As our government hands over billions to Wall Street bankers, jobless Americans live in tent cities and collect food stamps in record numbers. Now when we need it the most, growing our own food may be against the law and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000,000. Think I’m joking? Meet Bill HR 875, The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, introduced by Rosa DeLauro whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto. The insanity doesn’t stop there—fishing boats, hotdog stands, neighborhood vegetable booths and farmers’ markets will be federally regulated under the same draconian law. As always, the spin is designed to make you (the public) believe these new provisions are for your own good. Under the deceitful guise of protection, the goal of this bill is crystal clear: to prevent us from locally growing our own food so multinational agribusiness can completely control the production and distribution of our food supply. I refer you to the usual suspects—Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo, Tyson, and Smithfield.
This bill is designed to allow corporations, with the help of their hired government guns, to force small competitors (you and me) out of business. This is as evil as it gets, folks. Since the dawn of man we have hunted and farmed our own food——it’s second nature. To be stripped of the most fundamental act of survival is equivalent to the kind of mass enslavement you only read about in history books, like the kind under Pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
Lurking within the maze of technical lawyer-like jargon, the bill places wildly restrictive regulatory incumbrances on the average vegetable growing Joe-The-Plumber, small organic farmer, or anyone for that matter who may one day decide to grow a small garden. The bill would require anyone associated with growing, storing, transporting or processing food to be subject to inspections by federal agents of their property and all records related to food production; you would be required to conduct specials tests, maintain samples and records, and allow government officials to mandate the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, specific types of nutrients, packaging, and temperature controls. Violation of any of these provisions would subject the offender to property seizure, imprisonment and fines up to $1,000,000. The implementation of these bogus regulations are designed to be so cost and time prohibitive, no one would bother to grow their own food or risk being jailed and fined for participating in a black market.
When I read this article I was reminded of a very recent raid on one of the various Country Markets in Andalucia, namely, Trapiche. The Guardia Civil descended upon the market as a result of some mean minded individual who decided to make a denuncia against the traders who were selling their various foodstuffs. No doubt there is some EU regulation that covers this sort of trade but having often bought the delicious wares I have never ever suffered from the various bugs that the authorities would have us believe they are protecting us from. Indeed, markets of foodstuffs and artifacts have been a traditional part of everyday life throughout Europe as else where in the world. Of course, commerce does not want us to trade this way because it affects their enormous profits whilst the average Joe or Joanne is trying to make ends meet and eke out a small living which is not sufficient to buy the average mansion or Mercedes – unlike the chief executives running the large commercial concerns. The problem is that the powers that be would have us believe that it is all for our own good. With their large advertising budgets they are quite successful too.
Personally, I remain very unconvinced that any of this activity is for my benefit and although I am very pro European, I detest with all my being this small minded attitude towards ordinary people who get some satisfaction out of making things that others buy and enjoy. In contrast, I have yet to buy one of the large corporations products for consumption and enjoy the process no matter what enticing title they have given it.
As for the spiteful person who made the complaint, I wonder what he or she got out of the experience? It would probably defy the imagination of most of us because hopefully, we don’t think like they do but I do wonder if there was some small advantage for them commercially? Spite after all, is a short lived satisfaction and without a lasting gain, I find it very difficult to understand why he or she should be so moved.
Although this was a very local event I do wonder how often it is repeated throughout Europe and I also wonder if voters will rise up and say, “Leave our markets alone”! If we want to buy a pie or a cake or some other food stuff why for goodness sake, can’t we? If you have a comment please feel free to make your views known even if you disagree.
Related Posts
Posted under Featured Articles
This post was written by editor on Saturday, March 21, 2009
