N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREEDOM!

Discussion in 'Freedom and Liberty' started by wildernessgal, Nov 7, 2007.


  1. wildernessgal

    wildernessgal Backwoods is a callin'

    Everyday they are taking away MORE AND MORE OF OUR FREEDOMS!!!! :mad: Imagine, there are still folk out there who actually have NO CLUE about what N.A.I.S. is!?!?!?!


    For those who don't , it stands for the : National Animal Identification System


    <!--strtcv-->But what is NAIS?<!--stptcv-->

    The National Animal ID program was originally designed to give the big beef producers help in getting export markets which required disease controls. The idea is that every single livestock animal in the United States will be identified and tagged. All livestock animal movements will be tracked, logged and reported to the government. The benefit is to the big factory farms who probably do need this type of regulation. They get to do single ID’s for large groups of animals. Small farmers, pet owners and homesteaders will have to tag and track every single animal.
    There are no exceptions - even small farms that sell direct to local consumers will be required to pay the fees and file all the paper work on all their animals. Even horse, llama and other pet owners will be required to participate in NAIS. Homesteaders who raise their own meat and grandma with her one egg hen will also have to register their homes as ‘farm premises’ and obtain a Premise ID, tag all their animals and submit all the paperwork and fees. Absurd? Yes - There are no exceptions under the current NAIS plan. The USDA has slipped this plan in the back door without any legislation. This is going to be very expensive and guess who is going to pay for it in higher food prices… You!




    <!--strtcv-->Can NAIS affect me?<!--stptcv-->

    NAIS will help some big corporations, like the big beef producers, by opening up export markets for them to other countries.
    NAIS will hurt a lot of different people including consumers, pet owners, children, homesteaders and small farmers.
    Consumers will face higher meat prices under NAIS because the cost of producing meat will go up with the addition of fees to the government to support the NAIS program. The cost of other foods, like vegetables, will likely also go up as well since the manure from meat animals is used to fertilize the soil to grow better crops. Most importantly, NAIS will result in many small farms going out of business. The consolidation of the meat industry into fewer, big, agri-biz producers means they will have more control of the market and be able to charge higher prices for the same product.
    Pet owners will be forced to register their family horse, pet sheep, llamas and other ‘livestock’ that aren’t part of the food chain. This will cost them money and be a hassle with paperwork and premise ID fees each year. Furthermore, every time you want to take your pet to the vet, on a trail ride or even just cross the road you’ll have to submit paperwork with the government and probably pay a fee. Every time. In time, they plan to do the same for pet dogs and cats. See PAWS legislation and the Vermont Pet Merchant bill that requires you to register as a pet dealer if you cat has kittens or your dog has puppies.
    Children who are in 4-H or Future Farmers of America will have to register their parents house as a farm and get a Premise ID as well as paying the annual fees and doing paper work every time an animal is bought, sold, shown or moved. This will also stifle county fairs which are already on fragile footing. Figure you’ll not be seeing livestock at fairs of the future - there will just be the midway and amusement rides that are poorly inspected, but no animals.
    Homesteaders, people who grow some of their own food, will have to register with the government as a farm and obtain a Premise ID. They’ll also have to pay the annual fees associated with that and fill out the paperwork on all of their livestock. Every time you have chicks, goats, piglets or other animals born you’ll need to register it with the government. Every time an animal dies you’ll have to register it with the government. Got a predator problem? Expect to fill out a lot of paperwork. Have an animal escape the fence and cross the road or go onto a neighbor’s property? Fill out more forms and the neighbor may have to fill out forms, too. Animals come on to your property uninvited? More forms. And no, there are no exceptions. Every livestock animal must be registered, tagged and tracked from birth to death.
    Small Farmers who sell direct to their customers will be devastated. Small farmers already work at higher costs than the big factory farms. Under NAIS they’ll have to identify each and every animal at a high cost because they can’t use the group identification techniques of the big Agri-Biz corporations. The big guys do all-in/all-out animal management. Each mass group of animals are of one gene stock and the same age. The factory farms need only apply for one ID to cover the entire group of thousands of animals. Small, traditional-style farmers have many, genetically diverse animals of different ages on their farms. Each individual animal will be required to have an ID. The result is that the cost of farming will go up greatly for small farmers. This is likely to be the final nail in the coffin of small farming. Developers will be over joyed as they buy up farm land at rock bottom prices to divide up into condos and strip malls. Rural America will turn dingy with pavement. Gone will be the fields, pastures and meadows filled with grazing livestock. Vermont can kiss it’s tourist industry good-bye.
    Sugar Mountain Farm Customers who buy our pastured pork, pigs, piglets, lambs and chickens will be looking at higher prices because it will cost us more time and money to fill out all the government’s paperwork and pay their ridiculous new fees. I would estimate that this will raise the price by $10 to $15 per animal, possibly more since the full fee structure is not yet known. More over, if you’re buying live animals like laying hens, lambs or piglets then you’ll have to get a Premise ID from the government for your home, pay the annual Premise ID fee and do any paperwork for each and every livestock animal you have as well as paying the associated animal fees. Currently you save money and get better meat by raising it yourself or buying our pasture raised products. Under NAIS you’ll pay more money for the same thing without any benefits.
    Big Agri-Biz are the clear winners under NAIS. They will get expanded export markets and legal liability protection at minimal cost. Because small farmers will be forced out of business due to all the additional fees and paperwork the big Agri-Biz corporations will gain more domestic market, bigger monopolies, more market control and higher profits. They’re salivating at the prospect. Not only that, but it will be harder for individuals to raise their own better quality food, it will cost them more money and they’ll face more paperwork and government regulation.
    Just what we all need - Not.








    <!--strtcv-->Does NAIS Stop Disease?<!--stptcv-->

    No. Despite recent claims by some, NAIS does nothing to stop disease or contamination in the food supply. NAIS was not intended for this purpose. The goal of the National Animal Identification System is to provide 48-hour trace back to the farm of origin in the case of problems so that the big agri-biz industry can increase their exports to foreign markets. NAIS is about expanded profits. Also realize that “48-hour track back” is 48 hours after the problem is detected. That could be weeks or even months after the problem actually occurred. NAIS is not about disease prevention - it is about track-back and more importantly expanded profits for the big corporate producers who want more export markets. Everything else about NAIS is a ruse to get the public to swallow their swill.
    Most contamination of the food supply happens after the animals leave the farm. For example if animal intestines are improperly mixed with ground beef, a hydraulic hose breaks in a meat cutting factory or if a cutting blade breaks and leaves metal shards in the food it makes the food unacceptible for human consumption. If the problem is not reported at the factory and gets discovered later after the food has already been distributed and possibly sold to consumers then there is a recall. We frequently hear about this happening in the news. There is already a system to handle this type of problem. We do not need a new layer of government, paperwork and fees for this. Furthermore, the problem has nothing to do with the farm which is what NAIS is focused on.
    As to disease, meat sold in stores and restaurants is already USDA inspected at slaughter and processing. If there were problems with disease in an animal then the inspectors should catch it at that level. Again NAIS does not help at all with disease prevention - it is after the fact and duplication of existing systems. The scary reality about meat from the big commercial producers is that there are not enough USDA inspectors so the inspection job is not getting done. This is part of why there are so many recalls. If the USDA would do its job then there would be no need for NAIS. NAIS is being used by the USDA as a diversion to hide from the fact that they aren’t up to snuff.
    NAIS does nothing to stop the spread of BSE (Mad Cow Disease). It is believed that BSE is caused by the big Agri-Biz corporations and factory farmers practice of grinding up old cows and feeding them back to cows. The common practice used to be to grind up cow parts and add them to the cow feed to increase the protein levels of the feed. This also saved money on the disposal of the slaughter wastes. That practice has already been banned. Enforcing that ban is the solution to BSE and related diseases.
    NAIS does not help with the much feared Avian Flu (H5N1) which is spread by wild birds. The biggest threat of bird flu and other diseases is to the large poultry factory style operations which have mono-genetic cultures. All of their livestock is the same genome and thus easily wiped out by a single disease incidence. NAIS will do nothing to protect them or consumers. NAIS will make it very hard for regular people like you and me to keep a backyard flock for egg and meat production. Once again NAIS is the wrong tool being used on the wrong patient. The real question here is if the government is forcing NAIS down our throats why does the USDA turn around and want to ship American chickens to China for slaughter and then back here again for consumption. Think money.
    A better solution is for consumers to buy their meat from local farmers who raise their livestock on pasture where this is a non-issue. Buying local also means that your food was produced locally, you support your local farmers and less petroleum is used to ship the meat across the country. We are being told that we should use less petrol, right?! Buying local keeps your money in your community rather than sending it far away to the pockets of big corporate ‘farms’. I put farms in quotes because what they do in their factories and feedlots is so far away from farming it is a joke. Big Agri-Biz does not like the Buy Local movement because it hurts their profits. NAIS will devastate the Buy Local movement - something Big Agri-Biz would love to see happen. Believe me you won’t see Tyson and the other big boys selling down at your local farmer’s market!
    One of the NAISty things about the USDA’s proposal is that under NAIS they can come in and take your livestock without a warrant, without due process, without a legal hearing. They can then destroy or redistribute your animals without compensation to you. Valuable breeding stock can be wiped out in the crack of an inspector’s handgun and you had better not get in their way or you could go to prison. Failure to register your home or farm with a Premise ID already faces a $1,000 a day fine in some states. This is a violation of our Fourth Amendment Constitutional rights as outlined in the Bill of Rights.
    NAIS will not prevent disease but it will dramatically raise costs for small farmers, homesteaders and ultimately for consumers. It will cost us money in fees, fines, tags and equipment. It will cost us time to fill out all the mountains of paperwork and track every individual little baby chick, every piglet, every lamb reporting every ‘event’. This added cost will drive many farmers out of business. The result will be a loss of local small farms and a consolidation of our food supply into the hands of fewer and fewer big corporations. NAIS is another example of Big Brother government helping Big Agri-Biz make more profits at the public’s expense. Remember to follow the money trail.





    <!--strtcv-->How will we stop NAIS?<!--stptcv-->

    We can stop NAIS by getting loud. Politicians need to hear our voice, the roar of the common people headed for the polls to vote them out of office this November for letting things like NAIS happen. Our politicians have been either asleep at the switch or actively conspiring with Big Agri-Biz to take away our freedoms.
    The comment periods are still open. The USDA needs to know, in no uncertain terms, that people are not going to stand still for this sort of treatment. Big business should not be able to take over every aspect of our lives and profit from everything. Individual independence and freedom are more important to maintaining our national security than profits.
    Act now. Speak up. Be heard. Spread the word.
    Just say NO! to NAIS.




    <!--strtcv-->What can I do to help?<!--stptcv-->

    Here are some ways you can help make a difference:


    Get Informed


    The government’s most powerful tool in this battle for our rights is secrecy and apathy. Lets change that and take back our great country!
    1. Read the Handout. It explains the background and dangers of NAIS in a one sheet summary including web links to supporting documentation.
    2. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at left which answer the basics.
    3. See additional articles from this site and others - see links in the left and right sidebars.
    4. Extra Credit: Read the 84 pages of USDA draft regulations for NAIS. See the Technical Documents section of the right hand sidebar of this page.
    Stay Informed


    By staying informed you are empowering yourself against the government and big corporations that would steal away your rights and freedoms.
    1. Get email alerts from NoNAIS.org in the top of the right hand sidebar.
    2. Subscribe to the NoNAIS.org RSS feed or;
    3. Bookmark NoNAIS.org and come back often to check out what’s happening.
    4. Extra Credit: Join a NoNAIS discussion list - see right sidebar for national and state-by-state lists.
    Speak Out


    Let legislators, bureaucrats and other folks know what you think about NAIS. If they realize that this is a hot button topic they’ll want to be sure to come down on the right side of the fence - the people’s side.
    1. Sign a petition. This is the easiest thing to do but probably the one most likely to be ignored by the government.
    2. Give feedback to the USDA.
    3. Email Neil Hammerschmidt who is the USDA Animal ID Coordinator.
    4. Email or write your state legislative members. This carries far more weight than a petition. See the sample letters below. Paper letters have much more of an impact than email and it only costs 39¢ for a first class stamp. Even a simple postcard will do the trick.
    5. Email or write to your Congressional representatives in the House and Senate.
    6. Extra Credit: Organize a rally to get media attention, speak at a meeting or on a talk show.
    Spread the Word

    To break the government’s lock of secrecy we need to inform more people about NAIS. Once people find out about how the USDA is sneaking this through they get upset and want to stop it. So spread the word!
    1. Link to NoNAIS.org on your web pages and blogs. See these instructions. This also helps NoNAIS.org’s search engine page ranking.
    2. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. This helps spread the word so that other people know about the dangers of NAIS, can find this web site and take action. See the sample letters below.
    3. Pass out the NoNAIS handout to people you know, leave it at gatherings, libraries, general stores, etc.
    4. Hang-up the NoNAIS Poster and hang it up on bulletin boards. This is an eye catcher that includes tear off tabs with contact info to get people to come to NoNAIS.org to find out more about NAIS. A postal address is included for people who lack internet access.
    5. Become a mobile billboard - Put a bumper sticker on your car or hang the NoNAIS Poster. If you want you can even print your own bumper stickers using the artwork here.
    6. Extra Credit: Place ads in your local newspapers and advertising papers using your own ad design or one of these ads. Local sales paper ad spots are often very inexpensive running $10 to $150 per week depending on ad size and newspaper circulation. This will reach a great many people.
    7. Bonus Credit: Tattoo NoNAIS.org across your forehead. Note: this is only for extremists over the age of 18, not recommended if you work for a Fortune 500 company, permanent tattoos are, keep off the grass, void where prohibited…
    What ever you do, do not voluntarily signup for Premise ID. It is a slippery slope down into fascist Big Brother government. Many people are being “voluntarily” signed up without their permission so watch out for suspicious questionnaires in the mail or by phone. In most states, you are not required at this time to sign up for Animal ID or Premise ID, two of the components of NAIS. Know your rights.

    Feel free to use the sample letters below which you can copy to your email program or word processor, print, sign and send. For a more powerful message, modify the letter to fit your views or, best of all, write your own letters for the greatest impact.


    <B>Sample Letter #1:

    I am very opposed to the National Animal ID System. It is an invasion of our privacy and our rights. The real reason for the system is to give profits to the big meat exporters. Disease prevention can be better achieved through simple bio-security procedures without having to trample all over the Constitution. Please stop the USDA and states from implementing Premise ID, Animal ID and Animal Tracking. NAIS should be kept 100% voluntary. At the very least, we need an exemption for small farmers, homesteaders and pet livestock owners. Please go to http://NoNAIS.org to learn more about this unreasonable regulation.​
    </B>



    <B>Sample Letter #2:

    I am concerned that USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is going to destroy the wonderful Buy Local movement that has just been getting its feet off the ground. The burden of NAIS is going to be overwhelming for small farmers who sell directly to customers.​
    </B>


    <B>
    There is no need for tracking their animals nor is there any need to track the animals of pet owners (horses, etc) or homesteaders who are raising their own food. There should be exemptions for these groups. NAIS might be a good idea for those big, horrible factory farms and for big farms that sell into the commercial food distribution system, but it is a bad idea for local farmers.
    People interested in learning more about NAIS should go to http://NoNAIS.org
    “Should I sign electronic petitions?” Yes, but I do not have a lot of faith that they will be much good. I don’t think that the government listens to electronic petitions or puts much weight in them. Still, go ahead and do it because it is easy to do and maybe something good will come of it. However, do not just do that. Also take other actions as outlined above.</B>
    “Can I send money to NoNAIS.org?” No, I am not accepting donations at this time. I have some ideas for printing up masses of bumper stickers and decals to get the word out, but that project is in the future. Your voice and actions are what count most. Protecting our freedoms is a long haul project so be prepared to write letters every month to keep the ball rolling. If you really want to spend money, buy ads in newspapers, on Google and other places that will help spread the word. Some people are already doing this with great results.
    Talk about NAIS. Get other people interested. Spread the word. The government has conspired with big business to keep this quiet too long. We must speak up and be heard. What we need is the power of the voice of the people. The force of people speaking up and rejecting this absurd usurpation of our rights, our freedoms. Take a stand now while you still can. Lets once again make this be “America, the Land of the Free and the Brave!”
    Cheers,
    -Walter Jeffries
    Sugar Mountain Farm
    http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
    in Vermont

    ***The above info. came from the NONAIS.ORG SITE (link is below)




    GO HERE FOR MORE INFO:

    http://nonais.org/

    http://stopanimalid.org/

    http://www.grannywarriors.com/

    http://www.westonaprice.org/federalupdate/aa2006/infoalert_09jun06.html


    Sincerely,
    Wildernessgal
    (who is severely :mad: off by this issue!)
     
  2. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    Thanks WG, I had forgotten about this ( thought it went away)...The sheer heavy handedness of this (NO exemptions for homesteaders) proves to me food is to be used as a weapon. I wonder if its time for a hearty "F U" ; civil ( or uncivil) disobedience is all that's left to ridiculous one sided bills like this.(I AGREE AARRGGHH)..

    If you can feed yourself you won't need to fall in on the march to a government provided "camp out"(and that really p*sses Ollie North off), think I'll go look at wasr's today,spent last night reviewing the latest crop of "police state" videos online: infuriating.

    Now your "westonprice.org linkstates:


    The NAIS participation guidelines for small, non-commercial producers is based on how you manage (move, market, etc.) animals and the associated risk of disease exposure and spread. Again, the NAIS covers only cattle and bison, cervids (e.g., deer and elk); goats; horses; camelids (e.g., llamas and alpacas); poultry; sheep; and hogs.
    Definition of Non-Commercial Producer for NAIS:
    1. Individuals whose animals are not moved to auction barns or from their location to those of commercial producers; and/or
    2. Individuals whose animal movements are limited to those moved directly to custom slaughter; movement within a single producer's premises; local fairs and local 4-H event.
    So there are some exemptions,guess I'll have to read further before raising a fuss...
     
  3. AlterEgo

    AlterEgo Monkey+++

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    I think they may have some problems enforcing these regs. Some folks don't take to kindly to gmen snooping around their property. Plus the hogs need to be fattened up.

    AE
     
  4. BAT1

    BAT1 Cowboys know no fear

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    This is simply a way to take self sustainment away from the individual, making them dependant on the system. It also gives them the right to come inspect your property. Yeah, first it's voluntary, then it will be mandatory. Resist this at all costs. Derry Brownfield talks about this alot on Genisis Radio Network. Another plank of the communist manefesto. Control of all food.
     
  5. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    With the exemptions Tango mentions this wouldnt directly effect homesteaders UNLESS they were selling animals BUT they would just let folks get used to this then do more.
     
  6. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    And there lies the problem. :mad: You can take this anyway you would like but me thinks there will NEVER be a chip in one of our animals and diffenantly not in one of our bodies. OSB[sawgunner]

    OGM
     
  7. wildernessgal

    wildernessgal Backwoods is a callin'

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE


    Tango they are trying to "not make it sound so bad" ya know , but it's already being implemented in several states and sounds like a complete disaster! I've already heard several HORROR STORIES about confiscating/putting down folks livestock, and they aren't even a commercial outfits (small guys) & won't give any sort of evidence or proof that the critters were sick!?!?!?! They say it's not mandatory, but the more folk voluntarily do it (register a premises for their property), then that's when they will impose it on us all! It's a BIG FAT SCAM ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE... I get pretty freakin' disgusted 'cause where the h*ll are our RIGHTS/FREEDOMS!!!????? Everyday it seems that more and more disappear and it really p*sses me off!

    Trust me, my ***realization moment** came years back when our government wanted my parents property in south florida and they purposely flooded our land, threatened to condemn it, & more... Long story, with no happy ending... But "OUR GOVERNMENT" PLAYS VERY VERY DIRTY indeed! :mad:

    ~W~
     
  8. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    Preaching to the choir "Wg"...Sometimes I wonder if I'm rightfully cynical or just a big walking doomer *ss hole....
    I don' t trust any authority anymore.( wife threatens to toss me out whenever she catches me watching hours of 9/11 truther stuff).
     
  9. wildernessgal

    wildernessgal Backwoods is a callin'

    Keep on RAMBLIN' so others will LEARN/become INFORMED...


    I hear ya TANGO... but sometimes you have to REPEAT, AND REPEAT AND REPEAT yourself, so that some will happen upon your words, and maybe become inspired by them. I know that many moons ago, there were things I wasn't aware of, and it took "someone else's voice" or writings to expose me to it, to LEARN/be INFORMED ABOUT THE SUBJECT MATTER!

    I don't care if I sound like a "BROKEN RECORD" or people get sick of hearing me go on about "stuff" because I have many many people who have THANKED ME THROUGH THE YEARS for freeing them from their IGNORANCE! JUST ON THAT ALONE, IT'S SO VERY WORTH IT! ;)

    On these types of sites, many people mostly carry on about "GUN-RIGHTS" (<--which that is a serious issue for me as well ) But truly it kinda P*SSES me off that people don't think as much about CRITTER/LIVESTOCK RIGHTS, RAW MILK RIGHTS, & other "foody issues" which are just as IMPORTANT! (Oh and many others like freedom from vaccination and sooooo much more....) They are 'cause they affect our LIFE/HEALTH! If we allow the government to control our FOOD, they control OUR LIFE.... Which ='s THEY ARE KILLING US ALL left and right and most of "us" are TOO F*CKIN' STUPID TO KNOW BETTER!?!!!

    Just my honest opinion, and we are very much the same Tango... very much the same. :)

    ~W~
     
  10. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    :) happy turkeyday! food, food ,wonderful food!!
     
  11. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    I think one of the bigest reasons why most folks focus more on the gun rights than the food rights at this point is that the guns are more tightly controled and even more than how tight the controles are is how harsh the punishments are. IOW, the folks who are interested in raw milk for instance can raise a cow and use the milk or buy milk from another small farmer and no one really cares and IF it is discovered then it pretty much gets a slap on the wrist. If you have guns and dont follow the most minute rules and it is discovered then at the LEAST the guns are taken and you pay huge fines and do some jail time, just as likely guys with guns show up and start shooting you and your family.

    Dont get me wrong, I agree the controles on the food we raise or buy (so long as it is represented honestly and not telling folks it is organic if its not and such) but if its a glowing ember then the guns are a blazeing inferno.
     
  12. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    Here in Missouri it is legal to sell raw milk (even if the milk board will tell you that it's not) but in some states the penalty is very harsh for gatting caught. There have been people that have lost their farms and done time for selling raw milk, beleave it or not. :shock:

    OGM
     
  13. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    You aren't paying for anything. The Federal tax dollars do not go toward any social programs, as it is entirely absorbed by the National Deficit. Whenever you see this bogus claim that states "your tax dollars are paying for..." you should immediately identify this as a targeted scam. Remember, many acts of legislation, political movements, books, movies, and social dissent platforms hinge on being played on BOTH sides. You must see past the barrier of false paradigm and realize what the true nature of this problem really is. The foundations for any federal involvement rests upon what has been forged in the 30's and 40's with FDR's mandates, and the seizure of all agriculture to begin with. Repeated cries and incessant pointing of fingers will not alleviate the symptoms nor the cause of the problem. Combined efforts and placing pressure on local legislators will do nothing to stop what has already been done either. These politicians who support undermining traditional authority are bought and paid for, many are appointed, not elected -and those who are not are quickly reminded just how simple it really is to contain a patriotic representative. Their hands are tied, and your enemy is practically untouchable. The AAM (American Agriculture Movement) has been waging war on the corrupt politicians and unconstitutional lawmaking for years with no real success. The problem exists within the very foundations of our system, to its very core; carefully manipulated and brilliantly executed in perfect fashion, from Congressional authority to Executive Privilege and Proclamation, and even Judicial decision.

    The key to alleviating this situation rests within their stronghold, their source of power. Money. Who makes it, and who controls its function. The Federal Reserve, the IRS, and the World Bank, to include the IMF and Bank of England -THIS is where the wheel meets the axle. Break this mechanism and the machine will stop. Ignore this simple doctrine and you will only end up being trampled by the machine.

    Don't give yourself away too easily, there are hundreds of nasty little programs out there, legislation being hurried through our House of Representatives and Congress daily. There are scores of corrupt judges and police, multitudes of communists and socialists, Democrats willing to do anything their Party mandates, Conservative pundits and loudmouths, religious zealots and fanatics, and millions of minorities and special interest groups willing, all willing to fight for their own petty agendas. Getting yourself distracted and caught up in this terrorstorm is not a difficult thing to do, really.
     
  14. wildernessgal

    wildernessgal Backwoods is a callin'

    Article of Interest: "Old McDonald Had a Farm..."

    <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=562 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Old McDonald Had a Farm...and He Got Arrested?


    </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>David E. Gumpert


    Just in time for the holidays, four beef carcasses hang from the improvised slaughterhouse at Greg Niewendorp's 160-acre farm outside East Jordan, in the north of Michigan's lower peninsula. It should be a happy Thanksgiving because, for the first time in eight months, his farm isn't under quarantine by Michigan's Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Niewendorp is free to slaughter cattle from his herd of twenty and fulfill contracts in time for the holidays to the couple dozen friends and neighbors who prize the specially bred grass-fed beef he produces.
    Yet it's also a bittersweet time, because the scars from his battle with the


    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
    Yet it's also a bittersweet time, because the scars from his battle with the MDA are still fresh. Last February, he refused to subject his cattle to a mandatory state program to test cattle in his region of Michigan for bovine tuberculosis--a program he argues, among other things, is unnecessary because he distributes his beef privately to people who trust his animal-raising techniques, but which the state insists is essential to ensure the beef isn't tainted.

    The state immediately slapped a quarantine on his farm, prohibiting the movement of animals onto or off the property. Then, in August, an MDA inspector arrived, escorted by two Michigan State Police officers, and attempted to convince Niewendorp to have his cattle tested by a vet waiting down the road. Niewendorp angrily ordered the inspector and police off his property, telling them that, without a search warrant, they were trespassers.

    Finally, in early October, a team of MDA inspectors and vets arrived again, this time with a search warrant and two sheriff's deputies--and backed up by a half-dozen state trooper SWAT team members and three emergency medical vehicles down the road.
    Niewendorp is convinced that "they would have liked to have killed me," but this time he didn't resist, so the vets did their deed and left. All the tests came back negative and the state lifted its quarantine last month.
    While the matter is over for the state, Niewendorp says it's just begun for him. "They'll need a search warrant to do the test next year." He's also organizing the Michigan chapter of the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association and says next year more Michigan farmers will refuse the test.
    These should be happy times for owners of small farms. Not only are commodity prices way up, but the buy-local movement has caught fire around the country. Rapidly growing numbers of people are embracing the romantic notion of buying food directly from area farmers, sometimes driving hours into the countryside to buy veggies, meat and milk.
    The number of farmers markets over the last five years has increased more than 50 percent, to nearly 4,500 from 2,800, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Since the European idea of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) was adopted by a handful of US farms twenty years ago, enabling consumers to buy shares in the output of local farms, the concept has been adopted by as many as 3,000 small farms across the US. Thousands of consumers are trekking out to dairy farms to purchase suddenly popular unpasteurized milk for its perceived health benefits over the pasteurized stuff, according to the Weston A. Price Foundation, a promoter of raw (unpasteurized) milk consumption. (Retail sales of raw milk are prohibited in most states).
    Cracking Down
    But as the re-emergence of a farm-to-consumer economy draws increasing amounts of cash out of the mass-production factory system, the new movement is bumping up against suddenly energized regulators who claim they want to "protect" us from pathogens and other dangers.
    Federal and state agriculture and health authorities say farmers are violating all kinds of regulations to meet fast-growing consumer demand, such as slaughtering their own hogs and cattle instead of using state and federally inspected facilities, and selling unpasteurized dairy products and cider without the proper permits. Farmers feel there are other issues lurking in the background and driving the regulators--for example, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) under which farm animals are tagged with computerized chips for tracking; in most states the federal program is voluntary, but in Michigan it is mandatory, so the regulators who tested Greg Niewendorp's cattle for bovine TB also affixed radio frequency identification tags to their ears.
    Whatever the immediate cause, the result is the same: regulators are cracking down on small farms with a ferocity that has their new urban customers aghast.
    In just the last few weeks, there have been at least a half-dozen notable incidents. In Virginia's Nelson County, ten agriculture agents, aided by state police hauled off 62-year-old custom hog farmer Richard Bean, and his 60-year-old wife, Jean Rinaldi, for slaughtering their own hogs, charging them with a felony and eleven misdemeanors. Bean and Rinaldi were frustrated with the expense of having to haul their hogs more than two hours to the nearest slaughterhouse, and felt they could do it as well or better themselves.
    In New York, health authorities shut down Munir Bahai's apple cider operations in Victor on his busiest weekend of the season in early October, costing him $4,500 in sales because he wasn't pasteurizing his juice. He says consumers travel thirty miles or more to buy his cider simply because it isn't pasteurized.
    Also in New York, the Department of Agriculture and Markets a few weeks ago quarantined the raw milk yogurt and buttermilk at Barbara and Steve Smith's Meadowsweet Farm outside Ithaca, saying the state's raw-milk permit program allows the direct sale only of milk, and prohibits other dairy products. Barbara Smith says she doesn't sell the dairy products but rather distributes them to 130 consumer shareholders of a limited liability company (LLC) she set up as the owner of her farm's eight-cow herd, and therefore is outside the purview of the state's raw-milk permit system.
    Some farmers are responding as Greg Niewendorp did in Michigan, with outright civil disobedience. In Pennsylvania, dairy farmer Mark Nolt continues in a standoff with agriculture authorities because he refuses to sell his raw milk under a state license. In August, authorities confiscated thousands of dollars' worth of milk products using a court order. He argues that because he has private contracts with his area customers, he doesn't need a license, and he continues to sell directly to consumers, despite the fact he could be arrested at any time.
    The situation has gotten so bad that a group of consumers and lawyers banded together last summer to provide legal support to besieged farmers via the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Its first two cases involve farmers in New York and Pennsylvania--both distributing unpasteurized milk privately to consumers.


    Protecting Whom?
    As much as regulators like to talk about protecting consumers, when you speak with them, it sometimes sounds more like they want more to protect corporate interests.
    Bridget Patrick, who is Michigan's Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Project Coordinator, told me recently that the case of Greg Niewendorp resisting testing of his herd "is a human health issue as well as an industry issue." Bovine tuberculosis can be passed on to people, she stated. Moreover, the fact that Michigan is one of a few areas in the US that still has evidence of bovine TB "has been a problem for the whole country" because some foreign markets won't buy American beef as a result.

    She strongly suggested that Niewendorp was a spoilsport for not going along with the testing. " We need to have everyone participate in the program" to prove bovine TB has been eradicated.
    Dairy regulators use the protection argument to justify their crackdown on raw-milk producers, though they tend not to mention the obvious: If consumers are buying milk unpasteurized, then that doesn't leave much for processors to do.
    Nor do any of the regulators like to talk much about the new economic model that is emerging in the farm-to-consumer model. Farmers who sell their cattle to processors may receive $2 a pound, compared to anywhere from $5 to $18 a pound, depending on the quantity purchased and the cut of meat, when they do their own slaughtering. Similarly, when dairy farmers sell milk to processors for pasteurization, they receive in the neighborhood of $1.50 to $2.50 a gallon (depending on bacteria counts and whether the milk is organic). When they sell direct, they receive $5 to $10 a gallon.
    Such discrepancies help explain why the farm-to-consumer model is "the gateway to farm prosperity," says Pete Kennedy, a lawyer who represents farmers both for the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund and the Weston A. Price Foundation.
    Lawyers like Kennedy argue that buying food directly from local farmers amounts to a contract between private parties, covered by the US Constitution. That argument won the day in Ohio earlier this year, when a state court overturned an Ohio Department of Agriculture revocation of a dairy farmer's milk license, ruling her "herdshare" arrangement, whereby dozens of consumers bought shares in the farmer's cows so as to gain access to raw milk, was legitimate.
    But this battle has a long way to go. The wide discrepancy in prices farmers receive by selling direct and cutting out corporate distributors and processors, not to mention grocery chains, may help explain why the government is coming down as hard as it is on farmers. Regulators and their legislator bosses are clearly prepared to use intimidation to put a halt to such nonsense before it gets completely out of hand.

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    The above article came from:

    http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071203/gumpert

    For more info. about N.A.I.S. go to: http://nonais.org/


    ~Wildernessgal~
     
  15. <exile>

    <exile> Padawan Learner

  16. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE


    Who do you think is pushing .gov to get this into law??? Follow the money. Everytime you move a animal from your farm to some other place, even if the animal gets out of your fence and goes to the neibors you have to report that and it has a fee with each reporting. There is one or two companies that will hold all of that data and colect the fees, which they claim will be millions of $$$/year. Then theres the ear tags that have to be bought, more $$$. Yes boys and girls .gov is just following orders from the the masters ie...big buisness.

    OGM
     
  17. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    Wish the goobermint would take its thumb outta' my eye, every two days they've got to screw with us....

    STOP,just leave us alone! no more laws or programs to protect us!
     
  18. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    Tango

    .gov is just the puppet. Multi-nationals are the ones pulling all the strings.

    OGM
     
  19. wildernessgal

    wildernessgal Backwoods is a callin'

    N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREEDOM

    Today I was "FORWARDED" something which I wanted to share with everyone WHO CLAIMS TO CARE ABOUT PRESERVING THEIR FREEDOMS. This is just ONE OF MANY @ RISK....

    Sincerely,


    ~W~

    [​IMG]


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Note: forwarded message attached.



    <TABLE class=messageheader cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=label noWrap>From:</TD><TD>"Doreen" <ANIMALWAITRESS@YAHOO.COM></TD></TR><TR><TD class=label noWrap>Date:</TD><TD>Sun, 6 Apr 2008 05:31:23 -0700 (PDT)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=label noWrap>Subject:</TD><TD>[Missourians_Against_NAIS] Missouri Legislation NAIS</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- type = text -->



    <!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStartT|**|-~--><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEndT|**|-~-->Hello everyone,

    Last Monday, the 31st of March, there were over 150
    people at the capitol regarding family farm issues. It
    was a good rally and there was television coverage as
    well as newspaper. Then I had to leave to go to the
    NIAA convention in Indianapolis. ...I will be writing
    up a piece on that detailing what we learned there,
    but let me assure you, while they definitely hear us
    and are having lots of difficulty getting this to be
    accepted, they are pushing every button and pulling
    every string available to bring it to full fruition.
    We CAN be a beacon, but a most of the weight rests on
    you. You MUST call our representatives.

    To that end, SB931 has been assigned to Rep Brian
    Munzlinger's Agribusiness Committee. We have two
    friendly committee members in Guest and Kelly, the
    others are wild cards. Munzlinger, the Chair, has been
    a Farm Bureau guy, but is not as intractable as Rep
    Quinn. I was told that he is interested in getting
    this issue settled in Missouri this session and is for
    getting NAIS to be voluntary in our state.

    Here is the link for the Ag Business Committee. All
    members need to be called and especially Rep
    Munzlinger. Ask that they give 931 a hearing and make
    the bill stronger against NAIS.

    http://www.house. mo.gov/billtrack ing/bills081/ commit/com155. htm

    Here is the list of all House Members. They need the
    same message. Please support SB 931, but make it
    stronger against NAIS:

    http://www.house. mo.gov/content. aspx?info= /bills081/ member/memmail. htm

    I'm asking for a commitment from all of you. If you
    will commit to making 5 phone calls per day until this
    bill is passed, we can throw a serious wrench into
    NAIS in the entire nation and bring the issue to light
    at the Federal level. To date, I have 12,500+
    signatures from Missourians saying they will not
    comply and asking that the Missouri Legislators halt
    NAIS. If everyone of those people would make ONE phone
    call, the state would definitely hear us and do what
    has to be done.

    The Missouri cattlemen have received grant money from
    the NCBA who got it from the USDA and they will be
    holding meetings and doing a mass mailing to those who
    have NOT registered for NAIS. We have to get this
    legislation in place so people can have some recourse
    if they are in and want to get out....Details on that
    are grueling to say the least.

    If you will commit to doing so, please send me an
    email stating that that commitment. Remember that your
    freedom is your responsibility, and no one else can
    preserve it for you. Trust that the proponents of NAIS
    are NOT backing down. It isn't time to rest, yet. I
    will continue to fight for you and for the freedom of
    the children and grandchildren of the proponents of
    NAIS.....Will you?

    Thank you and God bless and Keep you,

    Doreen

    "We trade real labor for fake money to pay fraudulent taxes on stuff we
    don't own."


    Aaron Russo documentary Freedom to Fascism, watch it here:
    Google Videos Error

    The best place for info on the NAIS: www.nonais.org

    Stop the North American Union: http://stopspp.com/stopspp/


    Doreen Hannes News with Views Site ~ Where Reality Shatters Illusion
    http://www.newswithviews.com/Hannes/doreenA.htm
     
  20. FalconDance

    FalconDance Neighborhood Witch

    Re: N.A.I.S. for those who don't already know...Bye bye FREE

    Maybe you guys can answer this for me: The local grain elevator takes your name, addy etc. now every time you buy anything from them (chick starter, dog food, crimped corn, etc). They *say* the govt started requiring it after 9-11. I have yet to see written proof of that, mind you, and feel this is a mis-interpretation of something at best and NAIS-registration-by-the-backdoor at worst. I mean, purchase of bunny pellets is vastly different than purchase of anhydrous!!!!!

    (Visions of Monty Python-esque vorpal bunnies hijacking governmental offices = [ROFL] )

    Can anyone confirm or prove this otherwise, please?
     
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