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John Gummer: Mad MoronWhen the scare over mad cow disease (also known as BSE or bovine spongiform encephalopathy) first surfaced (in 1990), British Secretary of Agriculture John Gummer endeavored to demonstrate the safety of hamburgers made with British beef. "There's no cause for concern," he said. Rather than eat a burger himself, however, he fed it... to his four-year-old daughter.
[Six years later, the British government admitted that BSE might cross the species barrier and infect people. In 2000, an official inquiry produced a report on BSE. It filled sixteen volumes. The disease is now known to strike mainly young people. It kills its victims by destroying their brains.]
[Trivia: In September 2003, Bill Bunyan of Kansas reached his goal of eating a hamburger in every one of the state's 105 counties. Although he enjoyed the journey, The Associated Press reported, "he's glad it's over. And so is his doctor, who's treating Bunyan for high cholesterol."]
Gummer, John (1939- ) British politician; MP (1964-1983); Minister of State for Employment and, later, Environment; Secretary of Agriculture (1989-1993); Secretary of State (1993-1997)
[Sources: The Economist; Associated Press]More John Gummer anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Bad Parents Fathers Health Diseases Parenting Publicity Stunts Publicity Food Contamination Cows Dummies Farming Negligence Hamburgers Hypocrisy Beef
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