Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Louisville's Food Police: People free to comment on whether their freedoms should be taken away, says Courier-Journal

This has to be the year's most ironic headline: "Public to get say on trans fats ban." Oh, you mean we actually have a voice in the process by which our freedoms get taken away? How considerate of them.

"Them," in this case, is the Food Police, otherwise known as the Louisville Department of Health and Wellness. I know, it's a scary title, but there it is. They are taking public comment on whether trans fats should be banned in Louisville and will make a recommendation to the Louisville Metro Politbur... er, I mean Council. This is the same bunch that passed a ban on cigarette smoking at all public facilities except the politically powerful Churchill Downs, who got an exemption.

When Kathy Stein and I appeared on KET's "Kentucky Tonight" several years ago on the issue of whether middle school girls should undergo forced vaccinations of the controversial Gardasil vaccine for HPV, I wondered what would be next, joking that the next thing down the pike was a trans fats ban.

"They'll be coming for your french fries," I said. I was joking of course. But (and I should have known this, my predictions have been so dead on in the past) now they're actually thinking of doing it. I would joke again about what they're coming for next, but I'm afraid now it might actually happen.

And just in case you think this is alarmism, check out the discussion on whether hamburgers should be banned, or Obama's soda tax.

As for me, I am taking special precautions, mostly consisting of stockpiling large quantities of Crisco, margarine, Bisquick, Ramen noodles, and frozen chicken pot pies. These people may be determined, but they'll have to pry the tater tots out of my cold, dead fingers.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pretty soon we'll be shooting fat smokers on sight, kind of like varmints.

Lee said...

In which case, they better shoot straight, or this fat smoker will make them concentrate hard on the consequences.

Lee said...

Doesn't Carrie Nation look like Winston Churchill in drag?