Saving Fat People From
Themselves By Alan
Caruba CNSNews.com Commentary June 05, 2002 Let's forget
about cholera, typhoid fever and malaria, the UN's World Health
Organization (WHO) and its Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has
now set its eyes on saving fat people from themselves. A case is
being made is that obesity is not only a health threat to those who are
too fat, but that various restrictions must be imposed on everything from
soda to snack foods to save the rest of us from possibly becoming fat. Fat
as defined by the UN, of course. And who shall we accuse of this
dastardly plot to turn us all into waddling horrors? Obviously, it's the
growers, ranchers, processors, and merchandisers who are to blame for
these people being fat. You believe that, don't you? This latest scare
campaign is not about obesity. It is a further extension of the UN's
effort to control every aspect of everyone's lives and to control who eats
what and how much. What you eat is your business. If you eat too
much, it's your fault. It's just that simple. Nothing, however, is simple
when the forces of totalitarianism terrorize people in order to expand
their power and wreak havoc on everyone involved in the daily process of
feeding everyone else. The implications for economic harm, particularly to
American agriculture, are mindboggling. We are now being told that
obesity threatens Western civilization and the developing nations. One
wonders why WHO/FAO would devote its resources to worrying about fat
people in a world where far too many go to bed hungry? By the FAO's own
estimates "in 1997-99, there were 815 million undernourished people in the
world; 777 million in developing countries, 27 million in countries
transitioning to market economies and 11 million in industrialized
countries." That is a lot of hungry people. In 1998, the same UN
concluded "The earth produces enough grain to provide every person
worldwide with 3,500 calories a day. Taking into consideration all food,
including meats and fish, fruits and root crops, the world produces at
least 4.3 pounds of food per person per day." A 1997 study by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science found that "78 percent of all
starving children under five live in countries that have food surpluses.
Those surpluses are exported to wealthier nations." Hunger worldwide is
not a question of the earth capacity to feed everyone. It is often the
result of foolish and even evil policies. These days Americans are
being subjected to a campaign of lies intended to convince them that too
many are fat because of soft drinks and so-called "junk food." People get
fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. However, in
a February 27, 2001 edition of The Washington Post, there was an article
headlined "Research suggests kids who drink a lot of soft drinks risk
becoming fat, weak-boned, cavity-prone and caffeine-addicted." You had to
read the article to find that "cavities have declined while soda
consumption has increased." Suffice it to say the "research" cited was
dubious at best. Virtually every scare campaign begins with "research"
that invariably proves to be false. The key words to watch out for in such
articles are "might", "may" and "could." According to the American
Obesity Association, "Much remains unknown about obesity." What we do know
is that fat people eat too much! That is not a threat to society. It is a
health problem inherent to fat people. As the AOA points out, "Most people
who try to lose weight do not use the recommended combination of reducing
calories and exercising at least 150 minutes or more per week."
Duh! This, of course, has not deterred WHO and FAO from having just
issued a draft report on diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic
diseases. Based, we're told, on "expert consultation." Nobody at WHO
invited input from the US food industry or other sources that might
contradict the report's findings. As with all UN reports, the results were
determined in advance. For example, while the report claims soft drinks
are linked to obesity, an analysis of US government data contradicts that
assertion. Twenty-three national and international food and related
organizations wrote a joint letter to Tommy G. Thompson, the Secretary of
the Department of Health and Human Services, expressing serious concerns
about the report. "To date, there is no evidence that individual behavior,
such as dietary habits, food choices, and the desire to be physically
active, can be manipulated by mandates of legislative bodies or coercion
by regulators." In other words, you cannot force people to decide what and
how much to eat, nor can you force them to exercise. Those are individual
lifestyle choices and, that last time I checked, in the land of free,
people expect to make those choices for themselves. Yet another
slick, duplicitous campaign is in the works, aimed at major food
companies, and emanating from the dark cellars of the United Nations.
Prepare, too, for the legions of activists and trial attorneys who will
descend on these and other major food corporations. If you thought the
assault on tobacco companies was ludicrous, wait now for a fat person's
lawsuit seeking damages for having stuffed their face until they
burst! Alan Caruba is the founder of The National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about scare campaigns designed to influence
public opinion and policies.Copyright 2002, Alan
Caruba
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