Was unable to access my blog for a couple of weeks and it took a lot of figuring out as to why. Hence, no updates and unable to publish comments I was informed were waiting for me here.
Two issues I want to bring up in today's post:
HR 875 and the Health Revolution Petition.
This was sent to me so I thought I would share it here. This is one person's interpretation of this bill, and from what I read of it, it is certainly easy to understand why there would be much apprehension over this bill passing and becoming law.
You May Be Arrested Soon For Growing A Tomato
As our government hands over billions to Wall Street bankers, jobless Americans live in tent cities and collect food stamps in record numbers. Now when we need it the most, growing our own food may be against the law and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000,000. Think I’m joking? Meet Bill HR 875, The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, introduced by Rosa DeLauro whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto. The insanity doesn’t stop there—fishing boats, hotdog stands, neighborhood vegetable booths and farmers’ markets will be federally regulated under the same draconian law. As always, the spin is designed to make you (the public) believe these new provisions are for your own good. Under the deceitful guise of protection, the goal of this bill is crystal clear: to prevent us from locally growing our own food so multinational agribusiness can completely control the production and distribution of our food supply. I refer you to the usual suspects—Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo, Tyson, and Smithfield.
This bill is designed to allow corporations, with the help of their hired government guns, to force small competitors (you and me) out of business. This is as evil as it gets, folks. Since the dawn of man we have hunted and farmed our own food——it’s second nature. To be stripped of the most fundamental act of survival is equivalent to the kind of mass enslavement you only read about in history books, like the kind under Pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
Lurking within the maze of technical lawyer-like jargon, the bill places wildly restrictive regulatory incumbrances on the average vegetable growing Joe-The-Plumber, small organic farmer, or anyone for that matter who may one day decide to grow a small garden. The bill would require anyone associated with growing, storing, transporting or processing food to be subject to inspections by federal agents of their property and all records related to food production; you would be required to conduct specials tests, maintain samples and records, and allow government officials to mandate the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, specific types of nutrients, packaging, and temperature controls. Violation of any of these provisions would subject the offender to property seizure, imprisonment and fines up to $1,000,000. The implementation of these bogus regulations are designed to be so cost and time prohibitive, no one would bother to grow their own food or risk being jailed and fined for participating in a black market.
Linn Cohen-Cole with Oped News writes:
“The bill is monstrous on level after level - the power it would give to Monsanto, the criminalization of seed banking, the prison terms and confiscatory fines for farmers, the 24 hours GPS tracking of their animals, the easements on their property to allow for warrantless government entry, the stripping away of their property rights, the imposition by the filthy, greedy industrial side of anti-farming international ‘industrial’ standards to independent farms - the only part of our food system that still works, the planned elimination of farmers through all these means.
“The corporations want the land, they want more intensive industrialization, they want the end of normal animals so they can substitute patented genetically engineered ones they own, they want the end of normal seeds and thus of seed banking by farmers or individuals. They want control over all seeds, animals, water, and land.”
I think something else on this may have been posted, but it needs to be TOP PRIORITY. If you are in the states, PLEASE email this to everyone in your address books and call congress. NO FREAKING WAY will these bastards control our food.
Regardless of how you look at it, it does NOT favor USA farmers, big or small. I'm one of millions out there who like to support their local farmers and I shop at local farmer's markets to purchase organic fruit and vegetables. I certainly would not appreciate this choice being taken away from me and being forced to only choose either genetically modified foods, or foods that have been chemicalized to death. I also have ZERO interest in supporting corporations such as Monsanto, who are becoming like Big Pharma with their desire to monopolize a certain area.
I urge you to contact your state representatives in every way, shape, and form you can and encourage them to NOT support this bill into becoming law.
Is health the new oil? Given the upcoming implementation Codex alimentarius, and the powerful special interests of Big Pharma, it would seem so.
If you like your government telling you how to treat your ills, how to care for your body, what vitamins, herbs, etal you may put into your body, and to have little to no choices available in alternative health care, then ignore this.
If you DO care and you're sick of our government just adding to their increasing power wattage and control over us, then please sign the following petition:
It is so important that each of us remains vigilante against our government. If you believe they have your best interests at heart, then I've got some ocean front property in Nebraska to sell you.
We are supposed to be the bosses of the government, not the other way around. I'm not an anti-government crusader nor a conspiracy nut. I'm simply a concerned citizen who is appalled at the increasing controls our government continues to expand over everyone, all in the interest of "protecting us" or under the phony pretense of "national security."
"Those who would sacrifice liberty for security, deserve neither." - Benjamin Franklin
I've been having dreams lately of soft white sand beaches, turquoise waters as far as the eye can see, and gently swaying palm trees. In these dreams, I'm in a kayak on the water that looks, if you're standing on the shore looking my way, like I'm flying just above the water. You know how that looks in some pictures? The water is so clear and from a distance, a kayak or a boat can look like it's flying?
I also dream of whales, dolphins, manta rays, and manatees in this perfect little world I envision while sleeping. One of of these days, I hope it will not be a dream but actual real life moments I can experience and treasure.
Perhaps these dreams are being inspired by the fact that I've taken another round at reading Jimmy Buffett's books. Tales from Margaritaville, Where is Joe Merchant, A Pirate Looks at Fifty, and A Salty Piece of Land. That last book is my favorite.
I also have had John Denver on my mind. Grew up with his music and it always hit right into my soul. The thing that John Denver and Jimmy Buffett have in common is their love for nature, wildlife, the environment, conservation and a love for marine mammals .. among other things.
If you're a Jimmy Buffett fan, there's only one place to be .. and that's at Margaritaville.
Today's post is a short one, yet a tribute to these two men who have had a tremendous impact on my life and who continue to make me smile and to inspire me.
If you enjoy John Denver's music, I leave you with one of my favorites: Calypso.
And remember "If life gives you limes, make margaritas." (classic J. Buffett quote)
It's a pretty sad world we live in when someone can bash a seal over the head repeatedly and only be fined $2,000 and be suspended from the seal hunt for one day, and yet someone who photographs or videotapes that very event, is fined $100,000 and can be sent to jail for a year.
Sea Shepherds season this year in intervening with the whale culling is now over and they have returned to Australia. Captain Watson is calling this season a success and you can read his outline of reasons why here: Ten Reasons that Operation Musashi Has Been a Success
When the SS returned to Hobart a couple days ago, the Australian authorities were waiting with a warrant to seize all videos, photographs, global positioning records, etc from the SS. Captain Watson states that while he and his crew were treated civilly and professionally, he points out that the Australian authorities also need to do the same to the Japanese whalers. Otherwise, this is a biased and one-sided affair.
Captain Watson states he will be spending the next few months making repairs to the Steve Irwin and is hoping to secure enough funding as well for a 2nd ship before the start of the next whaling season at the end of this year.
Let's hope his wish comes true. With two ships out there, they could double their success rate against whalers.
Three cheers for Russia's Putin, who is proposing a ban on driftnets being used for fishing. As it is well known by now, many marine mammals get caught in those nets and end up drowning. Will we one day see ALL countries outlawing the use of driftnets? Let's hope so.
Are there secret meetings going on between governments to lift the ban on whale hunts? According to The Independent paper (UK) it would seem so. Please read up about that here: Save the Whale (again)
Human greed appears to be a factor in the possibility of the Orca whales in the Pacific Northwest dwindling in numbers. While it is already illegal for boats and tourists to pursue Orcas and attempt to get close to them, that still doesn't stop people from doing it or trying to make a few bucks off these mammals. Why are people so stupid?
So Phil the Groundhog says we have six more weeks of winter. Blech. Phooey. :: blowing raspberry :: What does that silly little fur faced varmint know anyway :-P LOL I'm so over snow. Bring on spring ASAP please.
I was invited to be a guest blogger over at Paw Talk and they just put up my post today. They are a cool site focusing on animals and also include a forum. Please do check them out. You can find my post specifically here: Eye on the Dolphin
I have also been invited to possibly write a guest post on Reef Tank. This site focuses marine species and salt water aquariums. They are definitely worth your time. Very cool!
Guess the Japan Whalers are getting frustrated with Sea Shepherd's interference. They have now lowered themselves to launching concussion grenades, brass bolts, and chunks of lead at the Sea Shepherds. They've also threatened to use Long Range Acoustic Devices, which are military class weapons and can cause disorientation, vomiting, confusion, and sometimes temporary deafness.
The Sea Shepherds do not use anything that will physically harm anyone. They just throw acidic butter, etc that results in stinking up the ship and making it difficult for the whalers to do their work.
So it's really telling how far the Japanese whalers will go to protect their greediness and their desire to continue slaughtering innocent creatures.
At least, at the moment, no whales are being killed thanks to the Sea Shepherd's continuing presence out there. That also means the Japan ships are burning about 25 tons of fuel daily and losing even more money. Obviously it's the Sea Shepherd's goal to force Japan to whimper home with little to no profits again this year, as it happened last year and the year before.
Did you know that Iceland has decided to resume whaling? They are going after the endangered Fin Whales and threatened Minke Whales. Iceland had not slaughtered any whales since 1986, when Sea Shepherd activists had sunk about half of the Iceland whaling fleet.
Apparently Iceland feels it has a license to resume killing whales given the turmoil their country is currently undergoing and the state of their economy. I guess it's okay to approve murder of people now too? What a lame excuse to resume whaling.
Do boycotts make a difference? Personally, I don't know .. but I would imagine if enough people did stop buying certain things from certain countries, it would have an impact on that country's economy. Read about Sea Shepherd's boycott of Iceland here: Boycott Iceland
The United States, Australia and other anti-whaling nations had approached Japan with a compromise on whaling. In a nutshell, Japan rejected it. These countries fear Japan may withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission and then go brashly outside their rules to continue with more whaling, unabated.
Obviously Sea Shepherd won't have any of that and will continue to make life difficult for the whalers. I agree with Captain Watson's opinion that these anti-whaling nations really need to take a much stronger and more aggressive stand on this issue. Maybe I'm being silly, but offering compromises to murderers just seems .. ya know ... not right.
Remember I mentioned in my previous post, about the movie The Cove? It won awards at this year's Sundance Festival as well. The direct website for this movie can be found here: The Cove Movie I have also shared the trailer of this movie in another updated and separate post for today and will keep that up on top for awhile to continue attracting attention to the movie. So please be aware that new posts will show up under that movie trailer until I remove it.
I strongly encourage everyone to see this film when it is available in your area. As I also shared, this documentary focuses on the dolphin culling in Taiji, Japan. Please help spread the word on this very important film.
What's been happening with Sea Shepherd since my last update? I can summarize it in just a few sentences.
(1) Japan's Yushin Maru #2 got chased into some thick ice floes while running from the SS ship. Seems they were more afraid of SS than the ice. Which leads to #2 ...
(2) Yushin Maru #2 sustained propeller damage caused by the icebergs and had to limp to Indonesia, seeking repairs. It took them a little over two weeks to get there.
(3) While docked in Indonesia, they were refused service and repairs. The officials in Indonesia, after confirming with Australia and others that the Yushin Maru was, indeed, a whaling ship, told them to leave. Turns out Japan lied to Indonesia about who and what they were about.
== Go Indonesia! :: wild applause :: ==
(4) So the Yushin Maru limps away from Indonesian waters after being ordered to leave and Sea Shepherd had no idea for awhile where they were and what was going on .. until a few days ago. They find out that the Yushin Maru was repaired in another place unbeknowest to them and according to Greenpeace, is heading back to Japan.
(5) What's good about the YM having been down for the count for so long is that it's hindered further, the whale culling. What's also good is the fact that Indonesia took a stand against the whaling and Captain Watson is calling that a major political victory.
Sea Shepherd was recently docked in Hobart to refuel and is now back out there pursuing the Japanese fleet.
It does appear, by Captain Watson's reports, that approximately a third of the quota Japan had hoped to achieve in their whale kills, will not be met. So that's very good news. Hopefully that number will only improve and we can see similiar, if not better, numbers as last year. Obviously the Sea Shepherds are doing a bang up job of distrupting this so-called "research" Japan continues to do.
Interesting article in yesterday's Washington Post discusses the criteria for rescuing animals. One of the stories has to do with a pod of dolphins that were stranded for awhile in New Jersey. If you recall, I wrote a little bit about this in a previous post.
In another related post, it seems that the dolphins that were stranded there, have died and some people are quite furious that nothing was done to herd them to warmer and safer waters.
In Mossel Bay, South Africa, there's a fight between environmentalists/marina mammal lovers and PetroSA. PetroSA has plans for a liquid gas mooring facility in this particular bay, which has, thus far, been one of the "last pristine marine areas."
Excerpt:
Noise and light pollution would affect the whales and dolphins that frequent the bay and also subject them to the risk of entanglement in underwater cables. A fire or explosion would have "catastrophic long-term consequences"
So I hear it can and does get cold in Florida lol. How have the dolphins in the gulf coast off of Florida been faring? You can find out here: Bigger is Better
First of all, try to sometimes focus on other things rather than politics. For instance, marine mammals (whales, dolphins, penguins, etc.). They need more help than ever trying to survive in the ocean. You could get a team of people who really care and send them out to watch the whales, dolphins and penguins so hunters won't kill them. That would be extremely helpful to all the animals who need it. As for me, I would be happy as a little kid on their birthday (I love dolphins!).
It sucks to be sick. I had another much more grueling round of bronchitis to suffer through and it took over three weeks to get over that. :: sigh :: It's hard to get anything done when you have to cough like a crazy woman every few minutes. Plus it exhausts you.
In addition, my partner went in for a heart catheter procedure a little less than two weeks ago. So that was surreal and provided some tense moments for awhile. Fortunately, all is okay on that front.
At least I was able to get out for a nice dinner for my birthday on the 15th, so that was nice!
With the Whale Wars season now concluded on the Animal Planet, I wanted to share some thoughts / observations I had.
It is unfortunate, in my opinion, that so much was focused on the group politics/drama ...
Some observations I've made about the Sea Shepherd ..
(1) While it is known that the volunteers who come on board do not necessarily have experience with being out to sea and what to do, etc ... seems to me that there should be some training provided or to have it be a prerequisite to being on the team, to have either the training or some experience beforehand. So many incidents that happened could have had very different, disastrous, and potentially fatal results.
(2) While I admire Paul Watson's passion for what he does and given he's spent pretty much his entire life dedicated to this issue., I have to wonder sometimes if he's not grandstanding for the media or creating situations that are manipulating the media to give the Sea Shepherd more attention.
(3) The top of the crew seem to have a hard core attitude that runs along the lines of "You're either with us, or against us." That may be a little too extreme of me to say, but it does kinda push towards that general direction and I find that turns me off a little bit. Without having provided any training or having screened people before boarding (to my knowledge anyway) it seems the management on the crew expect people to know right off the bat what to do, how to act, etc ...there's little to no room for mistakes out there and yet they continue to bring newbies and rookies out there and expect the world from them.
(4) An example of possible media manipulation on the part of Captain Watson (and this is just my opinion and observation and I am the first to admit I could be way off base) is when he was allegedly shot and a bullet was found in his vest. What did he do immediately after announcing that this happened? He went back inside the ship and starting talking to various media outlets about what happened and wrote about it online. I dunno. I smell a rat here ...
Maybe I'm being too hard on them ... I support the Sea Shepherd organization and have a great deal of respect for what they do because so far, they are the ONLY organization that continues to be out there consistently, year in and year out, dedicating themselves to saving the whales and bringing to the public light, how very serious this issue is and how apathetic and inhumane the Japanese whale hunters are on this matter.
So those are my thoughts at this time, based on having watched the entire Whale Wars season.
I welcome other observations and opinions on this. Please feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Now that I'm not coughing anymore and finally have my energy back, I'll be here with regular updates. Please accept my apologies for the long absence. Every day I would tell myself I need to go to my computer and write something, but I just didn't have the energy to focus on it. I appreciate those of you who have sent me messages inquiring about how I'm doing and when I would be back, etc ... your kind thoughts and get well wishes are very much appreciated!
