04 February 2014

Frankenfood LIVES!

Sharing from the morning mail...
_________________________________________________________________________
The USDA Is Making A Mistake
Right now, the USDA is accepting public comments on a plan that would allow farmers to plant 2,4-D (also known as Agent Orange) resistant corn and soy wherever they choose. If passed, this plan could completely disrupt regular crops and lead to a greater increase in the use of dangerous chemicals in our food. Furthermore, we don’t know what kind of impact these crops could have on future generations.

Together, we have an opportunity to make an impact on future agricultural practices. Tell the USDA you reject this GMO plan, and ask that they do a thorough environmental review of these crops before allowing them to go to market!
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Already more than halfway to the goal of 20,000...
Please visit the following to add your own signature, share
insights and concerns, and read comments from fellow dirt dependents.

The Hunger Site/Earthjustice GMO Crop Petition
http://thehungersite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ths/petition/EarthJustice-GMOCrops
 

To: United States Department of Agriculture
Re: Docket #APHIS-2013-0042-0050

I encourage the U.S. Department of Agriculture to do a thorough environmental review of new genetically-engineered seeds resistant to 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) before deregulating these crops and allowing them to go to market without ANY government oversight.

2,4-D is a toxic herbicide associated with serious health risks. These GMO crops will also, like their predecessors, lead to much greater use of even more dangerous chemicals, the development of more herbicide-resistant weeds, destruction and genetic contamination of neighboring crops, and severe economic impacts on other farmers. 
_________________________________________________________________________

For more information and related concerns, please visit and sign here as well...
United States Public Interest Research Group GMO Labeling Message Center
 

GMOS: OUR RIGHT TO KNOW
More than 96% of Americans support labeling genetically modified foods. Yet while some grocery chains, like Whole Foods, have pledged to label their store-brand products, for the most part we're still left in the dark. Labeling GMOs shouldn't be the exception -- it should be the law. Here are five reasons why:

1. 
The science is still out. It may be years before we understand all of GMO's impacts -- some studies have suggested that GMO crops can create "superweeds" and harm wildlife.

2. 
They're designed for increased pesticides. Many GMO crops are designed for increased pesticides and herbicides, which have been linked to serious health impacts.

3.
Everyone else is doing it. The U.S. is one of only two industrialized countries that still doesn't label GMO foods.

4.
There's little independent testing. GMO products usually don’t undergo independent testing before they wind up on store shelves.

5.
It's our right. It's a basic consumer right: We should know what's in the food we feed to our families.

Please take a second to tell your legislator: Protect my right to know, and label GMO foods!
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18 January 2012

Help Put SuperPACs Out Of Business

Sharing an important item from the League of Women Voters,
please share it yourself with as many people as you feel comfortable.
Please also sign the petition if you are moved to do so;
if 25,000 signatures are received within 30 days an official response is required.
_________________________________________________________________________

League of Women Voters

How can you fight back against the big money pouring into the political campaigns this year? Sign the petition on The White House website* urging President Obama to appoint new commissioners to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Sign the Petition
The FEC is supposed to be the government agency that enforces campaign finance laws, but it isn’t working and hasn’t for a long time. Of the six commissioners at the agency, three of them simply refuse to enforce the law, and five of the six are serving despite the fact that their terms expired some time ago.

It is time to clean house and President Obama is the one that needs to do something about it.

Click here to urge President Obama to clean house at the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

If you are tired of the millions of dollars flooding our political campaigns courtesy of SuperPACs, sign the petition and help us reach our goal of at least 25,000 signatures of support by February 10, 2012.

Don’t just sign it yourself; post the petition on Facebook, Tweet about it and forward this note to all of your friends. Together, we can make sure that the votes of millions of Americans are more valuable to our elections than a big pile of money.

* In order to successfully sign the petition, you will need to create an account on WhiteHouse.gov and respond to a confirmation email. If you need guidance on creating this account please use our helpful step-by-step guide to creating your account and signing the petition.

League of Women Voters
1730 M Street NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-429-1965d
_________________________________________________________________________
View this message and more at the League of Women Voters Official Site:

21 August 2011

28 September 2008

Of, By and For the People … Not the Parties.

Posted DebateTheDebate

The idea of opening the debates to include voices beyond that of the
two major parties seems to have the power to unite people from either
end of the broad spectrum of American viewpoints…

" The Commission on Presidential Debates is a corrupt
stranglehold on
our democracy. " --- Phil Donahue

Many people would likely expect to hear such a quote from someone
described as "having gone off the deep end of the left-wing", but
how many would expect a person so often described
as a "right-wing extremist" to agree…

" I'm for more open debates. I think we have nothing to fear by allowing people
to be seen and to argue and to talk with each other and I think the very concept
of an elite commission deciding for the American people
who deserves to be heard is
profoundly wrong. " --- Newt Gingrich

And who would expect an actual participant from either camp
to confess such complicity…

" I'm trying to forget the whole damn experience of those debates.
' Cause I think it's too much show business and too much prompting,
too much artificiality, and not really debates.
They're rehearsed appearances. " --- Former President George HW Bush

The following petition is being circulated by Open Debates, a non-profit,
non-partisan organization working to ensure the public's interests:

We, the undersigned, support Open Debates' campaign to reform the presidential debate process. We believe that the presidential debates should serve the American people first, not political parties. We support replacing
the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates with
the nonpartisan Citizens' Debate Commission, so that inspiring formats can be employed, pressing national issues can be addressed, and popular independent and third party candidates can be included.
Please visit this link to add your name and to see the
growing list of your fellow citizens in support of debate reform.
http://opendebates.com/yourrole/petition/index.php

Whether you choose to sign or not, check out http://opendebates.com/
for yourself to find a wealth of reliable resources on the topic,
including this well-documented overview:
The Commission on Presidential Debates is a Tool of the
Major Parties - It's Time for a Citizens' Debate Commission
http://opendebates.com/theissue/

27 September 2008

Are You Too Radical?

It would seem the new line of defense against forward thinking
is to suggest that Ralph Nader may be too radical to be president.
Yet he is in agreement with a good majority of the American people
on several issues critical to all our lives for generations to come.
  • 73% of Americans say corporations don't pay enough taxes.
  • 80% of Americans want to increase the minimum wage.
  • 56% are calling for a renegotiation of NAFTA.
  • 64% favor a national health care program.
Please see this recent post by Yes! magazine for more numbers and specifics
from the article Our Own Agenda - 10 Policies For a Better America
For more details about all our mutual concerns please visit the following
issues pages on the Nader/Gonzalez 2008 Campaign website.

On Corporate Crime
On Workers' Rights
On Single Payer Private Delivery Public Health Insurance

26 September 2008

Did You See the McCain-Nader-Obama Debate?!

How much confidence can we have in candidates who don't
have the courage or honesty to openly discuss concerns and solutions
so vital to the American people?
How can we choose a leader who shows so little respect for us?
How can we choose a leader who shows so little respect for the truth?
What more can we really learn from an essentially staged production?

Three Way Presidential Debate - Obama, McCain, and Nader
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5WiE6MnmCM

25 September 2008

Millions Of Voices, Two Choices!?

The First Debate Is Friday ...
Posted 23.09.2008 at 03:43 PM PDT on 9news.com
Millions of Voices, Two Choices!? That hardly seems possible.
Especially in America, especially when reliable polls show that two-thirds
of Americans want to at least hear another perspective in the presidential
debates, if not vote for one in the election.

Once upon a time, the presidential debates in America encouraged third party
inclusion, in the interest of ensuring the public be as well-informed as possible
before making such a monumental decision with such long-term ramifications.
Then the Commission On Presidential Debates (CPD) was formed 
--because the two major parties felt they deserved more control over the event.
Now it doesn't matter that you are on the ballot in 45 states, and an official
write-in candidate in 4 others, with a suit pending on behalf of those
voters in Oklahoma who would also like to be heard.
Now all the people who fought so hard to make that happen don't matter.

Please read the following, recent and well-documented articles from
The Center For Public Integrity, before you watch the first debate on Friday.
Please be a critical viewer, and a critical thinker; please try to make judgments
based upon proven principles rather than appearances.
You'll have to read between the lines and fill in the blanks yourself,
because there will be no one allowed to participate who will actually speak to
the real interests of all Americans; no one to present an alternative viewpoint;
no one to speak for so many who believe in more for our country;
no one who won't be walking a tightrope to keep us all happy,
while winking to insurance companies and outsourcers,
or only discussing topics preapproved by mutually contracted agreement.
The Center for Public Integrity; 18 September 2008;
Two-Party Debates: A Corporate-Funded, Party-Created Commission
Decides Who Debates — And Who Stays Home

http://publicintegrity.org/2008/09/18/3057/two-party-debates

The Center for Public Integrity; 18 September 2008;
The Buying Of The Presidential Debates

http://publicintegrity.org/2008/09/18/3056/buying-presidential-debates

The following quotes are also germane:
--- Walter Cronkite referred to the CPD debates an " unconscionable fraud."
--- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls them a " mockery."
--- And when the former, long-standing, non-partisan organizers of the debates
    pulled their support upon formation of the CPD they issued this statement:

     " The League of Women Voters is withdrawing its sponsorship of the
       presidential debates … because the demands of the two campaign
       organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter.
       It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to
       add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance,
       spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The league has no intention
       of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public."

If you'd like to share your own thoughts about restoring the debates,
or get a sense of how your fellow citizens are feeling,
please visit the question posed by the US News and World Report.
US News and World Report - Invitation to Share Opinion
http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/09/22/ ... debates.html

US News and World Report - Read All Comments

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2008/09/22/ ... comments

Ideas and resources, including scheduled dates for the three debates, contact
information for major parties, and tips on how you can help are also found here.
http://votenader.org/debates/
http://votenader.org/blog/2008/09/22/let-our-voices-be-heard/

_________________________________________________________________________
For more on the background and history of the debates please visit the following:


Full video and transcripts of every debate sponsored by The League
Of Women Voters
between 1976 and 1988 can be found here:

24 September 2008

An Alarming Trend ...

Another brilliant, informed, dedicated, experienced,
and seriously concerned citizen,
working tirelessly for the common good?
Another victim of mass media black out.
Seems like an alarming trend.

They Are Destroying The Constitution - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Speaks Out
http://current.com/items/88983584_they_are_destroying_the_constitution ...
Fathers And Sons
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/328.html
Phony Conservatives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muNmpI-4yOI
The Best Entertained, Least Informed People On The Face Of The Earth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd6P8obJmjo
Is Nader Nuts? Or The Bravest Man In America?
http://rfkin2008.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/is-nader-nuts ...

23 September 2008

More Endorsements ...

Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre of 98 Degrees,
Jesse Ventura and Matt Gonzalez support Ralph Nader…
And together they all dispel some common myths about the voting process,
real debates, and how we can take our country back.

The Invisible Man - Clips from Minneapolis Rally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsAKXeyvxzU
The Invisible Man - Campaign Blog
http://votenader.org/blog/2008/09/05/invisible-man/

22 September 2008

... But Names Will Never Hurt Me

 " To live in the presence of great truths,
   to be dealing with eternal laws, to be led by permanent ideals --
   that is what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him,
   and calm and unspoiled when the world praises him."

Francis Greenwood Peabody
Author, Translator, Social Reformer,
Harvard Professor and Lecturer of Ethics and Theology
4 December 1847 - 28 December 1936

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/UIA%20Online/117peabody.html
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/Heralds/Francis-Greenwood-Peabody.php
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1508743

21 September 2008

Headlines And Hot Heads ...

Here is a headline from Monday ...
Big Banks Go Bust: Time To Reform Wall Street
TruthOut - Big Banks Go Bust: Time To Reform Wall Street
http://www.truthout.org/article/big-banks-go-bust-time-reform-wall-street
Campaign For America's Future - Big Banks Go Bust …
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2008093815/big-banks-go-bust ...

Here is a solution on Tuesday ...
Nader Releases 10-Point Plan
To Recover From Financial Crisis

Nader / Gonzalez 08 - Media And Press

http://votenader.org/media/2008/09/16/meltdown/
Nader News Network - Nader Releases 10-Point Plan ...

http://nadernewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2008/09/nader-releases-10-point-plan ...
The Beachwood Reporter - Nader Predicted Wall Street Meltdown
http://www.beachwoodreporter.com/politics/nader_predicted_wall_street_me.php

Here is how self-involved two pandering potential presidents
continued to behave on Wednesday ...
Constitution In Crisis, Candidates In Denial
Common Dreams News Center - Constitution In Crisis, Candidates In Denial
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/09/17-2
The Nation - Constitution In Crisis, Candidates In Denial (As Originally Presented)
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/361506/constitution_in_crisis ...

The Nation - Constitution In Crisis, Candidates In Denial (As Currently Presented)
http://www.thenation.com/blog/constitution-crisis-candidates-denial
Web Journal - Privatize Profits, Socialize Losses
http://katemckinnon.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/privatize-profits-socialize-losses/
Privatizing Profits And Socializing Losses: How The Rich Are Staying Rich
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message611152/pg1

Here is a headline from more than a month ago ...
with predictions from more than ten years ago.
Privatizing Profits And Socializing Loss
The Washington Spectator - Privatizing Profits And Socializing Loss
http://www.washingtonspectator.com/message.cfm?msg=notsubs2&PageName...
Politico - Nader On Bank Woes: 'I Predicted This'
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13459.html
The Nation - Ralph Was Right (As Originally Presented)
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/jstreet/361063

The Nation - Ralph Was Right (As Currently Presented)
http://www.thenation.com/blog/ralph-was-right

I don't understand why the choice isn't clear.
http://votenader.org/issues/
http://votenader.org/news/
http://votenader.org/media/

20 September 2008

How To Judge A Candidate ...

Here are just a few tips from the League of Women Voters on making informed election decisions. Please visit the link at the end for more information,
including pdf files of the full step-by-step guide, and a candidate report card to help you track how all the options match up with your own priority issues.

See Through Distortion Techniques ...
All candidates are trying to sell themselves to voters. Sometimes their language is so skillfully crafted that they distort the truth in ways that are
difficult for even the most careful observer to detect. Here are examples of distortion techniques that you should watch for as you review candidates’ campaign materials.

Common Distortion Techniques:
--- Name Calling / Appeals to Prejudice: These are attacks on an opponent based on characteristics that will not affect performance in office. Accusations such as "My opponent is arrogant and full of hot air" do not give any real information about the candidate. Reference to race, ethnicity, or marital status can be subtly used to instill prejudice.
--- Rumor Mongering: These include statements such as "Everyone says my opponent is a crook, but I have no personal knowledge of any wrongdoing"
which imply (but do not state) that the opponent is guilty.
--- Guilt by Associations: These are statements such as "We all know Candidate B is backed by big money interest" that attack candidates because of their supporters, rather than because of their stands on the issues.
--- Catchwords: These are phrases such as "Law and Order" or "Un-American" designed to trigger a knee-jerk emotional reaction, rather than to inform.
--- Passing the Blame: These are instances in which a candidate
denies responsibility for an action, or blames opponents for things
over which they had no control.
--- Promising the Sky: Making statements offering unrealistic promises
that no elected official could fulfill.
--- Evading Real Issues: These include instances in which candidates may avoid answering direct questions, offer only vague solutions, or talk about the benefits of proposed programs, but never get specific about possible problems or costs.

Evaluate Candidates’ Use Of Television ...
Television is a visual medium dependent on good pictures and timely events
to tug at your emotions and keep your interest. Candidates are aware of the potential power of television and try to use it to their advantage. For instance,
in a newscast, the picture you see of a crowd, with banners and balloons, cheering for a candidate, may have been staged by a media advisor whose job
is to make the candidate look good on television. As you watch news coverage
of campaigns, be aware of staged events (also known as photo opportunities)
and try to find out what the candidate is saying about the issues.

The same warning applies to televised political advertisements. When you watch political ads, you need to be aware of how the medium influences your reactions. Ask yourself some questions as you watch: Did you find out anything about issues or qualifications, or was the ad designed only to affect your attitude or feelings about a candidate? How important was the script, setting, and music?

The League Of Women Voters - How To Judge A Candidate 

19 September 2008

Please Don't Be So Reasonable!

" The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
  the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. "

George Bernard Shaw
Irish Playwright, Critic, and Political Activist
26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950
Man and Superman: Maxims for Revolutionists, 1903

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Ralph Nader!
Excerpt From The Documentary - An Unreasonable Man
Independent Lens: An Unreasonable Man Companion Web Site
Independent Lens On Ralph Nader
The Internet Movie Database - An Unreasonable Man
An Unreasonable Man Film Site
http://www.anunreasonableman.com/

18 September 2008

A Riddle With No Punchline.

If Germany can take down the Berlin Wall ...
and South Africa can end Apartheid,
why can't the United States of America elect Ralph Nader?

17 September 2008

Happy Constitution Day!

" We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
  establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense,
  promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty
  to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
  for the United States of America. "

That's the Preamble of The United States Constitution.
Constitution Preamble - Schoolhouse Rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30OyU4O80i4

Constitution of the United States

Constitution Day, also called Citizenship Day, commemorates the
signing of The United States Constitution on 17 September 1787.
Test yourself, then share this short quiz, to honor the day this important
document was formally adopted as the foundation of our government.

   1. Which candidate opposed the snoop enabling FISA law and the
       immunity bailout for the telecom companies --- Obama, McCain or Nader?

   2. Which candidate called for the impeachment of George Bush and
       Dick Cheney
for all of their crimes from the illegal war in Iraq to illegal
       wiretapping
of unsuspecting Americans --- Obama, McCain or Nader?
   3. Which candidate opposed passage of the Patriot Act and
       calls for its repeal --- Obama, McCain or Nader?

   4. Which candidate opposes the death penalty --- Obama, McCain or Nader?
   5. Which candidate would work to repeal corporate personhood
       and shift the power from the corporations
       back into the hands of the people --- Obama, McCain or Nader?

Highlight the next line to reveal the answers...
Answer to all of the above: Nader.                                                                      

In 2005, schools that receive federal funds were mandated, by Congress,
to observe Constitution Day; by learning about civics, and fostering active
citizenship. If only the program had existed when the candidates
and current administration were in school.
Thankfully, there's one candidate who figured it out, anyway.

Constitution Day 2008 At ConstitutionFacts.com
http://www.constitutionday.cc
Constitution Day, Inc. - A Non-Profit, Non-Partisan Organization

http://www.constitutionday.com
Nation Constitution Center - Celebrate The Birth Of Our Government
World Book - Constitution Learning Resources
http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?content_spotlight/constitution/websites
Constitution Day Is Every Day At The Federal Courts
http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/resources/constitutionday.html

16 September 2008

Campaign For Bright People Of Conscience ...

Homage to another fellow who took a stand against media suppression.
It's a shame we can't seem to get as excited about the future of our own
democracy as we do about the words others use on television.

In Memory Of Comedian George Carlin - Seven Things You Can't Say in 2008

15 September 2008

DON'T PANIC!

" Truth is incontrovertible.
   Panic may resent it; ignorance may deride it; malice may distort it;

   but there it is. "
 


Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister, Nobel Prize-Winning Author,
Army Officer, Orator, Historian, and Artist
30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965
 
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1953/churchill ... 
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/ 
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRchurchill.htm 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/winston_churchill.html

14 September 2008

A Moving Video Endorsement ...

Peter Camejo, American civil rights leader, author, and 2004
running-mate of Ralph Nader died at his home early 13 September 2008.
He had given this rousing talk just over a month before.
Ralph Nader reflects on the passing of his friend,
with equal fondness and respect.


Peter Camejo Endorsement Of Ralph Nader
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7iVFz8FUc
In Honor Of Peter Miguel Camejo Posted By Ralph Nader

http://votenader.org/blog/2008/09/13/in-honor-of-peter-miguel-camejo
Wikipedia The Free Dictionary - Peter Camejo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Camejo

13 September 2008

A Tiny Ripple Of Hope ...

" Few will have the greatness to bend history;
  but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events,

  and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation …

  It is from numberless diverse acts of courage such as these
 
(that the belief) that human history is thus shaped. 


  Each time a man stands up for an ideal,
  or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice,

  he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,

  and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring

  those ripples build a current which can sweep down

  the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. "
 


Robert F. Kennedy
United States Senator and Attorney General

20 November 1925 - 6 June 1968

Excerpts from Annual Day of Affirmation address, 6 June 1966
 
http://www.rfkmemorial.org/lifevision/dayofaffirmation/
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkcapetown.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Affirmation_speech

12 September 2008

Fighting For Truth And Justice.

Fighting for Truth and Justice …
Didn't that used to be The American Way?

Ralph Nader Demands A “Real” 9/11 Investigation
Nader On 911
Nader Criticizes 9/11 Commission, Proposes Independent Investigation
Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader On 911 investigation
Presidential Briefing On 911