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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DMaA who wrote (359792)	4/16/2010 9:47:27 AM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793824

Had about 1200 in Hartford. This Palin look-alike was a fun sideshow. Had to get my pic taken with her, couldn't resist. <g> She's a dead ringer - Tina Fey better look out! sarahpalinimposter.com She was also at the New Haven Tea Party, where she said a few words from the podium. newhavenindependent.org This guy is coming to your neighborhood, more radical than any Tea Party person. >>Meet the 'Omnivore' farmer Joel Salatin speaks at the Bell Museum's "Hungry Planet" exhibit. By BETH DOOLEY, Special to the Star Tribune Last update: April 14, 2010 - 1:30 PM Of all the labels tossed at Joel Salatin -- farmer, movie star and local food hero -- "lunatic" is the one he's most proud of. "I don't do anything like average farmers," boasts the native of Swoope, Va., who calls himself a "grass farmer." Catapulted to fame by Michael Pollan's bestselling book "Omnivore's Dilemma," and by a lead role in the award-winning film "Fresh," Salatin and his Polyface Farm have captured national attention for his commitment to Earth- and animal-friendly methods, including rotation grass grazing, humane treatment of animals and local processing on a large scale. Salatin, on a multi-city speaking tour promoting local artisan-based food as a viable alternative to the industrial food system, will be in town Sunday to kick off a series of Earth Day events with two lectures at the Bell Museum. We caught up with him by phone to talk about his upcoming visit. Q You were in Northfield, Minn., last spring as the keynote speaker at the annual Sustainable Farming Association conference. What do you think of our area? How is our local food system doing? A Great! This area is a hotbed of local food. There's a lot going on. I have an affinity for the region; it's like ours. It's in the same growing zone as North Dakota. We northern farmers have more time on our hands in the winter to think about things, big things. Q Are you seeing positive changes here? A You've got an amazing array of sustainable farmers and producers. We need 10,000 T odd Churchills of Thousand Hill's Cattle Co., more Will Winters of Traditional Foods Warehouse, and farms like Riverbend, Featherstone and Gardens of Eagan. Q What do you see for the future of our food system? A I'm not a prophet, but I am an optimist. I'm seeing a lot of individual interest and collaborative effort. People are working together to move the local food system Advertisement forward. But local, sustainable food is still only about 2 percent of food sales. Yet clean food, local food, is a viable alternative to industrial, corporate genetically modified food. Q Can this alternative system really produce the quantity of food we need? A If we are serious about having real choices, we need to look at the obstacles that prohibit clean, local food. We need to deal with the government regulations, licensing and insurance requirements that make it impossible for small farmers and producers to get their goods to the consumer. We've got to dispense with farm subsidies and expose the hidden costs in industrial food. Right now it's illegal to buy pickles from your neighbor or milk from the farmer down the street. Yet humankind has been eating this way for centuries. We also need to look at our priorities. Most people are willing to pay more for quality. We s pend money on plenty of things we don't need. Think about designer jeans with holes in them. Why do we expect to get more for less when it comes to food? Q Are you seeing change, though? A Yes. There's far more availability of high- quality, locally raised and produced food, and there's tremendous potential. The demand is high and the interest is there. It's really about choice. That's my mantra: choice. That's why I'm pouring 110 percent of my energy into raising awareness around what a sustainable system can look like. Beth Dooley is a Minneapolis freelance writer and cooking instructor. startribune.com

To: DMaA who wrote (359792)	4/16/2010 10:26:46 AM
From: ManyMoose	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793824

That would be great! I think the Tea Party movement is larger than it appears based on crowd count. My reasons: These are not people who are habitually politically active and are not typically malcontents or hippie type activists--not activists of any kind, really. They'd rather be home with their families or earning a living or enjoying retirement. But they are awake. They are coming. They make their own signs. They don't suffer fools or bullsh1t gladly. They know and appreciate our constitution and the founder's intent for this country, and the folly of departing from that. I cite myself for evidence on this assertion. Yesterday I could have easily gone home after picking up a small china cabinet from Craig's list for my wife. I was tired. She was tired and did not want to stay long but agreed to walk the half mile or so from the parking we found to the Tea Party site, despite her painful knees. I got frustrated trying to walk slow enough to keep her close. I could have gone home instead and had reason to do so. But I didn't. I went to the Tea Party. I suspect many of the participants were in the same boat I was, judging from their style and demeanor. They were all there independently, not in organized groups or gangs. These are the producers of our society. I suspect for every person who attended there were two or three who wanted to but did not based on personal needs or priority. Aroused, they are unstoppable. Sounds like you had good weather too. Maybe God is watching, eh?