Buried amongst the news since September 11, I noticed that Japan just announced its first official case of Mad Cow Disease. This is the first case outside Europe, where the disease has already spread to many countries. Humans can get a variant of the same disease by eating meat from an infected cow, and such a cow might not show any sign of illness prior to slaughter. The human form of the disease can remain hidden for many years before causing rapid decline and death in a clinical picture resembling what one researcher called “Alzheimer’s in fast forward.”
         It’s probably just a matter of time before the first case is announced here in the United States. When that happens, you can bet that the fertilizer will hit the fan, and billions in corporate welfare will probably be doled out to help meat companies weather the lean times.
         We can protect our health by eating less meat now or by going vegetarian, by avoiding heavily-processed foods, by eating fresh vegetables and fruits, and by eating organic food. Current American agriculture is heavily dependent on oil and on soil-depleting “monoculture” crops that are mainly fed to livestock--so these healthy dietary changes will also protect our topsoil and increase national security by reducing our dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf. From east to west and south to north, our world is interconnected.
 
 
 

        For a detailed background on Mad Cow Disease, please see Brian’s earlier articles on the topic at http://humboldt1.com/~bri/madcow.htm.