Global
CORNUCOPIA, WI: The Cornucopia Institute has learned that the USDA appears about to revoke the organic certification of the nation's largest industrial dairy operator, Aurora Organic Dairy, with corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
Aurora operates several giant factory dairies milking thousands of cows each in semi-arid areas of Colorado and Texas. The company has been the subject of a series of formal legal complaints filed with the USDA by The Cornucopia Institute. The complaints from the Wisconsin-based farm policy group filed in 2005 and 2006, called for a USDA investigation into allegations of numerous organic livestock management improprieties on Aurora’s facilities.
“After personally inspecting some of Aurora’s dairies in Texas and Colorado, we found 98% of their cattle in feedlots instead of grazing on pasture as the law requires,” stated Mark Kastel, Cornucopia’s senior farm policy analyst. Cornucopia also found that Aurora was procuring cattle from a non-certified organic source in apparent violation of the law. “Our sources tell us that the USDA’s investigators found many other violations when conducting their probe of Aurora.”
Aurora operates several giant factory dairies milking thousands of cows each in semi-arid areas of Colorado and Texas. The company has been the subject of a series of formal legal complaints filed with the USDA by The Cornucopia Institute. The complaints from the Wisconsin-based farm policy group filed in 2005 and 2006, called for a USDA investigation into allegations of numerous organic livestock management improprieties on Aurora’s facilities.
“After personally inspecting some of Aurora’s dairies in Texas and Colorado, we found 98% of their cattle in feedlots instead of grazing on pasture as the law requires,” stated Mark Kastel, Cornucopia’s senior farm policy analyst. Cornucopia also found that Aurora was procuring cattle from a non-certified organic source in apparent violation of the law. “Our sources tell us that the USDA’s investigators found many other violations when conducting their probe of Aurora.”
I am appalled at the article "Big love's big problem," by Rhonda
Chriss Lokeman recently published at the Free Press. Mitt Romney very
well may have a problem with the electorate because of his religion,
but slandering him in such an uninformed and hateful way, because of
his religion, is simply beyond acceptable.
I know that a long email isn't likely to be read, so please read the response to your article posted at http://www.romneyexperience.com/2007/08/14/ romney-too-religious-but-also-lacking-in-conviction/#more-63
I demand either an apology from The Free Press and the author, or a published explanation on why it is acceptable to slander and demean members of select religious minorities in this country, as you have done.
Respectfully, Daniel Ferguson
Austin, TX
I know that a long email isn't likely to be read, so please read the response to your article posted at http://www.romneyexperience.com/2007/08/14/ romney-too-religious-but-also-lacking-in-conviction/#more-63
I demand either an apology from The Free Press and the author, or a published explanation on why it is acceptable to slander and demean members of select religious minorities in this country, as you have done.
Respectfully, Daniel Ferguson
Austin, TX
I'm writing regarding Rhonda Lokeman's article, assumingly about Mitt Romney, titled "Big Love's Big Problem". Although, I'm somewhat confused. Governor Romney's name is mentioned a total of six times in the article, while the name of "Big Love" is mentioned eleven times. Is Big Love a nickname for Romney?
Dear Harvey: You flight of imagination is only matched by those who said that the price of gasoline would be manipulated downwards to re-elect George Bush in the last election or that Osama Bin Laden would be “captured” just before the last election. Good try, but you are just flapping your pen and lips.
Dear All,
As a resident of Kent and citizen of Ohio I find this whole incident troubling.
A ticket for advertising on public property? How many tickets have been issued for people advertising yard/garage sales? signs posted for the monthly PWP Dance? signs for the Car Show? The Kent Harvest Festival? Art in the Park?
Just today I "witnessed" two grown males (yes, it took two of them- one to pound the stake and the other to attach the sign) place a sign at the corner of Stow and West Main Street that says "Car Show". Of course, they parked their vehicle at Logo's Bookstore so I was unable to get a license plate and contact the police to arrest these criminals. I feel bad for the city of Kent that these two men are at large, possibly posting more signs elsewhere.
I hope that I am not viewed as an accomplice to the crime since I merely witnessed it. In any event, I wanted to bring it to someones attention.
As a resident of Kent and citizen of Ohio I find this whole incident troubling.
A ticket for advertising on public property? How many tickets have been issued for people advertising yard/garage sales? signs posted for the monthly PWP Dance? signs for the Car Show? The Kent Harvest Festival? Art in the Park?
Just today I "witnessed" two grown males (yes, it took two of them- one to pound the stake and the other to attach the sign) place a sign at the corner of Stow and West Main Street that says "Car Show". Of course, they parked their vehicle at Logo's Bookstore so I was unable to get a license plate and contact the police to arrest these criminals. I feel bad for the city of Kent that these two men are at large, possibly posting more signs elsewhere.
I hope that I am not viewed as an accomplice to the crime since I merely witnessed it. In any event, I wanted to bring it to someones attention.
Ahmad Al-Akhras is the Vice Chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He resides in Columbus, Ohio and can be reached at ahmad@alakhras.org
It was shocking to hear presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) call for the bombing of Muslim holy sites as a deterrent to terrorist attacks on our nation and that is part of his “presidential anti-terror package.” When reported overseas, such bigoted words can contribute to anti-Americanism, endangering American’s and providing Al-Qaeda and its ilk with a tool to recruit support and raise funds.
Last week Tancredo told an audience, "If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina." The Congressman, two years ago, engaged in similar rhetoric during a radio interview in Florida.
It was shocking to hear presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) call for the bombing of Muslim holy sites as a deterrent to terrorist attacks on our nation and that is part of his “presidential anti-terror package.” When reported overseas, such bigoted words can contribute to anti-Americanism, endangering American’s and providing Al-Qaeda and its ilk with a tool to recruit support and raise funds.
Last week Tancredo told an audience, "If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina." The Congressman, two years ago, engaged in similar rhetoric during a radio interview in Florida.
WASHINGTON, DC-Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield) today issued the following statement in response to the White House's official denial of access to classified annexes to National Security Presidential Directive-20 (NSPD-20). NSPD-20 lays out the government's plan for continuity of the Federal government in the aftermath of a catastrophic national emergency.
"If the Administration has a plan for the continuity of government, they should share it with the Congress. We are a co-equal branch of the government charged with oversight responsibilities for the execution of laws and expenditure of federal funds. Lacking any other information, I can only assume that this denial means one of three things:
1) There is no plan. There are other instances where the Administration failed to meet deadlines for developing emergency plans;
2) They have a plan but it over-reaches and is either extra-constitutional or unconstitutional;
3) This is another example of the obsessively secretive Administration that refuses to share information with a co-equal branch of the government.
"If the Administration has a plan for the continuity of government, they should share it with the Congress. We are a co-equal branch of the government charged with oversight responsibilities for the execution of laws and expenditure of federal funds. Lacking any other information, I can only assume that this denial means one of three things:
1) There is no plan. There are other instances where the Administration failed to meet deadlines for developing emergency plans;
2) They have a plan but it over-reaches and is either extra-constitutional or unconstitutional;
3) This is another example of the obsessively secretive Administration that refuses to share information with a co-equal branch of the government.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's coup-installed military regime has told citizens to vote "yes" for a new constitution, written while half the country is muzzled under martial law, or accept a mysterious back-up constitution which is being kept secret from the public.
In a bizarre political game of constitutional hide-and-seek, the junta refused to reveal which of Thailand's 17 previous constitutions it might use, or what amendments might be added, if a majority "no" vote on Aug. 19 thwarts their draft.
"This is ridiculous. It is a matter of national interest and concern," said Somchai Preechasilpakul, dean of Chiang Mai University's law faculty.
The coup leaders "should not be hiding anything," Mr. Somchai said on Aug. 4.
Many Thai and foreign analysts predicted a victory for the regime's "yes" campaign, after the junta mailed copies of the new, thick constitution to millions of households in this Southeast Asian Buddhist nation.
"I received one, and I started to read it, but I didn't finish," one middle-aged businesswoman, who asked not to be identified, said in an interview.
In a bizarre political game of constitutional hide-and-seek, the junta refused to reveal which of Thailand's 17 previous constitutions it might use, or what amendments might be added, if a majority "no" vote on Aug. 19 thwarts their draft.
"This is ridiculous. It is a matter of national interest and concern," said Somchai Preechasilpakul, dean of Chiang Mai University's law faculty.
The coup leaders "should not be hiding anything," Mr. Somchai said on Aug. 4.
Many Thai and foreign analysts predicted a victory for the regime's "yes" campaign, after the junta mailed copies of the new, thick constitution to millions of households in this Southeast Asian Buddhist nation.
"I received one, and I started to read it, but I didn't finish," one middle-aged businesswoman, who asked not to be identified, said in an interview.
Should it go without saying that the current Congress is Democratic? The Democrats have the majority, control the agenda, and chair and hold a majority on every committee. But does that make the Congress Democratic?
Liberal commentators averse to criticizing Speaker Nancy Pelosi have begun flailing around for a reasonable explanation for the behavior of her Congress. Matt Stoller has latched onto the idea that, even though there are more Democrats in the House than Republicans, the Republicans secretly have a majority. This is an appealing proposition, since all of us on the left view the Republicans as worse than the Democrats. We'd like to be able to blame them for everything, not just most things. And, as an added bonus, this theory transports us into the enjoyable realm so often inhabited by those on the right, the realm of thoughtless belief in utter nonsense.
Stoller's argument is basically that the conservative, or "blue dog" Democrats insist on voting with the Republicans. True enough. But that's not the whole story. Stoller also acknowledges in passing a couple of other problems:
Liberal commentators averse to criticizing Speaker Nancy Pelosi have begun flailing around for a reasonable explanation for the behavior of her Congress. Matt Stoller has latched onto the idea that, even though there are more Democrats in the House than Republicans, the Republicans secretly have a majority. This is an appealing proposition, since all of us on the left view the Republicans as worse than the Democrats. We'd like to be able to blame them for everything, not just most things. And, as an added bonus, this theory transports us into the enjoyable realm so often inhabited by those on the right, the realm of thoughtless belief in utter nonsense.
Stoller's argument is basically that the conservative, or "blue dog" Democrats insist on voting with the Republicans. True enough. But that's not the whole story. Stoller also acknowledges in passing a couple of other problems:
This is our country. And our world. We just have to stand up. A general strike is proposed for the United States on September 11, 2007, the sixth anniversary of the 9/11/2001 attacks on New York City and Arlington, Virginia. The general strike movement has no clearly named leadership. It’s described as an Internet viral effort. Wikipedia defines viral efforts on the Internet as:
An object (or an idea) is viral when it has the ability to spread copies of itself or change other similar objects to become more like (it) when those objects are simply exposed to the viral object. General strikes, more common in Europe, are events that shut down the normal operations of a city, state, or nation for a period of time. These strikes aim to force awareness and action on a single issue or broader set of concerns. The 9/11/07 General Strike has a central location - Strike 911 - on the Internet, which is linked to and reproduced on a variety of other internet sites. The site states the rationale for the effort:
An object (or an idea) is viral when it has the ability to spread copies of itself or change other similar objects to become more like (it) when those objects are simply exposed to the viral object. General strikes, more common in Europe, are events that shut down the normal operations of a city, state, or nation for a period of time. These strikes aim to force awareness and action on a single issue or broader set of concerns. The 9/11/07 General Strike has a central location - Strike 911 - on the Internet, which is linked to and reproduced on a variety of other internet sites. The site states the rationale for the effort: