Alert Update of the Week:
Stop Vilsack http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/bytes/vilsack3.jpg Over the past
month, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has been alerting our
nationwide network about Obama's proposed appointment of Monsanto ally and
former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to the position of Secretary of
Agriculture. Far from representing the "Change" which Obama has promised,
Vilsack has a disappointing record of promoting controversial genetically
engineered foods, biopharm crops, and animal cloning, as well as
cheerleading for unsustainable biofuels derived from corn and soybeans. In
addition Vilsack has come under fire for aiding and abetting chemical and
energy-intensive industrial agriculture, including Iowa's infamous
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).
http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/bytes/vilsack2.jpg
Thanks to all of you who have taken part in OCA's "Stop Vilsack" campaign.
So far, we have collected over 60,000 online petition signatures, generating
coverage from major media outlets and websites including the New York Times,
Washington Post, National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio, Air America,
Democracy Now, Common Dreams, Counterpunch, The Nation, and Huffington Post,
as well as a number of major daily newspapers. Similar petitions circulated
on the internet by OCA's allies, including http://www.fooddemocracynow.org
fooddemocracynow.org, Pesticide Action Network, and the Center for Food
Safety have generated an additional 60,000+ supporters, making Vilsack
perhaps the most controversial and unpopular Obama cabinet appointment.
OCA's petition is being delivered to Obama's Transition Team, as well as
Congress.
http://www.stopvilsack.org
If you haven't yet signed the petition, please do so now.
If you've already signed the petition, here's another way to make positive
change: The Obama Transition Team has set up a website soliciting input from
citizens about various hot-button issues. One area of the website invites
people to post questions and concerns and vote on them. Supposedly, those
questions with the most votes will be directly responded to by
President-Elect Obama.
http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions20081229/ Please follow this
link and vote for questions asking Obama to support policies promoting
health, justice, peace, and sustainability.