Texas Politicians for "Ag-Gag" Laws?

In a commentary on the Eyes of Texas blog, Mr. Jake addresses the important topic of regulation in  the industrial farm industry in Texas.  He informs the reader about the recent push by CATO's (concentrated animal feeding operations) on State Senator's to make it a felony to video inside these facilities and to lie on job applications in order to gain access to these facilities where animals are imprisoned and often tortured and mistreated. He questions whether Texas, along with Iowa, Vermont, and Florida, will felonize these so called whistle blowers while keeping the public in the dark about what happens to animals prior to being burgers.  Mr. Jake's commentary is well written and thoughtful....for a steak loving carnivore.

The blog is titled "Should We Allow Texas Farms to Buy Our Politicians," and the answer is no.  That's if it hasn't already been done.  I was saddened by President Obama's recent signing of H.R. 933, which prevents litigation against biotechnology corporations.  These GMO corporate giants, such as Mansato, along with CATO's will be responsible for the annihilation of our food supply and the destruction of human health. I don't trust that our representatives, here in Texas, have the public's best interest in mind.

I commend Mr. Jake's defense of these courageous and inspiring citizens.  He states that, "We need whistle blowers in the system to provide information on how our food is being processed." and "It's not just for the sake of animals but Texans as well.  We have a right to know if these farms are operating within the law and if they're preparing our food properly and morally." 

The blog author also mentions the public health issues of E. coli and salmonella but fails to mention the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide that comes from the 280 billion pounds of manure each year.  The improper storage and disposal is a serious threat to air and water quality.  Texas does little to enforce environmental standards on these CATO's.

 Thanks to Jake for the great topic but I don't think his blog entry display's the seriousness of this issue. This video was taken at the E6 cattle company in Hart, Texas in 2011, by Mercy For Animals.  Videotaping at factory farms would not be necessary if proper regulations were put in place to protect animals from cruel and inhumane mistreatment. The system enables this sickening cruelty with the lack of regulations and actual laws.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated"-Mahatma Gandhi