Gov. Polis’s beef with meat has sparked a border battle with Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and that state’s livestock industry, which the New York Times has now dubbed the “carnivorous culture war.”
Noting Colorado’s $47 billion agriculture industry, the Old Gray Lady reports how Polis ruffled the feathers of his own constituents by declaring a proclamation that totally trashes the livestock industry by setting aside this coming Saturday as a special day to hate meat.
Ricketts called Polis’s action “a direct attack on our way of life here in Nebraska” and counter-declared Saturday as “Meat on the Menu Day.”
Hilarity ensued.
Other groups, including politicians, voiced support for similar events encouraging meat consumption. Three Republican officeholders announced plans to host a barbecue on March 20 in Calhan, Colo., that would feature beef from nearby Freeman Ranch. Another Facebook event simply urged participants to grill a rib-eye steak or smoke a brisket to show their support for Colorado ranchers and their displeasure with Mr. Polis, who is a Democrat.
“We say to hell with Polis and the leafy greens he rolled in on,” the description of the event reads, suggesting that Coloradans treat themselves to a 32-ounce porterhouse, or visit their favorite steakhouse to “order the biggest slab on the menu with a splash of bourbon!”
How did Polis wiggle out of the glare of the New York Times and explain himself?
Shamefully.
Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman actually used the governor’s staged photo op recently with meat industry workers who were about to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, and claimed it as proof Polis was a “strong supporter of Colorado jobs in the meat industry.”
This would be the same staged media opportunity where plant workers were pumped with hand sanitizer before they could shake hands with the governor, who received the vaccine earlier this year and already contracted COVID-19.
