More here.

But what are we trying to achieve? Sure, McWilliams was completely wrong. Sure, he thinks he’s a muckraker. So what? Let him think so. As long as us real sustainable food supporters construct a new, transparent food industry, let the man rake. I think we need to spend less time discussing this defensive hypocrite and more time cooking.

And I agree with Rosenberg (what a Jewish name…like Lewis). McWilliams sounds like a neo-con talk show nut who belong on Faux News with the likes of Hannity.

I just couldn’t believe that line when I first read it but I was sure then he and the Pork Industry must be best buds (at least as long as he toes the other line). Apparently good writers have integrity so would actually investigate what they put their name on. I had to force myself to read past the first paragraph but as soon as I was done I immediately sent my own letter to the editor pointing out the overlooked MRSA details.

Further, he points out that generic tastes are better than being sick and goes on to tout the large amounts of cheap pork people can now eat. Except the rise of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and many other health issues including immune issues such as lupus, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, have also gone up as cheap meat ingestion has. Cost of food and cost of healthcare have flipped in expense. I think medications to support a poor diet are a different kind of sick he’s ignoring just as he is MRSA of were by regular NY Times writers (one of which commented about how important it is to cook pork well because of MRSA).

And then there is the giant liquid manure pits that get breached by age, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornados, and more which then contaminate the waterways and groundwaters yet are also made possible due to taxpayer support (subsidizing poor pork and big corporations). Yummy!

But the way pigs are treated in those places are the biggest nightmare. We don’t treat our worst enemies that badly why would we to those we force the ultimate sacrifice upon?

I completely resented the scare tactic attempt to force the factory farmed ways.

Fortunately he seems to be his own worst enemy and will apparently do more to embarrass the industrial players than they have themselves.

Exactly right.

I am not sympathetic to McWilliams. He chooses to focus on two criticisms of his Op-Ed and dismisses one as a “red herring.” I don’t think it was a “red herring” to point out that the source of funding for the study that forms the basis of his premise was the National Pork Board and apparently I am not alone as the New York Times placed this on their site:

“Editors’ Note: April 14, 2009 An Op-Ed article last Friday, about pork, neglected to disclose the source of the financing for a study finding that free-range pigs were more likely than confined pigs to test positive for exposure to certain pathogens. The study was financed by the National Pork Board.” (Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/opinion/10mcwilliams.html?_r=1)

And his half apology for glossing over the science of a “preliminary” study does not sit well with me either. He misses many other points that you note and I too have serious issues with.

1- How could he not discuss MRSA in such a comparison?
2- Who equates grazing pigs with wild animals? This is a “red herring”
3- “fighting their diseases with medicine and feeding them a carefully monitored diet have long been basic tenets of animal husbandry” However, All industrial pigs are given large amounts of antibiotics, sick or not. This has hardly been a tenet of animal husbandry and obviously has consequences he chooses to ignore.

It seems locavorism is like liberalism, there is great profit in making up what “those people” believe. Looks like McWilliams will be cashing in with a his new book “Just Food: How Locavores Are Endangering the Future of Food and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly.” Replace the word “Locavores” with Liberals and it could have been written by that pre-pubescent Ramesh Ponnuru or that bald headed midget neo-con Reihan Salam. I can already see McWilliams on Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck perhaps?

If anyone really wants the scoop on industrial pork they should read this article from Rolling Stones:
http://cli.gs/1pG397 It will make your head spin and you will know why McWilliams is standard contrarian lit.