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Thread: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

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    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    December 1, 2010

    Dear Citizen for Health,

    We at Citizens for Health reported earlier that some authorities on the Hill believed the Senate may have shot itself in the foot by authorizing new taxes as part of S. 510 - and we know that the House is the only body empowered to authorize new taxes.

    The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) and NaturalNews are now reporting that this is indeed the case. According to ANH:

    "The only possible 'quick fix' would be a unanimous consent agreement in the Senate to strike that revenue-raising provision from the bill—but Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has already stated that he will oppose, so unanimity will be impossible. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is now faced with some tough choices: spend a huge amount of time all over again to deal with this (which is unlikely in a Lame Duck Congress, especially considering how controversial the bill is); or do nothing, and allow the bill to die at the end of this Congress. This will mean a new Food Safety Bill will be introduced next year—but next year’s Congress will be very different from the current one, so we expect that the bill will look very different, and could be much more favorable to the natural health community."

    If S. 510 is dead for this session, it would indeed be good news. However, some sources believe there could be enough time to correct the error before the session ends. Naturally, we need to be prepared for any outcome, so it is as important as ever to let your Representatives know you want them to oppose the bill. Citizens for Health and allied organizations have been sending what has been up to 3000 emails per hour - we need to maintain the momentum!

    Send an email to your Representative now and tell them to vote "NO"!

    We will continue to monitor S. 510's circuitous route through Congress, and keep you updated on any developments.

    Thank you for your continuing commitment to this fight,

    The Citizens for Health Team

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    December 1, 2010

    Dear Citizen for Health,

    We at Citizens for Health are sad to report that S. 510, The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, passed the Senate by a vote of 73-25. Some authorities on the Hill believe the Senate may have shot itself in the foot by authorizing new taxes as part of S. 510 - and we know that the House is the only body empowered to authorize new taxes. Citizens for Health will monitor this potential development and alert you if the bill goes back to the Senate.

    Regardless, we still have time to make our voices heard. Other sources say the bill may go straight to the House for a vote in an effort to ram through S. 510 during this lame duck Congress. (Normally the House and Senate would reconcile different versions of a bill and then vote again on the consolidated version before sending it to the President for his signature). We will continue to fight S. 510 every step of the way and oppose its implementation if it does become law, but first we must work to stop the bill in the House.

    Send an email to your Representative now and tell them to vote "NO"!

    This deeply troubling bill enshrines industrial agriculture as the primary, if not the only, legally-accepted form of food production in the United States. S. 510 sacrifices farmers and consumers in favor of the interests of big Agribusiness and it must not become law. Mike Adams of NaturalNews has written an insightful article uncovering the lies riddling S. 510 - read it here.

    The bottom line: The President and the members of Congress who support this bill need to know that it will be resisted, and that voters will be mobilized in opposition to the re-election of any S. 510 supporters in 2012.

    Now is the time to bring all possible pressure to bear on lawmakers. Use messages, phone calls [House Switchboard: (202) 224-3121], and the links in this alert - any mechanism you have - to insist that your Representative oppose the bill. Through these efforts we will also build greater and greater grassroots opposition to its implementation and enforcement if it does pass.

    Make no mistake about it - the 4000 new inspectors created by this bill will allow the FDA to further trample the rights and freedoms of anyone opposed to the industrial food orthodoxy that includes, among its horrors, food irradiation, genetically modified organisms, growth-enhancing antibiotics and hormones and the factory farming of animals. This industrialism has undermined America's food supply for the past four decades, and threatens the citizen-based small farms and local food production efforts that have begun to make some progress in saving American food from the clutches of industrial degradation.

    Send your email now, and urge your Representative to oppose S. 510!

    Thank you for your continuing commitment to this fight,

    The Citizens for Health Team

  4. Link to Post #63
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    Since there has been a big change in the story of this legislation, I started a new thread.
    See:
    https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...5655#post75655

    Thanks for your continuing attention to this matter. Action still needs to be taken, but the picture is looking much brighter now for food freedom.

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    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    Corrected links


    S. 510 IS NOT DEAD YET BUT OUR PRESSURE CAN KILL IT

    The Latest Word from Our Insider Friends on "the Hill"

    PUBLIC PRESSURE IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN KILL S. 510

    Press Here:

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    The Battle for Our Food Freedom Isn't Over Yet!
    Politicians are maneuvering and manipulating to the last moment to pass S 510...
    Here's the latest update from this morning. We spoke with

    Sen. Coburn's Office: "As far as we know there may be an attempt to insert the Senate bill language [S. 510] into a "must pass" bill (such as a budget bill in the House) and send that back to the Senate... if it is returned as as a stand-alone bill, there is probably not enough time to debate and pass it this session, but if it is part of another, already scheduled bill, we don't know what will happen."

    Natural Solutions Foundation Trustees: "What can we do to support Sen. Coburn's attempts to kill S. 510?

    Sen. Coburn's Office: Public pressure! Keep up the pressure!

    Rep. Ron Paul's office: "We've heard what is likely to happen is that the lame-duck House would take up the Senate bill [S. 510] and slap an HR number on it somehow, and pass it as a House bill, sending it to the Senate as a stand alone bill..."

    Natural Solutions Foundation Trustees: "What can we do to help kill S. 510?

    Rep. Paul's Office: Public pressure! Keep up the pressure!

    Both offices tell us that the only thing that will prevent this bill from final passage is massive public outcry... we must continue to Push Back!

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    Blatantly Unconstitutional, S 510 Can Be Killed
    TAKE THE NEW ACTION ITEM NOW, VIRALIZE IT, TWEET IT, FACEBOOK IT NOW
    TELL BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE TO KILL S510, THE FOOD FASCISM BILL, whether it is a stand-alone bill, part of another "must pass" bill, or offered with a new name and number!

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    TWEET, Facebook ACTION ITEM Using THIS TINY URL:

    http://tinyurl.com/3xdz3lp

    Summary of the Possible Outcomes for S. 510 and Food Freedom:

    1. Senate Has Not Reported S510 Out To House Yet!
    IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT COULD DIE AT THIS STAGE (good)

    2. S510, Section 107 is unconstitutional (only the House can raise revenue) so if S. 510 is reported out to the House it can

    2a. "Blue Flag" S510 and send it back to the Senate or
    2b. The House can defeat S510 (good)
    2c. The House can pass S510 as sent to it (bad)
    2d. The House could attach S510's language to another bill number or another bill and pass it (bad), then send it back to the Senate where

    2d.1. The Senate could defeat the new bill with the new number (good) or

    2.d.2. The Senate could pass the new bill with the new number (tragically bad).

    3. If the House Blue Flags S510, it goes back to the Senate where
    3a. The Senate could defeat S510 (good) or
    3b. The Senate could run out of time to pass an amended S510 (good) or
    3c. The Senate could pass S510 after the amendment to remove Sec. 107 (bad).

    It would then be sent back to the House again where -

    4.a The House could defeat it (good) or
    3.b The House could pass it (tragically bad)

    Our Friends In The House AND the Senate Tell Us It is Time to Hammer Both the House and the Senate Really, Really Hard.

    "Mighty Hammer Down!"

    Back in the 60's there was a freedom song that said, "If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land. I'd hammer out justice, I'd hammer out freedom, I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters all, all over this land!"

    Now, as then, we DO have a hammer. It is the hammer of Political Activism and you can swing it right here, http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303, - please act right now to pound home the nails in the coffin of the Food Fascism Bill.
    Last edited by onawah; 7th December 2010 at 01:56.

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    Ahkenaten (7th December 2010)

  7. Link to Post #65
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    From Alliance for Natural Health
    http://www.anh-usa.org/

    Who’s Trying to Scuttle the Amendment that Protected Organic and Family Farms? Big Food on the Attack!

    December 7, 2010


    Today we reveal the thirty agribusiness front groups and industrial agriculture lobbyists that continue to fight the Tester amendment. One of the few saving graces of the Senate’s controversial FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510)—which passed the Senate last week, only to be sidelined for the moment by a constitutional error—was the amendment introduced by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Small-farm and organic food advocates warned that the legislation would destroy their industry under a mountain of paperwork; the Tester amendment exempted producers with less than $500,000 a year in sales who sell most of their food locally. ANH-USA and other organizations successfully fought to get the amendment included in the final Senate bill.

    The bill hit a roadblock within hours after its passage when the House Ways and Means Committee flagged provisions that would levy fees for various activities: reinspecting food facilities, mandatory recalls, registering food importers, etc. According to the Constitution, all revenue-raising provisions must arise in the House of Representatives, which means the Senate’s provisions make the bill unconstitutional.

    Robert Guenther, a lobbyist for the United Fresh Produce Association, said the snag in the House could provide an opportunity for the House and Senate to go to conference on the bill and thereby remove the Tester language which exempts many small farmers and food facilities from new food safety rules.

    In November, Guenther’s association—together with twenty-nine other agribusiness lobbyists and associations—openly and publicly attacked small and organic farmers. They wrote to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, saying that the same rules ought to apply to all farms and food producers, regardless of size—knowing full well that only the giants can afford to play by these rules.

    These organizations (and the companies that are their members) believe that even the smallest food sellers, like mom-and-pop roadside stands, should face the same regulatory hurdles as their own industrial-scale processed food operations. Big Food is essentially trying to use the government to quash competition from small family and organic farms.

    As Dave Murphy, executive director of Food Democracy Now!, wrote in The Hill newspaper, “When legislation is made in Congress, industrial agriculture sets the rules and these minor protections are the only thing standing between the smallest family farmers and expensive new regulations that could drive them out of business.”

    In their letter to the HELP Committee, these thirty groups write, “The undersigned organizations represent the vast majority of growers, producers, shippers, distributors, processors, packers, and wholesalers, and the vast majority of our members are small businesses.” While we acknowledge that many small businesses belong to these organizations, there is no doubt whatsoever that their membership is dominated by the largest food processors in the country.

    You may be shocked at some of the names on this list:

    American Feed Industry Association
    American Frozen Food Institute
    American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition
    American Meat Institute
    American Mushroom Institute
    California Grape and Tree Fruit League
    Corn Refiners Association
    Florida Tomato Exchange
    Fresh Produce Association of the Americas
    Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
    Idaho Potato Commission
    International Dairy Foods Association
    National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
    National Chicken Council
    National Grain and Feed Association
    National Meat Association
    National Milk Producers Federation
    National Oilseed Processors Association
    National Pork Producers Council
    National Potato Council
    National Turkey Federation
    National Watermelon Association
    Pet Food Institute
    Produce Marketing Association
    Shelf-Stable Food Processors Association
    Texas Produce Association
    United Egg Producers
    United Fresh Produce Association
    U.S. Apple Association
    Western Growers Association

    After the constitutional snafu invalidated the bill, thirteen of the above organizations plus ten other Big Food associations wrote to House leaders to reiterate their position and urge the Senate to go to conference on the bill.

    Dave Murphy points out that “members of Congress and the elite class of agribusiness lobbyists continue to ignore the elephant in the room regarding food safety and agricultural production, which as most informed citizens know is concentration.” Murphy is referring to CAFOs, or Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations. It’s the standard model for large-scale food-producing-animal factory farms.

    Some members of Congress, like Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), who sits on the House Agriculture Committee and represents California’s factory-farm-dominated San Joaquin Valley, are glad to see the Senate bill fail because it would give them the opportunity to strip the Tester amendment from the bill. Cardoza went so far as to call the Tester amendment “an abomination” (a very strong word for something that protects family farmers) and said, “A small farm can devastate the industry as easily as a big farm.” It should be noted that Rep. Cardoza’s campaign received more than $103,000 from the “Crop Production & Basic Processing” industry—the very people who are now demanding that Tester’s modest farmer protection provisions be killed.

    Murphy continued, “This fact should not be lost on anyone, because this is how industrial agriculture has not only taken over food production in the US, driving farmers off the land, fattening Americans, and contaminating our food, but it is also how corporate agribusiness has corrupted our democracy.”

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty..."
    Wednesday, December 8, 2010
    Index: S.510 - Holiday Coffee - Information Links
    Dr. Rima Radio & Recommends - Donate
    Extraordinary Webinars and Seminars

    The House and S.510: Where is the Bill?
    We'll know more Wednesday as we Canvass Capitol Hill!
    Please Continue Messaging Your Representatives at Least Daily!

    Your generous donations are urgently needed this Holiday Season to keep health and food freedom!
    http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=189

    WANT TO DONATE?
    GIVE AND DRINK HEALTH FREEDOM'S OWN COFFEE!

    Valley of the Moon™ BeyondOrganic™ Coffee

    www.ValleyoftheMoonCoffee.org

    We Gained Another Day!
    House Doesn't Act on Tuesday 12.07
    http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html
    S. 510 IS NOT DEAD YET BUT OUR PRESSURE CAN KILL IT
    PUBLIC PRESSURE IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN KILL S. 510
    Health Freedom Trustee Ralph Fucetola JD will be in Washington, DC today, Wednesday 12.08, meeting with Health and Food Freedom advocates and visiting Capitol Hill.
    We'll be Twitting all day...
    www.Twitter.com/HealthFreedomUS
    #healthfreedom #foodfreedom #farmfreedom
    Watch for the YouTube!

    Tell Your Representatives What You Think...
    Our Automated System is easy to use.

    To Start Press Here:

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    The Battle for Our Food Freedom Isn't Over Yet!
    Politicians are maneuvering and manipulating to the last moment to pass S 510...

    Message from General Bert

    "THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR FATIGUE! WE ARE IN THE ENDGAME OF THIS BATTLE AND WE ARE CLOSE TO A RESOUNDING VICTORY... By the end of any battle, both sides are exhausted, but the side that perseveres just a little longer... wins! That is where we are now, and that is why massive Push Back is more important now than before! We are flooding Congress with a clear message: Kill [the] Bill! Keep at it! Victory is within our reach. Keep pressing forward while you recruit your contacts to act with you now!"

    Tuesday's Update

    Dr. Paul's office says there is a chance that a House substitute for S.510 will be considered today.

    Monday's Message

    Sen. Coburn's Office: "As far as we know there may be an attempt to insert the Senate bill language [S. 510] into a "must pass" bill (such as a budget bill in the House) and send that back to the Senate... if it is returned as as a stand-alone bill, there is probably not enough time to debate and pass it this session, but if it is part of another, already scheduled bill, we don't know what will happen."

    Natural Solutions Foundation Trustees: "What can we do to support Sen. Coburn's attempts to kill S. 510?

    Sen. Coburn's Office: Public pressure! Keep up the pressure!

    Rep. Ron Paul's office: "We've heard what is likely to happen is that the lame-duck House would take up the Senate bill [S. 510] and slap an HR number on it somehow, and pass it as a House bill, sending it to the Senate as a stand alone bill..."

    Natural Solutions Foundation Trustees: "What can we do to help kill S. 510?

    Rep. Paul's Office: Public pressure! Keep up the pressure!

    Both offices tell us that the only thing that will prevent this bill from final passage is massive public outcry... we must continue to Push Back!

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    Blatantly Unconstitutional, S 510 Can Be Killed
    TAKE THE NEW ACTION ITEM NOW, VIRALIZE IT, TWEET IT, FACEBOOK IT NOW
    TELL BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE TO KILL S510, THE FOOD FASCISM BILL, whether it is a stand-alone bill, part of another "must pass" bill, or offered with a new name and number!

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    TWEET, Facebook ACTION ITEM Using THIS TINY URL:

    http://tinyurl.com/3xdz3lp

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    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    http://www.citizens.org/?page_id=40
    ALERT! Dear Citizen for Health,

    Citizens for Health reported yesterday that the latest effort to pass S. 510, The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act could involve pushing the bill's language through the House by adding it to another bill as an amendment.

    Guess what? That's exactly what is happening! Email your Representative NOW and tell him/her to vote "NO" on the amendment and kill S. 510!

    As reported last week, S. 510 contains a provision that would allow the FDA to impose fees on importers and on companies whose food is recalled because of contamination, but the U.S. Constitution mandates that all revenue-raising measures must originate in the House.

    This could have meant the end for this dangerous legislation, but the bill's proponents are pulling out all the stops in order to realize their goal - to further trample the rights and freedoms of anyone opposed to the industrial food orthodoxy and to enshrine big Agribusiness as the primary source of what ends up on your kitchen table.

    According to the House calendar, today, December 8, they will be considering the "CR/Food Safety House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3082 - Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011/FDA Food Safety Modernization Act". The bill's supporters are counting on this ploy because S. 510's language is attached to the bill that would authorize continued funding and functioning of the government.

    We can't allow this "shell game" to succeed! Big Agribusiness is reeling from the impact thousands upon thousands of calls and emails from CFH supporters and other health freedom advocates have had on blocking passage of S. 510, and this latest trickery is an 11th-hour attempt to eliminate competition from small farms and local food producers. It's time for the knockout blow that will kill S. 510 once and for all!
    Citizens for Health will continue to monitor the progress of S. 510 and alert you to any important developments as they happen. Meanwhile, waste no time - the House vote may be happening as you read this!
    Do it now! Urge your Representative to oppose this amendment and ANY attempt to push through S. 510 as part of ANY bill.

    Thanks to all of you who have been participating and helping to hold Congress accountable,

    The Citizens for Health Team

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    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    Natural Solutions Foundation Was There: We Saw The House Vote 212 to 205 (WITH NOT A SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTING FOR THE BILL) When the House Shamefully Attached S510's language to HR 3082.

    Why is their act shameful? Two reasons. First, the contents of S. 510 is anti-health, anti-supplements, anti-freedom, anti-small business and anti-clean food to say nothing of anti-sense. Second, the regulatory language of S. 510 should never have been attached to a Continuing Resolution, which is an administrative bill allowing the government of the United States to continue its activities by funding it.

    This tactic shows how desperate the Uber Cartel is to have this measure pass. Think about that for a moment: apparently it is vitally important to the Uber Cartel, which makes, among other things, drugs, vaccines, agro-chemicals, GMOs and which grows food, to make sure that you do not have the choice to grow or eat clean food. The reasons for that present themselves quite rapidly, don't they? Clean food = bad customers for Big Pharma. Poisoned food = great customers. And then there is the subtext of genocide.

    But we are far from finished here.

    Here's what Ralph Fucetola,JD, our Counsel and Trustee, wrote from Washington, where he spent the day, meeting with Ron Paul while he was there, by the way:

    Our Next Step is to Continue Inundating the Senate -

    1. We agree with Ron Paul (with whom we visited today, that [S510] is very bad legislative practice to combine a controversial regulatory bill with the Continuing Resolution needed to fund government activities. This bill will impact dietary supplements. That is clear from the way the FDA used section 301(11) of the 2007 FDA "enabling act" to outlaw a form of Vitamin B-6, although Congress put a clause in that bill "exempting" DSHEA products.

    FDA will use any new food authority to attack supplements and natural remedies.


    2. It is unprincipled to push this bill against the clear will of the voters that the Federal govt is too big and must stop over-regulating.

    3. A clean Continuing Resolution is needed so that Congress can decide to continue funding at a certain level without muddying the process with extraneous matters.

    4. The vote was nearly a pure partisan vote, with no Republicans in favor of this maneuver, and only a few Democrats standing against the lame-duck "leadership." We will remember!

    5. The People will keep a close eye on all GOP Senators and expect them to act from principle and not add this budget-busting bill, with its 4,000 new FDA agents to harass local food production and distribution.

    For those of you who didn't follow the events on Twitter or C-Span, the House lame-duck "leadership" pushed the "Food Safety" Bill, formerly known as S.510 into the "Continuing Resolution" Funding Bill to keep the Federal Govt running for another year, pass this Hot Potato to Senate again. That body could act Thursday, December 9th.

    The House vote appears to have been 212 to 205, with no Republicans voting for the bill. The next step is to continue inundating the Senate with voter outrage.

    Please help us stop S.510 as a tack-on via HR 1755 to HR 3082.

    1. Take Action NOW for each member of your household to tell your Senators that you STONGLY OPPOSE adopting the language of S. 510 in this or any other amendment or bill:

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    2. Visit http://www.senate.gov/general/contac...nators_cfm.cfm, enter your State to find your Senators' names and phone numbers. CALL THEM! Yes, the line may be busy. Keep trying. Give the person who answers this message:

    "I am calling to strongly opposed adopting the language of S. 510, the so-called Food Safety Modernization Act. This language is currently attached to 'CR/Food Safety House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3082 - Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011/FDA Food Safety Modernization Act' which has been sent to the Senate. I urge Senator [name] in the strongest possible terms to vote against this dangerous, unnecessary and expensive amendment and to oppose this language in any bill or amendment."

    The phone lines may be busy. Keep trying. This is literally an 11th hour attempt by Big Agribiz to control every bite you eat, and make sure it is to their liking, not yours.

    3. Using Social Media like Facebook and Twitter, using your phone lists and your email contacts, get the word out, urging everyone you can contact to do the same:

    1. Take the Action Item

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    2. Call the House of Representatives to deliver the message above

    http://www.senate.gov/general/contac...nators_cfm.cfm

    3. Take the message viral to THEIR contacts who need to take it to their contacts and so on. Time is short. The consequenses of inaction are long, very, very long

    Your generous donations are urgently needed this Holiday Season to nourish health and food freedom !
    http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=189

    For example, Ralph Fucetola went to Washington today to make sure that your voice and wishes were represented there during this seminal moment. What would you have to pay your attorney to get up at 4 AM, get on a train and go to DC for your interests, getting home well after midnight. Ralph went pro-bono, but AmTrack did not give him a pro-bono ticket. You get the idea. Health Freedom has expenses. They are our expenses because this is our battle. Please donate generously on a reurring basis. What is generously? Whatever you can afford every month. Thanks!

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    S 510 Food Safety bill is still alive and may unleash a new army of FDA agents
    http://www.naturalnews.com/030672_Fo..._bill_FDA.html
    Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030672_Fo...#ixzz17d8ibQix
    (NaturalNews) The U.S. government wants to know where your greenhouse is. Under Senate Bill 510 -- which is now back in the hands of the U.S. Senate after the House hid an amendment in an appropriations bill and passed it last night -- American food producers would be required to register their facilities with the U.S. government. The feds, it seems, want a database of food growers so they know who to target for surprise inspections (show me your papers!).

    As stated in the bill itself: (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi...)

    SEC. 102. REGISTRATION OF FOOD FACILITIES. 18 (a) UPDATING OF FOOD CATEGORY REGULATIONS; BIENNIAL REGISTRATION RENEWAL. Section 415(a) (2120 U.S.C. 350d(a))

    "The registration shall contain an assurance that the Secretary will be permitted to inspect such facility at the times and in the manner permitted by this Act."

    What this language shows is that the point of registration is so that government agents can conduct surprise inspections of food facilities. At least 4,000 new FDA agents will need to be hired if this bill becomes law, greatly expanding the FDA's agent presence in much the same way the TSA expanded over the last few years.

    Kangaroo courts for violators
    Once an FDA inspection occurs, if the government believes the food grower is producing anything that might pose a risk to the public (and note carefully that "belief" is the only thing required, not actual scientific evidence of harm), that food grower is then "suspended" from producing food.

    After that, they get dragged into a kangaroo FDA court where a panel of FDA officials then decides their fate. This takes place with no due process, no attorney, no Constitutional protections and no rights whatsoever. This is, in every sense, a "King's court" where the King can simply decide that you're guilty and put you out of business.

    Here's the language in the S.510 legislation:

    "(2) HEARING ON SUSPENSION. - The Secretary shall provide the registrant subject to an order under paragraph (1) with an opportunity for an informal hearing, to be held as soon as possible but not later than 2 business days after the issuance of the order or such other time period, as agreed upon by the Secretary and the registrant, on the actions required for reinstatement of registration and why the registration that is subject to suspension should be reinstated. The Secretary shall reinstate a registration if the Secretary determines, based on evidence presented, that adequate grounds do not exist to continue the suspension of the registration."

    Did you read this carefully? It means the Secretary (a bureaucrat) gets to decide who can grow food and who can't. This is the FDA's kangaroo court, much like the FTC's kangaroo court that's currently being used to destroy companies offering nutritional supplements and natural cancer cures.

    Remember, too, the bill abandoned actual science and now relies entirely on the FDA's "belief" to determine which foods to recall:

    SEC. 208. ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION OF FOOD.
    23 (a) IN GENERAL. - Section 304(h)(1)(A) (21 U.S.C.24 334(h)(1)(A)) is amended by
    (1) striking ''credible evidence or information indicating'' and inserting ''reason to believe'';

    FDA tyranny is on the rise
    So essentially what we have here is a food tyranny bill that would hand a group of un-elected bureaucrats who answer to no one the power to control virtually the entire U.S. food supply. This is an agency, by the way, that is already responsible for the deaths of millions of Americans (http://www.naturalnews.com/030461_S...).

    This is an agency that has participated in armed raids against natural product companies (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

    To all those who say "S. 510 is no big deal, the FDA won't abuse its power, this is just about safety" -- I say you have no grasp of the history of tyranny. The FDA has virtually never taken action to protect the People. Its actions have consistently been shaped to maximize the profits of the powerful corporations even at the expense of human lives.

    Just read the history of Vioxx if you need a refresher on that point (http://www.naturalnews.com/009693.html).

    That the U.S. Congress would now seek to hand over control of our food supply to this dangerous, rogue government agency is an obscene betrayal of the American people. This is precisely why we must stand up and fight S.510 once again to defeat it in the Senate where it is now schedule for yet another vote. (Like a bad case of herpes, this bill just won't die, it seems...)

    Sign the petition at: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/...

    Once again, CALL your representatives in the House and the Senate. You can reach the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your representatives by name.

    By the way, just for the record, I am appalled at the lack of action on this item by some so-called "health freedom" organizations which appear to be doing absolutely nothing to rally opposition to this bill. A few groups are fighting hard to oppose it (NaturalNews, ANH-USA.com, Natural Solutions Foundation, etc.) but there are several which appear to be sitting on the sidelines, doing nothing. I'm not sure why. This is precisely the kind of issue that should have the entire health freedom community up in arms to protect our food freedoms.

    Robert Scott Bell gets it, by the way. So do the Vitamin Lawyer (Ralph Fucetola) and health freedom attorneys like James Turner and Jonathan Emord. All the freedom-oriented people seem to understand how crucial this is to maintain our food freedoms and keep the FDA out of our farms as much as possible. If you think the FDA is bad now, just wait until they are granted yet more powers (and funding) to unleash an army of thousands of new agents who sweep across America, raiding small family farms (no, they're not all exempted from this bill) and imprisoning raw milk producers.

    The FDA is about to become the SS of food fascism. This is not an exaggeration. Who would have thought, five years ago, that the TSA would be reaching down your pants and feeling your genitals? Just imagine now what the FDA will do with similar powers over your food and farms. Crudely put, the TSA may be feeling your junk, but the FDA will have us all by the balls.

    Take action now to protect your food freedoms (or you will forever lose them).

    Articles Related to This Article:
    • Senate Bill 510 Food Safety? The FDA has killed far more people than contaminated eggs or lettuce

    • Top ten lies about Senate Bill 510

    • (Part I) The FDA is a clearing house for the Food and Drug Corruption

    • (Part II) The FDA is a clearing house for Food and Drug Corruption

    • Feds reject complaints of FDA misconduct in medical device approvals

    • Senate Bill 510 vote delayed until after Thanksgiving - Take action now to oppose food tyranny


    Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030672_Fo...#ixzz17d8QqK66

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    December 9, 2010

    Dear Citizen for Health,

    For those of you who haven't already heard, the House lame-duck leadership amended the “Continuing Resolution” Funding Bill - intended to keep the federal government running for another year - to include the language from S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Unfortunately the House rushed to action Wednesday and passed it, sending it along to the Senate. Further action could happen as soon as today, Thursday, December 9th.

    It is quite unusual to attach such an initiative to a bill authorizing continued government funding and operations.

    Urge your Senators NOW to resist any effort to ram through S. 510!
    Take action at:
    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5337

    And so, back to the Senate we go. Make no mistake - your efforts are having an impact, and we can't give up now! The House vote was very close: 212 to 205. This is a reflection of how your thousands of messages have helped a significant number of legislators stand firm in the face of pressure from big Agribusiness.

    We have to keep holding their feet to the fire and stop this dangerous policy from becoming law. The Senate can still strip S. 510 from the Continuing Resolution before passing it. Congress needs to recognize that:

    --Combining a controversial regulatory bill with the Continuing Resolution to fund government operations is inappropriate at best, and at worst, shameful.

    --It is even more disturbing that this has been done in spite of thousands and thousands of voters who have made it clear they believe that the federal government is too big and must stop over-regulating.

    --S. 510 must be stripped from the Continuing Resolution so that Congress can decide to continue funding at a certain level without muddying the process with extraneous matters.

    --We will be monitoring the Senate and expect them to act from principle and not the language from S. 510.

    Tell your Senators NOW to strip S. 510 from the Continuing Resolution!

    Thanks to all of you who have been participating and helping to hold Congress accountable,

    The Citizens for Health Team

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    A message from the Alliance for Natural Health USA

    Click THIS LINK to go to the Action Alert page.
    https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site...rAction&id=643
    Once there, fill out the form with your name and address, etc., and customize your letter. We have a suggested message for you, but please feel free to add your own comments to the letter.

    On December 8, the House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) H.R.3082. A CR is supposed to provide temporary, stopgap funding for the government while budget bills are worked out. But this CR included the language of the Senate food safety bill—language that will still affect small food producers (organic farms, small farms, mom-and-pop roadside stands, etc.) most of all. It will completely transform the food and farming industries—for the worse.

    Putting the text of another bill into a CR is a prime example of the way Congress operates. It is ethically wrong; indeed it is an example of corruption. We saw this kind of slight of hand in the passage of the health reform legislation, and the American public should be fed up with it.

    Now this House CR goes back to the Senate, which is expected to pick it up by the middle of next week. The rumor is that instead of dealing with the CR directly, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) will introduce the Senate’s own omnibus bill (even larger than the CR) that will also contain the food safety language along and who knows what else.

    This is a bad bill, on its own or attached to another piece of legislation. We are grateful that the changes we lobbied for have stayed in the bill, including the exemption for supplements from Codex language and the Tester amendment that protects small farms from some of the bill’s provisions. But the bill still gives the FDA much too much control over farming in general and small producers in particular.

    Three specific concerns remain, all major:

    1. The bill mandates that every registered facility must be inspected by the FDA: high-risk facilities will be inspected initially within the first five years and then every three years thereafter; low-risk facilities, initially within seven years, and then every five. The FDA will need to hire an additional 5,000 employees to do all the inspections. Big companies love this, because the FDA will be so bogged down inspecting all the smaller operations that they won’t have time to focus on the big guys—where the actual food safety problems arise. Food safety legislation should be targeted at the large industrial farms, but, no surprise, this bill does just the opposite.

    2. Language in the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act currently reads:

    An officer or qualified employee of the Food and Drug Administration may order the detention, in accordance with this subsection, of any article of food that is found during an inspection, examination, or investigation under this chapter conducted by such officer or qualified employee, if the officer or qualified employee has credible evidence or information indicating that such article presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

    Under this bill, the boldfaced text above would be changed to:

    if the officer or qualified employee has reason to believe that such article is adulterated or misbranded.

    And remember, as interpreted by the FDA, a food or supplement may be deemed “adulterated” if there have been any record-keeping violations. “Misbranded” can mean that the producer makes a completely true statement about the product but without FDA permission.

    So when the FDA is inspecting a facility, if they merely believe an item is misbranded or adulterated—no concrete evidence is required—they can confiscate all of that product. If there is a suspected record-keeping error for a supplement, the entire stock can be taken by the FDA.

    3. A company has to be registered to operate. Under this bill, if the FDA finds there to be a reasonable probability that a product may cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, the FDA may suspend that facility’s registration, effectively shutting it down. This seems reasonable, but there is only one informal opportunity for companies to reinstate registration, with no opportunity whatsoever to appeal—they are at the mercy of an FDA inspector’s whim. This should not be allowed in America.

    Why does all of this matter? Keep in mind the FDA has consistently done Big Pharma’s bidding and has attacked supplement companies and small food producers (such as the cherry and walnut growers). The bill gives the FDA unbridled authority to ratchet things up even further. The FDA needs to focus on large producers, not get its tentacles onto small producers.

    Please contact your senators TODAY and ask them to oppose the food safety bill language that is currently in the CR (though it might be found in the omnibus bill next week). This may be our last chance to defeat this bill—please take action immediately!


    TO SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR SENATORS

    Click THIS LINK to go to the Action Alert page.
    https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site...rAction&id=643
    Once there, fill out the form with your name and address, etc., and customize your letter. We have a suggested message for you, but please feel free to add your own comments to the letter.

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    I emailed Natural Solutions and asked what they have to say about the following from Food Inc. If I hear back from them, I will post it here. (Most of the organizations like Organic Consumers Assoc., want S501C3 to be scrapped and done over completely, but Food Inc. think not.)

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/op...hlosser&st=cse
    A Stale Food Fight
    By MICHAEL POLLAN and ERIC SCHLOSSER
    Published: November 28, 2010

    THE best opportunity in a generation to improve the safety of the American food supply will come as early as Monday night, when the Senate is scheduled to vote on the F.D.A. Food Safety Modernization bill. This legislation is by no means perfect. But it promises to achieve several important food safety objectives, greatly benefiting consumers without harming small farmers or local food producers.
    Eric Hanson

    The bill would, for the first time, give the F.D.A., which oversees 80 percent of the nation’s food, the authority to test widely for dangerous pathogens and to recall contaminated food. The agency would finally have the resources and authority to prevent food safety problems, rather than respond only after people have become ill. The bill would also require more frequent inspections of large-scale, high-risk food-production plants.

    Last summer, when thousands of people were infected with salmonella from filthy, vermin-infested henhouses in Iowa, Americans were outraged to learn that the F.D.A. had never conducted a food safety inspection at these huge operations that produce billions of eggs a year. The new rules might have kept those people — mainly small children and the elderly — from getting sick.

    The law would also help to protect Americans from unsafe food produced overseas: for the first time, imported foods would be subject to the same standards as those made in the United States.

    You would think that such reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of the American people would have long since sailed through Congress. But after being passed by the House of Representatives more than a year ago with strong bipartisan support, the legislation has been stuck in the Senate. One sticking point was the fear among small farmers and producers that the new regulations would be too costly — and the counter-fear among consumer groups that allowing any exemptions for small-scale agriculture might threaten public health.

    Those legitimate concerns have been addressed in an amendment, added by Senator Jon Tester of Montana, that recently was endorsed by a coalition of sustainable agriculture and consumer groups. But now that common sense has prevailed, the bill is under fierce attack from critics — egged on by Glenn Beck and various Tea Partyers, including some in the local food movement — who are playing fast and loose with the facts.

    Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, is the bill’s most influential opponent by far. On the floor of the Senate the week before last, he claimed that only 10 or 20 Americans a year die from a food-borne illness, that the government doesn’t need mandatory recall power because “not once in our history have we had to force anyone to do a recall,” and that the annual cost of the new food safety requirements — about $300 million — is prohibitively expensive.

    Senator Coburn is wrong on every point. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 5,000 Americans annually die from a food-borne illness. Last year, at the height of a nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened thousands, spread via tainted peanut butter, the Westco Fruit and Nuts company refused for weeks to recall potentially contaminated products, despite requests from the F.D.A.

    And as for spending that extra $300 million every year, a recent study by Georgetown University found that the annual cost of food-borne illness in the United States is about $152 billion. In Senator Coburn’s home state, it’s about $1.8 billion. Compared with those amounts, this bill is a real bargain.

    In the last week, agricultural trade groups, from the Produce Marketing Association to the United Egg Producers, have come out against the bill, ostensibly on the grounds that the small farms now partially exempted would pose a food safety threat. (Note that these small farms will continue to be regulated under state and local laws.) It is hard to escape the conclusion that these industry groups never much liked the new rules in the first place. They just didn’t dare come out against them publicly, not when 80 percent of Americans support strengthening the F.D.A.’s authority to regulate food.

    By one estimate, the kinds of farms that the bill would exempt represent less than 1 percent of the food marketplace. Does the food industry really want to sabotage an effort to ensure the safety of 99 percent of that marketplace because it is so deeply concerned about under-regulation of 1 percent? The largest outbreaks are routinely caused by the largest processors, not by small producers selling their goods at farmers’ markets.

    Theodore Roosevelt ran up against the same sort of resistance when he fought for the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. “Unfortunately,” he said, “the misdeeds of those who are responsible for the abuses we design to cure will bring discredit and damage not only upon them, but upon the innocent stock growers, the ranchmen and farmers of this country.” That is one reason the federal government decided to guarantee food safety during the last century — and why it must continue to do so in this one.

    Michael Pollan is the author of “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.” Eric Schlosser is the author of “Fast Food Nation” and a producer of the documentary “Food Inc.”
    A version of this op-ed appeared in print on November 29, 2010, on page A25 of the New York edition.

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    Quote Under this bill, the boldfaced text above would be changed to:

    if the officer or qualified employee has reason to believe that such article is adulterated or misbranded.

    And remember, as interpreted by the FDA, a food or supplement may be deemed “adulterated” if there have been any record-keeping violations. “Misbranded” can mean that the producer makes a completely true statement about the product but without FDA permission.
    There is something almost exactly the same going on in Canada. They have bill C36, described as a product safety bill that is implementing this same kind of language. After this legislation is passed based on the opinion of an inspector or Health Canada minister, the police can come and raid your home or business, guns drawn, confiscate anything they want, hold it at your expense all without a court order or any judicial oversight at all. All based on opinion.

    This is happening all over the world and has nothing to do with safety. It is really imported EU legislation. It will only destroy small business and producers. Of course this bill is supposed to be about product "safety" in general and will likely be allowed to influence food and natural health products as well. Notice how all these style bills are all "Safety" bills. Makes them hard to criticize. It's easy to dismiss critics by saying that they are against safety. Creeping fascism..

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    I rekon i know who's safety they are concerned about , thier own ,

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    I think Food Inc. is basically saying the Tester amendment is enough to protect small farmers and supplements, etc. but that the part of S510 designed to monitor big food producers (which is where most of the contaminated foods are coming from) are crucial.
    I agree with the latter, but I think the Tester amendment isn't enough to protect everyone besides the big guys.

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    I think the following about sums it up:

    http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/201...f-food-system/

    Was It the Good-Cop-Bad-Cop Routine That Enticed So Many Foodies to Sanction FDA’s Takeover of Food System?
    Posted on December 11, 2010

    By David Gumpert
    The Complete Patient

    I keep asking myself, how did we ever get to this point, where political and economic control of America’s food system is on the verge of being turned over to a government agency whose leaders declared early this year we have “no absolute right” to “any particular food” or to “bodily and physical health.”

    I keep thinking about the old Soviet Union’s control of food system, where, in the interests of the revolution (food safety), farms were turned into collectives (facilities), which produced grand five-year plans (HACCP plans), reinforced by centralized standards (Good Agricultural Practices), and there were special exemptions for private peasant plots (Tester-Hagan exemptions). It all led to chronic shortages, terrible quality, and eventual collapse.

    I keep wondering how smart informed people from all segments of the food rights and sustainable food arena got themselves engaged into supporting a hopelessly complex set of rules to maybe, possibly, depending-on-how-you-interpret-them allow certain small farms exemptions from this governmental takeover of the food system.

    And I marvel that a bunch of other smart people are willing to trust the FDA, and hope that it will suddenly transform itself from a bunch of hardasses who take pleasure in driving small food producers out of business into a sensitive agency dedicated to sustainable food production; you can see the skewering I took for contradicting that logic in a new posting about the food safety debate at Grist.org (although most of the comments are skeptical of the FDA apologists).

    The government takeover was premised on winning over a bunch of notable foodie organizations over, and once the zealots engaged people from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, the Northeast Organic Food Association (NOFA), and Rural Vermont, they could pull the old good-cop-bad-cop routine, with Sen. Tester the good cop via the hope of holding Big Ag at bay, if you’ll only help me figure this thing out. Once you’re figuring out the “or’s”, “and’s”, and “wherefore’s”, and deciding when a farm becomes a “facility,” you quickly lose touch with the big-picture issues, including:

    * That the food safety crisis is of a much different sort than what is addressed by S510. Ben Hewitt, the author of The Town That food Saved, and of an upcoming new book on food safety, articulates the real challenges very clearly in a recent blog posting.

    * That the Tester-Hagan amendment provisions are their own can of worms in terms of enforcement. Food rights advocate Doreen Hannes imagines one scenario where farmers at farmers markets will need to ask for customer identification to determine if they live within 250 miles of the market.

    Finally, we’re hearing that if the Congress doesn’t pass S510 now, the opportunity for food safety controls will vanish “for a generation.” That’s just another form of fear-mongering. Unfortunately, the government-takeover artists have gone too far to turn back. They couldn’t get the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), so they moved to “food safety.” Believe me, if S510 doesn’t make it through Congress this time, they’ll soon be back with another scheme, and it will have just as little to do with food safety. I’ll bet the farm on that one.

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    Please take action NOW!
    To get the action link, you will have to go here:

    http://www.anh-usa.org/last-minute-w...n-food-safety/

    Last-Minute Washington Back-Room Dealing on Food Safety
    December 14, 2010


    Big GovernmentWe may have only one more chance to keep the dreadful so-called “food safety” language from becoming law through a legislative subterfuge. We have (quite literally!) up-to-the-minute information for you.

    In the wake of the constitutional snafu over the Senate Food Bill, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) that was supposed to fund the government temporarily but which contained a sneak insert of the Senate food safety bill. It now appears that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will bring up the CR on Tuesday or Wednesday, because the CR expires on Friday the 17th.

    One of the first amendments to the CR to be considered will be Sen. Dan Inouye’s omnibus spending legislation—and there is a good possibility that this amendment will be substituted in full for the House’s CR language. We originally heard that Sen. Inouye would not include the food safety language in the omnibus bill, but this is not the case. We have just learned that the food safety language is now included in the amendment.

    An earlier version of this article noted that things can change very quickly on Capitol Hill, and that is doubly the case today! Sen. Inouye has earmarks in his amendment that he wants to protect, and we know that he was being pressured very strongly to add food safety to his omnibus bill, so some kind of deal has been struck to include “food safety” in a bill that is supposed to be about temporary government funding.

    Unfortunately, this means that the Senate will now either consider the CR, which contains the food safety language, or will accept the substitution of the omnibus bill, which also contains the food safety language. This is one more example of the corrupt way Congress works. Legislation that could ruin small food producers—organic farms, small farms, mom-and-pop roadside stands, etc.— is just tacked onto a bill that must pass in order to keep the government running.

    So we need to redouble our efforts and let senators know how this corrupt back-room dealing looks to average Americans. Please phone your senators TODAY, write them (or write them again!) with your concerns, and do everything you can to keep this “food safety” language from becoming law. It will completely transform the food and farming industries for the worse.

    Our Action Alert—and especially the letter on that page, which we hope you’ll send to your senators—has all the technical bits spelled out in what we hope is a clear and concise manner. Please keep up the pressure in these last extraordinarily important moments! Please take action now!

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5367

    Shell Game Continues - S. 510 Hidden in Inouye Amendment


    December 15, 2010

    By now you know that the House lame-duck leadership amended the “Continuing Resolution” Funding Bill - intended to keep the federal government running for another year - to include the language from S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Unfortunately the House rushed to action last Wednesday and passed it, sending it along to the Senate. On Monday we told you that further action could happen anytime - that time has come.

    Once the Senate has finished consideration of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010, they intend to take up the Continuing Resolution, now referred to as the Omnibus Bill. Only now, Senator Daniel Inouye [D-HI] has attached an amendment containing - you guessed it - the dangerous language from S. 510.

    The backroom dealing continues. The Senate must act quickly, since the chance to pass the Omnibus Bill expires Friday, December 17th. Make no mistake - your efforts are having an impact, and now we're in the home stretch with an 11th-hour victory in sight!

    We have to keep holding lawmakers' feet to the fire and stop this dangerous policy from becoming law. The Senate can still strip S. 510 from the Continuing Resolution before passing it. Congress needs to recognize that:

    --Combining a controversial regulatory bill with the Continuing Resolution to fund government operations is inappropriate at best, and at worst, shameful.

    --It is even more disturbing that this has been done in spite of thousands and thousands of voters who have made it clear they believe that the federal government is too big and must stop over-regulating.

    --S. 510 must be stripped from the Continuing Resolution so that Congress can decide to continue funding at a certain level without muddying the process with extraneous matters.

    --We will be monitoring the Senate and expect them to act from principle and not the language from S. 510.

    Please take a moment now and go to the link to help us kill S. 510 once and for all.
    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5367

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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    Senate May Adjourn Friday...
    S.510 Still Hidden in the Bills before the Senate!

    After the US Senate finishes with the tax-extension bill [WHICH IS BEING VOTED ON -- RIGHT NOW!] it will take up the Continuing Resolution (now being called an "Omnibus Bill") that includes the fake "food safety" (but actually food control) bill. TONITE and TOMORROW are critical to our effort to preserve Health & Food Freedom!

    Watch the Senate here: http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN2.aspx

    PLEASE CONTINUE TO PUSH BACK NOW!
    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303


    A CR is supposed to continue the govt's programs temporarily until Congress votes an actual "budget." It is not supposed to include major regulatory initiatives, such as budget-busting spending increases of a trillion dollars... or S.510, the fake "food safety" bill.

    PLEASE CONTINUE TO "MESSAGE" YOUR SENATORS, BY PHONE OR EMAIL,
    TO OPPOSE ANY C.R. THAT DOES MORE THAN JUST CONTINUE CURRENT PROGRAMS!

    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    Here is what our friends at the Campaign for Liberty have to say about it:

    "This week, the Senate will vote on a long-term Continuing Resolution (CR) that leaves spending at 2010 levels, makes over $1 trillion in appropriations for Big Government projects, and contains S. 510, the FDA's War on Food, as an attachment. Contact your senators and urge them to vote against the long-term CR on every vote - including cloture - and to support a short-term version that will fund the government only until the new Congress convenes and removes the S. 510 language."

    The Continuing Resolution can only pass over the minority's objection if the majority forces the issue through cloture (limiting debate). Since the majority party lost its 60 vote majority, needed to invoke cloture, the only way this bill will pass is if certain faint-of-heart members of the minority party support it! It took several New England GOP Senators -- including Massachusetts' new Sen. Scott Brown who was elected with Tea Party support -- to pass S.510 the first time in the Senate. If these Senators hold firm, this will not happen again! If they side with the food fascists, we expect the voters will remember. And even six years from now Sen. Brown will be held to the promises he ignored!

    Continue to tell your Senators that you STRONGELY OPPOSE the use of the Continuing Resolution (HR.3082, needed to keep Federal program operating through the Holidays) to force S.510 through the lame-duck Congress!

    We urge support for a simple, short-term C.R. without new spending or programs!

    Action Item here:
    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5303

    This just in from our friends at Citizens for Health: "Once the Senate has finished consideration of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010, they intend to take up the Continuing Resolution, now referred to as the Omnibus Bill. Only now, Senator Daniel Inouye [D-HI] has attached an amendment containing - you guessed it - the dangerous language from S. 510. The vote could happen this afternoon, so there's no time to waste!"

    Time is short.
    The consequenses of inaction are long, very, very long...
    PLEASE USE THE ACTION ITEM EVERY DAY... OFTEN!

  23. Link to Post #80
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: S510 - Illegal To Grow, Share,Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

    S. 510 On Life-Support - Let's Pull The Plug!
    Take action at:
    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5396

    December 17, 2010

    Dear Citizen for Health,

    By now you know that the House lame-duck leadership amended the “Continuing Resolution” Funding Bill - intended to keep the federal government running for another year - to include the language from S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. More than a week ago the House rushed to action and passed it, sending it along to the Senate. On Monday we told you that further action could happen anytime - that time has come.

    Thanks to the unrelenting pressure brought to bear on lawmakers by the hundreds of thousands of Citizens for Health and their health freedom compatriots, Senator Harry Reid [D-NV] has pulled the Continuing Resolution/Omnibus Bill from consideration entirely, and Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY] has offered a simple one-page Continuing Resolution that only continues government spending as is, without new programs like S.510. This is a tremendous grassroots victory over big Agribusiness and the well-heeled interests that tried every trick in the book to pass S. 510.

    Send a message now urging your Senators to stand firm against any efforts to resurrect S. 510!

    However, there may be a trick or two left up their sleeves...

    Proponents of S. 510 may still try to attach the bill's language to Sen. McConnell's Continuing Resolution, although the Senator would almost certainly block such an effort. Or, as our information suggests, Senator Reid may try to attach S. 510 language to another "must-pass" bill, hoping to force his colleagues to "hold their noses" and pass S. 510 along with it.

    We have to keep holding lawmakers' feet to the fire! We need everyone, regardless of whether or not you've already sent a message to your Senators, to send one now urging them to:

    --Support Sen. McConnell in resisting any effort to attach S. 510 language to his Continuing Resolution

    --Further acknowledge the groundswell of opposition to S. 510 by resisting any effort to attach S. 510 to any bill or resolution

    Health freedom advocates across the country have made their voices heard loud and clear and placed S. 510 on life-support - tell your Senators it's time to "pull the plug"!

    Victory is imminent, and it would not have been possible without all of you who have been participating and helping to hold Congress accountable!

    Take action at:
    http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o...ction_KEY=5396

    The Citizens for Health Team
    Last edited by onawah; 17th December 2010 at 19:16.

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