Washington, DC (TLS). Reports from university lab studies of the tainted pet food that has thus far resulted in the deaths of 15 cats and 1 dog indicate that rat poison is the culprit.
Lab results have pinpointed the exact type of rat poison--aminopterin--which is not sold legally in the United States. Early indications point to wheat gluten that came from China as the source of the poison. However, this has not yet been substantiated.
The CEO of Menu Foods, the manufacturer of the pet food that is sold under dozens of different name brands, stated in a press release today that he accepts full financial responsibility for any pet whose death can be directly traced to tainted food. While this is an admirable move, it is premature to affix blame for the deaths on the food manufacturer.
This story is shaping up to be a deliberate act of harmful intent. The question is, who is behind it and why?
Americans' love for their pets is well-known around the world. Most of us who own cats or dogs consider them to be trusted friends and companions, even members of the family. The quickest way to hurt me is to hurt my dog.
Thus, the obvious question arises as to whether or not this act of the mass poisoning of pets is a terrorist-related crime. Or is this merely the demented work of a sick individual, closely akin to the now-infamous Tylenol tainting 20 years ago?
There is yet another possibility that points to motivation that is even more sinister--the possibility that the pet poisonings are a trial balloon, a 'dry run' by a terrorist group intent on a mass poisoning of the nation's food supply, the effectiveness of which is first determined by the level of success in causing the deaths of dogs and cats.
Needless to say, the possibility of such an attack shows that at the very least the vigilance of America in considering ALL fronts in a possible terrorist act, including the tainting of the nation's food supply, is an absolute life-and-death necessity.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
If a grain shipment to America was poisoned during shipping, then the perpetrators probably wouldn't have known that it was destined for pet food. It sure sounds like a possible terrorist attempt to kill thousands of Americans to me.
I dunno. It certainly is a possibility. But there are other explanations that are much less sinister.
The substance in question supposedly came from China. These grain farms use the substance for various reasons. It could have been one big mistake, maybe even no one's fault, where the poison somehow got mixed in with the grain.
On the other hand, the pet food plants that manufacture the food here in the U.S. could be the source of the tainting. According to FOX NEWS this evening, company officials are investigating that possibility...but they would not speak to Fox reporter Laurie Dhue, nor would they allow her inside the facility.
Post a Comment