Scott McPherson's Web Presence

One of my favorite movies of all time is the cult classic Circle of Iron.  Also titled The Magic Flute, this inde gem was written by and for Bruce Lee (with the assistance of one James Coburn, by the way).  Upon Lee's tragic death, David Carradine assumed Lee's (multiple) role(s) and Jeffrey Cooper was cast as the male lead.  Cooper, whose only other film I can recall is the first Billy Jack movie Born Losers, did an acceptable job with the role.  I am told Cooper went on to do Dallas and soaps.

Carradine's recurring character the Blind Man talks in Zen riddles during much of the film, so Cooper's frustrated character Cord chimes in with a great line.  Here is the exchange:

“Tie two birds together, and even though they have four wings they cannot fly." – The Blind Man.

"And a horse has no udders and a cow can’t whinny and up is down and sideways is straight ahead." – Cord.

I was drawn to this exchange when I read this article:

Government asks court to block wider testing for mad cow

By SAM HANANEL – 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority. (bold mine)

The government seeks to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed Arkansas City, Kan.-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy demand from overseas customers in Japan and elsewhere. (bold mine)

Less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are currently tested for the disease under Agriculture Department guidelines. The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers.

"They want to create false assurances," Justice Department attorney Eric Flesig-Greene told a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

But Creekstone attorney Russell Frye contended the Agriculture Department's regulations covering the treatment of domestic animals contain no prohibition against an individual company testing for mad cow disease, since the test is conducted only after a cow is slaughtered. He said the agency has no authority to prevent companies from using the test to reassure customers.

"This is the government telling the consumers, `You're not entitled to this information,'" Frye said.

Chief Judge David B. Sentelle seemed to agree with Creekstone's contention that the additional testing would not interfere with agency regulations governing the treatment of animals.

"All they want to do is create information," Sentelle said, noting that it's up to consumers to decide how to interpret the information. (bold mine)

Larger meatpackers have opposed Creekstone's push to allow wider testing out of fear that consumer pressure would force them to begin testing all animals too. Increased testing would raise the price of meat by a few cents per pound.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. Three cases of mad cow disease have been discovered in the U.S. since 2003.

The district court's ruling last year in favor of Creekstone was supposed to take effect June 1, 2007, but the Agriculture Department's appeal has delayed the testing so far.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gLzqdHsMBuQV9h5k-kVnabJDsj1AD90I89K80

OK, so here we go:  We have a meat company (Creekstone) that wants to do the right thing for both its domestic and international customers.  They want to test all their slaughtered beef for Mad Cow.  Not just a random cow here and there.  ALL OF THEM.

Creekstone would use its own money to test and certify.  What could possibly be wrong with that?

Plenty, if you believe the Department of Agriculture.  Here we have the United States Government going to court to stop this self-imposed practice, because it allegedly gives the meat company an unfair competitive advantage?  Have we all gone MAD, so to speak?

The planet has been knocked off its axis.  Madmen run Washington.  Up is down and sideways is straight ahead.

Perhaps they should be tested for CJD, which may explain their bizarre behavior.