Evangelicals Tell China: Enough!


Red Alert has hit America . . . spiritually and physically.

I don't know about all of you, but after this latest recall of toys, I'm personally through with buying from China. Whenever possible, I will try to purchase American made or American grown products. The sad thing is, greedy businessmen and politicians have sold out the American public (including their own families), and now it takes some footwork to find and buy any products with the Made in USA label.

I'm going to give it a try, though, and I hope a few thousand of you will, too.

Here's just a brief review of China's recent track record:

1. Chinese toothpaste killed hundreds of people in South America due to the antifreeze chemical diethylene glycol substituted to save money. Americans were advised to throw away any toothpaste they purchased stamped with the names of certain U.S. Cities (this is the only way we had of knowing that the toothpaste we put into our mouths morning and night came from China). http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec07/china_07-03.html

2. Chinese cough syrup (containing the same poisonous chemical) killed dozens of people in Panama—at least 260,000 bottles were on store shelves.

3. Toys and baby bibs poisoned with lead were stocked in and recalled from who knows how many stores in America; Thomas the Tank Engine and a Mattel recall of over 9 million toys is still going on due to lead poisoning. The media suggested parents bring their children in for a medical checkup if they owned any of these items.

4. 450,000 Chinese tires were recalled because they fell apart on the freeways.

5. Pet foods in North America were recalled (on a massive scale) due to the poisonous plastic additive melamine . . . but not before hundreds of pets died.

6. Chinese seafood including Shrimp and Southern Catfish were refused by the FDA because of pollutants (carcinogens and dangerous antibiotics).
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/opinion/15grescoe.html?ex=1187668800&en=41132155fbd68d35&ei=5070

How does China deal with this? They shake their proverbially fist at us and deny, deny, deny. Eventually, when the damage has piled up so high that even they can’t deny it, Chinese police track down a scapegoat and execute him (short, and not so sweet, but 100% effective).

When is enough, enough? The USDA revealed recently that at least 50% of our apple juice is imported from China, so our children drink Chinese juice on a daily basis. Did you know that? It's the stuff of nightmares. Where does our sweetener for cereal come from? How about the sweeteners for fruit Snacks, fruit rollups, etc? Do these big American food companies import their ingredients from China? You bet. Do they tell us about it? Nope. (The San Diego Union Tribune http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070701/news_1n1china.html) Until recently, they never even bothered to test the food ingredients coming from China to make sure they were safe!

I've had it with America's way of doing business and with China's contempt for human and animal life. I can't do much about the first at the moment, but I guarantee you, I'll be making a list of American manufacturers and their products. I know they're not perfect either, but at least we can keep a closer eye on them.

According to the NY Times, living without Chinese products has become nearly impossible. "Sara Bongiorni knows this now. She decided that her family would try to live an entire year without using products that were made in China, and her findings are detailed in a new book, “A Year Without ‘Made in China’: One Family’s True Life Adventure in the Global Economy.”

“There’s no way you can live anywhere near a normal life without buying things from China,” Ms. Bongiorni says. She notes, for example, that nearly all telephones and cellular phones are made there.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/weekinreview/08martin.html?ex=1187755200&en=af8fd57d00211b31&ei=5070

She goes on to say, “a creeping unease washed over me as I sat on the sofa and surveyed the gloomy wreckage of the holiday [Christmas]. It wasn't until then that I noticed an irrefutable fact: China was taking over the place.

It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll splayed on the floor. I slipped off the couch and did a quick inventory, sorting gifts into two stacks: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I'd had enough. I wanted China out.” http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1220/p09s01-coop.html

When will Americans say, “Enough!?” When will we want China out? What have we done to ourselves and to our children?

We need to demand that all imported products be labeled with the name of the country that made them--especially all food products (or food-related products). We need to tell our government, "Enough, already!"

Ever wonder who makes your plastic food wrap? How about those plastic bags or Tupperware you store your food in—or how about baby bottles and teethers? You guessed it: Made in China. http://www.kyrieology.com/drupal/health/plastics

Have you noticed how quiet our government is about all of this? Where is President Bush and why isn’t he sitting on the edge of his desk talking to Americans about it? Part of the job of a great President is building a relationship with the people. I was young when Reagan was the President, but I remember how impressed I was with the fact that he thought the American people were important enough to actually talk to—he acted like we might have a brain or two inside our fashionably foiled heads.

I am disappointed in President Bush (and I voted for him) and deeply disappointed in America when it comes to China. But I guess any country would have to think twice about public relations when their friendly enemy owns $1 Trillion of their debt.

That's right—China owns almost 50% of American debt—$1 Trillion out of $2.2 Trillion. http://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/record.cfm?id=269895


So what can you do about all of this?

Email your State Senators and give them an ear full: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Contact your Governor and your State Legislators and tell them you've had enough:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml


We are not powerless . . . Grass Roots America is powerful.

Here's a good start for Made in the USA products (if you have any interesting links, email me at jill@waltermartin.com and I'll post them):

1. Take a look at Made in the USA sites and products here http://www.madeinusa.org/

2. Check out Hartstone Pottery http://www.hartstonepottery.com/ a pottery manufacturer actually located in America (Where were your plates and glasses made? Three guesses . . .)

3. You'll find some interesting things at Treehugger.com (including info on glass "Tupperware" http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/11/qa_glass_tupper.php

4. And last but definitely not least—buy local organic products whenever possible—and support your local Farmer’s Market.

It's not too late to protect our families and be good stewards of this poor, polluted planet. We have entered Red Alert status physically and spiritually. It’s time to make some changes.