US bars German donations of 15 tons of food

I heard from a friend of mine in Germany today. This is what she wrote me:

Date: Sat Sep 10, 2005  10:07 am
Subject: Just when you think you've heard it all...

According to Der Spiegel a German plane delivering 15 tons of food to the US
has been turned back on the grounds that the German Army food rations might
be contaminated with BSE....(or Mad Cow disease as we know it in the US)

http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L10340393

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5268942,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5268942,00.html

More below the cut

Der Spiegel claims Military personnel in Pensacola, Florida, doubt the
official version that fear of BSE contamination is the reason for the refusal.
They think it's more a case of the Bush Administration wanting to avoid the
embarrassment of having to accept food aid from Europe.

Those German Army rations btw, are cleared by NATO as BSE free and are
regularly eaten by US soldiers sharing duty with German soldiers in
Afghanistan...

Here's the German Spiegel link:

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,374093,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,374093,00.html

The article goes on to say that there is a certain reluctance to donate
money to the richest country in the world (which is in stark contrast to the
immense generosity displayed by Germans following the Tsunami and the Oder
Floods). But no wonder, when you see how your efforts of help are being
treated....

Birgit

Well, I wish we could get together an apology to the German government and the German people that would say, "I'm sorry our leaders are such stupid asshats."

Until then, please accept my own personal, profound apologies for the behavior of the current govt of the US.  NOT MY GOVT!