[Gale Force]

A billboard just went up on Hwy 99 in California, just north of Earlimart (40 min north of Bakersfield) on the northbound side.

The billboard says "Milk is milk" and something like "what's inside is the same, why pay more?"

Apparently there is at least another billboard on the 99. Here's the milk is milk website.

Next time I drive by, I'll check out the feasibility of getting a picture.

 

[rstump]

I have seen this website. I am wondering who is behind it. Seems VERY strange to me. Many of the articles are very odd and don't even make common sense about hormones, pasteurization, pesticides, etc. I am SURE BIG dairy it behind all of it.

Is this the billboard? http://www.milkismilk.com/2006/07/hi...k-is-milk.html

 

[kdmama33]

The term fearmonger comes to mind -- somewhat hypocritical in the light of his claims of "organic fear-profiteering". He manages to slam on both raw milk and those who choose not to vaccinate their children, all in one concise blog entry. The whole entry (hell, the whole blog) is about fearmongering.

This made me laugh, though, so the site was good for something. Here's a direct quote from an article featured on the website:

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Dietetic Association, both [organic and coventional milk] are equally safe and nutritious. The difference is the way it is handled and produced. Check the nutrition facts label and you'll see that each 8-ounce serving of milk offers the same amount of nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and potassium."

Well, KNOCK ME OVER, the difference is in the way it is handled and produced. Think perhaps that's why a lot of us choose to purchase it?!?

So ... it's illegal to torch billboards, huh? Damn!

 

[JaneS]

Avery is member of Hudson Institute, a right wing think tank that is very anti-environmentalist:

http://www.cgfi.org/about/aavery_bio.htm

Now this article says Dennis T. Avery is director of Center for Global Food Issues

Quote:

Dennis T. Avery, author of the tract "Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastic," proudly describes himself as a missionary. His mission: to protect and promote "high-yield farming to save wildlife." http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1999Q4/avery.html

Maybe Alex is a chip off old block?
YEP! See here:

Quote:

When it comes to deceptive scares involving organic foods, however, No More Scares seems to have a double standard. Alex Avery, one of the authors of the No More Scares report on organic foods, is the son of Dennis T. Avery, an "adjunct scholar" at the Hudson Institute and author of the anti-environmentalist tract, Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastic. Like his son, Avery the senior does not merely champion the idea that conventionally-grown foods are safe. He has gone further, claiming that organic food is actually more dangerous than foods grown using synthetic pesticides. Avery says that "people who eat organic and 'natural' foods are eight times as likely as the rest of the population to be attacked by a deadly new strain of E. coli bacteria (0157:H7)." This happens, he says, because organic food is grown in animal manure. He claims his data comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the federal agency that tracks outbreaks of foodborne illness. In reality, organic food is no more likely to be grown in animal manure than nonorganic food. The CDC vigorously denies Avery's claim and has even gone to the unusual step of issuing a news release disavowing it. Nevertheless, Avery's message has been repeated in media op-ed pieces written by Avery with titles such as "Organic Foods Can Make You Sick" and in news stories by the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and numerous other publications in the United States and Europe. http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/2000Q3/usual.html

That Hudson Institute has some real b*stards in it.

Nice funding sources too... ADM, Dow, DuPont, Exxon, Monsanto: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php...titute#Funding

 

[JaneS]

I didn't even go further down that page...

Not only Michael Fumento, the vaccine and tobacco defender but Robert Bork and Scooter Libby are Fellows of Hudson too! This is just too funny.

 

[JaneS]

:

from M is M website:

Quote:

And supplements don't change milk; they just increase the cow's ability to produce milk more efficiently. Vitamin D3, which is added to most milk, is in fact a hormone.

Oooo gee, those bovine growth hormones must be good for me then!!

 

[kdmama33]

The whole thing was quite comical, wasn't it! I wasted a good hour digging around on the site just for the belly laugh inducing aspect.

(Course, my eyes just about rolled back up into my head permanently, but I'm sure the laughter would have cured that, too.)

 

[JaneS]

Actually I'm not laughing any more... I woke up mad today about this. If they have enough $ to construct billboards, they've got enough to continue to infect the prevailing wisdom.

I wonder if it wasn't spurred on by WAPF's recent Real Milk campaign, they are really trying to raise more $ for it. There's also film being produced independently about raw milk. Nina Planck's books and editorials. Etc. I think it's to counter all this.

 

[toraji]

There was a radio show online recently which had Sally Fallon, Robert Cohen (not milk guy) and Alex Avery on, all talking about milk. It was pretty funny. Alex Avery was a total jerk to the other two, totally arrogant. Robert Cohen actually sounded the most reasonable and calm out of the three. Sally seemed aggravated.

Just checked, it's not online anymore, only on CD:
http://www.metrofarm.com/mf_Food_Chain_Radio.html
Show #490: NOT MILK?

( Show available via CD )

Guests: Alex Avery, Hudson Institute; Sally Fallon, Weston A. Price Foundation; & Robert Cohen, notmilk.com

Subject: Some say milk does a body good. Others say milk does a body bad. This leads us to ask, "Which is it, good or bad?"

Topics include why opposing views exist as to the efficacy of milk; what evidence can be offered to back those views; and whether milk does, or does not, "do a body good."

 

[bri276]

I'm sure it's also to counter the rise in people buying organic milk, the mainstream industries are probably (hopefully) starting to see a sizable decrease in sales.
what a pathetic effort though. their premise is just so indefensible that they can't even come up with anything better than a pack of lies.

 

[Persephone]

For me, raw milk isn't something I've been focusing on. I'm just happy to get minimally pasteurized, local, organic milk. However, this really makes me mad. Someone used the word "fearmongering", and that's exactly what it is. It sounds like lately, probably with the help of the internet, people are doing their own research, and coming to their own conclusions about diet and such, and it's scaring big business. As despicable as this new fearmongering campaign is, I actually see it as a good sign, that big business is getting scared, because people's personal choices ARE making a difference.

 

[Laurel723]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdmama33 So ... it's illegal to torch billboards, huh? Damn!

It's only illegal if you get caught...

 

[DevaMajka]

That doesn't even make sense. What's on the inside is what counts?
But wouldn't "factory farmed" milk have additional stuff? Like hormones and pesticides?
And my main reason for buying organic is how the animals are treated. Ideally, I'd not buy any at all. But for now, its better than contributing to factory farms.

 

[newcastlemama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaneS : from M is M website: Oooo gee, those bovine growth hormones must be good for me then!!

Good if you want bigger udders!! Save money on breat implants drink milk with bovine growth hormone!!!!

 

[kdmama33]

Oh geeze, so THAT'S how I got these ginormous breasts!

Think I could sue to have 'em pay for my reduction?!?

 

[moneca]

GF - If I sent you a lighted torch would you chuck it at the billboard next time you drive by?

 

[Ruthla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdmama33 Oh geeze, so THAT'S how I got these ginormous breasts! Think I could sue to have 'em pay for my reduction?!?

Maybe we can make it a class action suit!

 

[Gale Force]

Moneca,

I'll ask the postmaster tomorrow how you can go about sending a lit torch through the mail.

Amanda

 

[guestmama9916]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bri276 I'm sure it's also to counter the rise in people buying organic milk, the mainstream industries are probably (hopefully) starting to see a sizable decrease in sales.

Yup. I know they're seeing decreased sales in my area. The organic milk cooler at my Publix is almost always picked over. Fortunately, they recently added a 3rd brand of organic milk to keep up with the demand. When I shop at Walmart, its the same story except my Walmart only carries Horizon so they are almost always out - especially on a Sunday afternoon shopping trip.

Kim

 

[BoilerPop]

Hi, just found this forum while researching where the funding came from for this campaign. If you folks want the straight scoop on artificial hormones you need to read this <http://www.themilkweed.com/Feature_06_Jun.pdf>.

This paper shoots from the hip and prints the truth. Boy, do the corporate types hate him.

Best to all of you. I wish all consumers would educate themselves as much as you obviously do.

BoilerPop (a real live dairy farmer)