permaculture

[Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>]

http://www.activistpost.com/2010/09/food-fascism-in-land-of-free.html

(snip)*
Food Fascism in the Land of the Free*
The food industry is no longer a free market.  In fact, I'd go as far 
as saying it's becoming the most glaring example of 
corporate-government fascism in America.

Actual monopolies fully control the basic building blocks of the food 
that makes up the majority of the American diet -- and no one seems to 
care.  Simply put, those who control the corn, wheat, and soybeans 
control all food, since all livestock and all processed foods are 
dependent on those food resources.  These monopolies place their 
cronies in government regulatory agencies like the FDA and USDA to 
weed out their competition through excessive regulation.  Currently 
proposed legislation are textbook examples of their methods.

There once was a time when free markets existed for food.  Back when 
local food ruled the day, if a farmer sold milk that was bad, he would 
not get return customers unless he adjusted his practices to make a 
healthier product.  This free market was self-regulating.  In other 
words, in a truly free market we shouldn't need the FDA.  However, as 
mentioned before, we are light years from a free market.

Subsidies rain down on big agribusinesses that grow what the 
government tells them to grow.  Industry leaders like Cargill, 
Monsanto, and Tyson essentially turn farmers into indentured 
sharecroppers.  The food engineers at General Mills and others weave 
corn, wheat, and soybeans into chemical concoctions that end up in 
brightly colored packages -- some even come with free Chinese-made 
toys.  The finished product develops from a Genetically Modified base, 
using multiple poisons to glue it together, demonstrating that the 
monopolies and their regulatory lapdogs care not for our health."

This bill does nothing to change the actual practices of factory 
farming and the way the food for animals is grown and delivered.  It 
does give the FDA draconian powers to force inspections 
<http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/food-safety-act-more-government-without.html> 
to be paid for by the farmers themselves.  This can be an effective 
tool for the big multinational agri-corporations to further squeeze 
out their competition and gain near complete control of food resources 
in America.  Furthermore, S.510 essentially hands much of the FDA's 
duties over to the liberty-smashing Department of Homeland Security -- 
which is mentioned 41 times in the bill 
<http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/control-of-food-supply-to-be-handed.html>.

One way or another, our corrupt politicians and their corporate 
overlords will see to it that there is more regulation over our food. 
 If this bill passes, we can expect more consolidation in agriculture 
and more police-state raids of private health-food cooperatives 
<http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/raiding-and-regulating-new-enemies-in.html>. 
 Worse yet, this bill may just be the primer for the even more 
egregious bill HR.759 Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act 
<http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-759>, which fully 
restricts local food producers and natural health remedies.
--

Keith Johnson
"Be fruitful and mulch apply."
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47407
(812) 335-0383
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