STOP VILSACK

Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has been proposed as the new Secretary of Agriculture. I have already expressed by my vote against this nomination through the OCA petition found via the links at the end of the article quoted below.

Vilsack of course is a party hack and is looking for his reward in the form of a handout of a plum position in the new administration, after 20 January, 2009.

Vilsack is very closely entwined with Monsanto and genetically engineered food. And for those who do not know about the hazard of GMO food to health and food supplies, I would encourage you to do more research.

This does stirke me as odd because Vilsack was closely connected to the "ONE" campaign to stop world hunger and poverty as reported by my youngest daughter when she was Director of the Better Safer World Campaign.

In reality, Hunger and Poverty just don't appear to be important to Monsanto or Vilsack.

More on Vilsack Appointment as New USDA Chief

* Several Perspectives on Vilsack
By Jill Richardson
La Vida Locavore, December 30, 2008
Straight to the Source

It's been a few weeks since Obama tapped former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to head the USDA. The immediate consensus sounded to me like "it could've been worse" from just about everyone I spoke to, but now there are a number of different opinions online so I think it is useful to take a look at several of them together.

Three posts on Huffington Post range from pessimistic, to hopeful, to absolutely joyous:
1. The Center for Food Safety's Andrew Kimbrell: Obama's Choice of Vilsack: AgriBusiness as Usual at USDA?
2. Eating Liberally's Kerry Trueman: Maybe Vilsack Won't Suck?
3. Vilsack's friend, Jennifer Donahue: Vilsack Best Possible Secretary of Agriculture

Good to know that Vilsack's own friends (or at least one of them) think he's the perfect man for the job. I didn't even have to read Kimbrell's title to know what he thinks of Vilsack - his organization is a MAJOR thorn in the side of biotech companies and Vilsack is a known buddy of Monsanto. (Strangely, ABC News uses the same pun as Kimbrell, calling Vilsack "Agribusiness As Usual.") Kerry kind of comes down the middle, saying honestly that she doesn't know what to make of the Vilsack appointment (after acknowledging a number of problems with him as USDA head). She went to Denise O'Brien for advice, as did I. O'Brien sounds hopeful, but let's also remember that an optimistic attitude is probably a political necessity for her right now. With luck, O'Brien will soon receive an Obama appointment herself.

According to an op ed in a Des Moines paper, Vilsack needs courage to face up to Big Ag. However, I'm not sure if the problem is one of "courage." It might be more like "motive." After all - Kimbrell points out that Vilsack has received federal subsidy money from the USDA and he's worked as a lobbyist on ag and renewable energy issues. Furthermore, he was named "Governor of the Year" by the biotech lobby and he's strongly pro-ethanol. So is there any point in asking the question the Des Moines op ed asks?

Vilsack is one of us "folks" with deep Iowa roots. The question is: Does Vilsack get marching orders from common, concerned citizens or the four horsemen of the Big Ag gravy wagon: Dupont, Monsanto, ADM, Cargill? We are in an era of rapidly diminishing returns from factory farming. New ways of thinking, new ways of farming, novel economic solutions are necessary.

The petrochemical-powered agriculture juggernaut rolls on roughshod to deplete once-fertile soil, poison our waters and churn out unhealthy, nutrient-depleted factory food. Our children are the first generation in history that will have a shorter life span than their elders as a direct result of our wrong choices.

Big Ag has the carbon footprint of a 900-pound gorilla. Vilsack joins Sens. Tom Harkin, Charles Grassley and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to defend the ag empire. They all answer to the ag-biz lobby. Our children deserve the quality of water and soil that our grandparents stewarded into our present generation. Future generations have no lobby in Washington.

If we continue with Big Ag and business as usual, Iowa family farms have no viable future. Half of our rich, vital top soil has already been extracted and sloughed down the Mississippi River along with a toxic soup of petrochemical runoff. The dead zone now extends into the Gulf 500 miles beyond the river delta. At the present rate of soil depletion, the Midwest Dust Bowl is only one generation away.

Yet another Des Moines Register article notes that Vilsack's Back on the Political Power Climb. Well, great. In that context, is there any question about who Vilsack will be answering to? The only thing that makes me any LESS pessimistic is the New York Times op ed "Fixing Agriculture" that notes that Vilsack "has the merit of being unsatisfactory to both extremes of the farm-policy debates." Hmm... if the other side is unhappy about something, then there's gotta be some good in it for me. Sadly, a third Des Moines Register article predicts Vilsack Not Likely To Take USDA in Radical Direction.

Then there's John Nichols from The Nation, who calls Vilsack A Cautious Food and Farm Pick. Nichols' article is perhaps the best one I've seen of the entire bunch, explaining how tightly the Ag Secretary's job ties not only to agriculture but to trade, energy, and food issues that touch all of us - even the 98% of Americans who don't farm. Nichols says

The pick that offers the most insight into where Obama will lead the country is his selection the most misunderstood position in the Cabinet: secretary of Agriculture.

He follows that up by saying: "Unfortunately, the answer is not a bold one" and "Obama could have done better, much better." Nichols ends by echoing a hope that I and 60,000+ others share: that Obama will make bolder choices for USDA Under Secretaries. (PLEASE sign the petition that makes this request of the Obama team... the Obama transition team and Obama's top advisers are aware of this petition so your signature does count!)

The most decisive commentary of all comes from Organic Consumers Association, who immediately launched the site StopVilsack.org.

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Posted in: Better Safer World,ONE Campaign,Organic Consumers,Stop Vilsack,Tom Vilsack and Monsanto

Common Things You Can Do to Stay Healthy Naturally

The first of 2009's issues of herbalYODA Says! is projected for publishing on 26 January, the day of the New Moon and also celebration of the new Year of the Ox. This will be a rather in-depth issue, as we are changing to an every-other-month publishing schedule. You may subscribe here.

The topic is "The Importance of Detoxification for Health".

This information was submitted by a reader and it offers some basic considerations that may be helpful for you.

Common Things You Can Do to Stay Healthy Naturally

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick.
She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com

More and more, people are trying to detoxify their lives—and for good reason. Our world has become a very sick place as a result of our constant need to innovate and make things better without thinking about the long term impacts. The same thing can be said about out bodies. Many people have spent years harming themselves only to realize that they must work harder than ever before to undo some of the damage they have caused for themselves.

Here are some common things you can do to get healthy and stay healthy naturally:

• Avoid medications – Though this may sound like terrible advice to some, there are many things out there that are just not benefiting your health whatsoever. This is especially true of over-the-counter medications, in which people seem to try and take charge of their bodies natural defenses. OTC medications can have lasting effects on the body, ultimately leaving it vulnerable down the road.

• Use supplements – Many American adults are severely malnourished and have absolutely no clue that their bodies could be working at much more optimal levels. Supplementing your diet with the proper vitamins and nutrients specific to your needs will help turn your body and its process around and increase your overall performance in the process.

• Sensible diet – Don’t fool yourself into thinking that if everyone has poor eating habits, then you should too. This is a flawed way of thinking that will only hurt you down the road. Start by switching to as many organic foods as possible, eliminating harmful chemicals from your diet. Try to consume more fresh, raw vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and nuts. Drink plenty of purified water to help eliminate toxins and keep the body hydrates.

• Stay active – Even during the colder months of the year, you need to stay active to some degree. Go for a brisk walk, find a shopping mall to walk around in, or join a gym. You can even do simple calisthenics from the comfort of your living room. Staying active will help your metabolism and overall outlook as well.

• Explore alternative treatments – If you haven’t been feeling well for some time and your physician hasn’t really been able to help you out, you may want to consider trying alternative medicine. Many people reap the benefits of alternative and holistic medicine each day, so why not give it a chance? There are many different methods you can try, from therapeutic massage to aromatherapy. Take your pick; you may just like what happens!

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Posted in: herbalYODA Says,Kelly Kilpatrick,natural health news,stay healthy naturally