Seems weird to me that he pointed out Bloomberg is Jewish. What does that have to do with anything?

Bloomberg's regulations because the man is Jewish. Mississippians let racism and bigotry inform them on all the decisions they make, of course. There are plenty of reasons to dislike what Bloomberg does; nobody needs to hate him for what he is.

I think it's more that Rude is implying that Bloomberg being Jewish is just one more reason to dislike his regulations, rather than being THE reason to dislike him. The fact is, they don't like the government telling them what to do--especially if that government comes in the form of someone they already hate, like Jewish people, black people, liberals, (or what they perceive to be liberal, socialist, etc.), or any other non-white, non-Christian wingnut.

this regulation. I don't like it either. Accusing people of bigotry is clouding the issue. I'm all for telling restaurants that they have to post calorie counts of the items on their menus, but the final decision about what I order should be left to me. Saying that racism factors into my decision is beyond absurd. Mississippi's reputation regarding racial issues is well-deserved, but it's ridiculous to bring that up in a discussion about nutrition. Bringing up racial issues in this discussion shows that the Rude Pundit's motive here wasn't to shed light on a problem, he just wants to trash the people of Mississippi.

Had Bloomberg been a Methodist, or if Laura Bush or Cindy McCain instituted "Let's Move" and the healthy eating initiative, rather than Michelle Obama, yes, we would hear griping about government interference. But, you know damn well they would not be trying to institute this kind of legislation. And, anyone who elects the lunatics who try to pass this kind of legislation into public office deserves to be trashed, whether they live in Mississippi, New York, or anywhere else.

generally. This sort of regulation is just the sort for which liberals are infamous. This kind of thing is the very reason that most people in America don't consider themselves liberals. Americans don't like to be micro-managed. They are live-and-let-live for the most part. They don't like it when conservatives tell people who they can have sex with and they don't like it when liberals make health choices for them. Partisans ignore this at their peril. You can try to make this about race or religion, but most people have more sense than to believe that. And by the way, no state deserves to be trashed just because they aren't grateful for all your advice on how to live their lives.

Liberals pass legislation forbidding anyone from making health recommendations? Really? Please name one.

And, the Rude Pundit wasn't trashing the whole state. Just certain politicians.

not the bill being considered by the MS legislature. And the Rude Pundit was trashing the whole state, or was he only calling those politicians fat fucks?

It was about the politician's response to it and other health recommendations. Again, if these politicians weren't bigots, they wouldn't do anything more than complain. And, no, the Rude Pundit is not trashing the whole state of Mississippi, just the idiot politicians and their supporters. But, you read into it whatever the hell you want. I honestly don't give a shit.

there is always someone that seems to mention how bloomberg, feinstein or anyone else pushing a certain issue is jewish.

I like the rest of it, though.

have much respect for anything in Jewish culture (except for supporting Israel).

Jewish is foreign enough for the average Miss Hippy voter. I would have said something like, "the 1st amendment-violating, protest-squashing oligarch mayor" which is more accurate. There are lots of reasons to despise this awful man without bringing up his religion.

That he appears as a foreign dictator. Can't imagine there are all that many Jews in that region of the country. As a Jew, I'm not offended my it.

I don't know very much about The South, except that it is very hot in the summertime.

But this article is disgusting in itself. It definitely won't help win anyone over. In fact it creates hostility in people like me who support measures to promote healthy living. But I guess some are just happier acting like children.

But it's RIGHT THERE IN THE FUCKING NOM DE FUCKING PLUME

The RUDE Pundit

This is actually a serious thing that should be taken care of as adults. Instead plenty of people find the childlike name calling to be the way to go.

As for me, I like some pepper on my steak

But I think it goes overboard in the mocking of the poor the implication that the state is really doing this as a thumb of the nose to the "jewish" mayor bloomberg. I doubt the mayor being a person of Jewish heritage has much to do with it. As far as healthy foods maybe if we subsidized them the way we do the mass market crap more poor people could afford it.

Also the posts are usually way too long for the point being made. I'm sure the Rude one is a youngster, it shows.

By the by, chicken fried and deep fried everything has more to do with weight issues in the South than carbonated drinks.

Moreover: http://www.stephaniemiller.com/about/the-rude-pundit/

Its hard being liberal --- I care so much for others I don't care for myself sometimes. Maybe the Rude One cares so much that he blows it out his butt ,after the air clears he doesn't mean to offend obese southeners ,Jews and N.Y.C. residents .this is my interpretation and I'm wrong 89% of the time.

I guess I'm very passionate about this because I'm a chef who grew up in a family with a father who didn't give a damn about nutrition and now he's so sick he can barely get out of bed due to having multiple strokes. So nutrition is an important subject matter to me and I feel that humor like this sometimes is counterproductive. But your probably right I should learn to laugh

you've demonstrated that you can be a real piece of shit stained tp. Attacking poor people, gratuitously bringing up Bloomberg's religion.

referencing the sort of demonization of 'northeastern liberals' that is so casually accepted from Southerners.

I grew up in Texas always hearing about Yankees (northerners), Damnyankees (northeasterners) & Fruitcakes (Californians) where anything any of these people said was objectionable. And most had nothing good to say about Jews, Blacks, VietNamese or Latinos which they also had pet names for.

Let's be real.

RP did not nothing but give words to what we know is being said in private down there.

you cannot FORCE people to eat what they don't want to eat.

educate all you want, but beyond that, it is none of your fucking business what another person eats.

It's called public health...

Forced BMI and blood screenings? Government mandated diets with penalties for those who don't respond?

It's none of our business.

if i supposedly cost more in the insurance pool because i'm fat (i don't), just pretend you're paying instead for the kids i don't have, 'k? and i'll pay for your kids instead of your obesity.

one of my friends has to wear a fucking pedometer every day and report to her HMO because they say she is overweight. she is active, works full time, takes care of her two sons and her husband, takes care of and rides her horse. yeah, she could lose maybe 20 pounds, but all the stupid HMO is looking at is the ridiculous BMI. i told her she should let her kids wear the stupid pedometer....

I have something around 14% bodyfat and do triathlons fairly regularly, and according to the BMI charts, I'm OBESE. Not just overweight, but obese.

The Rude Pundit puts forth a valid problem. All the things he said about Mississippi are in fact true. But what the government down there did was exactly what you say they should not do, only in reverse. They are mandating that any subdivision of the state can't put forth their own regulations addressing these issues. The education system is the place give information and insure that at least they are not contributing to the problem, and now they can't. Offering good, nutritious meals and educating the students as to why is the job of the schools.

And in this country we already have forced screenings and testing. Blood alcohol levels, drug testing for employment. And don't tell me "I can't smoke". Exactly where do we draw the limit. It is our business. Education is our business.

"you cannot FORCE people to eat what they don't want to eat"

educate all you want, but that's where it stops. after that, what i choose to eat is my business. i am perfectly capable of saying no to super-sized drinks, etc.

Or the existence and spread of infectious diseases, or black lung, or any of the other myriad of things tracked by public health.

Woohoo, all of us are on our own! We really are an ultimate me society...

Yes, yes it is my business. Diabetes morbidity and mortality, as well as heart disease are directly related to diet and genetics. So yes, it is my and your business...this is why it is called public health.

And if we are to educate people we first need to find out what is food that is culturally acceptable, ergo my business.

We are social animals, we have an obesity epidemic, ergo a public health crisis, ergo our collective business.

Also none is forcing the kids to eat it, but offering better, even good, choices is part of that education. Given they saw a small drop in obesity rates it seems to work. But yes, it is my and your business. And this is done, carried out if you will, by public health officers.

Sometimes I am amazed, this is one of those times.

Get real.

I can't comment on the quality of it. Submitted for purposes of discussion:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infectobesity#Viruses

so most of your post is just so much blather.

and still what i eat is not your business. educate all you want, but what i actually do eat is MY business, not yours.

It is about WE. and it is not your cheeseburger that matters, but the aggregate of cheeseburgers eaten over the course of the year by the average American and their effect in public health.

What you are showing is a me first attitude and chiefly ignorance of how public health works.

Trust me, they are not watching specifically you as you eat your burger. But the studies tell us that they will recommend you do not enjoy a cheeseburger more than once a week, at best...because we know over a certain number of cheeseburgers your risks of developing certain cardiovascular diseases will go up. Where do you think your doctor comes up with diet recommendations, or better yet your dietitian? I guess thin air.

What is blather s your disdain for science.

i know what public health is. yes, it's about US, and US consists of a whole bunch of "i" people. they can TELL me all they want about how many cheeseburgers i should or should not, in their opinion, eat per week. but when it gets down to it, how many cheeseburgers i or anyone actually eats is NO ONE ELSE's business. why do you find that so fucking hard to understand?

and as far as my doctor and my dietitian, they know fuck all about nutrition and diet--same as most doctors and dietitians.

i have no disdain for real science. i do have disdain for blather and fat shaming.

i'll repeat it again for those with slow comprehension ... educate all you want, but what i or anyone actually choose to eat is no one's fucking business but my own.

don't you want to delete all your posts first?

Nice touch!

Good for you for standing up and demanding your right to eat whatever you wish! It is your God-given right to eat what you damn well please.

In regard to your point about it not being anyone's business what you eat, I disagree. It is other peoples business when it comes to issuing you health insurance. In fact, health insurers use BMI as one of the fundamental criteria for issuing health insurance to individuals. In addition to BMI, insurers also look at other lifestyle choices such as smoking to determine insurance premiums.

"as far as my doctor and my dietitian, they know fuck all about nutrition and diet--same as most doctors and dietitians."

The ignorance in the above passage is sublime!

Cheers!

as many people here and elsewhere have stated. of course the insurance companies use it. they will grasp at anything to charge you more. and it is still no one's business what i eat or don't eat, insurance or not. i am perfectly capable of making my own decisions on what i eat and how large or small the portions are. i don't need a nanny to do it for me.

it is well known that the average MD knows very little about actual nutrition (i don't believe it's even taught in med school), and dietitians know what the food pyramid (even the revised one, you know the cute little plate) tells them to push. i just visited a dietitian, and that's what she had to offer ... the stupid plastic plate with portion sizes, and little plastic food ... and a diet for people with high blood pressure (which i don't have--my blood work always comes back fine, no problems with sugar or cholesterol).

call me ignorant, i don't give a fuck. i don't need a nanny telling me what i can/should eat and drink. and these stupid laws about what size of sugary beverage one can buy in certain places will do nothing to combat the "obesity epidemic." it's feel good nonsense, and just another tool for fat shaming and for some to feel oh-so-superior to others (i believe we have seen that right here on our DU).

yeah, you know, fat people are stupid too i guess ... oh, i really want a gallon of pop to drink but they won't let me buy the gallon size--hey! i'll get two half gallons instead, or i'll get that free refill they push!

you know what you can do with your "cheers"

Really? Well known by whom?

Also, I agree that you have a right to eat what you please. If you want a swimming pool filled with bacon gravy in your backyard complete with a slide made of fried chicken and lubed with a healthy dollop of lard, that is your right.

Cheers!

the key word is offer... not force. Besides that great point.

but i wonder how much is wasted vs. how much is eaten.

if they buy it and it's wasted, then so is the money ... they may as well spend it on the crap

fuck it.

but i would be interested to know if the "healthy" food is actually eaten or wasted. you have a problem with that?

but you go on ahead with your bad self

He is targeting the assholes who are trying to prevent anyone from instituting ANY sort of legislation aimed at helping fat people.

It creates a culture where it is ok to despise ordinary people who are fat, deny them jobs and healthcare.

And I've never been overweight. Judging people on the basis of physique is a form of shallowness and bigotry. I work out at a health club under the direction of a personal trainer; but as far as I'm concerned, what other people do or don't do with their bodies is their own business (as well as the business of the individual's physician).

for their condition.

No one is forcing them to stuff their faces they way they do.

I used to love going to an all you can eat place in my town but it was overrun by fatties stuffing themselves silly, taking much more than they can eat and leaving big messes behind. Many of the regulars I've talked to have stopped going as well because of it.

Obesity is a complex DISEASE, you jerk. Your disgusting attitude is bigotry, plain and simple. Here's something you should read:

http://seriouslyamerica.tumblr.com/post/44780991514/new-research-proves-that-fat-people-dont-eat-more

But I doubt you will, since you seem to be happy spouting lies and living in ignorance.

Buh-bye. I don't need someone like you in my life. I'd say "shame on you" but you wouldn't understand the term.

my anecdotal evidence confirms.

Since you have no problem shaming people, did you shame the "fatties" at the buffet?

Welcome to my Ignore List.

Who are you?

... *fewer* fried foods.

Fewer vs. less, increasingly common mistake. As it is a school district web site, they might want to ask someone in the English department to proofread items before posting.

YMMV if you drive a rascal scooter with a confederate flag on it.

Got it.

cunts.

Good Gawd, their "Neener neener, I'm going to do the exact opposite of what anyone says I should do regardless of how wrong or dangerous it is, just because I can!" is something a grown up would expect from a spoiled rotten 7 year old.

WTF is wrong with those people??

This time he went too far with the fat-shaming and the Jewish reference.

Rude commentary has its limits.

their legislature to pass a bill like Tony Smith's deserves ridicule. Good article by RP.

Most of Mississippi's overweight are poor folks who can't afford fresh fruits and vegetables or decent cuts of meat. I know, I live here. Fuck the legislature-they're irrelevant to most peoples' lives (especially poor peoples'). The folks at "the Country Buffett" can afford to belong to gyms and many do. Its the poor that he's mocking in his oh so clever way. What a fucking elitist snob.

He shows a contempt for the poor and an ignorance of their daily lives that I find honestly appalling.

Let him try eating on a pittance of food stamps in Mississippi for a few months. Let him see how desperate their daily lives are, living in poverty with little chance of ever changing that. Let him eat cheap starches and carbs because he can't afford meat and fruit and vegetables-either for himself or his children. See just how big a role the fucking legislature plays in his life. The what??????

He'd definitely gain weight and maybe even a touch of empathy and insight.

system works, but thanks so much for your "concern". I'm also aware that different states have different levels of democracy and the poor have a disproportionately smaller voice in smaller, more rural, more conservatives states than they do in places like San Diego California. Sometimes sweeping generalities about politics aren't entirely applicable, especially in a nation with such enormous income disparities. Here, and in many parts of rural America, the poor are increasingly marginalized and their lives are made more miserable every day BECAUSE of the fucking Republican legislatures.

I refuse to accept mocking the poor for their food choices, driven mainly by economic forcs beyond their control as some sort of Democratic virtue. As you say, to each his or her own.

How utterly lovely for you....

since nadine self deleted her side...

but I can certainly understand her deletions. Attacking the poor for their food choices and the condescension she attempted to show me were pretty pathetic.

what nadin wrote - but I do know you laid it out clearly.

(but fried pies are magnificent). Most of the rural people grew up with a garden and know how to eat from one. Don't tell me you didn't grow up with okra, squash, turnip greens, tomatoes, etc. They aren't hard to grow. Seeds are now offered as a food stamp benefit. There are still people out there who know what to do with them. Your county extension agent will give anyone free information on how to do it along with seeds.

and then all of a sudden it turns into *you* and *your* choices. Grow up - it's as if everyone on the afternoon shift all of a sudden forgot how to read satire and not take it personally.

that truck garden when they don't have a back yard?

Certainly I grew up with fresh vegetables from my aunts garden but she's dead and the garden is long gone, years ago. Sadly, the days of being able to feed yourself from your back yard are also long gone. I have a relatively large garden in town, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, turnips, radishes and carrots now, squash, tomatoes and eggplant coming soon. And its a nice, fresh supplement to our diet, but only that-a supplement. I eat a healthy, balanced diet only because I have the money to. The people being mocked here are those without that ability. They don't have a choice.

Deep frying isn't the problem, nor is the lack of gardening skills. Its the meager subsistence income for the poor, the blatent disregard for their lives and health by the elite, the outrageous markup on fresh fruits and vegetables, and a lack of nutritional knowledge.

You try living on a food stamp budget in Mississippi and gardening for a year or two. And do that while holding down two minimum wage jobs and caring for your kids at the same time. And yes, most of those on food stamps do work-it just isn't enough to survive.

Folks, all his crap about the Rude Pundit's tone, and "I can eat whatever the fuck I want" and "they're really attacking him because he's Jewish" blah, blah - is beside the point.

The point is Republicans' ridiculous tendency to over control society by making laws that ban other laws from being made - banning laws which conflict with their agenda. This overpowering, extremely controlling one-sided lawmaking has no place in a democracy and is, in fact, a totalitarian style (facist?) power grab in its own right - something conservatives are supposedly opposed to.

Let's keep our eyes on the ball and pontificate on Republican shortcomings and not get wound around the axle with nit-picky little bullshit that divides and insults.

fucking amazing.

My respect for him went down.

Nothing like smug superiority to lend a helping hand.

He should be ashamed.

RP was not getting down on fat people, but instead, on the GOP politicians in the state.
RP was not being anti-Semitic. He was assuming the voice of MS GOP politicians.
As regards some of the rest of the commentary in this thread, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. No one is suggesting we mandate that the horses drink water. But it would be nice to take them up to the shoreline so that it's easier for them to make healthy choices.

Some people don't understand anything but the most phonebook-like prose.
Some people don't, and apparently never will understand public health, its aims, and its efficacy.

Maybe because I just met a neighbor as I was pulling in my driveway, and in the 10 minutes we spoke, he mentioned at least 3 times that he's Christian, that his heart doctor is Indian, and that one of the nurses is Indian, too, but a real smart gal. This guy volunteers with troubled youth, and will be meeting with a "colored fella" tomorrow morning. This is NC. I guarangoddamntee that Bloomberg being Jewish is not lost on the GOP of Mississippi. Plus, he's the embodiment of everything that's wrong with this country: educated, pro-choice, gay-lovin', gun-controllin', East Coast elites. Amazing that's lost on some. On DU. LOL

The Rude One is correct to include the reference.

What's happening in Mississippi is MOSTLY about resisting the 'other'.

using George Will's words.

And that a few are all about the I and Me.

Added them to the iggy list.

Are you up to 4 digits yet?
And what's with the self-deletes?

I'm seeing Iggy and The Stooges in a couple of months!

I truly hate it when a negative reaction is automatically attributed to ignorance. "Oh man, you just didn't get what he was going for" is not an intelligent defense of poor communication skills on the part of the author.

And it's not been my observation that the Rude Pundit has a problem communicating his point. You can blame your "hate" on me and/or on the Rude One, but I'd refer you back to my original statement about phonebook-like prose. RP isn't for everyone.

I think taxing and removing subsidies for unhealthy un nutritious food so that its not affordable to over eat it while at the same time subsidizing healthy food so that the poor that relied upon fast food can now afford healthy food instead would be a good first step.

What parent in their right mind wants their children to eat unhealthy food,the only reason to ever do so is if its the only thing you can afford,to be against schools offering healthier less sugar filled food is madness.

I also wonder if he thinks the state legislature might be responsible for that in some way.

Most of the things people seem to have been objecting to are satirical statements that are imputed to Mississippi GOP Legislators. "The fact that Bloomberg's religion was named was one of those statements he imputed to those legislators. In fact what Bloomberg did in NYC with sugary drinks seems to be what prompted this action, so hearing the Rude Pundits impression of their thinking, of their voices was pretty relevant.

I don't always agree with how far he takes certain things. Obviously, I don't write that way or say those things on my show. But the criticisms here of this article are generally unfounded. Even the 'fat f!@#$' statement, its used to indicate frustration with the fact that the Mississippi legislature will not act to benefit the health of its citizenry.

was to target the hypocrisy of the "We're Republicans - we hate big government!" at the same time they're forcing their own big government (on the state level) down the throats of any smaller governing body within the state, even to the point of prohibiting them from offering information regarding healthy vs. not-so-healthy options.

Frankly I think it should have said DM or CHF with morbid obesity contributing, but hey. My brother now has to provide copies of that to the banks and other institutions.

One of the primary contributors to her problem was sugary drinks. All day long, she ingested soda and "sweet tea", and then when she got diabetes, she substituted juice and Gatorade, which were just as bad.

Another contributor was that she lived in a small Southern city where fast food and buffet restaurants were her most accessible and cheapest dining options.

So maybe the RP went a little far, but this whole system of promoting cheap high-calorie low-nutrition food is just killing people. Literally.

(My blood really boiled when I heard Mississippi's law went so far as to prohibit any municipality from requiring the posting of calorie contents for fast food.)