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You can help American farmers in their effort to stop NAIS

By Judith McGeary - Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance  Posted by Linn Cohen-Cole (about the submitter)   No comments
Message Linn Cohen-Cole
Please vote and pass this message from Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance on to others to vote.  
 
NAIS http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/ violates farmers' constitutional rights on many levels.  
 
 
 
It involves feeding global tracking data of every farm animal in the country into corporate data banks giving corporations a means of 24 hour surveillance over small farmers, and with first penalties as high as $250,000 and second ones, $500,000, and couldn't be a more serious threat to farmers - a single infraction would destroy any of them - and to diverse animal breeds.  
 
My take on it is that NAIS is a beginning on the animal side of what Monsanto did to seeds.  The monopoly over seeds began with corporations gaining thorough information on where seeds were being sold and stored, and from there, they bought up and/or eliminated as many indigenous varieties as possible, substituting their own very limited number of genetically engineered seeds, thus creating a monopoly over those few.  Farmers are left with few places now to turn for normal, non-GMO seeds they can still "own" and their equipment for cleaning seeds is being criminalized and the seed cleaners picked off.
 
Monsanto and other agri-biotech corporations are genetically engineering animals now and the same monopolistic control over animals will also depend on eliminating variety, forcing farmers into full dependence on patented corporate animals.  The farmers will be left renting animals as they now do seeds, unable to own any offspring, just as they cannot collect seeds off their own property.  
 
I believe this is one of the intents behind NAIS, along with displacing liability for any disease outbreak onto any farmer they wish or simply crushing farmers who are raising animals away from the industrial system.
NAIS is being pushed by the same corporations which caused Mad Cow disease in the first place and are implicated in causing Bird Flu, both through filthy practices in their huge and filthy animal factories (CAFOs), feedlots and slaughter houses which are breeding grounds for diseases.  These corporations, claiming NAIS is for "food safety" (just as the war on Iraq was for freedom and democracy) are the same ones blocking inspections and lowering contamination standards.  
NAIS is an immense threat to our farmers and I believe it is dangerous threat to our animal breeds and has to be stopped.
Thanks.
 
 
 
"Stop NAIS" Idea Progresses to The Next Stage
Take Action Online to Help Stop NAIS! 
 
The private website, www.Change.org, will present the "Top 10 Ideas for America" to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day.  "Stop NAIS" has made it to the second round of voting!  Thank you to everyone who voted for it in the first round of the competition!
 
It is now competing against 86 other ideas to see if it can make it into the Top 10.  All the voting totals have been re-set to zero, so even if you voted for it in the first round,you can vote again. 
 
The second round of voting will continue until 5 pm EST on January 15.
 
 
 Take Action
 
Step 1: If you are not already signed up for the site, register at: https://www.change.org/admin/sign_up  
 
Step 2: Go to http://www.change.org/ideas/view/stop_nais   Be sure to click the box labeled "Vote!" to the left of "Protect Our Food Supply -- Stop NAIS!"  Simply leaving a comment does not count as a vote.  After you click the Vote box, it will change color and show "Voted."

Step 3: Email all your friends, and ask them to vote also.
 
Step 4 (optional):  The most important thing is the number of votes that the idea receives.  If you want to leave a comment after you have voted, think in terms of what will encourage other people to vote to stop NAIS.  Keep your comment short and clear, and don't repeat what others have already written.   
 
 More Information on Change.org
 
In the first round of voting, over 100,000 people voted for ideas on change.org.   So this is a great opportunity for us to get the NAIS issue in front of a broad audience during the voting process!  And if Stop NAIS! makes it to the Top 10, it will be among the ideas presented at an event at the National Press Club on January 16, followed by a press release.  The organizers of Change.org have committed to supporting advocacy campaigns for each of the Top 10 ideas, including encouraging their 200,000 members to support the effort.  

This is a very quick, easy way to help us raise awareness about NAIS and potentially get significant new resources for this fight!  Please go to http://www.change.org/ideas/view/stop_nais and vote now!
 
 More Online Voting: Change.GOV
 
While you're online, consider taking another moment to go to the Obama Transition Team's official site.  They have a section called "Open for Questions".  They have not specified the deadline for submitting or voting on questions, but said they will respond to the top issues "in the new year." 
 
Step 1: Go to http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions20081229/ 
 
Step 2: Type "animal identification" into the box next to "Search Questions"  There are currently 17 questions that involve NAIS that can be found by searching those terms.   
 
Step 3: Click on the checkmark by the question(s) to vote "yes".  If you are not already signed in, you will  be asked to, with a link at the top of the box.
 
 
 
 Please Support Our Work!
 
We have raised approximately $2,500 out of the $5,000 matching grant so far!  Please help us to raise the rest by donating now at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/join-farfa to double your gift.
 
Any size donation helps, whether it's a $10 grassroots membership or a $500 lifetime member.  Every dollar, and every member, counts!  
 
Please help us to continue to be a strong voice for your interests.  Become a new member or give an additional donation at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/join-farfa    
 
 
Working together, we can make our voices heard.
 
Sincerely,
 

Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Phone: 512-243-9404
Toll-free: 866-687-6452 
 
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Met libertarian and conservative farmers and learned an incredible amount about farming and nature and science, as well as about government violations against them and against us all. The other side of the fence is nothing like what we've been (more...)
 
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