Observations From the Back Row: 6-7-11

...

Will “natural” repellents actually kill bugs dead?
During a season when insect repellent is, of necessity, many people's signature fragrance, consumers may be drawn to sprays with more benign-sounding names and scents. An array of these “natural” repellents is widely available — there’s everything from citronella to soybean oil — but their effectiveness at actually keeping the bugs away is still in question.

Scott Carroll, director of Carroll-Loye Biological Research Consulting, an independent company that tests insect repellents, notes…..“To me,” he says, “[minimum risk pesticides] is code for: ‘They don’t work very well.’” Indeed, companies that market such “minimum-risk” repellents are not actually required to demonstrate how well they work.……..The EPA has deemed both their active and inert ingredients safe for the intended use, mainly because they’ve been used long enough in consumer products without incident, says Carroll.   There is more in this article worth reading.  RK

FDA sends US marshals to seize elderberry juice concentrate, deems it 'unapproved drug' (NaturalNews) Wyldewood Cellars, a Kansas-based producer and distributor of elderberry juice, is the latest raid target of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which recently sent US marshals to the company's winery in Mulvane to confiscate the "unapproved drug." According to the rogue agency, Wyldewood had violated provisions in the US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) that restrict health claims for food items, warranting the sudden invasion.

My Take - I don't know if elderberry juice even tastes good let alone improve the health of those who do drink it, but I posted these two articles to show how strange the federal government is. On one hand the product is "natural" and it's OK with no testing because it has been around for a long time. On the other hand the product is "natural" and has been around for a long time but isn’t being described properly.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a couple of articles about the government wanting to fine some poor family $90,000 for selling a few thousand rabbits over a couple of years. The profit on this was meaningless, but it allowed them to go out to some place special for dinner once in a while, like Red Lobster. And if they didn't come up with that money right now they intended to push it to over four million.

But to actually have a "raid" and "seize" their products as if this is a powerful drug lord and his cartel selling harmful illegal drugs is....well....a bit insane. In Ohio this same tactic was used against a co-op that sold things like unpasteurized milk products to its members when an "undercover" agriculture agent convinced them to sell him some small amount (the story is contested by the way). They were then raided with swat personnel and held in custody for some time, scaring the family, including the small children. This is nuts. Have we lost our minds allowing these petty but powerful bureaucrats to dominate us in this way? Yes...we have! The other question I have is this. If this is all they have to do then do we need them at all?


###