Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A meeting with the National Pork Producers Council board members last Wednesday was a rude awakening for this town girl.

I feel God expects me to try to take care of His garden, the good earth. He also wants me to love my neighbor. Near our town, I have neighbors whose lifestyles and livelihoods are being threatened.

At the same time, the rivers and air are being mass polluted and animals are being abused at a rate which is rapidly multiplying.

I joined a group of people from all areas of life and at least seven different states to have a PEACEFUL meeting with Larry Graham of the NPPC. Our meeting was scheduled at 11 a.m.

We had a PEACEFUL press conference scheduled at 10:45 a.m. in front of the building with several TV stations. As our conference started, through the doors behind us came three men in suits and ties, telling us if we wanted the meeting we’d better get inside and that WHO was going to be covering it in there.

We were shocked. We had not had this kind of treatment at any of our rallies that I’ve been to, so we waited until the press conference was done.

Three times Bob Ruggles called loudly to all of us, seeming to try to drown out the press interview, saying, “They must not be ready for a meeting if they can’t come in now; the meeting is supposed to be on the inside.”

He was reminded the meeting was at 11:00, and we would be in there. As Mr. Ruggles continued to try to disrupt the press conference, and ignored continued PEACEFUL replies that we would be in there at 11:00, Hugh Espy of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement finally turned around and shouted for Mr. Ruggles to “Shut up! We will be in there at 11:00!”

To this, Mr. Ruggles yelled, “I want to remind you, you are on private property, and if you want a meeting, you’d better get in here!”

As he turned tail and went back in, he mumbled loudly to his fellow board members, “I guess they don’t want a meeting if they’re not ready to come in.”

During the following meeting, the board members emphasized that they were disturbed that not all the people in the group were pork producers.

When conversation got heated, we were reminded twice by the board, “This is our building,” making the appearance that the environmentalists, animal safety people and farmers’ neighbors were second class citizens without a voice. I think they were convinced otherwise.

What have I learned that other town people should know?

About six years ago, the national Congress voted that anyone who sells pork HAS TO “check off” part of their profits and that money goes to the NPPC.

Therefore, when I buy pork at the store, part of my money supports the NPPC, with their rude, insensitive, agitating board of directors, their lobbying dollars towards programs which IGNORE the environment and the needs of the common citizen and the humane safe treatment of animals and give their plush building with its cushy chairs, all in the name of global economic security and dominance.

I will fight to have the mandatory “check-off” system stopped, and I will try to get my protein in ways that will not support groups like the NPPC.

Bobbie Thomas

State Center resident