Clare D’s Recent Comments

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  I'll add my voice to the disagreement of Mr. Murphy. When business owners do something morally reprehensible like speak out against better health for millions, it is our duty to voice our opposition. In the history of progressive causes, a well planned and executed boycott is one of the tactics that actually works.  A boycott and the negative press that goes with it might make Mr. Mackey think twice about opining against progressive causes. If that is the result of the boycott, then it is a success.
  
  Whole Foods has only ever pretended to be "one of our own". Only a great fool would think otherwise.
  
  If this is bad strategy, Mr. Murphy, then maybe you need to rethink and remember (if you ever knew) what a good, progressive strategy is. Meanwhile, I'll continue to boycott Whole Foods.

  On Boycotting Whole Foods won’t help posted 2 months, 1 week ago 27 Responses

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  Kill direct payments

  Clearly Vilsack is encountering some messaging problems here, because people that should be cheering about cuts to direct payments are suddenly on the side of huge mega-farms and opposing these cuts.

  Direct payments are a conservative Republican WTO-friendly hold-over for the disastrous 1996 Farm Bill. They do little except inflate land prices and perhaps keep some huge factory farms in business. Get rid of them and use the extra $5 billion for nutrition, rural development, or a load of other worthy causes.

  In this case, Vilsack and Obama are right, regardless of their ability to communicate effectively. On Is a payment cut real reform or just tweaking with the numbers? posted 8 months, 1 week ago 1 Response

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  Don't be suprised if they show up here

  Over at the Ethicurean blog, a post about this video prompted a response from "Liz on behalf of the Corn Refiners Association". So don't be surprised if they show up here to.

  Gotta hand it to them though...those PR folks are blog-savvy! And I give them credit for identifying themselves so we can ignore them.On Curt Ellis responds to the ads promoting corn syrup ... posted 11 months ago 2 Responses

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  Peterson is yuck!

  Peterson is worse than Vilsack from what I hear. At least Herseth-Sandlin is good on some important things, and might be young enough to still listen to reason.On Vilsack out; Peterson and Herseth Sandlin square off posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago 11 Responses

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  Buis not what he appears

  I've worked with Tom Buis for several years in Washington DC. If you want a guy who will throw sustainable agriculture under the tractor, he's your guy.

  Tom looks good on paper, no doubt. But every time the doors close and the deals are struck, he sells out on the changes that will make a difference for the environment and family farms. Buis is not a "sustainable agriculture" guy or an "organic" guy, he's just as much for conventional, industrial agriculture as Farm Bureau. He just hides it better.

  As an example, National Farmers Union's top priority in the farm bill was country of origin labeling (COOL). While a good idea, it does little to promote fairness in agricultural markets that would actually help small farmers compete. NFU has policies on fair competition and ways to decrease the concentration in agriculture, but they won't work those issues to legislators when it matters because politically it's too controversial.

  Another issue Buis supports is linking subsidy payments to the cost of production. Except that this gives free rein to Monsanto to jack up their prices as high as they want, at the government's expense. It won't actually help farmers, and Buis knows that. But it will help all the friends he's gotten close to in agribusiness.

  One more thing...when asked, Tom Buis claims to be a farmer. Yet he hasn't lived or worked on a farm in over 20 years. That's just not honest.

  Tom Buis is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and if he becomes Secretary of Agriculture we'll get to see first hand just how sharp those teeth are.On Monsanto's man in the Clinton admin joins the transition team, and more posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago 5 Responses