I received this notice today. It's said to be about what the Obama 
administration is planning for the USA (Bills: HR 875 and S 425).

If any of you are closer to the action than I am, I'd appreciate 
your critical review and more back-ground/context than is in 
the news item. Is there substance to this or is it another example
of paranoid rambling being thrown up by the stress of the
economic crisis:
======================
Banning Organic Farming?

I just received this, but admit I heard whispers of it previously. 
Intentionally, or perhaps not, Monsanto, Cargill, Tyson, ADM 
are pushing to BAN organic farming 

[KT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epXNJNjYBvw]

via their recent food safety Bill submission. 

[KT: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:
h875ih.txt.pdf]

What the proposed legislation wants to accomplish:

* Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines 
effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than 
being food police for the federal dept.

* Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use 
the word organic.

* Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but 
consuming it.

* Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game.

* Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or 
producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which 
is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.

* Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect 
of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the 
factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as 
experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. 
Who do you think they are going to side with?

* Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production 
facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. 
The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could 
be fined and more.

* Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as 
the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes 
away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.  

Co-incidentally, and certainly conveniently, the debate on food 
safety is hotting up.....

[KT: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/
031509dnmetsalmonella.3d4b099.html]

The paradox for me is the rise in waves of mass food 
contaminations always link back to failures in factory/industrial 
farming/processing models - yet these agribusinesses seem to 
be suggesting that it is the factory/industrial farming/processing 
models that will provide the solution...much like their arguments 
for pesticides, herbicides, GM....the problems and the solutions 
roll out in a never-ending stream.
====================
Keith