05/11/2000

You Want the Truth?

The Food and Drug Administration last week announced it will not require food manufacturers to label products which contain genetically-engineered ingredients. Spokespeople for the FDA said this step is being taken in response to consumer concerns regarding the safety of genetically-altered foods.

The powers that be at the FDA must have wax in their ears, because consumers’ number one concern about genetically-engineered food is that it is not labeled. How many millions of taxpayer dollars did the FDA spend deciding to do the exact opposite of what citizens were asking it to do?
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
05/04/2000

All the Fuss

The Vermont legislature gave final approval to same-sex civil unions last week and Governor Howard Dean quickly signed the bill into law. I’m sure you’ve heard. It takes effect July first, income and insurance benefits kick in at the first of the year. Two non-related people, 18 or older, may enter civil union by getting a license from their town clerk, just like a wedding license. It costs 20 bucks. A member of the clergy can perform the ceremony, or a judge, or a justice of the peace. Members of the clergy are also free to not perform the ceremony; again, just like marriage. The law is unclear when it comes to the role of ship’s captains, so if you’re planning to hire an excursion boat for your big day, you might want to have the legalities settled on shore.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
04/27/2000

Travel Documents

I have a pile of passports on my desk. They come in various sizes and colors, with emblems and code numbers embossed on their covers. They share the pile with bookmarks, bumper stickers I refuse to put on my car and baseball schedules from years gone by. I usually ignore this particular pile and if I pay any attention to it at all, it’s only to note with satisfaction that I’m still ignoring it. I see the dust collecting on the passports and I feel a kinship with all the corrupt and incompetent border bureaucrats of the world. I feel as if there must be a roomful of travelers somewhere, trapped, unable to go forward or back until I release their travel documents. Meanwhile, I snooze at my desk, I wait for a bribe, I paw through their luggage for the umpteenth time.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
04/20/2000

Far From Over

The protesters marching in the streets of Washington last weekend did a good job calling attention to the World Bank, but the bank itself remains mysterious to many, so I thought I’d spend a few minutes talking about how all this international high finance works. This description will be, by necessity, very simple, so I apologize in advance to any economists who may be listening and take offense.

The World Bank is just that, a bank, although I don’t think you can open a Christmas Club account. Subsidized by the industrial nations of the northern hemisphere, the World Bank lends money to poor countries to assist their economic development. The idea is, that as these countries develop and prosper, they will be able to pay back the loan, plus interest and the money can be lent again, to another poor country. Sound good so far? Here’s where it gets complicated.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
04/13/2000

Diplomatic Schizophrenia

What does it mean to go to war? My dictionary says war is “open armed conflict between countries.” What does that mean? We shoot at them; they shoot at us? When was the last time one of their shots hit us?

A few weeks ago, at a human rights conference, the writer Michael Ignatieff said America has passed from war to “virtual war”, which he defined as a war in which one side – our side – suffers few, if any casualties and inflicts few, if any, civilian casualties on the enemy state – “collateral damage” in military-speak.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
04/06/2000

No Law Abridging

Years ago, when as a young journalist, I engaged my editors in the daily argument of “what is news?” I suffered a long string of defeats. The last word from editorial Olympus was often, “Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.” That may be a hardhearted interpretation of the First Amendment, but it’s accurate. Or it was accurate, until I saw a story on April Fool’s Day saying the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy is offering magazines financial incentives to publish anti-drug articles.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)
03/30/2000

Patent Nonsense

My friend Brian is an inventor. Not one of those crackpots you see on late night cable tee vee, but an industrial designer. He and his colleagues design tools for a particular industry. But Brian has an engaging mind and he saw an opportunity to design a better version of a product used every day. So he drew a blueprint, made a prototype and showed it to his partners. They all agreed it was a great design, worthy of a patent and could sell tens of thousands of units. Then they agreed with Brian that the project should be put on the shelf and never spoken of again, which is what happened, except that I’m speaking about it now.
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By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)