DADT: Gates wants to add 2.8K Special Forces and Employ 50K+ civilians but not protect the GLBT Service Members already sacrificing everything for US?

Gays and Lesbians are not people you can just "kick down the road" like a can of tuna in a street game of roller hockey, without expecting some sort of backlash.

Before his big budget announcement, Secretary Robert Gates stated "The President and I feel like we've got a lot on our plates right now and let's push that one down the road a little bit.", in an interview two Sundays ago with Fox News regarding "Dont Ask Dont Tell", which bars service members from proclaiming their sexual orientation and commanding officers from asking about it. However, the policy states that if it becomes known that a service member is gay, he or she is to be removed from the military. He went on to say, "the Pentagon will continue to enforce the existing policy...It continues to be the law and any change in policy would require a change in the law....We will follow the law, whatever it is." He also revealled that within the Administration "That dialogue, though, has really not progressed very far at this point in the administration."
(Source: Fox News)

Sadly, as I stated before, the Obama Administration is going to wait for the Supreme Court (Major Margaret Witt) and Congress to fight it out rather than getting involved and using up what little political capital they have left with the American public. Some in Congress stated back in 2008 that they wouldnt deal with the repeal of DADT until 2010, according to a report by QUEERTY, even though there is already legislation, that was reintroduced in the beginning of March. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR1283), authored by Representative Ellen Tauscher (pic to right) of California's 10th District , with 137 cosponsors, is making its way through the Congressional process. The MREA after a month is currently held up in the House Armed Services sub committee on Military Personel. You may contact the 60 members of the main Committee individually, especially if they are in your District, and ask them to expedite this legislation through the process for the sake of all our men and women in uniform.



We have an estimated 65 thousand serving in silence and suffering the worst form of inequality and sacrificing their integrity and honour to assure our freedom and liberty. Another three thousand per year decide not to reenlist or enlist because of the discriminatory policy. The Congress is allowing the removal of 2 Service Members on average per day to be removed from their post for no longer living a lie. We owe them so much more than any talking pointes can conceive or contrive.

Meanwhile Democrats and Republicans are quibbling over whether or not the new Defense budget that is a 4% budget increase instead of a 15% increase, is in fact a cut or a 21 billion dollar increase in spending. Two weeks later the pundits, Congress, and military industrial lobbyist, are rambling on with no end in sight, as they try to save their pet projects in the budget proposal. Or the other distraction caused by Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma, whom while standing in the middle of one of our airbases in Afghanistan, claimed that the new budget and Secretary Gates is "gutting the military". When in fact, as outlined by CNN's Rick Sanchez (video) place, Senator Inhoffe is actually upset over a military factory in his home state loosing a contract because the plan would discontinue the production of the controversial decade old faulty designed and 87 billion dollar budgeted Future Combat System's vehicle component. Along with other pundits bitching about the discontinuation of the F22 fighter jets and switching the force over to F35 Joint Strategic Air Ships

The Secretary's announced budget besides, the detail of a 28 hundred troop increase Helicopter Crews and Maintenance and in Special Forces Combat Units and switching the 50 thousands in previous held Defense Department positions by independent contractors to actual government employees and civil service agents, also increases the Cyber Squadron from 80 to 250 students per year as of 2011, and immediately stops the reduction of forces in the Air Force and Navy. His budget also proposes to maintain planned increase Army Brigade Combat Teams strength to 547 thousand personnel and eliminate use of stop loss to maintain battle readiness.

Before we add all those people to the ranks, would it not be a good idea to have them all on equal footing?
I am tired of reading the horror stories of this failed policy in enlistment processes and everyday life.

It would also be easier to call people back whom have already left the service, either because of or as a result of DADT, and who decided to come out in their personal life only to be kicked out a second time under DADT when you call them back in to fill in the gaps, which has happened on 20 separate occasions that I am personally aware of.

You have 35 thousand people at a minimum who are willing to serve whom you removed from their Civic Duty, usually based on rumors, false accusations, and the United States Military's refusal to actually make a legitimate argument regarding us queers serving with honour or from being harassed within the scope of personal, religious, and political, biases or prejudices.

We have one more option to change this bastard child of a federal law, described by Aubrey Sarvis the Executive Director of the SLDN, whom asserted the the following on FRONTLINES:

Mr. President, if I may address you directly, you've got another situation looming ahead that also should come as no surprise. It is not the same order of magnitude as the global financial meltdown, but like that meltdown it is predictable and it has the potential to be exploited for political gain -- not your political gain but your opponents'.

In five weeks the House Armed Services Committee will begin hearings on your Defense Department budget for 2010. Senate hearings will follow. You have a choice. You can take the lead and put language calling for repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the legislative budget -- or you can wait until your opponents bring it up. The opposition, which may be loud and ugly, will be out to ambush you, Mr. President. Alarmingly, there have been no signs that your administration is prepared for that.

The principle, the truth, is self evident, Congress, and Mr. President, "All Men Are Created Equal". Allow us queers the ability to serve our country openly as equals. After all, we have already been there and are currently on the front lines and are treated as less than equal even after having given twice as much, including our partners and our children, whom aren't able to receive the same support an unmarried mother of three children, each of different fathers, would receive.



F6 Editorial Policy Statement

F6 has several resources and commentaries regarding GAYS IN THE MILITARY. As an issue of editorial policy, F6 will challenge any assertion that Don't Ask, Don't Tell is either Constitutional or proper policy in our great country, the land of the free and the home of the brave, especially in a place where all men are created equal!

Obamanation Part III: Hail 2D Beef 4 its economic value & all those we paid off along D way. 2 slaughter D economy & leave huge debts 4 R kids 2 pay!

The clip below is from What You Ought To Know Show earlier this month produced by The Brothers Winn: [Website] [YouTube].

In F6's constant effort to be fair and balanced, in all of its reporting and provide full commentary to complete stories, this post is going to update the stories previously covered in this post & this post two weeks ago in order to bring them to conclusion.

Gregg retains Senate seat disses Commerce nomination

Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire still wants to be Obama's Water boy even after withdrawing his name from consideration as Commerce Secretary. After "being invited" (read: seeking after) to become the new Commerce Secretary, after Govenor Bill Richardson withdrew due to a scandal over the issue of bond issues in his home State of New Mexico, Gregg accepted the offer and within a week choose to reverse that acceptance when it was revealed that the White House and Democrats in Congress removed the Census from the control of the Commerce Secretary, after the nomination had occurred.

Other Senator Gregg Links:
[The Young Turks] [Hoosier Pundit] [Towle Road]

Additionally, Senator Gregg recessed himself from the vote on the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, citing a potential conflict of interest, which I have to give him credit for that, because it's the most ethical action coming out of Washington for a long time.

2nd stimulus bill passed w/o pay caps for CEOs

The AERRA which passed the Senate, with three Republicans voting for the trillion dollar addition to the national debt. The House and Senate versions were reconciled in Conference Committee, then at the last minute (read: at four in the morning with no one aware) it was found to be lacking the CEO pay restrictions that were first introduced by Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri and then plagiarized by Obama and Geithner a week later.

CEO Pay Caps proven to be false rhetoric and pandering to force vote aka trial balloon.

Besides the CEO Compensation restrictions introduced by Senator McCaskill as an Amendment to AERRA 5 days prior to the Policy Announcement by Obama and Geithner to much fan fare, being reduced to dust during the Conference Committee between the House and the Senate, when Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, introduced his new Policy a week ago it was also void of pay caps and compensation restrictions. He stated that, the Companies would not participate in the stimulus program with the restrictions in play, specifically the cap that would have matched the CEO pay to that of the President or slightly higher.

This is clear and simply put the CEO Pay Cap was a test balloon that popped and political firestorm for no good reason. The Democrats floated a bill amendment that they knew would distract other conservatives from something else hidden in the bill or going on in the world. But the question remains, What were the Democrats or Obama trying to seclude or cover up from the current legislation and or social political events going on around the world that they had to start a forest fire of empty promises and pseudo accountability?

As most people are aware now because of the process that took place with this legislation, once a Bill passed both Houses of Congress they must be reconciled to each other in Conference Committee and then brought back for a final vote. In the very last move made by Congress before the President signed the "stimulus package" into law, they went back and included some of the compensation restrictions, without the cap on CEO base pay. (video, TYT)

Tim Geithner is definitely January's nominee for the 2009 Hunk Of Flesh Award.

I have more to say about the Geithner issues as a whole that should be left to one last additional post to this series. Needless to say but definitely illustrate Mr. Geithner showed himself to be lacking in his ability to both govern and publicly speak.However I don't want to drag it out that much and am frankly tired of covering these numskulls anyway.

The American people are tired of being strung along!
Set up a plan, put it out there into the marketplace, and let us talk about it. Please quit trying to pander to Wall Street and the Unions and lets get the job done. That wont happen as long as anything is done in secret or by trial balloons. I had more faith in you sir.
[Photo: Hope Male Art @ Towle Road==>]

Additionally Congress gets a nomination for HOFA in February because they failed to give the Citizens let alone the 530 plus members of Congress five days to read the final bil. No they got 6 hours notice to read and vote on an 1100 page bill before it went to a vote. The Congress, specifically the Democrats in the House, are doing it again also with the Omnibus Spending Authorization this week as well. Call or write the Congress and tell Speaker Pelosi to put it online for at least 48 hours for the entire world to see, like she promised too even if it falls 72 hours short of the original goal. Certain Republicans in Congress also get a nod for the February HOFA for voting against the AERRA and then attempting to take credit for the money coming back into their respective districts, that is hypocrisy 101.

A SMALL NOTE FROM F6's EDITOR:
My apologies for missing Wednesday and running late on Saturday; the reason is simply that, my injury received from a carjacking several years back, which I have written about previously, has been acting up severely with all the weather changes and general stress of my life. The other reason for the delay in posting is that since this is a social and political commentary not an direct news source, I have the liberty of waiting until all the ducks have quacked to comment on news, events, or culture. This provides me the liberty to have the full picture to work with, rather than flying off half cocked and end up loosing my....credibility in the process. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

What is the difference between Barack and Jesus?
Jesus was a carpenter, He could build a Cabinet.

Finding more Things To Do In Fort Wayne lead me to my new dream car...

So yesterday, I was looking around at other blogs to see what was going on Around Fort Wayne when I found this story regarding the Model T Bike Tours @ Head Waters Park. My curiosity was peaked not because of the entrepreneurial spirit behind such an endeavour but the personal benefits of the images of their vehicle.

However, after reading some of the crap they have gone through to continue operations, it is F6's honour to applaud them for keeping an privately owned attraction available, and at minimum cost to consumers, in a public venue. That they have continued to overcome every obstacle put in front of them is something that should be celebrated publicly. Tour prices and packages vary but run from the beginning of June through Halloween.

So what peaked my interest? Could it be true! That after twelve years, I have found an answer to being able to ride a bike again, due to my over sized scrotum. Then I went looking around their website and could not find a product (bike) name or supplier/trader. I went with the limited information I could find and caressed Google's algorithms with my FiOS and came up with yet another awesome find, ... my new dream car!!

The Chinese Rickshaw (picture to right) is a one cylinder, four stroke, five gear, Cargo and Passenger Tricycle. Zipping around at over thirty seven miles per hour, it can carry a load of up to one thousand one hundred and two pounds (four adults, plus cargo) This Tricycle's tank holds only twelve liters of fuel (just over three gallons); but at approximately sixty seven miles per gallon, you will be spending less time at the pump and more time on the road.

There are also electrically powered options for the more environmentally conscious consumer.

Now if I can just find a supplier that will ask me to promote without cost on this City's streets?

From geeks to seeds: Going Green? How to get the most out of your choices.*UPDATED*

Wednesdays post is a bit late because I had to fact check three things before I felt comfortable posting. Todays post is all about you choosing to make everyones life better, improve the environment, help to clean the shit out of our three rivers, and it all starts behind your bedroom door.

Recently F6 was contacted by Fiona King @ Nerds Do It Better (not promoting just citing) and was referred to their fact sheet written by Jessica Hupp that suggested ways to create a more green and eco/environ-healthier sex life. These are some of the twenty seven pointes followed by my commentary, as indicated via the (~) sign. Feel the excitement of going green!!!!

Setting The Mood

* Dim The florescent Lights ~ "What's a gay domicile without having a regulator dial"
* Take advantage of the cold; warm each other up or vice versa
~ cuddle by the fireplace or burn pit out back; soak and, or have sex in the jacuzzi/hot tub.
~ break out the kool aide/juice ice cubes and rub them all over, or just serve over vodka, or gin.
* Natural Aphrodisiacs, Wines, Fair Trade Chocolate ~ strawberries are my favorite addition.
* Wear green friendly lingerie ~ Save the ground, switch to organic, nutrient rich fabrics.

Sex Toys

* Use vegetables and fruits for sex toys
~ although just ensure safety from food allergies please wrap a condom around it before hand!
* Use silicone, metal, or glass sex toys.
~ not vinyl, use faux leather, spandex/lycra, rubber.
* Buy for Durability and Dispose of toys properly
~ Well made items will last longer. Repair it first.
* Use a safe lubricant with a condom!
~ Note gay men DO NOT want to use a condom
or lube with spermicide for anal sex.

For your family as a whole

* Take baths and showers together (see picture above)
* Use organic soy, beeswax, or palm oil candles at the dinner table
~ It saves that florescent bulb; it calms everyone down together; easier to scent.
* Buy Bamboo or Hemp bed sheets @ Target
~ They are renewable; offer a silky, slippery feel;
~ Sure to increase your ecological awareness!
* Put away your large plates ~ When eating at home use salad plates reduce portions.
* Increase intake of organic fruits and vegetables

Most men also need to know "pineapples makes the cream so sweet!, not of wheat."! I know what your thinking. You can understand the idea of high quality, organic, cotton underwear in traditional styles but you are still having a bit of trouble grasping your mind around the idea of designer under garments, essentials wear, and active-sports wear being made from alternative fabrics like hemp, bamboo, and eucalyptus. But yet, you are okay with polypropylene for your winter weather protection?

Taken directly from RIPS MySpace blog:

If someone told you they had a great line of underwear, made from Eucalyptus (and no, scratching & sniffing doesn't work), that those underwear were the Eco-Friendliest underwear on the market... plus naturally stays odor-free... plus feels like silk (we think of it as nature's luxury fabric)... plus helps to keep you cool in hot weather/warm in cool (perfect wearing all year around)... and simply looks great (while wearing)....would you not be just a little intrigued?

When we were looking at fabrics for RIPS Performance we looked at them all, felt them all, and just kept coming back to Tencel (which is made from the Eucalyptus) because it just felt like it would make perfect underwear and activewear. THEN came the fun part and that was finding out how very special it was. Amazing point here - you can make ten t-shirts from Eucalyptus using the same size piece of land that you can make one t-shirt from Cotton. Add to that the Eucalyptus doesn't need any pesticides and requires 100 times LESS water than cotton. Is that not the perfect fabric? So there you have it. Whether you are looking for Eco-Friendly or simply great underwear - check out RIPS Performance. Besides, if Koalas can't resist a good Eucalyptus, how can we?

Why hemp and organic cotton underwear though?
(from RAWGANIQUE)

"Because...it takes one-fourth of a pound of chemicals to produce 2 pairs of conventional cotton men's boxer shorts. Annually, 275 million pounds of pesticides are applied to the conventional cotton plant, which must be the most environmentally destructive crop ever. The pesticides and chemicals used in the growing and processing of conventional cotton can enter the human food chain via cotton seed oil used in processed foods.

Contamination of ground water is directly linked to pesticide and fertilizer use on conventional cotton crops. Nitrates found in these fertilizers are found to cause "blue baby syndrome" in infants. Conventional cotton underwear is also processed with chlorine bleach. Dioxin--the most toxic chemical known--is a carcinogen that is derived from chlorine bleach and is responsible for hormone disruption and a host of other ills."

Which leads me to refreshing more local issues, news, and events. My regular readers will remember when I bitched about the City wasting 500,000 Public Works dollars for matching funds for the bike trail system in order to earn "feel good" national press. During the last episode of Oprah's Big Give this season the City was spotlighted for "raising" a million plus dollars for a revamped bike trail system that is already privately funded! As I stated previously, The City, should have dedicated that money to actually cleaning up the rivers before having the citizens ride around them any further.

Most readers will remember F6's promotion and coverage of Save Maumee's Earth Day Project near Hosy Dam last month too. Save Maumee doesn't just do one work project a year; the work continues every day. The vision of a future where our children can go take a dip in the river and within the next twenty years we might just be able to have a public beach again is possible.

What is in our rivers that makes them so polluted?

E. Coli. and bacteria from combined sewer overflows (CSO's), geese, cattle and pig farms. There are 249 active NPDES permitted discharges (permitted legal discharges) and 44 CSO discharge points in the St. Joseph/Maumee watershed. Additionally there are illegal point source discharges such as tiles discharging septic tank effluent that exist in our watershed. According to Joe E. Johnson there has been 50 potential CSO discharges between July 2007-April 2008. Research shows the EPA will allow five per year.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) problems present in the Maumee will reflect on the wildlife also! DO means simply, the content of oxygen in the water is so low that native wildlife cannot exist in it! PBC’s heavy metals from large corporations, and factories stemming all the way from the rust belt time of 1920’s -1950’s still loom in the Maumee today and the Maumee continues to be a dump site in 2008. Indiana also used to have a natural "water filtration" system because we had twenty five percent of our land mass covered with wetlands. With the removal of 85% of the wetlands within 4 generations, our natural "water filtration system" is devastating to our rivers!

How does planting trees and native grass seeds help river water quality?

Dissolved Oxygen problems can be alleviated by creating shade, thus increasing Oxygen in the water. All this will create the beautiful aesthetics of pristine waterways for Fort Wayne's future! The number one pollutant in our watershed is dirt (erosion/sedimentation). Plantings today provide a "rain-garden" type area so plants will drink up the rain water which produces enzymes, absorbs bacteria - and “eating” bacteria out of water rather than letting it just runoff into the river and helps reduce the pollutants in the water down stream all the way through Ohio to (one of the Great Lakes for those whom may not be aware) Lake Erie.

Grasses will help to settle out or suspended sediment in the water; the trees will help to hold down the soil that could be washed away because there is nothing to hold down the barren soil when the water comes rushing in when we have a rain event. By using natural Riparian seeds, projects like these will eventually will help with flooding too, eighty five percent of wetlands in Indiana no longer exist, these restoration practices will aide in replenishing wetland species and activity right here in Fort Wayne!

These practices of planting Cottonwood trees (which drinks up water like a cotton towel) also eliminates standing pools of stagnant water left over when the river water recedes - thus controlling West Nile! West Nile is spread by mosquitoes that hatch in standing, pollution ridden water.

What can you do to help clean up our rivers?

Don’t pour ANYTHING down the storm drains

Don't pour medication, grease, cigarette butts, condoms, tampons, or ANY garbage down the toilet or sink. It will end up in your drinking water! Only bodily waste matter, toilet paper, minimal amounts of cleanser please! BTW try not to flush if you only urinated, save water.

Eliminate standing water in your yards and uncontrolled run off of rain water from your house or control with strategic rain gardens.

Incorporating a compost pile and consistently recycle or reuse products reducing your footprint in the area.

Vote with your wallet! Change the market by changing your purchase habits. Here are three actions under the Libertarian ideal of free markets regulating best practices that need to be initiated by everyone:

Hold government officials to the fire for not cleaning up their mistakes. Write to city, county, state, and national elected officials, tell them you will not vote for them in November unless they do something to move forward with all of our concerns and dreams for a beautiful city.

Do the same for businesses. Tell businesses to change the way they package goods and provide services or else you will discontinue your patronage of their establishments and purchasing of products.

Support organizations that share your concerns. Joining in will help to bring forth successful restoration efforts in our watershed. Take Hoosier River Watch Training “a volunteer water quality monitoring program,” with the St. Joe River Watershed Initiative at the USDA offices. Sign up to become a Hoosier River Watch Volunteer!

The next class is on the 31st of May see F6's Google Calendar for more information. If you don't have any idea of where to begin your own campaign, start within your circle of friends and sign a petition. Have river clean up days where you get your family and friends to join the fun. Contact Save Maumee for some suggestions and a shit load of resource information they also have some awesome connections across the county. Abigail Frost, the founder of Save Maumee Grassroots Organization can be reached @ 260-417-2500 or savemaumee@yahoo.com.

There is more information to cover but I think that is enough of going green and cute bois for one post. I will post more environmental news and updates in two to three weeks.

[EDITOR'S UPDATE: Local Rain Garden Initiatives]

The strategic "green infrastructure" resolutions that were mandated for the City by part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the over 50 potential CSO's incidents mentioned above (6th section) were reported, reviewed, and commented on the same day as this post @ Fort Wayne Politics by Mike Sylvester and Jeff Pruitt (two posts, last one w/video). I will yield to their coverage rather than making a separate post during this weekend as originally intended. Otherwise, it would seem like I am the only one beating the drum about the City wasting money on frivolous, or in this case, poorly planned projects....

*pardon me for a moment while I pull out my soap box*

I do however just have to pointe out the obvious: If the City had not spent the 500,000 dollars to match money donated to the privately funded bike trail system for a five minute spotlight we could have funded some of the Rain Garden Initiative and still had 160,000 dollars minimum left in the Public Works fund for other projects. To boot, the City tried to hire an out of State firm when we have plenty of organizations here able to do the job, as the three cited above in this original post. Thanks goes to City Council for standing up and saying, "NO!". Now it is time to let the citizens, City Departments, and Grassroots Non For Profit Organizations locally come together and put a real plan in place! The rain gardens are a good place to start but they are not the only answer.

*steps down off soap box*

Thank you for putting up with my ranting and bitching.

Politics Explained With Cows?

So before F6 goes off the deep end into the manure pile and has to start pitching the hay out of the loft, we are going to have a small illustration of political ideologies as presented by a new friend Wesley near Austin, Texas and narrated by me.

So you have two cows, they are cute, your kids give them names: Bertha and Daisy. But all of a sudden you remember that you live in a different society then what you grew up in thanks to Universal Health Care and other plans of Democrats, like Harrison Square, that slowly eroded your rights away and now America has become a Socialist society where you are required to give away one of your cows to your neighbor.

You think to yourself, "Hey no big deal. At least I don't live in a Communist society!" That is where the government takes both cows and then provides your family with just barely enough milk. Also be thanking God you don't live under a Fascist regime, then they would take both of them and try to sell you the milk.

As you are walking Daisy over to your neighbors down the back alley way you remember the days of Corporate Greed that lead to the necessity of giving away a years worth of income for the sake of your neighbor for if Corporations were still running everything you would be having to sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows, then act surprised when it drops dead.

The easiest solution to that would be of course a true capitalist society where you would sell Bertha the older heifer at the local town dinning establishment and buy Ricardo a nice young bull to keep Daisy grazing till the rooster cowled just in time for a "healthy milking" session.

But of course since Obama and Clinton got their wish your kids loose their pets because the government will tax you to the point that you must sell both Bertha and Daisy in order to pay the taxes to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow which was a gift from your government. What a Democracy, gotta love it!

Aren't you glad we live in a Bureaucracy where the government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, and then pours the milk down a drain? For by decreasing the supply you increase the demand and therefore the price goes up. That is market economics 101!

[PHOTO SOURCE:] FELT UP BY JEN

Moo To Your Niegh Says Environmentalist

I am so hungry! I could eat a cow! Or, should I eat a horse?

Before anyone gawks at the question above pay attention to this:

In recent events an animal rights group took out a packing plant in another state by sneaking video from the packing plant of workers using forklifts to hold up sick or dying cows to enable their slaughter for meat production. Fortunately the FDA stepped in an ordered the recall of most of the product, which includes the beef product supplied to our kids school lunch program. We always wondered why it was still squirming in the cafeteria tray! In other news a known name brand facility, I believe in Kansas, had to shut down its operations of beef production because they were not getting enough head of cattle to keep the second facility open.

Hrrm, One production plant shut down by the FDA with sick cows that should have been disposed of rather than procured for beef production and another plant that had to shut down because there aren't enough heifers to kill, interesting.

Does that mean Americans are reducing there beef consumption? Could it possibly mean that the dairy cows finally went on a white strike and are reducing their productivity rates in order to increase work place conditions and job security? Or could it just be that there is not enough corn to go around for feed and therefore farmers are reducing the size of their herds or limiting how many heads they are producing forward to beef production?

Which the latter of course would thereby reduce and cut the cost and consumption of hay feed and corn by these beautiful beasts of our dinner table and which in turn prices in the marketplace for the delectable, tender, course of red meat (formerly known as, Daisy, and her sister, Bertha!) otherwise soar.

Yes that is market economics 101. What is also market economics 101? The inefficient Ethanol production based on corn crops as currently being touted by politicians and environmentalist everywhere to 'save the world from ourselves' is what is causing the downturn in corn feed availability. Citing an article in REASON, Robert Enders on a post over at the LPAC blog "Sugar and Energy Independence", reminds the readers in fact that: 1. "However, the most efficient source for ethanol is sugar. The catch is that we would still have to import sugar, but we can import it from more countries than we can with oil." and; 2." Another argument against the use of corn for fuel is that it reduces the amount of corn that can be used for food and livestock feed."

Any one that know me personally, is aware that I am very picky about what I feed my four legged son, Bruno. He is a nine year old Australian Queensland Blue Heeler-Shepherd Mixed and only gets the best food I can afford and one of the big no nos in his nutritional plan is corn, and most dog foods are made with... corn as the primary ingredient. So I was wondering, "If it isn't okay for a dog to eat corn, why is it okay for a cow?", besides in all the pictures I have seen aren't they always grazing in the field for hay. Furthermore, and don't misunderstand I loves me some corn cakes, fritters, casserole, meal etc.; but, "If corn isn't safe for the dog, then why do humans eat it when we know we don't digest it properly?"

I did some checking and then I made a late night phone call, for a little more expertise and advice before typing this post, to Elizabeth Krause, my Secretary, since she grew up on a dairy farm in eastern Allen County southwest of Woodburn. The way she put it was simple: cows cant forgo the corn because hay feed and alfalfa make the meat too lean and the milk bitter. The corn definitely adds the necessary fat to a cow's body and allows for the sweet taste to the milk and it loosens the body and makes the working relationship between the farmer and the product so much smoother. That was the paraphrased version, she will be on either this post or the LPAC post, possibly both, to give the full version later today.

So what do cows eat? In an article posted by Robert Cohen we find some insight between his personal rhetoric as he cites another article written on "the 25th of March 2002 issue of Hoard's Dairyman (the dairy farmers magazine) reveals a mixed menu of gourmet foods in a dairy cow's diet." The Hoard's article reveals that cows consume: 2% pork (which would also make them not kosher); 4% feathers; 15% ground-up fish; 33+% zinc methionine, niacin, anionic salts, and tallow (rendered fat) from their deceased brothers and sisters; 39% dried blood from their dead relatives; 48% roasted soybeans; 50+% selenium, yeast, and magnesium oxide; @79% sodium bicarbonate; along with 200 pounds of water per day while only producing a quarter of that in solid product return, eg: milk.

A twenty five percent daily recoup of investment, is Bertha's utter a bad choice for an occupation? Well that in the least explains the water shortages and cattle reductions out west.

So the next set of questions that remains involve alternatives to cow's milk and cattle beef consumption. There is always the legitimate option of everyone having a family goat both as a lawn care provider and a source of milk and cheese, which is quite tasty (note: some sarcasm)! If we are having a decline in not just the herds but also production of the beef: What is there left for the American people to consume if we run out of beef?

Horse, of course! Yes you heard me correctly, Americans could tragically switch to slaughtering the most regal and rugged animal of all time. But wait we already do! Yes you see in the greatest travesty to the honour of these majestic animals we slaughter and ship at up to $15.00 per pound to other countries the lean flesh for consumption. “The Dallas Morning News reports that of the 6.9 million horses in America in 2001, 57,000 were slaughtered, mostly for human consumption.”(*4) “Two U.S. companies, both in Texas, have cornered a large part of the world's equine flesh market. An Illinois company that sold horse meat burned down last year and has not rebuilt. With 150 workers, Dallas Crown Inc. and Beltex Corp. kill nearly 1,000 horses a week.”(*4) "In 1994, 109,353 pounds of horse meat was shipped overseas. In Sweden horse meat outsells lamb and mutton combined. It is also commonly consumed in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, but it is most popular in Belgium and France."(*4)

As someone who occasionally watches the 70's television series MASH, I will forever remember the one episode when the second commander of the 4077, Col. Sherman Potter, after finding that the Korean people were immune to our vaccines for polio and something else because their diet included horse flesh, was just about in tears that some one would violate the honour of such a beautiful and majestic creature. (Photo: Adam Sutton)

The fact that we have a block buster movie, Broke Back Mountain; a theme song by Willie Nelson; and an entire queer subculture and community devoted to farmbois, cowbois and their admirers is proof that no matter how limp your wrist may flip there is always an American romance with the idea of strapping on a saddle and ridding into the moonlight with your best friends! The very foundations of our country and its continued growth are established in the service of these noble creatures. (Jack Twist & Ennis Del Mar played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Broke Back Mountain, 2005)

The fact that we still base the performance of our cars on the speed of a horse is proof alone that these animals should not be slaughtered for food in this country, no matter how the international markets may desire its tender lean flesh. What would you think if someone from another country came over here and asked to eat a bald eagle? That is not comparing apples with oranges either. Have you ever seen a memorial statue of a cow with a soldier on it? I don't even think the cow that started the Great Chicago Fire has a statue honoring it, but I could be wrong.

So what started Americas love affair with butchering the bovine? Ironically it is our religious and cultural ancestry that is to blame. "Under Mosaic Law horse meat is considered unclean because it conformed to the formula of an animal that was not at the same time cloven-hoofed and cud-chewing"(*4), a cow on the other hoof eats its own shit freely!

[F6 EDITOR'S NOTES:]

The following is my comment left on the LPAC post:

"Now of course the use of Sugar Ethanol, I have no issue with, except for the probability that if the Ethanol Industry is forced to switch it will probably complain and whine to Congress about the cost of rehabbing their factories and ask the American Taxpayer to cover the expenses. If they were smart in the first place they would have built the factories with the ability to convert multiple source products at one time until the science figures its self out, but again they were all built under strict mandates from Congress to receive the tax credits so of course they probably only built the refinery plants for one or two major sources of raw materials, corn and soybeans."

Certain quotes marked with (*4) were direct from Genevieve over at Quoteland