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Chair: Herb Kohl (D-WI)
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Agriculture
Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
- John Boccieri (D-OH)
B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
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B Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
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B Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
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B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
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B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
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B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
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- Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
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- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
*=House Organic Caucus member
B=Blue Dog Democrat

Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
- Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA)
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Education and Labor
P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
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P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
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P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
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P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
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P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
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- Joe Sestak (D-PA)
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P John Tierney (D-MA)
- Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Paul Tonko (D-NY)
P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
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- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
- Judy Biggert (R-IL)
- Rob Bishop (R-UT)
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- Michael Castle (R-DE)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Luis F Fortuno (R-PR)
- Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
- John Kline (R-MN)
- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
- Tom McClintock (R-CA)
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Thomas Petri (R-WI)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC)
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

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Congressional Progressive Caucus

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Mmm, Pork! Says Vilsack (And Stop Calling it Swine Flu!)

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

I have to say I feel bad for the public officials around the world that have to go to bat for nasty food products. Right now, Vilsack's apparently on an all-pork diet, or something like that. Because he's not at all worried about the ~~swine~~ H1N1 flu that you totally 100% can't get from pigs.

"This morning I had pork for breakfast. Last night I had pork. I'm going to continue to eat pork and I'm going to encourage American consumers to do the same," Vilsack said in an interview on CNN this afternoon from the White House.

I'd just like to remind him about the recent study that showed that daily consumption of beef and pork leads to increased chances that you will die in the next 10 years. That makes his pork consumption only slightly better than this photo op of a British politician and his 4 year old daughter taken during the mad cow scare:

Vilsack wants the news media to switch to using the scientific term for the virus, H1N1, rather than swine flu.

Vilsack's request comes on the heels of a similar request by several meat industry lobby groups. If I were Vilsack, I'd just cross my fingers that the next food scare happens over a food I'd prefer to eat. Chocolate perhaps? Microbrewed beer? I'd gladly drink a nice ale or a stout to prove that the country's beers are safe.

On a more serious note, this is all pretty ridiculous. Whether or not this flu came from a factory farm, I don't think the fact that factory farms are a problem is really up for debate. Vilsack comes from a state totally overrun by them so he should know best. No, the flu doesn't come from pork, but that doesn't mean that Vilsack or anyone else should be promoting an unsustainable industry with a product now shown to lead to increased mortality if consumed frequently.

Jill Richardson :: Mmm, Pork! Says Vilsack (And Stop Calling it Swine Flu!)

Tags: Swine Flu, Tom Vilsack, (All Tags)

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Mmm, Pork! Says Vilsack (And Stop Calling it Swine Flu!) | 4 comments

too bad he's not advising (4.00 / 3)

Americans to find sustainably-raised pork products. Even with all the consolidation in the industry, you can still find some farmers who are raising hogs in a non-CAFO way. I just posted on this at Bleeding Heartland.

by: desmoinesdem @ Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 15:24:07 PM CDT

by: you @ soon

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Well, his going to bat for eating pork (0.00 / 0)

also benefits the small, sustainable farms like the one I get my pork from. It also may stop some senseless killing. Yes factory farms suck, but nobody is differentiating between the types of pig farms/production.

Wasn't that beef/pork study fairly flawed?

It seems to me it would be better to use energy changing factory farms in the manner of legislation like prop2, vs writing them all off in one broad brush. The sustainable farms are good models for moving back to a better way of farming/production. I don't think large production is going away, so perhaps take the opportunity to get changes in "production" vs just saying it's all bad. There is also the economic impact if pork products become taboo. Which we really don't need right now.

by: nycstray @ Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 18:05:48 PM CDT

by: you @ soon

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I agree that all pork producers are going to be hurt (4.00 / 1)

perhaps especially the small farmers who don't have a lot of capital to weather a downturn, and who are probably already seeing a contraction due to the recession.

As it was, he did a deal with a blancmange, and the blancmange ate his wife.

by: elfling @ Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 18:37:01 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm sending my mom meat for Mother's day :) (4.00 / 1)

I just bought my supply and some for my sister for her birthday. Last year I sent my parents a bulk order for Christmas. I think some of the smaller ranchers are prob still ok with their customers depending on their location. My rancher is upstate and is very reasonable on price when buying bulk, and actually, just buying cuts. Where my parents live, it's much more expensive. There are many areas in the country where it's pretty affordable to buy bulk. And there's a nice safety factor to it also, that I hope people see. No not the safe food one, but having several months worth of food! If work dries up, I can still eat through next Nov and beyond (bulk meat buying and a CSA that offers most of my other needs and is paid for already) I've done my best to encourage everyone I know to go this route over the past couple years and it is working :)

Did hear a nice lil' tidbit on the news. They interviewed a local restaurant guy about people eating pork (following the latest swine flu update) and he said most people seem to know it's a live virus and the meat they're eating isn't live. lol!~ so well put. I guess all these years of them telling us to cook the factory farmed meat to death has had some impact ;)

by: nycstray @ Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 22:31:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]