Fox in the Hen House, Monsanto'sMan Muscles VTOrganic

As each day progresses forward of the era “change we can believe in,” I am steadily becoming more nihilistic, for no matter what the political event the issue has been corrupted or is merrily a political “dog and pony show” pretending to do something. This weekend while most Americans were still giddy from last week’s Super Bowl, excited with the start of the Olympics, or exuberant over the Daytona 500, the little discussed Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, spoke at Vermont farmers. (Please note questions were pre-selected and were not allowed by any of the general audience, as should be in a democracy.) Mr. Vilsack spoke with a panel that including Senator Bernie Sanders (the supposed “anti-big industry man”), Senator Leahy (the I speak to Vermont Farmers every Morning man) and their boy wonder Congressman Peter Welch (I love Local Food) at the Vermont Northeastern Organic Farmer’s (NOFA) Conference to trump the success of the organic food movement, however USDA policy is completely on a different path.

When I first heard that Vilsack was attending the NOFA conference I was outraged because this is similar to having Dick Cheney speak to an anti-war group on proposing methods for creating peace, or simply the fox managing the chicken coop. I am not sure, but supposedly NOFA was forced to accept Mr. Vilsack’s arrival and the pre-orchestrated format on the advice of the VT congressional delegation. Whatever the situation, this is classic example on how issues and politicians corrupt all movements to suit their own agenda, just like the “Green” agenda or the movement for “change”.

Nonetheless, for those of you who do not know, Tom Vilsack was the man designated by the Biotechnology Industry Organization as the Governor of the Year while governor of the Industrial Corn State of Iowa. Furthermore, Mr. Vilsack was a lobbyist and an attorney for Monsanto, the bioengineering giant who’s predatory behavior has destroyed America’s family farms, and now thanks to Obama’s favorable trade policies(previous presidents too), they are further expanding their outreach to the “undeveloped world.”

Along with this charade by Vermont’s congressional delegation, the Vermont media showed off their corrupted values by failing to report Mr. Vilsack’s basic history. The coverage was either purposely lacking or poor journalism because nowhere does the media cover Mr. Vilsack’s past, not even superficially when a related question was brought to table. The Burlington Free Press, (A Gannett/USA TODAY RAG), printed the following exchange:

He (Will Stevens) asked what Vilsak would do about the threat of contamination posed by generically modified seeds. Vilsak suggested new insurance products and more research on how to avoid contamination could help.

“I’m not going to take sides,” he explained later in an interview. “What is happening on the organic side is exciting.”

NOT GOING TO TAKE SIDES… and then the next line should have been VILSACK THE FORMER MONSANTO LOBBYIST…

Once again, American democracy hijacked by self serving politicians and industrial giants to feed their own egos and the corporate bottom-line. One of my favorite music quotes sums this situation up well, “You don’t need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows.”

Peace

Robb Kidd

“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” Malcom X…