Hi all,
Here is another puzzler. I recently got an e-mail about "tell your
congresspeople to vote no!" on this bill, and "no" seemed like a good
call to me! Just now I have received this "tell your congresspeople to
vote Yes!" on the same bill, so it seems like a good one to look into,
and tell them yes or no, as seems best.

The bill is H.R. 4167, and the issue has to do with labelling laws. HR
4167 would "require that all foods meet the same strict standard -- not
50 different standards--for labeling and safety warnings."

My sense at this point is still that it should be a resounding NO,
because I have come to mightily mistrust those "federal
standards"--witness recent degradations of environmental laws; failures
of safety monitoring; primacy of big money's interests over the
consumers', etc. So, altho this "promo" tells us that "What HR 4167
will do is prevent states from bottlenecking interstate commerce of
food products, including dietary supplements, by heaping on unnecessary
and burdensome warning requirements", to me this claim seems a bit
laughable. What it is far *more* apt to do, as I see it, is to prevent
states from e.g. requiring (or even permitting) non-BGHt containing
milk from being labeled as such (and in fact that *is* prohibited at
this time, tho I don't know what law does so!). To my mind, if a state
sees fit to depart from Washington's conclusions as to what is "safe",
we need to protect their/our right to do so.

So, here's the blurb from the Organic Consumers Association, urging our
"no" vote. If anyone wants me to send the other two, I can. That
other was from Capwiz, which has come up on the "wrong" side of the
issue in the past, in my opinion. (Not always, but at least once.)

I am once again hoping and thinking that this is *not* off-topic, since
it speaks to directly to the "rights" that we in the US will or won't
maintain, and is very directly linked to the "health rights" issues. I
would love to hear the thoughts of any who might be better informed
than I am!
Best wishes,
Shannon

Hello Shannon,
Action Alert from the Organic Consumers Association:

Congress Poised to Pass Bill Taking Away Right to Know What's in Your
Food

Tell your Congressman or Congresswoman to vote "No" on House of
Representatives Bill H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food Act"


The House of Representatives will vote this week on a controversial
"national food uniformity" labeling law that will take away local
government and states' power to require food safety food labels such
as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages
that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or
mercury poisoning. This bill would also prevent citizens in local
municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically
engineered foods and ingredients such as Monsanto's recombinant Bovine
Growth Hormone (rBGH) be labeled.

The House will vote March 2, 2006 on a bill that would gut state food
safety and labeling laws. H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food
Act," lowers the bar on food safety by overturning state food safety
laws that are not "identical" to federal law. Hundreds of state laws
and regulations are at risk, including those governing the safety of
milk, fish, and shellfish. The bill is being pushed by large
supermarket chains and food manufacturers, spearheaded by the powerful
Grocery Manufacturers of America.

Big food corporations and the biotech industry understand that
consumers are more and more concerned about food safety, genetic
engineering, and chemical-intensive agriculture, and are reading
labels more closely. They understand that pesticide and mercury
residues and hazardous technologies such as genetic engineering and
food irradiation will be rejected if there are truthful labels
required on food products. Industry-sponsored H.R. 4167 is gaining
momentum and must be stopped! Act now! Preserve local and regional
democracy and protect yourself and your family from unsafe food by
sending an email or calling your Representative and urging them to
vote "No" on H.R. 4167.

Please Take Action Now--Send a Message to Your Congress Member in the
House of Representatives to Vote "No" on H.R. 4167
http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/labeling.cfm

And please call your Congress Member at 202-224-3121

Regards & Solidarity,

Ronnie Cummins,
Organic Consumers Association