On the one hand we have the USDA that wants the power, without warrant or legal appeal, to kill all livestock and wild animals, both diseased and healthy, with in a 10-kilometer outbreak of a disease (GAO Document 05-214). They euphemistically call this “depopulation”.
Should USDA officially confirm the presence of a disease, such as FMD, the affected herd and all cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and susceptible wildlife—infected or not— within a minimum 10-kilometer zone around the infected farm would be killed.
:
If the disease were to spread beyond the initial zone, authorities would continue to quarantine and kill animals until the disease was “stamped out.”
-GAO Report 05-214 pages 31 & 34
On the other hand we have this lovely report of the US Government giving away free specialized equipment to foreign countries so they can detect disease and avoid exactly this type of culling and depopulation.
“This [equipment] will help livestock officials to streamline the process of identifying the disease and to eliminate the unnecessary culling of birds and further reduce the risk of spreading the disease to humans,” USAID said.
-IRIN Asia News
Apparently US Farmers are not so worthy. Instead the USDA is just going to trample over our Constitutional rights and invade our privacy with their new NAIS regulations that give them the right to take our property without reason, warrant or legal appeal. So goes the transition from Democracy to fascism.
Hat tip: Kim
I found the following posted on one of the group sites I visit. It is a timeline/history of the Animal ID proposal. Folks, it goes way back, past 9/11; so the idea that this will help combat bioterrorism is a sham!
(Sorry it’s quite long.) link
Comment Valerie — May 25, 2006 @ 7:02 pm
Hi Walter,
This news is so unbelievable, I had to read your column twice!!!
Story:
In 1954, my father bought 3 Holsteins from a man he never should have trusted. It was soon found out they had Bang’s disease, which is what Brucellosis was called in those days. Of course, he lost his entire dairy herd as all had been exposed. (that’s when he quit dairying) At that time, the two adjacent dairy farms, on each side of this farm, were no more than 1/4 mile away. Neither one of those farms had to surrender their dairy cows, nor any of the other numerous dairy farms surrounding us - about 12 farms within a 2-mile radius. As God is my witness, NONE of the cattle on any of these farms contracted Brucellosis. Michael Johanns needs psychological therapy!
Mari/WI
Comment Mari Jung — May 25, 2006 @ 7:14 pm
letter to vic snyder us congressman from ar
dear vic,
I wrote to you about the national animal id sysyem
and got no answer..
we don’t like it
and want you to opposes it
I know you are ignoring us because big business
has you in it’s pocket
other wise you would be fighting it tooth and nail..
it’s bad for everyone except a few fat cats
who don’t need to get any fatter
sid sargent,write-in candidate for state rep district 87
just letting off steam….
tell them like it is…..
hang in there fellow patriots
the force is with us
Comment sid sargent — May 25, 2006 @ 7:55 pm
Wow. This is exactly the sort of blind, beauraucratic double standard our bloated government has become known for.
This is akin to shipping our un-infected poultry to China, rife with untold and obfuscated infection, for processing only to be shipped back to us.
I say it’s high time to “cull” and “depopulate” a few politicians. . . .
Comment Podchef — May 25, 2006 @ 10:37 pm
The premises identification part of this monster is really being soft sold. Very little you read anywhere is rabidly opposing it, even those who oppose tracking. The fact is, as soon as you have premises id, they know where to find you and you have lost your Constitutional right to demand a warrant. What if horses five miles away from me come down with strangles? Will they come and murder my precious ones with nearly extinct bloodlines? This facist monster needs to be stopped at the first mark, BEFORE premises identification.
Why are they coming after horses anyway, few ever enter the food chain? Answer: smell the money? Last year the equine industry was valued at 2.2 billion dollars. They want it. Same with all small farmers, its about financing the big guys on the backs of the little guys - a time honored tradition in this country.
Comment Patricia Hampton — May 26, 2006 @ 8:31 am
Podchef wrote:
You got it!!! Someone once said the only way to get this country back on track is to completely illiminate ALL existing politicians from DC and begin anew; not very feasible, but this idea has my vote. Political corruption runs rampant in this country!!
Mari/WI
Comment Mari Jung — May 26, 2006 @ 6:42 pm
Our country was certainly a much better place when it was governed by farmers and people of the land. Now that capitalists and beauraucrats rule there has been nothing but problems.
I would love to do a study on Leaders through history and their ties to the land. We know about Lincoln’s cabin, Thomas Jefferson had Monticello–9000 acres of farmland and experimental agriculture. Washington had Mount Vernon–6000 acres of farm. Did these farms feed the politicians of D.C. and the Presidency? The Queen of England has an organic farm which supplies her, the royal household and community with food. The Pope has an organic farm and dairy at Castle Gondolfo which supplies the Vatican with fresh food daily.
A ranch in Crawford, Texas pales in comparison to these endevors. If the White House sourced it’s food from it’s own farm–which maybe they do, but I can’t find the info–and local farms things would be vastly different.
New rule for political candidates–2 years manditory work on a mixed agricultural, sustainable farm before taking office!
Comment Podchef — May 28, 2006 @ 9:10 am
This is a disgrace. What is happening to the USA. Are our leaders losing their minds. If all the people NEW we were EXPORTING our precious Alaskan OIL to Japan, there would also be an outcry.
Comment Robert Hassard — May 28, 2006 @ 10:39 am