The Power of Boycotting

The US knows the power of the Boycott. Look how the Chinese government is making the US squirm by threatening to not buy their pork (The Independent, 17th August, 2007). Apparently the country that is not known for its cleanliness, from dirty politics to "dirty fuel" (coal), is afraid that US pork is not up to scratch (nothing to do with pork scratchings). Having been to Chinatown in several US big cities and London, I am extremely concerned about what it must take to make China call into question any health and safety standards but I digress.
The point is with China hawking lead coated, children's throat sized toys (I have just received my free gift for returning my daughter's Thomas the Tank Engine toy that was affected and I must say, another toy from the same manufacturer makes me feel oodles better and forget the whole thing) and the US trying to sell pork that is chock full of the growth hormone ractopamine.
Ractopamine, you say, sounds nasty.
I am sure that it is - but get this, it is banned in China, perfectly A-OK in the US! Now picture Chinatown, any Chinatown will do, breathe in the smell of Chinatown and think about this - if the Chinese government says ractopamine is not good enough to serve up in their char-sui, if their health and hygiene standards are higher than the US government - what the heck is considered not good enough by the US government? Scary
In light of these developments the arguments for shifting the food system to a more local version seem overwhelming. I mean, my hell, when all we can manage to do is to ship different strains of mad cow disease and bird flu to one another isn't it worth having a go at just poisoning our own citizens first? Unfortunately, it sounds like standards in the US are as bad as they were when Upton Sinclair first looked into it.
Apparently delegates from China are on their way to Washington to discuss. I wonder how that conversation is going to go... "Sorry about the lead paint on the toys"
"Yeah, me too, and we're ever so sorry about the whole unsafe pork thing. Are we still cool?"
Not to sound like a commie but frankly, I hope that the US FDA hears the story of the food and drug safety official in China who was executed after a corruption scandal. I am not for the death penalty but at the very least could the American public not hear about the corruption in the FDA on the news? Couldn't a few people lose their jobs when they approve unsafe drugs and the like?