SIT THERE !!! 

(a very intentional jab at how easy it is to get involved)

This will take a few minutes of your time to do and ultimately it will save hundreds, if not thousands of lives.  With a few clicks of a mouse, some words from you, you CAN make a tremendous difference in the health of people ALL across this planet – and for the planet itself.

Now, doesn’t that sound nice?

The USDA is considering approval of this GMO corn which has 2-4-D in it, one of the components of AGENT ORANGE.

This was first posted on Organic Consumers website, along with Beyond Pesticides.

Go to ORGANIC CONSUMERS to send comments directly to President Obama, Tom Vilsack (USDA)  and Greg Parham (APHIS)

Your life and health depends on this.  Your children and your pets depend on this.  Your rights as an American citizen depend on this!

If you know a Viet Nam vet, ask him or her about the effects of Agent Orange.  If you are a child of a Vietnam Vet, you may be suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.  If you live in the corn belt you will be directly affected by this if approved.

This country plants about 100 million acres of corn a year. It is used to feed cows in feedlots, chickens, pigs, turkeys — all of which become your food.  Corn is ubiquitous in all the food today.  Unless you buy organic — which WILL be threatened by this — you will be sooner or later, eating corn which has absorbed 2-4-D and is a genetically modified crop.

Rules have been written in the past and they can be re-written.  40 years ago, according to Moyers, when the corporate world decided to get greedy, they began the systematic destruction of the middle class.  Since then the powerful 1% has written its own rules via influence in government.  Instead of democratic capitalism, we now have crony capitalism.  The corporate world has adopted the government as its cronies:  “intimate friends,” or “chums,” as defined in Webster’s dictionary.

It should be illegal for corporations to be ‘”buddies,” “chums” or “intimate friends” with government.

This intimacy has led to our downfall.  It has allowed corporations to run practically unchecked.  In the area of food, the FDA and USDA, even the EPA, have been all too easily influenced by corporate America.  

GMOs stand out in my mind.  Scientist Arpad Pusztai revealed that Monsanto’s GMO potatoes were linked to immune system damage, he was silenced. When the application for approval of GMO crops came up, the USDA has basically rubber stamped one after another in years past.       

Just as  other GM foods have a political agenda, so do those of Dow Agroscience with its   (2-4-D) “Agent Orange” genetically modified corn it wants the USDA to approve.  This would be a tremendous boon to a company with ties to Union Carbide (which it now owns) and the Bhopal incident in India of 1984.

This would mean that two of the world’s chemical giants would be waging war for the hearts of Big Ag of this country and the millions of acres planted each year.  Monsanto’s Round-Up (or its reformations to fight super weeds that glyphosate has created), would go head-to-head with Dow’s 2-4-D  corn.  Bluntly put, this would be environmental disaster.

There are already 906 products on the market that contain 2-4-D.  Scott’s Turfbuilder comes to mind, as does Weed & Feed in any form.  Even safe sounding products such as Miracle Gro Weed & Feed contain 2-4-D.  Other manufacturers are PBI/Gordon, BASF, Pennington and a host of others.  This dangerous chemical is ubiquitous in lawn care chemicals.  Now it stands a good chance of being introduced directly into our food, the food of the animals who become our food (if not organic) and causing God only knows what kind of health problems!

We, as caretakers of this planet, cannot let this happen.

DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS is FEBRUARY 27, 2012.  Go to: www.federalregister.gov and put in the search box:  DAS-40278-9.  This will bring you directly to the page on the Federal Register where you can leave a comment regarding the approval of this product.

Only through the efforts of ‘we the people,’ using voices of millions, will we accomplish this.  Send the link to the Federal Register — VIRAL!  Then we will beat the behemoth at its own game!

 Related Articles:

Panna.Org:  Environmental effects of 2-4-D on amphibians, plant life etc.

Beyond Pesticides Jay Feldman, Executive Director, speaks about 2-4-D

It looks good…, smells good…., but might not be good to eat as there are too many chemicals! PHOTO: Bev Hill

It smells good.  My mouth wants me to take –  just a taste.  The junk food junkie part of my brain is begging me, “PLEASE!!!!  What harm will it do?  Have one little piece. It won’t kill you!”  I’m very tempted.  However, as I do with any food these days, I’ve read the ingredients on the back of the box.

INGREDIENTS: Diced glazed apples (Apples, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Soduim Benzoate [PRESERVATIVES], Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Egg Blend (Whole Egg, Egg Yolk, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Cellulose Gum), Butter (Cream, [Milk], Salt), Walnuts, Pecans,Sugar, Brown Sugar, Water, Cinnamon, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Nonfat Dry Milk, Sodium Propionate [Preservative], Natural & Artificial Flavor, Preservative Enzyme (Corn Starch, Enzyme, Tapioca Starch, Mineral Oil, Sulfites). CONTAINS, Egg, Milk, Pecans, Walnuts, Wheat.

OH YUMMY!

There are reasons why I won’t eat this.  #1:  the non-food  sounding ingredients, chemically processed, or preservatives:  Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Propionate, Preservative Enzyme, Sulfites, and words like ‘natural & artificial flavor,’ are a dead giveaway that this is not healthy food.  Of course we all know about high fructose corn syrup:  more than likely GMO corn, and again, not healthy. 

#2 reason is that I get migraines and suspect that lurking somewhere out there in food land, a chemical or chemicals bring them on.  Bottom line:   eating this is probably  NOT worth it.  Those of you who have had full-blown migraines, lasting for days, complete with puking and wanting to die, will know what I mean.

Let’s explore some of the ingredients.  Soduim Benzoate is a common preservative.  It’s found in all sorts of food, and made of many components such as toulene,a manufacturing compound used as an industrial solvent, found in paint, gasoline, shoe polish and glue, to name a few.  (My post on SODA  has more information).  Sodium propionate is actually a mold inhibitor, but it is chemically synthesized. Potassium sorbate is actually sorbic acid, naturally occurring in plants. Sulfites can be used a preservatives or a bleaching agent.  However, these can cause dangerous reactions in asthmatics.  The Center For Science in the Public Interest  (CSPI) cautions against use of this for sensitive individuals.  Cellulose gum  (sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) sounds innocuous enough but is manufactured by ether extraction, and its (key word here) “derivitives” are used in foods as a stabilizers. Other applications include cosmetics, toothpaste, ceramics, textiles, welding, leather, paper, paint & foundry chemicals.

Of course, knowing the FDA’s broad spectrum of allowable “natural and artificial ingredients,”  like MSG, which is hidden under a plethora of names,  reminds me that a vast range of ‘stuff’ could be in this fruit cake, too.  Their GRAS listed ingredients  (generally regarded as safe) at times takes broad liberties, especially where manufacturing is concerned.  Many so-called “natural” ingredients  do start their life in nature but subsequent processing truly makes them anything but!

In any event, this fruit cake has a fairly short list of ingredients on the whole.  A word to the wise:  check out the back of the package before eating it. 

Gee…, the birds outside seem to be enjoying the cake!

RELATED:

More information on sulfites  and foods which may contain sulfites 

Allergy Information: Sulfites

Cellulose gum

Just last week I posted an article that the FDA –AGAIN– had backed down on antibiotic use.  After this latest incident, I hope they will immediately reconsider a broader limitation for antibiotic use in animals. 

From Huffpost writer Mary Clare Jalonick on Jan 4th:

“The agency’s order Wednesday will limit cephalosporins, which are given to some cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys before slaughter. The drugs are used to treat pneumonia, skin infections and meningitis, among other diseases, in humans.”

Faced with a potentially disastrous public health scenario, the FDA can no longer ignore the advice of the medical establishment and the outcry of the public.  For almost 20 years the FDA has waffled on antibiotic restrictions but has bowed to pressure from the drug industry. The Bush administration, under pressure from the trade industry and pharmaceutical companies, caved in and stopped the ban. 

On the FDA website, Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods, makes it look like they’re really doing something in saying,

“We believe this is an imperative step in preserving the effectiveness of this class of important antimicrobial that takes into account the need to protect the health of both humans and animals.”

I have to laugh because this issue has been around for almost two decades and NOW the FDA is finally attempting to do something about it!

Click HERE to go to Organic Consumers to STOP  2-4-D corn!

 Corn is a tremendous crop in the United States, mostly planted in the Midwest.    In 2011 the USDA reported that corn was planted in 91,897,000 acres. Due to ethanol use in automobiles, the acreage is sure to go up.  We do NOT need 100 million acres of corn sprayed with 2-4-D! 

Enough is ENOUGH! 

Please sign the petition,   at Organic Consumers and spread the word around that Dow’s  2-4-D tolerant GMO corn should NOT be approved because of the massive amount of environmental damage to ground water — which is already polluted from Round-Up– but the harmful effects on humans, birds, bees, butterflies, fish and the entire food chain! It is harmful to pregnant women and their unborn children. Birth defects are high in areas (Viet Nam) where this chemical has been used.  A host of illnesses  have been confirmed by medical science, including soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, respiratory and circulatory difficulties.

2-4-D is the most common herbicide already found in groundwater; it is in 90% of tested water supplies. The number 2 chemical is Round-Up!

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED and   e-v-e-r-y   voice counts in an effort to stop more poisoning of the planet.

Thanks for sticking with me this year.  Next year will be very exciting because there some things brewing on the food front here in Virginia.  No details yet,  but I do know that if you care about our food, if you are concerned about your right to obtain food other than from the grocery store, if you are a farmer or support your local small farmer, then 2012 will be THE year to join me and stand up for our food.

As seen in the “Occupy” movement – and even yesterday (though not food related): Verizon backed down on its intended $2 fee for online payments because of consumer backlash –after just one day–  THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS, and a very real POWER IN THE VOICE OF “We the People”

What I do know is that YOUR VOICE will be essential ~~ every single one of you and those you know who value our rights to  food. 

I do what I do FOR you.  Every single day I sit here, sometimes for hours — reading, researching and writing to let you know about our food rights.  WHY?  Because ever so slowly, behind our backs, our food rights are being taken away from us.  BIG Ag and the rest are afraid of the growing movement because people truly want to know what’s in their food; they want to know why they are so sick and how to lead healthier lives. 

I shouldn’t have to do this, however!  We should, by the very nature of our being, have the right to grow, process, sell and buy food from any source…, just as it was years ago.  This should not be an issue.  The FDA and USDA should not be on the attack against the citizens and small farmers and food co-ops of this country, but they are.

In the coming weeks you will be asked to join me to raise your voice for your FOOD FREEDOM.

I sincerely hope all of you will join me to make 2012 the YEAR OF FOOD…, the year we took back our food.

Many blessings for a safe, happy, prosperous New Year!

India is in their sights now, and they’ve tried to take one of the country’s most popular crops, brinjal, or eggplant, and make it a GMO crop.  The Indian government isn’t letting them get away with it:  they’ve filed a lawsuit against the biotech giant for ‘biopiracy.”

It is very interesting to note that this is occurring in India  and not  in the United States.  I wonder why?

People — THIS IS WRONG!  Monsanto did not create food, God did.  For some reason under whatever ruling, Monsanto was permitted to patent seeds.  I don’t know what judge was convinced by the legal team of Monsanto to allow this in the first place. 

The whole idea of a company ‘owning’ a seed, something which they’ve tampered with,  using modern science, but NOT initially created as in Nature,  is blatantly wrong!  Granting them ability to sue farmers if it is found in the genes of plants on their land has been one of the most horrific travesties in modern-day justice. 

The food rights of the people of this planet are slipping away with every legal victory for Monsanto, Dow, Du Pont, Bayer and Syngenta.   

Somehow…, some way, Monsanto and their ilk in the biotech world must be stopped.

So far, Monsanto hasn’t figured out how to control the way the wind blows to prevent cross-pollination of GMO seeds into non-GMO plants.  If they do, you can bet your bottom dollar – they’ll try to patent that, too!

Antibiotic resistance from commercially produced meat. PHOTO: Bev Hill

Instead of acting on behalf of the American people as it should, the FDA caved to pressure from Congress on antibiotics in meat.  If the pharmaceutical lobby didn’t have their hands in this, I’ll eat my shoes!

As reported about a month ago  in a previous post, antibiotic use in food animals is deemed a “precaution” by the meat industry.  Nearly 80% of antibiotics produced in this country go to treat healthy animals in the industrial farming CAFOS (concentrated animal feeding operations).  

Antibiotics have long been used as growth enhancers in livestock.  It is estimated that in 2010, about 50 million pounds of antibiotics  were produced in the U.S., with about 70% of them used in cow, chickens and pigs.  The pharmaceutical and agricultural lobbyists insist that routine use of antibiotics in meat keeps the animals healthier and meat costs low. 

Back in 1977 the FDA issued a warning about antibiotic use in food animals.  They cited the use of penicillin and tetracycline in animals raised for food could lead to an antibiotic resistance in humans, especially those who ate commercially produced meat. Pharmaceutical interest groups persuaded the FDA not to carry out any ban.  In the 1990s, the Bush administration did nothing to restrict or ban the use of antibiotics despite a growing area of concern in the medical industry. 

If you watched the movie “Fresh, The Movie” farmer Russ Kremer’s story reflects the horrific toll that antibiotic use in meat can take. 

Watch the video here.  It will give you chills….

Representative Louise Slaughter, (D, NY) of New York’s 28th District,  and also a microbiologist, has proposed a bill in Congress to limit the use of antibiotics in meat.  HR1549   Over 300 organizations support this bill.  Check to see if your favorite organizations support it -or- contact them with this information to have them sign on.

You can view the information about this bill and send your Congressman a message to SUPPORT HR 1549.

We need to ask ourselves:  do these low, low prices at Wal-Mart or other giant food retailers outweigh the price we are paying in medical costs? Antibiotic resistant mutants like MRSA are a real and dangerous result of antibiotic use in meat. 

It’s time we used our muscle of sheer numbers as concerned Americans to insist that the meat industry act in our best interests instead of theirs.

It’s a makeshift compost pile; no fancy $300 plastic composter for me.  I’ve set concrete blocks sideways so the air can flow through the holes in the block.  It will cook better when I turn it.   The pile is in the sun, covered with an old dark blue (better heat conductivity) inflatable air mattress.  During a weekend of hosting company, probably 11 years ago, the mattress bit the dust when the cats punctured a hole in it playing tag over the guest’s bed!  Now it keeps most of the rain out of the pile and helps things heat up faster.

From the kitchen I step out the deck and  unhook the antique white porcelain chamber pot from its hanging place high up on the wall under the air conditioner unit. This keeps it  out of reach of my country critter friends;  possums, skunks, raccoons or wandering dogs.    I cross the deck, descend the stairs and wade through the pile of pecan leaves that were swept off the deck weeks before.  They, too,  are destined for the pile.

When I reach the compost, I reach down and flip back the top.  I see two things simultaneously:  a cylindrical  pile of shredded newspaper right in the middle of the pile and a small field mouse darting away toward the back.  It hesitates for a few seconds then jumps onto the side of the cement block and stops. 

“Hey, little thing, I won’t hurt you.”  It doesn’t move – hiding in plain sight, motionless, from this huge monster that’s just disturbed its home. Then it darts away in between the blocks.

Instead of destroying this tiny creature’s home, I decide to share the compost pile with it.    What better place for a cozy home?  It’s naturally warm from the bottom  from the decomposing food, and heated from the top by the sun on the heavy plastic.  It’s fairly rain proof, although the canopy that protects the paper nest has a few holes. This little house is dry.   Then, of course, there is the never-ending supply of free meals, delivered fresh from the kitchen! This is mouse heaven: abundanza !

I drop the cover and reach down into the dark brown dirt.  It’s very warm as I dig my fingers gently down into the soil, trying not to demolish this cozy mouse house.  Using both hands I carefully cradle the nest and transfer it to the far corner of the compost pile.  I should be able to work around this without disturbing it.

Hey – it’s Christmas and not the time to be wrecking people’s houses, right?  Christmas cheer and good will, even toward the smallest of the critters that share our world.

I slosh rainwater from the 100 gallon  stock tank under the downspout into the metal pot.  I rinse and scrub out the bucket, plop the lid back on and walk back to the deck.  I feel compelled to do one more thing.

Inside the house I fill my hand with some bird seed and walk back to the compost pile.  Spreading the seed around the nest under the cover, I wish the little mouse Merry Christmas!

God bless all creatures, great and small…..

Obviously these days, not for the American people.  BIG rules, small is ignored. Big gets the benefits, small pays through the nose. Goliath struts and swaggers, David runs between the steps and tries not to get stepped on! ‘Big everything’ gets its way because it has the bucks to pay off some of our elected leaders or enough mouths to whisper convincingly that the small should be discounted.

I am not a political expert but just one of millions of frustrated & pissed off Americans saddened by the inequity of what our country has become. 

FOOD:  We’re up against government subsidies for the monolithic farms while small farms get nothing.  Regulations are ‘one size fits all,’ favoring Big Ag while small farmers find they can’t comply because of the cost.  The ghost of Earl Butz, the patron saint of agribusiness, is still whispering to policymakers, “Tell them to ‘get big or get out!’ “

Secret deals of the chemical industry’s corporate-to-government-post appointees hold any true progress for ‘we the people’ at bay.  Critical data is conveniently lost, destroyed or litigated out of exposure by the powerful such as Monsanto.  

The Feds seem hell-bent on going after Amish dairy farmers and other raw milk purveyors and small buying clubs.   Small farmers remain the convenient focus and easy prey, lacking funds for high-priced legal teams,  and still have to jump through a dizzying array of  hoops.  

There are no ’hoops’ for the big guys, however, only loopholes for them to easily slip through. Those who sit in Washington, with the power to close these escape hatches, won’t.  Like the corporations, they are just as greedy and guilty of selling out the American people.  We don’t matter:  money does!  

The USDA is considering letting “Big Biotech” submit its own impact studies  which, in turn, may allow them sell products which have not  had complete (or any) scrutiny before approval.  More  rubber stamped approvals for poison, which in 20 or 50 years will turn out to be the DDT, dioxin or the Agent Orange of the 2000s. 

I don’t know what the answer is.  One, is to get the money out of politics, but that’s easier said than done.  Perhaps somehow a citizen’s committee – a go between, to act as a buffer.  Just thinking out loud here….

Well we’ve all heard the saying,  “Money talks…” 

As Mr. Reich says, we need an amendment to the constitution to get rid of the decision in which the Supreme Court  declared money is speech and corporations are people.

No, Supreme Court, money in relation to policy making in government is not ‘free speech.’  Simply, it is bribery, collusion, payoffs, graft, hush money, purchase, deal making, coercion and favoritism. It is WRONG!  Money speaks the language of the corporate élite, not the American people and certainly not the small farmers of this country.

Supreme Court: Corporations are not people.  Corporations are  a society of their own with a hierarchy: those at the bottom do the will of those at the top whose only goal is profit.    Individual lives of their employees don’t matter because in this economy, people are dispensable, like slaves.  Lose one and a thousand others will appear, so desperate for an income.   

Every decision directly benefits the good of the few, not the many. 

Nothing matters but the bottom line or how much one person can amass while in office. Not the health or welfare of sentient beings can dampen greed.   

After all, things are going great for government officials who are channeling Boss Tweed.  Why should they stop now?