So a pre-schooler in North Carolina had the lunch she took to school with her sent home, supposedly on the grounds that it did not meet the state nutrition guidelines for pre-schoolers. Apparently what happened was that someone at the preschool misunderstood the state guidelines, or didn't see the turkey sandwich and banana under the potato chips, or something. The kid's parents immediately contacted their Republican state representative, because, uh, that's what you do... (?)
Upon learning of this utterly trivial incident, Greater Wingnuttia went berserk, because, you know, StalinHitler.
Rush Limbaugh ass-trumpets "Federal Agents Inspect Your Child's Lunch," which is not remotely what happened, and points his pudgy shame digit at the "Food Nazis" led by a jackbooted Michelle Obama. In a story ominously but inaccurately titled "Nanny state report: NC school officials confiscate preschooler's homemade lunch," some jackass at the Daily Tucker solicits some local demagoguery:
The story has sparked national outrage against bureaucrats and politicians who aim to force food standards and health initiatives into place through legislation and regulatory action. North Carolina Republican Party spokesman Rob Lockwood told The Daily Caller it’s the latest example of why government “intrusion” isn’t helping anyone.
“More parental inclusion, less government intrusion would go a long way to solving our nation’s woes,” Lockwood said in an email. “Today is not a strong day for big-government, nanny-state enthusiasts.”
But it is a good day for mindless ideological paranoia-mongers: you have to love the headlines here, both of which get the story wrong -- Limbaugh invents nonexistent "federal agents," and the Daily Tucker says the lunch was "confiscated" when it wasn't. Facts, schmacts. Food Nazis! Nanny state! Oppression!
Ho-hum, just another day at the fake-outrage office. Must be a fun day at the school, though. Maybe the wingnuts can harrass the principal enough that she'll fire the fatcat-Nazi-union-goon cafeteria or daycare worker who goofed up -- justice and the American way demand nothing less than Complete Victory.
MAS. Oh, Fox has of course decided that this is a story worthy of National Interest, and invited on a horribly be-hairpieced talking potato from the Family Research Council to inform us that this single incident indicates that we live under conditions of "raging totalitarianism" and that the situation requires "congressional action."
Yep. One solitary cafeteria or daycare worker makes a mistake or misunderstands the state guidelines (Christ, read the original story to the end, dammit), which by the way exist so that if parents are giving their preschoolers lunches consisting of Snickers and Gummi Bears they can go to the cafeteria and eat at least quasi-real food, and all of a sudden it's the fucking Third Reich.
One sincerely hopes these crazy assholes quickly move on to some other bright shiny new outrage-gasm before some already ill-paid scapegoat schmuck at that school gets fired to appease the Mob.