Hr 2749

Background Information

A new food safety bill is on the fast track in Congress-HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill needs to be stopped.
HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisan producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse.

HR 2749 does not address underlying causes of food safety problems such as industrial agriculture practices and the consolidation of our food supply. The industrial food system and food imports are badly in need of effective regulation, but the bill does not specifically direct regulation or resources to these areas.

To read a detailed account of the bill, go to: http://www.ftcldf.org/news/news-15june2009.htm

Now for my 2 cents.

This really is bullshit. Monsanto, Dupont, and Dow are nearly wetting their pants in joy over this ridiculous infringement on our rights. "Protect the sheep, for we know what is best,"... Can you hear them laughing?

This bill will essentially kill the last American farmer. The family farms, the organic farmer's markets, the fresh veggie stands you see as you drive the winding roads of our country. This bill will make fugitives of those who support local foods, private and diverse food supply and privately-owned, small scale agriculture. Everyone will be forced to eat GMO's or they will perish.

I will revisit my sheep analogy just once more before I go. As the herd of sheep (the American people) rest and graze on the hillside. The wolves (Corporate agriculture) have captured the shepherd (the U.S Constitution). At this point, the Shepherd isn't dead but is in need of someone to stand up and fight. Meanwhile, back on the hillside, the sheep are distracted. And although a few sheep that have made it to the outside of the herd (that would be the hippies, the eat local advocates, the organic private farmers, etc.) see the wolves making their move... well, the rest of the herd is just not listening. The wolves are coming and those sheep that are deep in the middle of the herd, those that will not lift their heads, will have no time to react. No time time fight. No time to run.

If you really don't care about your food, your civil liberties or the farmer that fed this nation as it grew, then by all means... please do nothing. If Monsanto rocks your world and you consider high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified foods and confinement animal feeding operations an acceptable way to feed our children... please do nothing. If you don't care, please do nothing.

But, if you care or perhaps just think you might be curious about the erosion of our Constitutional rights, educate yourself. Say something. Write something. Do something. This is one of those battles, if lost, will lead us to yet another slippery slope. One more liberty lost. One more reason to turn off our brains and to allow Corporate America to buy our country and run it. One more step towards tyranny. Fascism. Seriously.

Please do something.
Blessed Be