Finally, Somebody Says It
Today, the newspaper USA Today announced that about 300 retired military generals have deemed chilhood obesity and overweight a "national security" matter. This was based on a report that the U.S. military was having difficulty finding healthy recruits whose status allowed them to enlist. The group known as Mission: Readiness, show how high calorie, junk foods and those with empty calories are affecting the military's ability of finding qualified enlistment. Fewer and fewer healthy youth are dwindling as perspective candidates in the armed forces. This echoes what the First Lady has emphasized in recent interviews. The CDC and NIH have both published data that reveal the doubling in American pediatric obesity since the 1980s. Thirty percent of American youth are obese and are now affected with secondary diseases usually seen in obese adults such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and liver disease. Youth learn early from television commercials...