs" her blog comes up first. The fact that it's not available now, after she wrote a post criticizing our Dear Leader is ... curious.
It's enough to make one start believing n black helicopters.
@John the Econ- The progression (very close to "progressive") that you describe is exactly what I envision. When all healthcare - and therefore health - is a matter of public policy, then food, drink, and exercise will all be regulated and strictly enforced.
As far as what we on the "lunatic far right" (ie, constitutionalists) need to do, I'm not really sure. The traditional solutions don't seem like they're sufficient. But what are we to do when our nation passes the "tipping point," and the majority of people really are too stupid, selfish, or ill-informed to vote responsibly? All of the options I can think of are frightening. But so are all the consequences of doing nothing.
@Badlarry- It doesn't really seem like trampling religious rights was a big problem for the Obama administration recently - nor did the MSM make it a big problem. Of the big three networks, I believe that CBS was the first to report on the controversy ten days after the story broke on Fox, Drudge, WSJ, etc. NBC and ABC followed up 4 days after that. We're living in parallel political universes now.
@Coontasty- My thought is that if there is a child with a serious peanut allergy, I would hope that the school would contact parents of children who share the lunch facilities and make them aware of the situation and give them suggestions for keeping everyone safe. I believe that most people want to do the right thing and don't need food police as enforcers.
@Suzy- You raise a great point. What is the impact on a child who is told "your Mom didn't make you a healthy meal, but the government will do the right thing." This is the sort of pernicious erosion of the family that typifies almost all policies of the Left.
@JustaJeepGuy- I'm wildly in favor of drug testing for people who want welfare money. It's bad enough that the government wants us to pay for abortions - I see no reason we should also be paying for street drugs.
Want to know one thing I find sad? It happened in my state, NC. I knew them demoncrats really messed things up - including another tax hike on gasoline, but this is plum ridiculous. It was made worse when the NC DoE was forced to apologize when, upon tax-payer funded investigation, it was found that the boxed lunch met minimum DoA food nutritional values.
Since when did Department of Agriculture suggestions become edict for Department of Education? I demand these departments be cut, but them demoncrats just won't listen!
Then again, I also say the TSA, FDA, and all other un-Constitutional departments be cut at the local, state, and federal level. I guess I'm just mean like that.
Ugh! Seriously, government fraud and waste is beyond ridiculous, and it only hinders everyday life, freedom, and [the pursuit of happiness/property].
...
I think I'm feeling ranty today.
@CenTexTim
Hmm? That sounds familiar. Didn't something similar happen near the beginning of the Obama regime? I'm also reminded of Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mao, the Jong line, and a long list of tyrants when "government funded body" and "required song and dance" are placed in the same sentence.
@Jim
Personally, I find it hilarious that politicians in favor of "banning" sugar are ignorant of basic biology. The body uses sugar as the basic source of energy and converts most foods into some form of carbohydrate (sugar). Of course, I have no idea if this basic biology is still taught in schools. It may be deemed 'dangerous' to actually let people know this stuff.
As for unmanned drones, they are receiving heavy resistance. I've heard of lawyers and judges already standing up for the obvious Constitutional violations - not the least of which is the 4th Amendment. Of course, the TSA shows us just how much concern the gub'mint has for our rights.
@Stilt
Little Timmy G counts as a third all right, but not as you commented. He makes up math that cannot possibly exist. He exists in his own little fairy world that confuses even other keynesians.
@JustaJeepGuy &Stilt
I'm just as sick and tired of the gub'mint sticking a gun to my head and taking my hard earned money to give to some freeloader, especially when s/he doesn't even want to get a job. It's only made doubly worse when they use my hard earned money to waste away with illicit drugs.
I'm more in favor of cutting welfare altogether and allowing charities to take over, like before FDR. The charities were far more efficient, didn't waste money, and, most importantly, got a job done - including job training. The charities that manage to exist nowadays do a far better job than any gub'mint agency.
@Dragon Against Evil- Good comments across the board!
Ok, for the record, I acknowledge that peanut (and other protein) allergies are serious. I am also one of 'those conspiracists' that thinks HFCS is not good for us and is also partly responsible for rising health issues (obesity, diabetes, liver disease as well as allergic issues).
Emmentaler, I too was appalled when that statute passed (no smoking in public places). As much as I appreciate the benefit (not reeking of smoke after an evening out, for instance) the total invasion of property rights had me just ill. And, it totally took away from the gutsy businesses that had decided on their own to go 'non-smoking'. Just Plain Wrong.
Absolutely we should drug test those on public assistance - welfare, food stamps, what ever. As well as mandating contraception (Norplan, etc). Scrub paying someone to sit at home and raise another generation of useless parasites worth nothing but sitting at home raising another generation of useless parasites. Oh, I'm sorry, contraception is against your religion? Then maybe you can get your church to help w/ the kids, the food and the rent..
I also would not be opposed to sterilizing (reversibly) those picked up for prostitution or crack use. I know that using public funds for this might be problematical, but I'd sure check a box on my tax form to divert funds to a special account - like the one I never check for political funding...
"Shovel Ready" - one recent snowy morning, I a saw county 'work crew' clearing sidewalks of the white stuff. A good use of 'free' labor, I thought.
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