Senate Bill 510 passed cloture

[meriruka]

I'm trying really hard not to get paranoid and depressed about this.
I don't know why I'm so stunned that our elected officials are completely ignoring the people they represent.
While I couldn't find anything in the bill concerning seed saving and sharing produce with friends & family, this just moves things one step closer to a time where the seed sniffing dogs arrive, my poultry is confiscated and I'm forced to eat the pesticide laden frankenfood the government approves.

 

[kcsunshine]

Me too. This has upset me more than anything else that has gone on in the he** hole. Me thinks I need to let my senators I voted them in and I can vote them out!

 

[meriruka]

The worst part is it seems like if you vote this lot out you'll get a whole new bunch who'll ignore you.

 

[abifae]

No one really thought calling in would change it do you?

"Oh gosh! They're really upset we're lining our pockets at their expense. Gosh golly gee. Let's not do this, guys. Let's let the people's say dictate, not money."

 

[bibliophile birds]

While I couldn't find anything in the bill concerning seed saving and sharing produce with friends & family, this just moves things one step closer to a time where the seed sniffing dogs arrive, my poultry is confiscated and I'm forced to eat the pesticide laden frankenfood the government approves.

there is no language directly about ANY of those things. which is what is frightening. the Tester-Hagan amendment was SO IMPORTANT because it took the ambiguity out of the wording and set clear limits on what is a "small farm" and therefore exempt. the problems will come later when the FDA gets to decide what all the SPECIFICS of this bill are... since the Senate couldn't be bothered to do that.

naturally, the Senate has instructed the FDA to be "flexible" and "reasonable".... and i think we all know that the FDA has different definitions of those words. just ask those farms that have been raided at gun point.

Wifezilla, i'll happily share your cell. i've decided it's now my life's goal to get arrested for endangering our national security by growing and selling some cucumbers.

 

[bibliophile birds]

here's the vote rollcall from this morning. so now you know who to write your strongly worded letters to.

 

[abifae]

I'm with you. This makes me MORE interested in growing foods.

Any country who increased piracy by telling us all "it's bad to steal mmmkay" while selling pirate eye patches with external drives REALLY ought to realize that people will grow more when you say "it's bad to steal food by growin yer own mmmmkay"....

 

[SKR8PN]

Gee......maybe I will have to switch to a cash crop in the new greenhouse......of course then I'd have the munchies all the time.

 

[bibliophile birds]

here's the part that scares and infuriates me:

Q: What is a facility? Why are the provisions in S. 510 regulating facilities problematic for small-scale food producers?

A: In the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, Congress amended the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act to broadly define a food facility with the objective of registering every food processor, domestic or foreign, that sells its product in the U.S. regardless of size, for national security purposes. S. 510 uses that same definition of facility for a completely different purpose.

Pursuant to the Bioterrorism Act, FDA adopted guidance on what is and is not a facility. In general, anyone who holds, manufactures, or processes food is a facility. The exceptions include:

Farms are not facilities, as long as they do not process the crops they grow; if the farmer processes the crops in any way (such as by making jams, cheeses, dried fruits, or other value-added
products), they are facilities.

Residences are not facilities. (Most state public health laws do not permit the commercial sale of products from home kitchens, however.)

Retail food establishments are not facilities. The guidance around this exemption appears designed to establish that bakeries, delicatessens, and restaurants do not fall under the Food Drug
and Cosmetics Act. The House bill incorporates part of that guidance into the statute.

There appears to be several misconceptions about what constitutes a facility. Some people have incorrectly stated that a farm that sells its value added products directly is exempt; however, the FDAs guidance specifically states that the value-added products are only exempt if they are consumed on the
farm. If the farmer leaves the farm and sells the jam or jelly at a farmers market, then his or her operation is deemed a facility.

In the period since the Bioterrorism Act was adopted in 2002, thousands of facilities have registered, but there are still thousands more who have not yet complied. All of these small businesses, many of them very tiny, will now be the targets of the FDA and responsible for the rigorous and expensive requirements
of Sec. 103 and 204 of the Act. In the House-passed version of the Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749) every one of these facilities will need to pay a $500 annual registration fee to underwrite the enforcement of this sweeping new law.

so, i hope you weren't planning on doing what small farms have been encouraged to do for decades to increase revenues (like selling value-added products) because then you loose your exemption. and isn't it lovely that they aren't even sure what a FACILITY is yet, but the bill passed?

(quoted text from here.)

 

[Mackay]

Senate Approves S.510 - 73 TO 25

Now it's on to the House
NEW ACTION ITEM



THE US SENTATE JUST VOTED TO END FOOD FREEDOM IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE ACTION NOW MOVES TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WE HAVE PREPARED A NEW ACTION ITEM TELLING THE HOUSE NOT TO ACCEPT THE SENATE BILL S.510. The NY times just reported the "lame-duck leadership" in the House will attempt quick passage!

"Despite unusual bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and a strong push from the Obama administration, though, the bill could still die, because there might not be enough time left in the session for the usual haggling between the Senate and House of Representatives, which passed its own version of the bill last year. Top House Democrats have said that they would consider simply passing the Senate version to speed approval."

Action Item: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5270

Last night Sen Coburn said the bill will raise food prices; add 1.5 billion to deficit; add unfunded state mandates. It will not increase food safety one bite.

The ad hoc coalition against S.510 of health and food freedom advocates (such as Health FreedomUSA and Citizens for Health), garden, farm and ranch groups, both major Tea Party groups, the Oath Keepers, Downsize DC, Campaign for Liberty and others will not be fooled and we will remember! Below is a list of Senators who voted for cloture and who are up for re-election in 2012. Save this list!

We the People will continue to oppose S.510 on the House floor and in the House/Senate Conference -- if needed, will petition the current White House occupant to veto it. If he fails to do so, we will support defunding it in the new Congress!

We, the freedom forces, are so fortunate to have you and people like you allied together. Evil forces are routed by respositories of hope coupled with action - which is what we are!

It's not over yet... please use the link below to go directly to the Action Item; up to 15000 emails an hour are telling decision makers: NO! S.510!


Action Item: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5270

We will Twitter what is happening here:
www.Twitter.com/HealthFreedomUS with hashtags #foodfreedom #farmfreedom



Hall of Shame

S-510 ... YEA cloture votes by Senators w/2012 election date.
Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) ...
Hatch, Orrin G. (R-UT)
Carper, Thomas R. (D-DE) ...
Lugar, Richard G. (R-IN)
Nelson, Bill (D-FL) ...
Corker, Bob (R-TN)
Cardin, Benjamin L. (D-MD)
Barrasso, John (R-WY)
Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) ...
Tester, Jon (D-MT) ...
Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) ...
Lieberman, Joseph I. (ID-CT)
Akaka, Daniel K. (D-HI) ...
Sanders, Bernard (I-VT)
Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN) ...
McCaskill, Claire (D-MO)
Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) ...
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (D-NY) ...
Conrad, Kent (D-ND) ...
Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) ...
Casey, Robert P., Jr. (D-PA) ...
Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI) ...
Webb, Jim (D-VA) ...
Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) ...
Manchin, Joe, III (D-WV) ...
Kohl, Herb (D-WI) ...


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THE ACTION IS BACK TO THE LAME-DUCK HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Email Your Congresspersion NOW to Oppose $510
To Protect Your Food Freedom


http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5270

FDA, the agency responsible for more deaths and corruption in the United States than any other domestic agency, wants MORE power shut down small food businesses, bring more dangeous "Phude" (pronounced "food" but that's the only similarity) to our tables and make more money for the corporate giants that are already responsible for ALL of the 'Phude'-borne disease in the US.

If you do not want some international Cartel
Deciding what you can, and cannot eat,
Tell Your Friends to Act NOW, Too!


Special note from General Bert:
"Victory is within our reach. Keep pressing forward while you recruit your contacts to act now"



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Clean, unadulterated foods like our
Valley of the Moon Coffee may not be available if $.510 passes.
www.ValleyoftheMoonCoffee.org

Yes, we need your help to keep this effort strong!
Donate here:
http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=189

Please don't forget to make sure you have
YOUR supply of the universal remedy -
Nano Silver, www.Nutronix.com/naturalsolutions


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