Vegetable Garden

Senate Bill 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010, may be the most dangerous bill in the history of the US. It is to our food what the bailout was to our economy, only we can live without money.

“If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes. It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one’s choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God.” ~Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada Health whistleblower

It is similar to what India faced with imposition of the salt tax during British rule, only S 510 extends control over all food in the US, violating the fundamental human right to food.

Monsanto says it has no interest in the bill and would not benefit from it, but Monsanto’s Michael Taylor who gave us rBGH and unregulated genetically modified (GM) organisms, appears to have designed it and is waiting as an appointed Food Czar to the FDA (a position unapproved by Congress) to administer the agency it would create — without judicial review — if it passes. S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.
History

In the 1990s, Bill Clinton introduced HACCP (Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Points) purportedly to deal with contamination in the meat industry. Clinton’s HACCP delighted the offending corporate (World Trade Organization “WTO”) meat packers since it allowed them to inspect themselves, eliminated thousands of local food processors (with no history of contamination), and centralized meat into their control. Monsanto promoted HACCP.

In 2008, Hillary Clinton, urged a powerful centralized food safety agency as part of her campaign for president. Her advisor was Mark Penn, CEO of Burson Marsteller*, a giant PR firm representing Monsanto. Clinton lost, but Clinton friends such as Rosa DeLauro, whose husband’s firm lists Monsanto as a progressive client and globalization as an area of expertise, introduced early versions of S 510.
S 510 fails on moral, social, economic, political, constitutional, and human survival grounds.

1. It puts all US food and all US farms under Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, in the event of contamination or an ill-defined emergency. It resembles the Kissinger Plan.

2. It would end US sovereignty over its own food supply by insisting on compliance with the WTO, thus threatening national security. It would end the Uruguay Round Agreement Act of 1994, which put US sovereignty and US law under perfect protection. Instead, S 510 says:

COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.

Nothing in this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization or any other treaty or international agreement to which the United States is a party.

3. It would allow the government, under Maritime Law, to define the introduction of any food into commerce (even direct sales between individuals) as smuggling into “the United States.” Since under that law, the US is a corporate entity and not a location, “entry of food into the US” covers food produced anywhere within the land mass of this country and “entering into” it by virtue of being produced.

4. It imposes Codex Alimentarius on the US, a global system of control over food. It allows the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the WTO to take control of every food on earth and remove access to natural food supplements. Its bizarre history and its expected impact in limiting access to adequate nutrition (while mandating GM food, GM animals, pesticides, hormones, irradiation of food, etc.) threatens all safe and organic food and health itself, since the world knows now it needs vitamins to survive, not just to treat illnesses.

5. It would remove the right to clean, store and thus own seed in the US, putting control of seeds in the hands of Monsanto and other multinationals, threatening US security. See Seeds – How to criminalize them, for more details.

6. It includes NAIS, an animal traceability program that threatens all small farmers and ranchers raising animals. The UN is participating through the WHO, FAO, WTO, and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in allowing mass slaughter of even heritage breeds of animals and without proof of disease. Biodiversity in farm animals is being wiped out to substitute genetically engineered animals on which corporations hold patents. Animal diseases can be falsely declared. S 510 includes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), despite its corrupt involvement in the H1N1 scandal, which is now said to have been concocted by the corporations.

7. It extends a failed and destructive HACCP to all food, thus threatening to do to all local food production and farming what HACCP did to meat production – put it in corporate hands and worsen food safety.

8. It deconstructs what is left of the American economy. It takes agriculture and food, which are the cornerstone of all economies, out of the hands of the citizenry, and puts them under the total control of multinational corporations influencing the UN, WHO, FAO and WTO, with HHS, and CDC, acting as agents, with Homeland Security as the enforcer. The chance to rebuild the economy based on farming, ranching, gardens, food production, natural health, and all the jobs, tools and connected occupations would be eliminated.

9. It would allow the government to mandate antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouse waste, pesticides and GMOs. This would industrialize every farm in the US, eliminate local organic farming, greatly increase global warming from increased use of oil-based products and long-distance delivery of foods, and make food even more unsafe. The five items listed — the Five Pillars of Food Safety — are precisely the items in the food supply which are the primary source of its danger.

10. It uses food crimes as the entry into police state power and control. The bill postpones defining all the regulations to be imposed; postpones defining crimes to be punished, postpones defining penalties to be applied. It removes fundamental constitutional protections from all citizens in the country, making them subject to a corporate tribunal with unlimited power and penalties, and without judicial review. It is (similar to C-6 in Canada) the end of Rule of Law in the US.

Marco Rubio

WASHINGTON — On the same day in June that the U.S. House of Representatives passed expansive Wall Street reforms, an influential hedge fund manager who strongly opposed the legislation was holding a fundraiser in his Manhattan apartment for Marco Rubio.

Rubio was in Miami but collected thousands of dollars for his U.S. Senate campaign that day, and people associated with the hedge fund contributed $117,000 overall as his long-shot bid took off.

Now as Rubio and other newly elected Republicans take office, the financial industry is depending on their clout to undo some of the regulations.

The same is true for the health care industry that poured millions into candidates like Rubio who pledged to “repeal and replace” the landmark legislation Congress approved this year.

Elected to great fanfare, Rubio, 39, will be one of the most-watched lawmakers in Washington. A review of the roughly $20 million he collected provides a window into what issues he could champion — and who may have his ear.

Rubio said no person or cause has undue influence and the campaign was a grass roots effort, drawing $7 million in small donations from regular people. “I’ve always told people they buy into our agenda, we don’t buy into theirs,” he said. “We tell people where we stand on the issues, and if people want to help us get elected, with some exceptions, we’re willing to accept their help.”

Conservative donors and interest groups such as the Club for Growth contributed heavily, as did the securities and investment sector with nearly $600,000.

The health care industry gave over $270,000. Real estate interests gave $350,000, according to data collated by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The oil and gas industry, which has been fighting to drill in the waters off Florida, gave the pro-drilling Rubio at least $109,000.

Taken together, his financing shows a politician with strong grass roots support, but also one closely aligned with the establishment GOP and the hard-line posture that drove the election.

“If you’re looking for him reaching across party lines hither and yon, you are probably expecting too much,” said Dave Levinthal, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics.

His numbers, while sizable, are only part of the story.

Outside groups spent a record amount this election and Rubio got more than $2.5 million from GOP-leaning groups. His largest backer overall was Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, which invested $1.9 million in ads attacking Rubio’s rival, Gov. Charlie Crist.

The groups, which do not disclose their donors, are pressing for tougher illegal immigration laws and to prevent Democrats from letting some tax cuts expire.

Rubio emphasized the grass roots. Through Election Day, he took in more than $7 million in donations of $200 or less — 36 percent of the $19,717,639.65 collected since the campaign began in May 2009.

Rubio started out the traditional way, focusing on big donors. But almost all the Republican players were backing Crist, long seen as a shoo-in for the Senate seat. July 2009 campaign finance reports showed Crist raised $4.3 million to Rubio’s $340,000. Rubio considered running for state attorney general.

Instead, he began an aggressive small donor campaign and it worked in waves, cultivating an outsider image. Rubio’s Federal Election Commission filings shows page after page of $1, $5, $10, $50 and $100 contributions from Florida and beyond.

“I love Marco Rubio. He is the future of the Republican Party,” said Bernadette Zgorski of Churchville, Md., a tea party activist who gave Rubio $50. She said it was the first time she ever contributed to a candidate.

One man in the Panhandle showed up to an event with a box full of wrapped coins, $70 worth.

“He did not become the Republican nominee and win this race because of the traditional large special interests,” said Rubio fundraiser Ana Navarro. “We all know where they were a year ago, they were all fighting Marco Rubio. That’s one of the beauties about Marco, is that he is fairly free. He’s not particularly indebted to special interests.”

Special interests did start to pay attention when Rubio began to erase Crist’s lead, however.

By the time of the fundraiser in Manhattan, Crist had left the GOP, knowing he would lose the primary, to run as an independent. Rubio’s fundraising soared. He posted record numbers for Florida — $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2010 and $5 million in the third.

People affiliated with Elliott Management, the $17 billion hedge fund run by Paul Singer, were Rubio’s second highest contributors, with $117,000. Singer gave to many Republicans (the June fundraiser was for several candidates), hoping to fight what he deemed overreaching policies of Democratic financial reform.

Rubio generally agrees that some of the restrictions are burdensome, a spokesman said.

Rubio, in all, got at least $600,000 from securities, investment, financing and banking interests, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tallied reports through Oct. 13.

Wall Street had been contributing to Democrats, who held the White House and Congress after 2008. But while the reforms were weakened somewhat, what passed was still substantial.

Rubio’s top donor was the conservative activist group Club for Growth, with $328,500. Group spokesman Mike Connolly said it liked Rubio’s message of fiscal discipline and smaller government. After the election, Rubio called to thank them.

“We have very high hopes for him,” Connolly said, calling Rubio “a principled leader.”

Under the category “industry: Republican/conservative,” Rubio took in $965,000, second only to retirees who gave $1.5 million, many of them uneasy with changes in Washington.

Rubio got at least $26,000 from people associated with Koch Industries, an oil giant run by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch who have criticized the health care overhaul and question climate change.

Florida business — including Flo-Sun, a sugar company run by the Fanjul family — also helped Rubio. People associated with Publix Supermarkets gave over $11,000. Rubio also got money from South Florida fuel distributor Max Alvarez, who sought favors from Rubio when he was a state legislator.

In Washington, Rubio said federal spending, tax policy and national security will top his agenda.

“There’s a lot of other issues this institution deals with and I want to learn about them and be informed,” he said. “But ultimately we’re going to do what we think is right by the people who elected us.”

Charlie Crist & Marco Rubio

Miami, FL – With the first 2010 U.S. Senate Republican primary debate scheduled for this Sunday on FOX News Sunday, the Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate campaign today questioned which Charlie Crist will show up.

In a new video series launched today, Rubio for Senate provides Floridians with flashbacks to the first time Crist ran for U.S. Senate – in 1998 against Sen. Bob Graham – and debated before the legendary Tim Russert.

As voters will see, there are plenty of reasons to wonder: which Charlie Crist will show up and what positions will he change in order to win this Sunday?

WATCH THE VIDEO

“One of the advantages of perpetually running for political office is that Charlie Crist heads into this Sunday’s debate as a five-time statewide candidate with lots of debate experience,” said Rubio for Senate spokesman Alex Burgos.  “Charlie Crist is a slick politician and debater who will say and do anything to score a win.  In addition, he has also made several appearances on Sunday shows, including his most recent one in which he vigorously promoted the failed $787 billion stimulus.

“As these flashbacks will show, a lot has changed since the last time Charlie Crist ran for U.S. Senate, including his positions on a host of issues, though his willingness to say and do anything to get elected is still alive and well,” Burgos added.  “However, Charlie Crist’s biggest challenge this Sunday will be to reconcile his past positions with today’s desperate need to say whatever he thinks is necessary to get elected.”

FACTS ABOUT SUNDAY’S DEBATE

• This is Marco’s first statewide campaign.

• This is Crist’s fifth statewide campaign.  It is also the second time he has run for U.S. Senate.

• This is Marco’s first campaign debate ever.

• Crist has participated in numerous debates – in both primary and general elections for U.S. Senate, Education Commissioner, Attorney General, Governor and now U.S. Senate again.

• This is Marco’s first appearance on a nationally televised Sunday show.

• Crist has been a Sunday show guest before.  In his last memorable Sunday show appearance, Crist defended the stimulus on Meet The Press.

Charlie Crist

Governor Charlie Crist bluntly tried to shed two big image problems — his hug of President Obama and past support of the $787 billion federal stimulus package — in a unity party-unity plea Saturday that sounded like a preview of his U.S. Senate campaign theme.

Crist told more than 200 members of the state Republican Executive Committee that “this guy in the White House” is doing more to build the GOP than they could do for themselves. But he stressed that “I do not apologize” for welcoming Obama to Fort Myers or his acceptance of Florida’s share of stimulus cash, which he said kept cops and teachers on the job.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the aggressive conservative Miamian who has been building momentum in the Senate race, signaled that he won’t let the Obama-stimulus controversy subside in Republican ranks. However Crist explains it now, Rubio said, the governor “cut the legs out from under” the GOP economic alternative in Congress and happily applauded Obama on the president’s first visit to Florida last February.

“Some people criticize me for going down to Fort Myers, being nice to the president of the United States of America. I do not apologize for it and I never will,” Crist said at the state GOP meeting. The governor, who is known for being effusively polite to everyone he meets, said his parents brought him up that way.

“I don’t agree with the guy on hardly anything he does but that’s OK,” he said of Obama. “That’s also part of our great democracy. I mean, what they are doing with health care right now is unbelievable — raising your taxes for it, raising rates for it, taking half a trillion dollars out of Medicare, and the part that bothers me most is, the whole thing has become a covert operation.”

Crist appeared with Obama in Fort Myers last February and thanked him for the stimulus plan, saying it was important for Congress to pass it. When Obama visited Jacksonville late last year, after Crist’s poll numbers had fallen and Rubio’s had risen, the governor did not join the president and said he didn’t even know Obama was in the state.

Several weeks back at the Republican Party of Florida Quarterly meeting in Orlando, I told Senator George LeMieux, then a mere candidate on the Governor’s short list, that I would support him just as long as he did not support any of President Obama’s Socialist policies. Believe it or not, I meant it.

As most of the country knows by now, this past Wednesday night, South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson verbally expressed his dissatisfaction of the proposed Universal Healthcare agenda during the President’s television sales pitch. With his outburst, Congressman Wilson expressed the sentiment that  millions of Americans share. I praise and respect him for have the rancor to express himself openly against such a despicable attempt to shove the proposed healthcare bill down our throats. What is very disturbing is that many ‘establishment’ type Republicans are not supportive of Congressman Wilson, yet they did criticize him and demanded he apologize to the President. I wonder if these are the same Republicans that courageously denounced the Democrats booing of President George W. Bush at his 2005 State of the Union address?

Where was the outcry then?

Senator LeMieux was also quick to comment about what Wilson’s said by stating that his actions were “embarrassing and shameful”. Come on Pep, you seem like a nice guy, what is up with that? Shouldn’t you have least waited a more few days before ticking off your Republican base? Senator what is truly embarrassing and shameful is the fact that your close friend, Governor Charlie Crist appointed you over several more experienced and qualified candidates. Your appointment stinks of cronyism.

This being said, we do need to be fair and take a wait and see attitude with Senator LeMieux. While assuming his official Senatorial position of ‘place-holder’, I have serious reservations about how the Senator will vote on the pressing issues that will impact the nation. Senator LeMieux has stated that he is a,” Charlie Crist Republican”. This obviously means that the Senator agrees with Governor Crist’s policies, endorsements and appointments.

Shall we list a few of them? We shall.

-appointed Liberal FL Supreme Court Judge James Perry (endorsed by Planned Parenthood, while being opposed by the NRA)

-supports Amnesty for Illegal immigrants. “I like Sen. Martinez’ and Sen. McCain’s approach.”

-supports some form of a ‘Green’ bill.

-is against off-shore drilling.

-raised Cigarette Taxes by as much as $1 a pack.

-supported and campaigned for the Obama ‘Porkulus Package’

Senator LeMieux is also considering the Presidents Healthcare plan? There is nothing to consider here. Public option or not, the President’s plan is nothing more than Government controlled healthcare.

Republicans across the country are campaigning to oust and block any and all reckless and fiscally irresponsible Obama-lite Republicans that are currently in office, or considering a run for office.

The decision for Republicans in Florida to pick a new ‘Conservative’ Senator in next year’s mid-term election is turning out to be a very clear and obvious one-Yes,He can!

ORIGINAL POST