POLITICS In Support of Organic and Social Justice Values

[Guest guest]

www.stopvilsack.org <http://www.stopvilsack.org/>

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16156.cfm

President-Elect Obama's choice for Secretary of Agriculture, Tom

Vilsack, will be responsible for directing the U.S. Department of

Agriculture and its $90 billion annual budget, including the National

Organic Program, food stamp and nutrition programs, and agriculture

subsidies. But you can help stop his confirmation.

Ronnie Cummins of Organic Consumer's Association, in an interview on

December 18, 2008 said, " Vilsack has been an ardent promoter, not only

of genetically engineered foods and crops, but also of the extremely

controversial biopharmaceutical crops, which involves [inaudible]

pharmaceutical drugs or industrial chemicals into food crops. Even,

people in the biotech industry are alarmed by these

biopharmaceuticals, since you could get dangerous drugs throughout the

food supply. But Vilsack supported biopharm crops when he was

governor.

He went further than that. In the year 2005, Vilsack championed a law

in Iowa that's been introduced all over the country, backed by

Monsanto and the Farm Bureau. This law, this preemption law, as

they're called, basically takes away the right of municipalities or

counties to regulate genetically engineered crops. Vilsack rammed this

through, even though it's extremely unpopular with not only consumers,

but small farmers.

Vilsack has repeated the myth of the biotech industry that genetically

engineered crops can help feed the world, when in fact genetically

engineered crops do not produce a higher yield. And he's spoken about

their environmental benefits, when the sum total of ten years of

genetically engineered crops in the United States have increased the

use of pesticides, not decreased them. "

Having lived in Iowa when Vilsack was governor, we have experienced

the results of his support of CAFOs and Monsanto so we know the above

statements are true.

Please join the Organic Consumers Association and help stop Vilsack's

Senate confirmation and lobby for a Secretary of Agriculture that

reflects organic and social justice values.

I am urging my friends and family to take action today.

Check out first site, and vote on 2nd site.

www.stopvilsack.org <http://www.stopvilsack.org/>

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16156.cfm

click where it says:

CLICK HERE TO STOP VILSACK'S CONFIRMATION

...

Six Reasons Why Obama Appointing Monsanto's Buddy, Former Iowa Governor

Vilsack, for USDA Head Would be a Terrible Idea

OCA, November 12, 2008

* Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack's support of genetically engineered

pharmaceutical crops, especially pharmaceutical corn:

http://www.gene.ch/genet/2002/Oct/msg00057.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/drugsincorn102302.cfm

* The biggest biotechnology industry group, the Biotechnology Industry

Organization, named Vilsack Governor of the Year. He was also the founder

and former chair of the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership.

http://www.bio.org/news/pressreleases/newsitem.asp?id=200

<http://www.bio.org/news/pressreleases/newsitem.asp?id=200%E2%80%A6> .

* When Vilsack created the Iowa Values Fund, his first poster child of

economic development potential was Trans Ova and their pursuit of cloning

dairy cows.

* Vilsack was the origin of the seed pre-emption bill in 2005, which many

people here in Iowa fought because it took away local government's

possibility of ever having a regulation on seeds- where GE would be grown,

having GE-free buffers, banning pharma corn locally, etc. Representative

Sandy Greiner, the Republican sponsor of the bill, bragged on the House

Floor that Vilsack put her up to it right after his state of the state

address.

* Vilsack has a glowing reputation as being a schill for agribusiness

biotech giants like Monsanto. Sustainable ag advocated across the country

were spreading the word of Vilsack's history as he was attempting to appeal

to voters in his presidential bid. An activist from the west coast even made

this youtube animation about Vilsack

The airplane in this animation is a referral to the controversy that Vilsack

often traveled in Monsanto's jet.

*Vilsack is an ardent support of corn and soy based biofuels, which use as

much or more fossil energy to produce them as they generate, while driving

up world food prices and literally starving the poor.

http://cryptogon.com/?p=5739