Land of the Free (traders), home of de-praved…

All your lands belong to us…
Cyril Mychalejko, Upside Down World:

A Canadian mining company intends to sue El Salvador’s government for several hundred million dollars if it is not granted permission to open a widely unpopular gold and silver mine that scientists warn would have devastating effects on local water supplies.

Pacific Rim Mining Corp., using its Nevada-based subsidiary Pac Rim Cayman LLC, filed a Notice of Intent on Dec. 9 through provisions in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that allow transnational corporations to sue governments over laws and decisions that often put public interests ahead of corporate profits…

Vil-sack of shit…

Kirk James Murphy, MD, at Firedoglake looks at the Obama Administration’s cabinet picks from the health and environmental perspective. I’ve said before that Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack is a bad choice, especially for Mexico and Latin America given his propensity to defend corporate agricultural interests. I might add his support for “franken-corn”. GM corn seed coming into Mexico has caused political unrest in agricultural regions and U.S. corn production methods have bankrupted Mexican farmers.

… What’s on the menu at Agriculture? Farms and forests. Smokey Bear and Bessie the cow live here. USDA runs the Forest Service and the Farm Bill, and supposedly regulates various aspects of produce, dairy, and meat/poultry/fish safety. USDA also looks over large areas of farmland set aside in conservation programs funded by the Farm Bill. If you eat, Obama’s Ag choice affects you. That’s why Iowa Gov. Vilsack is such a rancid pick. Monsanto’s pet scientists told us Frankencrops wouldn’t pollute normal seeds; Monsanto’s lobbysists moonlighting as revolving door “regulators” at EPA and USDA made the whole scam happen. Now GM crops are shown to decrease fertility and life-span…after Frankenseeds contaminated US corn, soy and crops. Genetic pollution is forever. That’s why small farmers have started to pass local ordinances banning GMO seeds. Vilsack spiked that protection for Iowans

In the year 2005, Vilsack championed a law in Iowa that’s been introduced all over the country, backed by Monsanto and the Farm Bureau. This law, this preemption law, as they’re called, basically takes away the right of municipalities or counties to regulate genetically engineered crops. Vilsack rammed this through, even though it’s extremely unpopular with not only consumers, but small farmers.

Vilsack’s a loyal Frankengov for Monsanto and the rest of Mutant Ag. He supports “Pharma-crops”: food crops genetically altered to make drugs. Luky us! Genetic contamination can give us drugs in our food, I guess.

Small surprise that

In 2001, the Biotechnology Industry Organization named him “governor of the year” for his “support of the industry’s economic growth and agricultural biotechnology research.”

Yep, Obama’s pick for USDA chief: Franken Ag’s pet governor.

Vilsack’s a full service destroyer: he doesn’t just push toxic crops: he pushes lakes of shit. Oh, I’m sorry: the Big Ag term for “lakes of shit” is CAFO.

As a state senator, he voted for the infamous House File 519 in 1995, which stripped counties of the right to impose restrictions on CAFOs.

Gee. I wonder what he did for lakes of shit — er, CAFO’s – as Governor? Oh. He made Iowa safe: for lakes of shit.

Vilsack could have but did not draw up stricter state pollution regulations of CAFO’s than EPA regs. Vilsack sided with polluters against public health.

A 2002 study by the University of Iowa and Iowa State University said Iowa Dept of Natural Resources needed to act to approve protections of public health near confined animal factories (CAFO’s).

He lowered the recommended air quality standards allowing twice as much health-threatening levels of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulates and odors emitted from animal factory sewage lagoons, confinement houses and the fields manure is spread on.

As governor, Vilsack set a weaker standard than the surrounding states.