Kiss your Organic Food goodbye

unsung

The food Nazis are going to attack on Monday.

http://www.naturalnews.com/030418_Food_ ... seeds.html

Hugh Freaking Dillon

:shock:

Captntripps

I saw this post a day late and maybe a dollar short but call your senator and tell them you want them to vote YES for the Tester amendment.
http://mydd.com/users/sumofchange/posts ... afety-bill

It doesn't fix this awful bill, but the house also has a version of this coming up and it doesn't have an amendment like this one to exempt local farms and farm stands. I think this is a very important issue right now and you CAN make a difference before the bill is passed as law. STAND UP!

ajedigecko

ok....let me make sure i understand this.

i am supposed to be afraid of my government...who cannot enforce our borders and current laws against narcotics.

i will pass, on being afraid.

hedave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5s-sOD74Tc&feature=related

hedave

Click the link above. This will ease your minds...Haha

arq

hedave wrote:

Click the link above. This will ease your minds...Haha

You know they're atheist, so their opinion is not valid in that or any other matter

hedave

It's not their opinion that makes that video great.

markin ball

Another testament to the fact we live in a corporatocracy and not a democracy. Corporations and big business motivate our system, not the voters. This is the issue of our time. Almost everything else can be traced back to this as the root cause of the problem. We should be working on this disease instead of squabbling over the symptoms.

unsung

Once again the usual board regulars are MIA. No comments? No thoughts why the Dems are pushing for food control?

Shawshank

This bill makes my blood boil. The government is full of idiots across the board on both sides, and their bureaucracies have failed us in ways we can't even imagine. With that being said, why do people put so much faith in the government for the safety of their food? You can't be selective in what you think the government is competent at, it is all the same animal. It is abundantly clear that this is nothing but a corporate driven bill aimed at dropping the hammer on local farmers. This is not about food safety at all. It's about a perceived level of food safety that most people in this country are blinded by. Most people think things like the pretty white eggs in the store are sterile, fresh, chemical and contaminate free. Most have never seen, held, much less tasted a farm fresh egg to know the difference. The differences are HUGE. Not only the yolk color, but the ease with which the whites can be separated, and the enhanced nutritional value. They think the chicken they buy off the shelf is healthy and safe to eat. Most don't realize that this chicken is heavily contaminated with wonderful things like arsenic, various growth hormones and best of all it is sitting in that bag swimming in fecal matter.

Somehow that's ok, and that disgusting excuse for food will pass any government inspection. But the fresh eggs that come from my free range chickens are somehow inferior in the government's eyes. My chickens only go inside when they feel like it. They do what chickens are supposed to do, scratch at the ground, nibble on grass and eat bugs and lay eggs whenever they want. The broiler chicks that I raise for meat live pretty much the same life as my hens. They are also free to get as much fresh air, sunshine, grass, bugs, clean water and food as they want. These chickens are processed, packaged and produce some of the most amazing chicken you will ever eat. Yet somehow, this is considered unsanitary, and almost completely unacceptable to government regulators.

The corporations will win again though. They see small farms that are cropping up as a threat to their profits. This movement that is occurring with natural foods and organics is growing fast, and it is a big threat to the way these corporations do business. Unfortunately, law makers on both sides are responsible for being in the back pocket of these companies (many were previously employed by companies like Monsanto).

I swear if it ever got so bad that they told me I couldn't grow my own food, or give it away to friends and family, they can take my ass to jail right then and there. I'll never give up my way of life for anything.

markin ball

unsung wrote:

Once again the usual board regulars are MIA. No comments? No thoughts why the Dems are pushing for food control?

The douchebagery is bipartisan. The bill has a handfull of Republican co-sponsors.

aerial

Please sign the Petition

embrace

Well- I'm all for starting a seed speakeasy and a system in the woods...The G will realize their methods to control will not defeat what is right. Prohibition didn't last...

Another petition to get behind:
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/te ... c65ce122c2

In short: The Seed Saver's Exchange is joining in the fight to save the Russian seed bank at risk of being destroyed. Please read the link and join in to save the seed bank. 90% of the germ plasm stored there is found NOWHERE ELSE in the world. Genetic heritage for important domesticated food crops of everything from strawberries to grain crops will be LOST FOREVER.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/...

blackredyellow

terrible bill... more bureaucracy and more fees for people who want to sell food. This will put a damper on the grown "farmer's market" movement that is going on.

but unlike what the article said, it will not affect people growing food for personal use.

BinauralJam

What the Fuck?

Jeanwah

I heard it passed :( It helped that a former executive at Monsanto now works for the FDA.

This explains the bill better.
http://laughterandliberty.com/senate-bi ... d-sort-of/

Shawshank

Jeanwah wrote:

I heard it passed :( It helped that a former executive at Monsanto now works for the FDA.

This explains the bill better.
http://laughterandliberty.com/senate-bi ... d-sort-of/

There are a number of Monsanto people within our government.

Cosmo

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtex ... l=s111-510
...
That is the Bill in its entirety. Someone needs to explain to me where I get hauled off to Levenworth for growing peppers in my patio. I read a lot about holding growers responsible for damages if their spinich gives me salmonela... or meat companies held accountable for e-coli laced burgers at the 'In and Out'... but, i did not find anything in the Bill itself about a government sniper putting a bullet in my ear as I pluck a pepper from its plant.
Can someone please... show me where the monster is?

OutOfBreath

I have struggled to see the beast as well.
Most stuff that has been linked around here are activist pages and articles written by people with vested interests against the bill. They seem to be piling it on a bit more than warranted, while not actually referencing what the bill really says or does.

If it's about food health and better controls, I fail to see how it is a bad thing, even if the requirements may be harder to meet for smaller producers. (but, is it OK if we get bad food as long as it's from a small-scale producer?) Contrary to popular belief, bad food can just as easily come from small scale mom-and-pop farming as it can from industrial scale farming.

The attack seems to be twofold. One is that "I dont want any government anything involved in anything" crowd, who will never be pleased anyway, and found new evidence of Obama's totalitarianism or something in this. The other is concern for smaller farmers, which is more valid but which also seem to mix in with the no-toxins/vaccinations/"natural" crowd which I find a bit much on the "trusting mother nature" side of things. E.coli bacterias and so on are very "natural" after all, aren't they?

Anywho, what does this bill actually do, that is of apocalyptic potential?

(edit) From the same place as Cosmo linked, but summarized, instead of in legalese: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xp ... ab=summary
This is all about inspection authority and the conduction of this in accordance with science to be able to stop and trace produce with bacterias or whatever. There are to be more inspections and more thorough inspections than before to ensure food safety. Small businesses get an extended timeframe to comply with regulations and minimum standard of the foods.

Can't for the life of me see what the hubbub is about...

Peace
Dan

Jeanwah

Cosmo wrote:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-510
...
That is the Bill in its entirety. Someone needs to explain to me where I get hauled off to Levenworth for growing peppers in my patio. I read a lot about holding growers responsible for damages if their spinich gives me salmonela... or meat companies held accountable for e-coli laced burgers at the 'In and Out'... but, i did not find anything in the Bill itself about a government sniper putting a bullet in my ear as I pluck a pepper from its plant.
Can someone please... show me where the monster is?

Did you read my link? It explains it.
No, you won't be in any kind of trouble for your garden, but say goodbye to farmer's markets. And that's truly sad because it provides a sense of local community and sharing. Anyone who backs the Monsanto way of doing things (controlling all seeds which grow all of the world's food, rather than allow people to save and use their seeds) is either ignorant or totalitarian.

Cosmo

Jeanwah wrote:

Cosmo wrote:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-510
...
That is the Bill in its entirety. Someone needs to explain to me where I get hauled off to Levenworth for growing peppers in my patio. I read a lot about holding growers responsible for damages if their spinich gives me salmonela... or meat companies held accountable for e-coli laced burgers at the 'In and Out'... but, i did not find anything in the Bill itself about a government sniper putting a bullet in my ear as I pluck a pepper from its plant.
Can someone please... show me where the monster is?

Did you read my link? It explains it.
No, you won't be in any kind of trouble for your garden, but say goodbye to farmer's markets. And that's truly sad because it provides a sense of local community and sharing. Anyone who backs the Monsanto way of doing things (controlling all seeds which grow all of the world's food, rather than allow people to save and use their seeds) is either ignorant or totalitarian.

...
Yeah... i read your link. and I read the Bill, itself.
I can understand the underlying spirit in which it was drafted... someone sells 'Organically Grown' spinich at a Farmer's Market and it turns out to be tainted with salmonela and people get really sick. What is the recourse? Sue the seller? The Farmer? Both of whom lack any funding to pay for the medical bills of several people they have infected. Or should it be a 'Buyer Beware' situation... eat organic, with the expectation that you may contract E-Coli. Who pays?
The Bill also holds the produce importers responsible, accountable and liable for any and all damages from pesticides they use on their fields, that we do not allow on ours.
...
I guess it all comes down to responsibility, right? We don't expect our fruits to contain DDT or or lettuce to give us salmonela, whether it comes from a huge corporate farm or some hippie commune in Salinas. And we want to hold someone responsible when they do... and make sure they pay for our medical bills because of their mishandlings.
...
I'm still looking for the part in the bill about the seeds... because I can still buy radish seeds at the Home Depot and grow them in my patio, pick, clean and cut them to put in my tacos. If I give myself salmonela... I'll accept that.

Shawshank

Cosmo I'm wondering if you read the actual bill, or just the summary. The summary is just a watered down version, and it's probably still more than many who actually voted on the bill have read. Maybe I'm reading a different version, but Section 405 contains some of the regulation regarding harvesting and storage. It's all open for interpretation really, and that's the scary part. You also have to have some insight into how the industry works to fully understand how detrimental this bill is, because the word "seeds" isn't used, but everything ancillary to seed saving is mentioned. Seeds are considered a part of the food supply, so therefore they intend to implement regulations to prevent this part of the food supply from becoming "contaminated". The only place contamination (they love using that word) could come from would be the seed cleaning equipment. Once they regulate who can clean seeds, and with what equipment seeds can be cleaned, then you have essentially taken heirlooms out of the hands of growers and given it to the companies that the FDA deems "safe".

Keep in mind the same FDA who thinks they know best, and will keep us all "safer" by increasing regulation on small farms, is the same FDA who approves arsenic being used in the feed given to the chicken you eat.

whygohome

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookou ... affect-you

This might clear a few things up.

Commy

of course the government will attack farmer's markets. products need to do the opposite of what they are marketed for. fresh produce doesn't fit that bill.

inmytree

whygohome wrote:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101130/ts_yblog_thelookout/how-the-new-food-safety-bill-might-affect-you

This might clear a few things up.

thanks for this link and yes, it does clear things up...

Electric_Delta

More red tape. Wonderful. Where's the restrictions on types of additives used in food? You won't see legislation for that.

What an illusion of freedom we live under.

Jason P

This bill may be killed in the Senate by the ... get ready for it ... evil Republicans! :shock: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

That is if they make good on their threat to block legislation until the tax issue is settled.

Cosmo

Shawshank wrote:

Cosmo I'm wondering if you read the actual bill, or just the summary. The summary is just a watered down version, and it's probably still more than many who actually voted on the bill have read. Maybe I'm reading a different version, but Section 405 contains some of the regulation regarding harvesting and storage. It's all open for interpretation really, and that's the scary part. You also have to have some insight into how the industry works to fully understand how detrimental this bill is, because the word "seeds" isn't used, but everything ancillary to seed saving is mentioned. Seeds are considered a part of the food supply, so therefore they intend to implement regulations to prevent this part of the food supply from becoming "contaminated". The only place contamination (they love using that word) could come from would be the seed cleaning equipment. Once they regulate who can clean seeds, and with what equipment seeds can be cleaned, then you have essentially taken heirlooms out of the hands of growers and given it to the companies that the FDA deems "safe".

Keep in mind the same FDA who thinks they know best, and will keep us all "safer" by increasing regulation on small farms, is the same FDA who approves arsenic being used in the feed given to the chicken you eat.

...
Are we reading the same Bill? Here is Section 405 in its entirety:
"SEC. 405. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’ for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage."
...
I will look for the section regarding contamination.
...
Also... I feel the local farmers should be held accountable and responsible for selling me veggies that give me the E-Coli... same as if Del-Monte does.

yahamita

Shawshank wrote:

This bill makes my blood boil. The government is full of idiots across the board on both sides, and their bureaucracies have failed us in ways we can't even imagine. With that being said, why do people put so much faith in the government for the safety of their food? You can't be selective in what you think the government is competent at, it is all the same animal. It is abundantly clear that this is nothing but a corporate driven bill aimed at dropping the hammer on local farmers. This is not about food safety at all. It's about a perceived level of food safety that most people in this country are blinded by. Most people think things like the pretty white eggs in the store are sterile, fresh, chemical and contaminate free. Most have never seen, held, much less tasted a farm fresh egg to know the difference. The differences are HUGE. Not only the yolk color, but the ease with which the whites can be separated, and the enhanced nutritional value. They think the chicken they buy off the shelf is healthy and safe to eat. Most don't realize that this chicken is heavily contaminated with wonderful things like arsenic, various growth hormones and best of all it is sitting in that bag swimming in fecal matter.

Somehow that's ok, and that disgusting excuse for food will pass any government inspection. But the fresh eggs that come from my free range chickens are somehow inferior in the government's eyes. My chickens only go inside when they feel like it. They do what chickens are supposed to do, scratch at the ground, nibble on grass and eat bugs and lay eggs whenever they want. The broiler chicks that I raise for meat live pretty much the same life as my hens. They are also free to get as much fresh air, sunshine, grass, bugs, clean water and food as they want. These chickens are processed, packaged and produce some of the most amazing chicken you will ever eat. Yet somehow, this is considered unsanitary, and almost completely unacceptable to government regulators.

The corporations will win again though. They see small farms that are cropping up as a threat to their profits. This movement that is occurring with natural foods and organics is growing fast, and it is a big threat to the way these corporations do business. Unfortunately, law makers on both sides are responsible for being in the back pocket of these companies (many were previously employed by companies like Monsanto).

I swear if it ever got so bad that they told me I couldn't grow my own food, or give it away to friends and family, they can take my ass to jail right then and there. I'll never give up my way of life for anything.

Wonderful post! I have a copy of the Food Bill and it reads like the Healthcare Bill..Total confusion..I just watch Food, Inc again, total disgust..