Antagonistic 1

“Ag-Gag bills also keep employees and others from blowing the whistle on environmental violations. Huge amounts of waste are generated by the billions of cows, pigs and chickens on factory farms. Much of that waste, full of antibiotics, growth promoters and synthetic hormones, finds its way into our waterways and municipal water supplies. State and federal laws require CAFOs to minimize their environmental damage, but the laws are often not enforced. One of the ways to expose violations is through undercover investigations.”

Stacking the Deck Rebuttal – The author argues that laws designed to minimize environmental damages caused by factory farms’ waste production are available, but are often not utilized. She then claims that a way to bring such violations to the public is through undercover investigations. It is apparent where the author stands in the article but due in no small part to her point of view, she seems to block out all other possibilities. Perhaps to decrease the waste damage, instead of attacking the Ag-Gag laws and those who are a part of them, the CAFOs attention can be brought to the issue. As a way to lessen the negative aspects of the Ag-Gag laws, the waste made by the farms is able to be reduced and therefore is able to eliminate one of the complaints made by those opposed to the Ag-Gag movement.