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The USDA Takes Advice From Rush Limbaugh

by: Jill Richardson

Mon May 11, 2009 at 05:00:00 AM PDT

Recently, Republican Eric Cantor announced a Republican "listening tour." The next day Rush Limbaugh said:

"We do not need a listening tour. We need a teaching tour. That is what the Republican Party, or, slash, the conservative movement needs to focus on. Listening tour ain't it."

Cantor got the hint and changed his tune very quickly. But so did, unfortunately, the USDA. That's right - the United States Department of Agriculture. No, they weren't planning a Republican listening tour. They were planning a National Animal ID System (NAIS) listening tour to find out why SO MANY family farmers, horse owners, pet owners, and people who like to buy food from family farmers were INFURIATED by the idea of NAIS.

Turns out, it's a teaching tour, more or less. They want to teach us to like this program that is going to crush family farmers without really improving food safety at all. Each "listening" session gets kicked off with an hour of the USDA talking. That's followed by a mere 2 hours of public comment, and then breakout groups. Consider also that this is planting season for anyone who grows crops in addition to raising livestock, and they only gave farmers two weeks notice about the listening sessions.

You can also submit comments via the internet. You can't mail or fax them in. And an awful lot of farmers don't have internet. So many, actually, that rural broadband is a current major initiative at the USDA.

At the end of these "listening" sessions, the USDA will be able to say that they listened to the opposition before cracking down on mandatory animal ID. Except that they won't really have listened.

Want to take action? Don't just send in comments to the USDA (I will make sure to post instructions and talking points on this blog). Read this article about NAIS and then CALL the office of Rosa DeLauro, the Congresswoman from Connecticut. She's the major force behind this initiative to speed up the implementation of NAIS. Don't email unless you live in her district because members of Congress often filter out emails from outside the district. Instead use these numbers:

Phone: 202-225-3661
Fax: 202-225-4890

Jill Richardson :: The USDA Takes Advice From Rush Limbaugh

Tags: USDA, NAIS, livestock, Judith McGeary, Rush Limbaugh, (All Tags)

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The USDA Takes Advice From Rush Limbaugh | 5 comments

There is another way to view this situation (4.00 / 1)

The Bush administration was pushing hard for NAIS, the momentum was there to make NAIS a final reg with limited pubic input. The new administration is attempting to slow down the NAIS train that was leaving the station.

Yes two weeks is a short time, but if you've ever been to a federal public hearing they are following a standard format of explaining their proposal first, then allowing public comment.

The federal employees will sit though some very harsh public comments and every word will be recorded and posted on the web. Public comment, either in a meeting or written will be considered in the final rule making. Please remember that Merrigan and Vilsack will review any NAIS drafts.

If you look for harm in every action, you will miss the good.

by: OrganicGeorge @ Mon May 11, 2009 at 12:56:59 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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Fair enough (4.00 / 1)

Vilsack's best trait is his ability to listen and his willingness to do so. It seems that Merrigan is the same way. But they've got Congress on their backs, threatening to yank the money if they don't do this. Congress needs to hear from us.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon May 11, 2009 at 13:55:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Remember also, though (4.00 / 2)

that at the Round Table meeting held in April, that Vilsack advised everyone there that he woulk like everyone to come up with a mandatory system that they could accept. That, to me, means that he's not considering a voluntary system as an option. Also, that hearing I watched in DC convinced me that an awful lot of people, not just Rosa DeLauro, want NAIS to be mandatory, for everyone, and yesterday, not tomorrow.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

by: Joanne Rigutto @ Mon May 11, 2009 at 15:27:41 PM UTC

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I didnt watch the hearing (4.00 / 1)

wish I did... grr. The last I heard from Collin Peterson was that he wants it mandatory but thinks the USDA has the authority to do it already and thus doesn't want to pass a bill. DeLauro on the other hand controls the moey. Vilsack doesn't want to get punished by having his cash taken away. Although I think MAYBE her problem isn't so much that she wants NAIS but that they've wasted so much money on nothing and she doesn't want to fund NAIS with no result.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon May 11, 2009 at 16:49:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

For the source, (0.00 / 0)

I'd be reluctant to post this, since they're a bit fringe, but check out this pamplet on mind-changing group manipulation techniques. Sounds a lot like these "listening" tours -- and maybe offers some ideas on how to thwart the propaganda push?

http://www.rumormillnews.com/p...

by: martini @ Mon May 11, 2009 at 22:24:37 PM UTC

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The USDA Takes Advice From Rush Limbaugh | 5 comments