<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Dear Scott Burgeson,</div><div><br></div><div>1. I hardly think the Yonhap news agency and the Washington Post, referenced in the article's endnotes, are 'left-leaning' sources. And even Oh my news is debatable. </div><div><br></div><div> 2. Regarding your first point of contention (1.), which appears to have become a common rejoinder amongst conservative ranks in SK, could you please provide a reliable and up-to-date source for your statement regarding beef over 30 months old being "widely used esp. for hamburger meat in the US"? </div><div><br></div><div>I myself can't find such a source. What I have found from a quick look at the USDA website is the following:</div><div><br></div><div>In a speech titled "Beef: Building Markets, Ensuring Health" from November 2006 by the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association, on page 3 (under subheading BSE), it states that Canadian beef imports under 30 months are permitted while importing beef older than 30 months are still under consideration. </div><div><a href="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/speeches/content/2006/11/document/SD-CattleFinal11-30.pdf">http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/speeches/content/2006/11/document/SD-CattleFinal11-30.pdf</a></div><div><br></div><div>This August 2005 class II recall of beef from a wisconsin firm states: </div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">"Green Bay Dressed Beef, a Green Bay, Wis., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 1,856 pounds of beef products that may contain portions of the backbone from a cow just over 30 months old, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today. The product was from a cow imported directly for slaughter from Canada. <br><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Based on information provided by Canada, the products subject to this Class II recall are from a cow that is approximately one month older than the 30-month age limit.</span> Both ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection were done on the cow in question. FSIS inspection program personnel determined the cow to be healthy and fit for human food. FSIS' designation of this recall as Class II is because it is a situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product. </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_032_2005_Release/index.asp">http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_032_2005_Release/index.asp</a></span></font></div><div><br></div><div>And based on the list of results on this search page for 'beef aged 30 months' - it appears rather to be the norm that most countries' beef import agreements with the U.S (as well as U.S.'s beef import agreements with Canada) are limited to beef under 30 months. These documents are not the most up to date nor comprehensive on the topic but they nonetheless appear to lean in the opposite direction of your claim. </div><div><a href="http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_032_2005_Release/index.asp">http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_032_2005_Release/index.asp</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Alice S. Kim</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div>On Jun 9, 2008, at 5:45 PM, J.Scott Burgeson wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>1. `While cows 30 months of age and older at the time of slaughter are in general not allowed to be sold for food consumption in the US and elsewhere, the agreement between the US and South Korean government included the import of beef from cattle over 30 months old.`<br><br>Q:　Can you provide a reliable and up-to-date source for the first part of this statement? I have read elsewhere that beef over 30 months old is widely used esp. for hamburger meat in the US. <br><br>2. `A video of a cow in the US that was unable to walk but was passed as acceptable to be slaughtered and its beef included in the human food supply was distributed on the Internet by netizens.`<br><br>Vague attribution. What was the source of this video? MBC`s PD Such`op? And did that cow actually have BSE (I have heard otherwise)? Please provide a clear reference if possible.<br><br> * * * * *<br><br>Your article implies that there is insufficient democracy in South Korea but does not really explain why so few people chose to participate in the Presidential election of Dec. 2007 and thereby register their democratic will at the institutional level. Political apathy is distinct from lack of democracy. One might also note that the GNP won a majority of seats in Parliament in April, yet your article does not account for this phenomenon either (beyond perhaps objecting to it on ideological grounds). Up until recently the Korean electorate was seemingly conservative, which again is distinct from lack of democracy.<br><br>ChoJoongDong have their biases but many of the left-leaning sources you site approvingly in your article have their biases as well, which renders the persuasiveness of your analysis somewhat less than it might otherwise be.<br><br>--Scott Bug<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>