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President's MessageEpidemics: Hunters are now getting a form of Chronic Wasting Disease from eating deer & elk. As increasing numbers of people were becoming afflicted from ConAgra’s E.coli tainted beef, everyone was wondering what they were going to do with it – feed it to prisoners? Use it to make soap and glue? Or bury it with nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. At the same time, the drought caused the prices of feed and hay to double. Reports of ranchers having to sell their cattle came pouring in.
Economics: As I read news articles on the woes of major lobbying industries: Telecom, Energy, Drug Makers, Tobacco, and Agribusiness, I can’t help but think that it’s only a matter of time before the factory farm scandals hit mainstream news with all the energy that has been used on accounting practices. A day will come when politicians and the media alike will be jumping on the vegetarian bandwagon to distance themselves from corruption.
Care-Free Vegetarians: As epidemics and economics have taunted the beef industry, our organic vegetarian diet has paid off in spades. The VSC has had a fun-filled, care-free summer, rafting the Arkansas River, browsing the farmer’s market, picking our own food at a CSA, and Hiking to Jasper Lake at the Devil’s Thumb Pass. So while George W. Bush was trying to convince the carnivores that everything was going to be honkey dory at his economic summit, we had our own summit at the top of Mount Bierstadt, the 38th tallest peak in Colorado.
Opportunity Knocks: We will begin planning our traditional "Thanksgiving Day Celebration" at our next VSC Board Meeting and potluck in Fort Collins on September 7th (turn to the chapter news section for details) All VSC Members interested in planning or helping out for this monumental event should attend. You can also drop me a line at Joe@vsc.org. We will also be discussing some exciting events for next year including a nationwide vegetarian conference in Boulder. So bring your ideas and be a part of the future. See you there. |