Agriprocessors Invites Governor To Tour Slaughterhouse

In response to Iowa Governor Chet Culver's criticism of Agriprocessors, the company has invited Governor Culver to tour Agriprocessors.

I think the Governor should consider accepting, with these caveats:

1. He'll arrive anytime he wants to on any day he wants to with no prior notice.

2. He'll come with state health, safety and EEOC specialists.

3. He'll meet off-site with current and former workers in a way that guarantees their privacy.

4. He will personally follow up on every employee he talks with, checking with them for at least the remained of his term to make sure they are not retaliated against by Agriprocessors.

5. He will meet with St. Bridget's staff, as well.

6. He will bring press with him, including but not limited to reporters from the Des Moines Register, WCF Courier, and other Iowa papers, Jeff Abbas from Postville Radio, Nathaniel Popper of the Forward, Ben Harris of the JTA.and a videographer. That video will be released to the public domain after workers' identities are masked.

Agriprocessors wants to do another 3 hour staged tour, a Potemkin Village affair like the rabbis tour last month or the lieutenant-governor's tour when she was Secretary of Iowa's Department of Agriculture in 2004. She took $10,000 in campaign donations from Sholom M. Rubashkin and his wife Leah shortly afterward.

If the governor agrees to another staged tour, you'll know my concerns about him were well founded.

Comments

[Archie Bunker]

Well, there was a sequel to Gilligan's Island. Will life imitate fiction again?

[John P]

Did you listen to the piece Amy Goodman did on Democracy Now? She interviews the pastor of St. Bridget's and an ACLU attorney. I was flabbergasted when I learned that a catholic charity is providing basic care and nutrition to immigrant workers from a kosher foods producer. There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

http://xrl.us/oog4b or (full URL)
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/20/iowa_town_turned_into_open_air

[Paul Freedman]

he's a pol-he'd be nuts to show up t this time

[Archie Bunker]

It looks like "Getzel", if it really was him and him alone, has been pulled off the blogger assignment, including for non-plant issues.

[Paul Freedman]

Sure it was him. I know it's his family but it is in own personal interest to carefully consider what's going down and, um, balance things, including personal public exposure, that would be my advice anyways.

[steve]

Disgusting! Thousands of Kapparos chickens dumped instead of being fed to the poor, as advertised:

"The deceptive practice conducted by NCFJE of selling such a huge number of chickens for kapporos-while fully aware that there was no logistical plan in place to process even one-third of them-constitutes a fundamental violation of the principle of bal tashchit (wasteful, wanton destruction). This disposal of the slaughtered chickens demonstrates a shameless violation of the intent and practice of the kapporos ritual."

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/20080825kapporosPETA08252008.html

[steve]

Another link with PETA letter:

http://www.vosizneias.com/19697/2008/08/25/brooklyn-ny-peta-steps-up-its-criticism-on-kapporos-ritual/

[WoolSIlkCotton]

Another Chassidic Jew does the perp walk!

http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Silber_Zalman.html

Zalman Silber of Monsey and Boro Park, pretending to be a gynecologist!

[sage]

In the DesMoines Register newspaper article, it states:

+++ Governor's spokesman Troy Price said today that Culver "respectfully declines a visit to the Postville facility at this time." +++

Good going Governor Culver !!!!

In my opinion, the Governor is telling Agri to "Take your offer and shove it; I'll see you in court."

[craig]

I don't understand why Rubashkin letting Lubinsky extend the invitation to the Gov, to inspect the plant. Anyone that has worked in PR for 5 seconds knows that it should be the CEO of Rubashkin writing this letter, not some PR flack. Its just protocol 101. Not only have they done bad stuff, the people giving him advice (Lubinsky and friends) are not up to snuff. Maybe Lubinsky should go back to being an editor of the Jewish Observer for Agudas Israel.

[WoolSIlkCotton]

No money to pay their maschgihim, but plenty of money to offer wining and dining for the governor.

[isabel]

Maybe the Rubishkins could offer the Governor and his wife one of their fine rentals for the night,they probably would like the dorm style of sleeping.