Topic: History of Liberty in America
NAIS is being pushed through the back door of our system of government--because it wouldn't make it through the front door... FYI--NAIS=National Animal Identification System and would require livestock/poultry/pet owners, no matter on how small of a scale, to register their premises/property and have an RFID chip placed into their livestock/poultry/pet(s) for traceability/liability's sake and to foot the bill for all of the registration, paperwork and red tape associated with it...by Michael
(libertarian)
Monday, January 5, 2009
...a form of this National Animal Identification System has already been imposed upon the nations of the European Union with a few somewhat drastic results having been reported as the consequence of noncompliance to it! Visa vi it is more of a Global endeavor than it is a National endeavor of ours, ergo its source is more concentrated in Belgium than it is in Washington...
...evidently, because of a feeling that such a thing would not be very popular and accepted on a National level, i.e. if our Federal government attempted to implement and enforce it from the top down; it has been being instead instigated and initiated at the level of the individual States wherein tremendous lobbying forces have been drawn to bear on the Departments of Agriculture of the individual States to implement this progaram and subsequently funding is being made available to implement this program to the individual States from the Federal/Global governmental level--I think it's plain to be seen why small-scale producers (in other words, any and everyone other than the multi-national corporate interests) are opposed to it. Although somewhat Biblically negated and irrelevant--because, Scripturally, animals do not enter into this sort of judgement with the Creator, only mankind--some Amish (but hey, they have their Constitutional rights too) even feel that this is the equivalent to their having to give their livestock "the Mark of the Beast"...
...this is, again, quite an Orwellian nightmare coming true and it is made possible by the current state of technological development--what was initially a way to track that beloved, lost pet has now become a way to track and control the production of food resources--after all, control the food and you control the people--ultimately...
...as absurd as it might seem, evidently President-elect Obama is seeking feedback and input from the "We the People" that elected him to office upon the premise that he would offer us "change" (don't hold your breath, but he might still surprise us therein)...
...therefore, if you think that the NAIS, among other things, is a bad idea you can make your voice heard according to the following (here you will also find a myriad of other issues--but it is, at least, an offered format to express ones individual opinion on said issues--if not one to flush the dissisdents out of the woodwork) at:
...at any rate, I don't know how many of you Nolan Charters are Agrarian as opposed to how many of you are Metropolitan and therefore subsequently wonder, "Why do we need Farmers when we have Grocery Stores!?!"...and I don't mean to insult anyone here as much as I mean to illustrate the point herein of a real, existing societal/economic flaw/disconnect (this was a RealTime comment made to Paul Harvey's radio broadcast at one, somewhat long past, time)--but this NAIS thing currently bodes ill for the quality of meat/protein food production, i.e. the chain-mail strength that is afforded by the Decentralization of the production and distribution of food stuffs as opposed to the plate-armor weakness that is inherent to the Centralized production and distribution of food stuffs...
...the NAIS--research it for yourself on "the net"--at www.change.org you can find the issue and vote on it if you look for it there within the next two days--it is yet another thing which to me bodes ill for the continued Liberty afforded by our Constitution in the face of Global collectivism--and I beg your support on this issue and your assistance to resist this; however insignificant and paltry it might seem from a Metropolitan and politically sophisticated point of view...
The views expressed in this
article are those of Michael only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Michael is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Hi Michael,For the last 12 years (I just left my job there 6 months ago), I have worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or USDA APHIS at USDA's main building in DC and the APHIS HQ building in Riverdale, MD. APHIS is the lead agency for NAIS and, as I remember things, your article contains a few misconceptions.Before I really get started, I should say that I am a firm believer in a small federal government and there are huge swaths of Ag I would eliminate.NAIS will not require owners to register their pets. NAIS will not require all Ag animals to be tagged. Animals can be moved in lots rather than having to be individually identified. Ag animals that will never mingle with other animals (if you owned milk cow for your own use) will probably not be required to tag.Right now, there are three dogs in this fight. They are the small operators (members of RCALF and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Folk), the large operators (members of the Cattleman’s and large packing houses) and the Fed. The small operators don't like the fact it will cost them money (aside from the folks who think Ag is spying on their operation) and the large operators like the possible protection that NAIS affords their animals.This whole mess got started with BSE (mad cow) in this country. NAIS was designed to allow the Fed to track an animal from birth to final destination in 24 hours. This information could help stop a highly contagious disease (like FMD) from spreading (although I doubt it would work due to a number of other factors). The way animals are traced currently, replies on a paper trail and takes several weeks at least (if they can actually trace it which doesn't always happen).You know, I am not a fan of NAIS (although I don’t have any money riding on it) but it is better than what is in place now. I always find it amusing that “independents” are the first to complain when something is going to cost them money (NAIS) and then are the first demanding indemnity (costs for the animal, lost production and burial) when sick animals are killed to stop a disease from spreading.Best to you,BallstotheWall
"Emanuel Miller Jr., 28, of Loyal, has been charged with a civil forfeiture for failure to comply with the state livestock premises registration law. He faces a fine of up to $5,000."
That's state law in action, not Fed. States don't have to do this but, as with everything, the usually bow to the Fed (shouldn't they bow to the will of the people?). Once again, I don't think NAIS should be required nor do I think ranchers should be reimbursed when their animals die of disease.
Since '95 or '96, the UK has replaced its entire cattle herd three times due to disease. First, it was FMD, then BSE, then FMD again. The U.S. is lucky. There hasn 't been a real case of FMD in ruminants for more than 70 years (I think).
Although somewhat awkward and at the same time somewhat humorous, I must initiate this response to your commentary by beginning with:
Dear Balls,
Thank you for your insight and clarification on the NAIS issue–I was aware that some exceptions were being allowed for individual pet owners and self-sufficient homesteaders who had livestock for their own personal use of production and consumption–but I do not expect this to continue to hold true. As with anything within the vein of Big Brother/Global governance, if it is a program which offers a "benefit" it will fall short of expectations; and if it is a program which demands a "detriment" it will be much more intrusive than it was reckoned for to begin with once we’ve opened that door and allowed our individual Liberty and Constitutional privilege to be yet again further eroded and compromised by "regulation"–hey, that’s the track record as it is perceived by the common man...
...I foresee any form of an attempt for the maintenance of ones individual independence via an Agrarian lifestyle as eventually being classified altogether within a definition of social "terrorism" and as such being eventually defined as anything done, spoken, sung or written which attempts to separate any segment of society from the "mainstream" of a defined Global society; and akin to a previous, Texas female governor’s statement about, "terroristic homeschoolers, "–and this happening within a framework of "regulation" which, on the surface, is intended to prevent "disease" and promote a "clean environment," but which ultimately translates into an enforced control and conformance to a defined Global social structure upon the individual, as an ulterior motive...
...but hey, I’m glad you’ve appeared in the midst of our discussion/commentary here–given your background--I’ve a lot of other issues concerning me in which I would delight in your insight–fluoride and Aspartame for one and the negligence of the FDA to require mandatory labeling of GMO’s in our food supply for another!!!...
I see what you are getting at and understand. I am afraid I can't help with fluoride and Aspartame issues but, APHIS does regulate GMOs in the field testing stage (they might pose a pest risk). The reason FDA won't do it is because it can be found pretty much in everything. One of my big worries is the "terminator gene." This would prevent farmers from cultivating their own seeds as the big monsantos would own the patent. If that gene were to cross over to other plants...well, you get the idea. Also, if you want a laugh, check out the requirements to be considered an organic grower or producer.
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