HR 875 Anyone else Freaked Out by this??

[Reinbeau]

I like mother earth news, but that blog article is based on the position of the OCA. The Organic Consumers Association turned me off a bit by blaming capitalism for the conditions of the factory farm, rather than the lack of morality that permeates our society from the board room to the class room, and has nothing to do with capitalism, and everything to do with the lack of accountability in our society caused by a toxic mixture of ignorance and sloth. Its too much work to boycott a company for unethical treatment of animals, its easier to just run crying to the government to make new laws, or just whine about it, or do nothing at all. But the proper capitalist resolution to such an issue is out of the question!

Well, it is capitalism, it's all about making money, and getting around the rules to make even more so I agree with OCA - and I also agree with you, the higher cause is the complete lack of morality within the business community today. I do think you're giving the almighty dollar short shrift here, it's the most important thing on earth to many, and they'll compromise any morals they might have been taught to get more.

OCA does good work. Please don't let one disagreement sour you to them, they're an effective tool against corporate agribusiness. They had a huge hand in forcing Monsanto to give up on rGBH. Tell them how you feel, they may change their tune a bit - but remember, they are fighting for our food safety, they can't totally change all of corporate culture by themselves.

 

[homesteadmom]

Here's my question.... if we are going to be so regulated on our gardening then how can the white house have a 1100sf garden & plan to serve guests food from it without all the paperwork? I mean if we have to fill out all the paperwork to use our produce wouldn't they? Plus i know that the Obama's will only be out there for photo ops & nothing else mainly. I mean come on you've never gardened before & your putting in a garden of that size??? Yeah right!! I have some ocean front property up by Flagstaff for those who believe it's her garden.

 

[meriruka1]

Part of me worries that before I die, there will only be
1 place to shop for goods: Walmart
1 place to buy produce: Some Montesanto Corp.
1 place to buy hardware: Lowes

on so on.

At this point I do my best to never enter Walmart, grow my own food, recycle building materials, scrounge freecycle, craigslist, goodwill and yard sales.

And I feel I'm not making a tiny bit of difference because with the economy so bad, people don't really care where stuff comes from as long as it's cheap and they are able provide for their families.
I can't help but think that there are far more allergies and learning disabilities in children than I remember when I was a kid. I wonder if the next generation will even survive with all the chemicals in everything around & in them.

Then I remember the American people have a history of "chucking tea in the harbor" when they've had enough.
I just hope "enough" is SOON.

 

[patandchickens]

Here's my question.... if we are going to be so regulated on our gardening then how can the white house have a 1100sf garden & plan to serve guests food from it without all the paperwork? I mean if we have to fill out all the paperwork to use our produce wouldn't they? Plus i know that the Obama's will only be out there for photo ops & nothing else mainly. I mean come on you've never gardened before & your putting in a garden of that size???

First, at present there IS NO PAPERWORK to fill out, as this is merely a bill that may *or may not* become law at some point in the eventual future.

Secondly, it must be nice to be psychic and know what's going to happen to the White House garden... my own crystal ball actually suggests that it will end up tended in large part by White House employees and the produce will probably get served by the chef(s) there.

Finally, there are a BUNCH of people on TEG and SS who have started gardens that big OR BIGGER from a basis of never having gardened before, and will be actually doing the gardening themselves not farming it out to staff, *and will really get something out of it*.

just because something has the Obama name attached to it does not *necessarily* mean it is idiotic.


Pat

 

[me&thegals]

Yeah--I'm one of those dummies who had a 1000+ square-foot garden my first year Learned lots, like it's not necessary to plant out the ENTIRE packet of zucchini seeds.

I don't think Obama's garden has anything to do with this conversation, although anytime anybody has a garden or hive, I get excited. To have our president have both should at least get all of us encouraged on the possibilities. And, if you really can't stand the guy, at least you might think he can't have such blatant hypocrisy--sign a bill if it ends up outlawing gardens.

I STILL cannot get my hands on the actual language. The links are not working for me.

I would add, though, that buying peanut butter should not be taking one's (or one's kids') lives into one's own hands. I surely don't want my own organic CSA regulated out of existence, but how DO you address a real food safety issue in this country? I actually like to buy chocolate on occasion. I sure don't want it to contain melamine from China.

 

[Reinbeau]

Thing is there are already more than enough laws on the books to cover food safety - but they need to be enforced. Firmly. And they aren't enforced enough.

We're covering the politics of this over on Sufficient Self in this thread, let's not get all political here in our gardening forum.

 

[wifezilla]

I can't help but think that there are far more allergies and learning disabilities in children than I remember when I was a kid. I wonder if the next generation will even survive with all the chemicals in everything around & in them.

Well, there is actually a reason for this. Vitamin D deficiency. The advice to avoid the sun and wear tons of sun screen for the past 20 years is coming back to bite us in the butt.

 

[dbjay417]

Thing is there are already more than enough laws on the books to cover food safety - but they need to be enforced. Firmly. And they aren't enforced enough.

We're covering the politics of this over on Sufficient Self in this thread, let's not get all political here in our gardening forum.

LoL This is why I opted to drop out of the discussion regarding the OCA and Capitalism. I play too rough as a result of spending too much time discussing politics on the myspace US Politics forum. Especially when the discussion encroaches on self determination, self sufficiency, self reliance, freedom, and capitalism.

 

[homesteadmom]

I can't help but think that there are far more allergies and learning disabilities in children than I remember when I was a kid. I wonder if the next generation will even survive with all the chemicals in everything around & in them.

Well, there is actually a reason for this. Vitamin D deficiency. The advice to avoid the sun and wear tons of sun screen for the past 20 years is coming back to bite us in the butt.

Some of us were smart enough to realize that the sun does not cause cancer & only use a small amt of sunscreen to protect from burning in longer exposure periods.

 

[homesteadmom]

just because something has the Obama name attached to it does not *necessarily* mean it is idiotic.


Pat

Did I use the word "idiotic"? No I did not, I simply stated a few facts. The article states very plainly & clearly who will be taking care of it(the staff). Plus if you are going to be taken seriously as a gardener then you do not wear a skirt & sweater with all the jewlery & heels to start digging you wear appropriate gardening attire thank you. I am just sick to death of everyone thinking because the "Obamas" do it then it must be the right thing to do. I have been gardening for over 20 yrs on my own & knew it was the right thing to do back then. Seed sales are up over 80% here in the states & that is before the White garden was made known to the public. More power to them for wanting to eat better, everyone should. Just tell the truth about it & don't try to make it look like you are the only first family that has gardened at the White House in x amt of yrs. All the chefs have had gardens to a certain extent, it's just this one wants a bigger garden(good for him).