NAIS Scrapped By USDA… but….

NAIS, for the meantime, has been shelved by the USDA. This sounds good, but…. and I say this with a capital “B”… that we should not reduce our vigilance where any sort of government intrusion into our food system is concerned.

Says USDA Secretary Vilsack, “We are committed to working in partnership with States, Tribal Nations and industry in the coming months to address many of the details of this framework, and giving ample opportunity for farmers and ranchers and the public to provide us with continued input through this process.” Let’s make sure this happens; that we who are committed to local food &  preserving our small farms stay on the ball and not get complacent. We are not to let our guard down, not even for a minute.

I am bothered by this:  These steps will include accelerating actions to lessen the risk from diseases–such as tuberculosis–posed by imported animals, and WHY do we have to IMPORT animals for our food? … improving response capabilities, and focusing on greater collaboration and analyses with States and industry on potential disease risk overall. Keeping in mind, here, that small farmers’ livestock has never contributed to the beef industry food recalls.

One of USDA’s  first steps will be to convene a forum with animal health leaders for the States and Tribal Nations to initiate a dialogue about the possible ways of achieving the flexible, coordinated approach to animal disease traceability Flexible should take into consideration the small farmers and consumers who own livestock.  They should not be lumped in with the massive feed lots, (CAFOS) and withor compared to facilities which breed disease.

ALL of us need to be more aware of where our food comes from and what’s in it.  Read this Organic Consumer’s article for a quick briefing.  It’s written by a farmer.

We CANNOT RELAX on this issue!  Special interest groups like Monsanto, Cargill, ADM and Tyson and major food retailers like Wal-Mart are NOT out to protect consumers!  Wal-Mart is aggressively raising the level of food imports as reported in Supermarket News.  U.S. food imports are staggering.  WHY should we allow the government to use us as Guinea pigs so that retailers can save money? Imports are on the rise, even since this 2004  article.

Across this land people are starting to wake up regarding our food:  what’s in it, where it comes from and how its produced.  Everyone who is concerned needs to voice their opinion.  The thousands of letters, e-mails and phone calls made obviously reached someone in the government.  The 100 organizations who opposed NAIS and millions of consumers who called, faxed or signed online petitions – accomplished something.

Now is NOT the time to quit!

GET OVER IT, Virginia

Oh… HORRORS !  It      S N O W E D    in Virginia!  As usual the news media is treating it like a devastating event.

OK, OK, there’s a slant to this whole thing.  I’m from the snow belt in upstate New York.  It’s nothing to get a foot of snow or more at a time, or even two!  So what?  We just took it in stride and life went on.   We knew how to manage when it snowed, took extra time to get to work; no big deal.

Not so here in Virginia. Local media builds it up for days ahead.  Weather people (notice I didn’t say weathermen) track the advancing storm like it’s gonna be the end of the world!  Even  so, when just an INCH is predicted, which will probably be gone by 9am once the sun comes out,  they STILL close the schools even before the storm gets here!

Granted, this storm had the potential for greater accumulations.  We got far less than was forecast.  For this area we were supposed to get 12-16″.  IF we got 8-10 I’d be amazed.

We’ve all heard about climate change.  True, if weather patterns are changing and states like Virginia will experience more snow, then why not just adapt?

QUIT WHINING and just do what you have to do!  Learn how to dress for winter, learn how to DRIVE in the snow.  (Hint, Magnolia Moms…  this is an easy to remember rhyme: GO SLOW in the SNOW)  Don’t be an idiot and try to do 60.  It won’t work.  Sooner or later you’ll lose traction and wind up being a statistic. Steady pressure on the gas going up hills.  Don’t do anything ‘fast’ – no stomping on the gas, brakes or making sharp or sudden turns.

Another hint: that SUV you’re driving will NOT make you invincible!  Neither will 4WD. Don’t be fooled by the car commercials which show these vehicles zipping though the snow.  (read the captions on the ads:  ‘Closed course, professional driver’)  You can slide just as well in 4WD -and- yes… you CAN get a 4WD stuck! Just try to drive it through deep snow, say up to the bumper or high drifts.  Sooner or later it will act as a snowplow building snow up underneath lifting it just far enough off the ground to lose traction. (Been there, done that!)

Locals will give me the excuse about the school buses having to go on back roads.  Uh…, a school bus weighs how much and has how many wheels? Buses in upstate NY traverse snowy roads every day from October to April.

People have said that ‘We aren’t prepared to handle this weather.”  Well you must might have to get used to handling more of it now if weather is changing, won’t you? VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation)  and municipal entities will have to reallocate funds from doing stupid things like leaf collection to getting more plows and winter weather equipment. DEAL WITH IT, folks!

Better yet, wimps and dummies:  listen to the State Police when they tell you to stay home.

James Dobson, Focus On The Family: Dangerous, and Narrow Minded

You’ve heard about the plans of CBS to air a Super Bowl ad from James Dobson’s group, Focus On The Family. Thinly veiled as an effort to ‘promote’ women, it’s true intent is to get Roe V. Wade overturned.

Dobson’s group is a narrow minded group of conservative Christian zealots.  Their focus seems to be the literal interpretation of the Bible. This antiquated, dangerous look at the way they think life should be. In their eyes, anything less than total submissiveness to God  and total reliance on Jesus Christ, is blasphemy.  to FOF, everything  IN the Bible is ‘truth’.  Much of our modern world is a sin: from gays and lesbians, premarital sex to liberal thinkers, separation of church and state.  Huffington  Post’s Michael Rowe offers a good take on the controversy.  Go browse the FOF site and see what a sad bunch they are. Not only sad but scary!.

Sarah Palin attacked NOW this week saying that the ad acts to empower women.  I agree with NOW that Palin, in her anti-abortion rhetoric actually takes rights away from women.  It is this sneaky disguise of empowerment veiled in Focus’ message that disturbs me.

“In a statement to POLITICO, NOW President Terry O’Neill said that “Palin is “missing our point.”

“The goal of the Focus on the Family ad is not to empower women. It’s to create a climate in which Roe v. Wade can be overturned,” O’Neill said. “There are always going to be women who need abortions. In this country, one in three women will have an abortion.”

“Focus on the Family has cynically set it up so they can say anyone who disagrees with airing this ad is disrespecting one woman and her choice. NOW respects every woman’s right to plan her own family and insists our laws do the same,” said O’Neill.

What they actually hope to do is use this ad to further their cause against abortion.  After all, they are ‘focused on the family’ but for their own slanted agenda: to add the to ranks of millions of brainwashed, unquestioning Christian fundamentalists, blindly following scripture which throughout the centuries has been twisted to suit various regimes.  “In the name of God” has perpetuated death & persecution for thousands of years.  Their desire to see every last non-Christian or abomination (in their eyes) disappear from the Earth is replicated over and over on their website and in their Christian publications.

Palin has a frightening background in fundamentalism.  In this vein are people like Pat Robertson, and Todd Bentley those in Joel’s Army. These are nothing but cults.

Dangerous,  d-a-n-g-e-r-o-u-s    stuff!

Oprah, Michael Pollan and Food, Inc

The Oprah Effect has hit the local food movement!  Her show featuring Michael Pollan has given a boost to small farmers, pesticide free food, eating naturally and the movie, “Food, Inc.”

NOW will people get it about our food?  Will they see how Monsanto has bullied, threatened and sued farmers right out of business?  Is it possible that they will finally understand that McDonald’s, Burger King and others are not the ‘friends’ they thought they were?  Perhaps they will finally pick up Eric Schlosser’s book,  “Fast Food Nation” or READ (instead of just watch the documentary)  “Supersize Me” by Morton Spurlock. Those two publications alone, made me stop eating at fast food restaurants.  READ THEM.  If YOU can go back to eating Mickey D’s,  you’ve either got a stronger stomach than I have ~or~ you just plain don’t give a shit!

Our food has been hijacked and for the last 50 years or so we’ve been used as Guinea pigs.  Monsanto has lied about its Round-Up.  It is forcing farmers to buy their Round-Up ready GMO crops.

After reading the many postings and articles on what are food REALLY IS… how could anybody go to the store and look at food the same way again?  After watching Food, Inc or “Fresh, The Movie”,  one will see that our food isn’t what we are told it is.  It’s a pack of LIES!

PEOPLE:  Get behind your local farmers.  FIGHT for them because in doing so – you are FIGHTING FOR YOUR FOOD!  It is the consumers who have convinced corporations like Starbucks to stop buying Monsanto’s milk with growth hormones.  Learn about things like NAIS, which is threatening not only small farmers but organic farms -and- you consumers – yes, YOU – who own  a-n-y  livestock.

SHOP at FARMER’S MARKETS:  You’ll get to know where your food comes from.  You’ll ’see’ the ‘face’ of your food.  Instead of the smiley deceitful face at Wal-Mart, who lie through their teeth about everything…  you will again be able to trust that your food IS free of pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics.

WHY DO YOU THINK WE’RE SUCH A SICK NATION….. our antibiotics don’t work because we’ve been eating them  e-v-e-r-y   day.  They’ve been in our milk, meat, eggs, cheese for decades.  (Doctors haven’t helped either.  They write millions of prescriptions a year for kids whose parents take them to their doctor at the first sniffle or slight fever!)  THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS TO BLAME!

WAKE UP, people!  Can you tear yourself away from texting for a minute to see what’s going on?  Get off your cell phone for awhile and do some research.   If you wonder why you’re so sick, so fat and crave that awful food… isn’t it about time to do something about it?

Are you, the public — FINALLY going to believe us nutty food activists and environmentalists?

God …. I hope so because TOGETHER…. we CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Wal-Mart Cuts Up Unsold Clothes

Ten years ago, a friend who worked at a Wal-Mart in Blackstone, Virginia told me that every night, all the unsold clothing and other items went into the trash.  Employees were not allowed to buy or even take home anything.

Now this has made the pages of the New York Times and the Huffington Post.

A  supposedly shocked spokeswoman at Wal-Mart, Melissa Hill, said they donate all clothing to charity.  Really?  I don’t believe it…. not when you have the eye-witness accounts of Wal-Mart workers.

Another friend sent me an e-mail recently:

Here are some more reasons for not shopping Wal-Mart. A person who works in the local one told my husband yesterday that all the good food in the produce dept. that doesn’t sell  – tons of bananas that have brown speckles …as well as fruits and veggies,  meats and other fresh food that may be ONE DAY  past date.  Seasonal clothes,  decorations, too.  Electronics, (computers etc) are thrown into a giant compacter in the back of the store. Isn’t it illegal to dump computers???

Employees are not allowed to buy any of this.

Everything is dumped late at night in this machine.

Our local food bank would be glad to take the food since they have refrigeration and freezers. The clothes could go to places like Goodwill or church “closets”.

Where does all this  waste go?  Our landfills, and runoff to lakes, streams and the Chesapeake.

My husband could not believe that all those bananas that were piled up yesterday – perfectly good – could be gone.  He went back early this morning to check and, sure enough – they were gone!!!

In these days of hardship for millions on this planet, HOW can a international corporation like Wal-Mart do this?

If they claim that they donate their clothing – then WHY isn’t it done? What is their benefit to throwing away perfectly good food or clothing?

Do they write it off as being ‘damaged’, therefore getting some sort of tax writeoff?

Do they report part of it as stolen?  (I don’t see how a store could get away with saying that hundreds of pounds of bananas – 0r thousands of dollars of clothing were ’stolen’ in one week. The loss prevention people would have apoplexy as would the accountants!)

Wal-Mart, despite its claims to be ‘for’ its employees & the community & the planet, has well a well documented track record of abuse. Employees here in the U.S. have been routinely mistreated in clear violation of labor laws.  Wal-Mart have also been revealed to be purchasing from companies in China engaged in human rights abuse.

Is THIS  ‘live better’?  Are these practices benefitting  people or the environment of the planet?

This is part of the global paradigm that ALL of us – with our purchasing power –  CAN — change.

You make that choice every time you go to the grocery store or to buy anything else.

BUY LOCALLY GROWN…. LOCALLY MADE… not from Wal-Mart.

Heenes:Reality TV Wannabes: no profits!

Richard and Mayumi Heene are scheduled to go to court for their “Balloon Boy” hoax.  They face tens of thousands in possible fines and even jail time.

One investigator said that the judge should also prohibit them from profiting on the escapade in book,  movie or TV offers.

I agree.

If you read the article in the AP today, lead investigator, Bob Heffernan suggests the same.  These people not only exploited their own children, but the made false reports to law enforcement officials and the FAA. The U.S. Forest Service in Colorado got involved as did the National Guard, which sent helicopters to track the balloon.  Two adjoining counties had overtime expenses for their sheriff’s department.  In the skies over the area commercial aircraft had to be rerouted.

Never mind the anguish of Mr. Heffernan, who had to go tell the Heenes that their son was not in the balloon and presumed dead! To quote Mr. Heffernan in the AP article:

“I wish I could make you realize the anguish I had when I went into that room,” Heffernan said. “To have the Heenes start the grieving process with me trying to comfort them and give them some hope. Then to find out later they were just acting.”

The Heenes also caused anguish for all concerned:  the entire rescue team and everybody who watched it unfold on the internet or TV!

In the past there have been rulings on potential profits made from book or movie deals from other crimes.  With the fascination of reality TV and a ‘get rich quick’ and the ability for one to have the ‘15 minutes of fame’, judges might do well to prohibit profiteering.

Just like the Salahis, the White House gate crashers – whose reputation and financial stability is in question – let’s not let these two crimes start a wave of ‘Reality TV Wannabes’ making money just because they got some attention!

Do We HAVE To Be ‘Compensated?’

My sister ordered a new TV that was supposed to be delivered on Thanksgiving weekend: Sunday.  Sometime during the day a representative from the store called her to notify her that it wouldn’t be delivered.  The set that was put on the truck that morning was damaged;  there were no more in stock. They apologized profusely and agreed to set another delivery date.

She related the story to someone who asked…’”Well, how are THEY going to COMPENSATE YOU?“

Huh?

My first thought when she told me what he said was…  what is there to be compensated for?

The idea that everyone HAS to be reimbursed for even the slightest inconvenience or disappointment is part of what’s gone wrong with our society.  The “me, Me, ME, ME!… I’ve been wronged, hurt, violated, inconvenienced!” is the driving force behind many of the ridiculous lawsuits we see.  Our culture has come to righteously demand rewards for perceived slights.  Like spoiled children, we throw temper tantrums if we don’t  immediately get our way.  We threaten, demand, badger and litigate our way through situations which, most times, are just an unintentional mistake or unpreventable circumstance in which no physical harm was done.  Ah, but lest we forget the oft used ‘pain and suffering’ defense!

My sister did wait at home – on her day off, but she needed to be home catching up on chores anyway! Yes, she was disappointed that she didn’t get her new TV.  I think it would have been much worse if the damaged TV actually been delivered.  Had the set been unloaded, brought in, set up and found to be defective, then taken back to the truck, schlepped to the store:  nobody would have been happy! It also would have been a big waste of time for the delivery people, who, assuredly at this time of the year, are overwhelmed anyway.

The person who suggested the “compensation” never considered this.  To my sister, it wasn’t the end of the world,  just a delay and inconvenience. So what?

She reminded me of something I told her years ago:  think – “Is it a problem or an inconvenience?”  There’s a difference.  There’s a storm raging outside and water is gushing through the ceiling – I’d say that’s a problem.  If you’re stuck in a checkout line because of a system snafu, that’s inconvenient. Have to wait another day for your TV to be delivered; that’s probably an inconvenience.

So next time, before getting your drawers in a knot and DEMANDING compensation… slow down and think… really – how bad is it? Is it truly a problem or just an inconvenience?

White House Gate Crashers: Looking for Buyers

As quoted by the AP’s write David Bauder 2 hours ago:

“NEW YORK – The couple who crashed President Barack Obama’s first state dinner are peddling their story to broadcast networks for hundreds of thousands of dollars, a television executive says.

The executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the network does not publicly discuss bookings, told The Associated Press that representatives for Michaele and Tareq Salahi contacted networks to urge them to “get their bids in” for an interview. The executive said the Virginia couple was looking for a payment in the mid-six figures range.”

Tell me this whole thing wasn’t planned by the Salahis!  Their 15 minutes of fame has turned into an hour now.

SHE wants to get on the  Bravo reality TV show, “Real Housewives of D.C.” I would hardly call her a ‘REAL” housewife of D.C.  She’s gone beyond ‘real’.

THEY are in debt to the six figure range, involved in  16 lawsuits which could cost them another 6 figure sum.

They chickened out of a Larry King Live interview, probably knowing that Mr. King would rip them and their plot to shreds.  I guess it’s on to “Oprah” next.

 

White House Gate Crashers: Reality TV Wannabes

Here we go again!  Reality TV wannabes Richard & Mayumi Heene’s   ‘Balloon Boy’ hoax captivated the public in October.  Now we have White House gate crashers, Tareq and Michelle Salahi,  schmoozing with celebs at the Obama administration’s first White House state dinner.

With a BRAVO  TV film crew trailing behind, they managed to get admitted to the affair after passing through security.

Oops!  Someone at the gate is going to have a LOT of egg on their face!  As for the Salahis, they’re sure to be in hot water because lying to the agents at the gate is a federal crime.  OOPS again!

With the country’s fascination of reality TV – is THIS what we’ve become?  Is this how to get your 15 minutes of fame? Pull a stunt…, any stunt and for the moment – get away with it.  Then you’re on the front page of every newspaper and gossip rag. You find yourself on the most wanted list of talk shows, late night TV and radio.  Gee, if you’re lucky, you might even get a book deal or a movie offer! Ah…, but WILL you get that coveted reality show?  Looks like the two most recent attempts backfired.

The Heene’s have already been to court;  Myumi, not an American citizen, came close to getting deported.  Richard has admitted his guilt and both will go to court next month. The Salahis probably will be investigated by the Secret Service and will find themselves in more trouble than they bargained for.

In an article from CNN, it seems that the Salahis are bumbling their way through the court system in Virginia with several lawsuits pending.  Bankruptcy rears it’s ugly head, too.  They’ve been sued by customers of the winery who allege that after reserving the Oasis Winery, which the Salahis own, for a wedding, thousands of dollars were charged to the client’s charge card.  It got messy; the Salahis threatened to cancel the wedding. The customer paid up so that the wedding would go ahead but later sued them for the unapproved charges.

They’re in debt for tons of money, too.  It’s obvious that these two are living a running scam.  Their Facebook pages list events they were at, probably uninvited, like the White House state dinner. If they’d kept their mouths shut, they might have gotten away with it, but of COURSE, the allure to say “LOOK WHAT WE DID!” is too much.

So that’s it, folks.  Wanna get famous?  Get caught doing something you shouldn’t involving high profile people and you’re sure to have your 15 minutes.  This is a sad testament to our society.

Is this what we want to teach our children?

Abortion: It’s NOBODY’S BUSINESS!

AH…, my latest fodder came from a ridiculous ruling by the Catholic church against one of the Kennedy family, D-R.I., from receiving communion because of his stand on abortion.

Kennedy, it seems, made some comments regarding the health care bill and  abortion back in October.  Now the church has – get this -  banned him from receiving communion IN Providence,  Rhode Island but – as the article says: ” Church law permits Tobin to ban Kennedy from receiving Communion within the Diocese of Providence, which covers Rhode Island, but he cannot stop Kennedy from receiving Communion elsewhere. It was unclear whether bishops overseeing Washington and Massachusetts, where Kennedy’s family has a seaside compound, would issue similar bans.” not necessarily in other areas.

Here we go back to the jist of many posts – why are religious views imposed unilaterally on the entire population? Again I ask —  WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?

Conservative Christians, the loudest facet of the pro-life campaign – have long harassed women entering doctor’s offices and clinics such as Planned Parenthood.  Doctors and their staff have been killed and injured by bomb blasts perpetuated by the extreme conservatives.  These people feel it is their right to maim and kill, taunt and harass, ‘in the name of God’…, saying that it’s ‘God’s will’ that they do this work!  Where IS IT  written that  this IS ‘God’s work’ ?

I have one line on abortion — it’s three words which in all reality should temper any discussion on this subject:

IT’S          NOBODY’S          BUSINESS.

It is not the concern of ANYBODY ELSE other than the MOTHER.

It is her conscious that will have to deal with the decision. PERIOD!

It is not your business, my business,  nor should the government have to mandate it either way.  The conservative ‘you’re gonna go to HELL for this…’  Pro-lifers,   or anybody else! PERIOD!  End of discussion!  That should be it!

I’ve been on the receiving end of taunts when I used a Planned Parenthood years ago for my health care.  Protesters standing along the sidewalk   a s s u m e d,  that every woman entering the facility was going in for an abortion!  Coming dangerously close to assaulting me,  I held my tongue.  Thankfully, shortly after that the law went into effect signed by President Clinton (FACES Act).

I have friends who have chosen to have many children.  That’s fine.  I, and other friends, have chosen to have no children.  That’s  fine, too!  It’s OUR DECISIONS.

Yes, we in this country enjoy free speech, and it is the right of a person to have a different opinion, belief or view.  I object, however, to the fact that THE views of Pro Life advocates should be – by any law – imposed on everybody.

Again – I reiterate —  IT’S NOBODY’S BUSINESS!