Food "Safety" Legislation

H.R.875
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)



From Stephen Lendman:

Some Likely Truths about HR 875

Several recent articles and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) offered their analyses. They believe this and companion bills are vehicles to let agribusiness control the entire US food supply, destroy independent local farming, and end the production of healthy organic food. They may be right.

Linn Cohen-Cole calls HR 875 "monstrous on level after level - the power it would give to Monsanto (and other Ag giants), the criminalization of seed banking, the prison terms and confiscatory fines for farmers, the 24 hour GPS tracking of animals, the easement on their property to allow for warrantless government entry, the stripping away of their property rights, the imposition (of) "industrial" standards, (and) planned elimination of (independent) farmers through all (the above) means."

It's no secret that Ag giants want all foods to be GMOs so they have total control. It's an agenda going back decades that Engdahl explained in his book. The science came out of US research labs in the 1970s when no one noticed or paid attention. It became apparent when the Reagan administration decided to make America dominant in a friendly unregulated environment, unmindful of safety and public health concerns, that's persisted ever since under Republican and Democrat administrations.

Monsanto is the dominant producer, a company with a long record of fraud, cover-up, bribery, deceit, and disdain for the public interest, yet it has enormous clout in Washington. In the 1980s, and especially under GHW Bush, it got unregulated free reign for its operations. A Bush Executive Order assured it. It ruled GMO plants and food to be "substantially equivalent" to ordinary ones of the same varieties, such as corn, wheat or rice. "Substantial equivalence" became the standard for the GMO revolution by sweeping away all regulatory restraints in spite of early concerns about safety that were confirmed overwhelmingly later on.

PASA says don't be fooled by the bill's deceptive language that hides its true intentions. Code words like "traceability, source verification, and best farming practices with proven scientific results" will force farmers to tag every animal (the requirement for industrial farms is one per 800,000) and use drugs, pesticides and GM seeds.

Already an Ohio state agricultural department swat team raided an organic food coop. The same thing happened to Pennsylvania Mennonite farmers and Wisconsin Amish ones. Other independents have been terrorized by home break-ins, burglaries, and treetop helicopter over-flights scaring animals to death. Conventional seed farmers like North Dakota's Rodney Nelson have been sued by Monsanto for infringing on its patent rights because wind currents landed GM seeds on his land. In Poland, pro-agribusiness laws eliminated 60% of small farmers. Ones in the UK led to 60 suicides and in India to over 180,000.

From 1996 - 2004, worldwide GMO plantings expanded to 167 million acres, a 40-fold increase on 25% of global arable land. Over two-thirds of US farmland grows GMOs, more than 106 million acres. Argentina has 34 million acres, and production is expanding in Brazil, China, Canada, South Africa, Indonesia, Spain, Eastern Europe, and wherever else Ag giants have clout. They want it all, everywhere, and have complicit government allies to help them, here and abroad.

In Iraq, Paul Bremer's Order 81 covers patents, their duration, and stated: "Farmers shall be prohibited from re-using seeds of protected varieties or any (designated) variety." It gave Ag giants absolute control over farmers' seed usage for 20 years. They're now GMO, owned by the transnationals, and Iraqi farmers had to sign an agreement to pay a "technology fee" as well as an annual license fee. Plant Variety Protection (PVP) made seed saving and reuse illegal, and even "similar" seed plantings can result in severe fines and imprisonment. Agribusiness wants the same rights everywhere, including in America. If they get it, the future of organic and independent farming will be threatened.

PASA says HR 875 doesn't regulate, prohibit or penalize private gardens or farmers markets directly. It focuses solely on ensuring supermarket food safety. But it regulates seeds, harvesting, transporting, seed storage facilities, and seed cleaning equipment under "food safety" provisions to prevent contamination - from agricultural water and manure, not pesticides, fertilizers, or unsafe GM seeds.

Seed cleaning equipment is crucial as it's how organic seed is saved. It's used after plants "go to seed" to separate them from plant material so farmers can harvest and store them for future plantings. HR 875 doesn't mention seeds but PASA believes its intent is to criminalize their banking through code language and bill provisions. Already, some areas of the country ban seed cleaning. Monsanto is likely involved, and the scheme is to claim the equipment produces contamination.

To prevent it, Ag giants want provisions that require expensive storage facilities, per line of seed. Organic farmers can't afford them, and this has nothing to do with food safety. But HR 875 claims it does.

PASA says FDA and USDA targeted organic and other independent farmers for years, at least since the early 1980s when high interest rates drove many out of business. Today, pro-industry laws have the same effect because Ag giants like Monsanto demand them. If they succeed, biodiversity and organic farming are at risk along with public health and safety to a greater degree than already given the amount of tainted and dangerous foods allowed, not addressed in HR 875.

While bill language doesn't prohibit organic or independent farming, that's the likely aim. Its provisions are Ag business-friendly, but destructive to small competitors by establishing heavy fines, imprisonment, onerous rules, and letting regulators interpret them as they wish.

Bill language also doesn't mandate a national animal ID system (NAIS) but does it by claiming it's in current law. It's so deceptive that Congress and consumer and food safety groups support it. But some are industry funded so look the other way when they should know better.

HR 875 and its companion bills are under consideration in committees, not yet voted into law. Activists feel now is the time to stop them before it's too late. Agribusiness wants total control over every step in the production, processing, distribution, storage, and marketing of foods to consumers.

Using the ruse of food safety and security, they aim to eliminate competition to have it all and replace wholesome foods with unsafe GMOs. Congress is willing to go along. And why not. Representatives like DeLauro get large Ag business contributions. In return, they assure bills like HR 875 are passed. It's for concerned people to stop them.
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"Canard" is my new favorite word

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Office of Public Liason

I know that the cynics out there will assume this to be a waste of time and even I realize that I am unlikely to get a personal phone call from President Obama in response to a message from me. However, it is my understanding that SOMEONE reads the mail submitted through the Office of Public Liason, which was established as part of Whitehouse.gov in January. I haven't had a chance to check everything out, but there does appear to be a wealth of information and of course the email page.



At the least, it appears to be a more direct way to get your voice heard.

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SB 328-Illegal debt collection prevention

From Attorney General Kroger:



JOHN R. KROGER

Attorney General


DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL



March 24, 2009




Dear friends,



We have a great opportunity to protect Oregon’s consumers. The House will vote on SB 328 on Thursday. If approved, this bill will protect Oregonians from abusive debt collection tactics.


We need your help to make this happen.


Complaints about debt collection agencies have been on the Oregon Department of Justice’s Top 10 Consumer Complaint List since 2001, and complaints are on the rise. In Oregon, unfortunately, there is currently no state agency able to enforce illegal debt collection practices. Senate Bill 328 would close this loophole by giving the Attorney General the authority to hold debt collection agencies accountable when they violate the law, just like any other industry.



Earlier this month SB 328 was passed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate. Last week the House Consumer Protection Committee sent a strong pro-consumer message by sending it to the House Floor with a unanimous recommendation in favor of passage. Now the bill is headed for a vote.



Similar legislation has been defeated twice before by powerful lobbying interests. This year may be different but your legislators need to hear from you. The lobby is mobilized and is intent on defeating SB 328.



Please contact your legislator and urge them to support SB 328. You can locate contact information for your representative, or email them directly using this link.



Thank you so much for helping the Department of Justice do more to protect the citizens of our state.


Sincerely,


John R. Kroger

Attorney General of Oregon

One note: Even though this is a senate bill, it has already passed there and is coming up for a vote in the House and so it is our representatives that need to hear from us.
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Safe Schools passes Education Committee

In a year that is going to to be almost nothing but suck-ass for students, of any age, it is nice to get some good news. K-12, community members, and college students from all over Oregon have been working on this for a long time. Now we need to make sure it passes the House vote.

From BRO:

After a hugely successful Day of Action on Friday, it's official: The House Education Committee has passed the Oregon Safe Schools Act! In a 9 to 1 vote, committee members approved the bill for a full vote from the House.

That means that in as little as a few days, the House of Representatives could vote on House Bill 2599. Now, more than ever, your legislator needs to hear from YOU!

Contact your Representative today!

Email your Representative TODAY and tell them to vote YES on House Bill 2599! Tell them that ALL youth deserve to grow up free from intimidation and harassment in school.

Even if you've previously sent a message. Even if you were one of the over 300 fair-minded Oregonians to stand up for Oregon youth at the Capitol on Friday. Your Representative needs to hear from you TODAY!

Click on the BRO link above to send a message to your reps in Salem.



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International Women's Day

Somehow I don't know why I am surprised at the overall lack of coverage for the fact that, not only is this Women's History Month, today is International Women's day, now in its 99th year (although it took the UN 67 years to recognize it). Yesterday, a meeting took place in Monrovia of many of the top women leaders in the world. Here is some of what they had to say:

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female head of state, saluted the distinguished gathering of political and business leaders, saying: "You motivate us, you inspire us, you encourage us to continue."

Sirleaf took power in the west African nation ravaged by 14 years of back-to-back civil wars, and her Finnish counterpart Tarja Holonen was quick to point out that women played a leading role in healing war wounds.

She said experience showed that the role women play "in conflict resolution and reconciliation in post war is very vital. This country Liberia is a good example of that."

Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean, originally a Haitian refugee, echoed the theme that women were the best guarantors of peace.

"I'm telling you: give women the means to react and you will see less violence, you will see the end of sickness and illiteracy because women never forget that life is the most precious thing.

"Exclude women and you will fail," Jean added at the Monrovia gathering, which will debate the future of women.

And from UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon:

"Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstances, by any political leader or by any government," said Ban.

He revealed that around the world, one woman in five has been a victim of rape or attempted rape, and that in some countries one woman in three has been beaten or subjected to some kind of violent act.

"Violence against women is an abomination. I'd like to call it a crime against humanity," he said.

Damn skippy.

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