Who's afraid of Naomi Wolf

So I have watched an interesting film called The End of America. This is a film I suggest you see and you can for free. I have included it at the end of the blog if you want to watch it. Naomi Wolf talks about some serious issues we are facing and the terrifying changes that the Bush administration pushed through. I know we are mostly rooting for Obama to fix many of the issues caused by Bush - but one of the key things is getting those laws REMOVED from the books.

We can cheer all we want for Barack Obama but maybe the next president is not as "people oriented" and decides that he really wants to make use of some of those new laws just ripe for the picking. Like charging you with sedition because you did not vote for him. That of course is really just too dramatic... This is America after all. We do not have those issues here.

Ms. Wolf goes back several times to talk about the accountability of Bush and those he supported in the White House. How many times did your or I watch the news or an inquiry into an event that ended in a semantic argument? What do you mean by that? Well... what I mean is did you fire the gun. "Well I am not sure I fully understand what you are asking - when you say "fire" are we talking about a BBQ?"

And I wonder if this has anything to do with why so many real (not the new industry approved factory version) organic farmers and "back to basics" farmers are being mistreated.

What the hell does this have to do with farming?
I would like to tell you that... This has to do with farming because until very recently, the last 20 years or so, farmers had an ENORMOUS influence in Washington. Policies were made or broken by stubborn farmers everywhere.

We have been forced to take a path that down plays the importance of food and those who make it. There is power in food. That sounds really stupid doesn't it, however even Sun Tzu wrote about it 2,000 years ago in the Art of War.

Quote #1:
If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him; if well supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietly encamped, he can force him to move.

Quote #2:
Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

Starve the enemy that is well stocked with foods and feed your troops by taking food from the enemy to further deplete his stores. There is power in food but the message has been muted because of the plenty we have and because we ourselves do not get involved in the process, unless it is to pick up a box at the store. Indeed many of us would not even know where to start if we wanted to get involved in the process. This leaves us dependent on a few powerful groups that now supply us with what we need... the farmers are no longer part of that group.

One of the things I appreciate is that President Obama also recognizes this grossly ignored aspect of our society. Here is a fantastic statement from him on the subject:

"Our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time it is creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats. That are also now vulnerable to sky high food prices or crashes in food prices. Huge swings in commodity prices and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare cost. Because they are contributing to type II diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare cost."

While he does not say specifically that the treatment of Farmers needs to be addressed he does talk about the results of their mistreatment. Here are some articles that I have collected about the current gross mistreatment of farmers today. This excludes the standard mistreatment that they already experience regularly (such as subsidies for only 4 types of crops) these go even further beyond what most have come to expect.

Percy Schmeiser vs. Monsanto (Patent infringement on natural cross pollination and wind blown seeding)

Police Raid on Organic Co-Op (Armed agents, Department of Health, Police perform a forceful raid, search & seizure on family farm)

Lose your property for growing food? (He who controls the food really makes the rules. )

Trafficking in Raw Milk (After illegal drugs, raw milk is the underground commodity in America. Illegal in most areas and benefiting only Big Dairy)

Which came first, the egg or the permit? (Health Bureau requires small-scale egg producers to get new documentation, the cost of which can put them out of business.)

This one is just fun.

Big Agriculture takes umbrage at Michelle Obama's Organic victory garden

By not allowing you or I to take charge of our food we are being denied more than just constitutional rights - but fundamental human rights. Ms. Wolf talks about the closing of society and how normal citizens are being treated as criminals. I believe that this is an extension of that, an mostly overlooked extension. When we think about constitutional rights and violations we need something major to bring it into view... something like mass arrests of students or immigrants - certainly not a bunch of hippie farmers who should be buying their food like everyone else.