correction re: “Sneak Attack!”

1998-06-04

Richard Moore

                   PEOPLES PRESS INTERNATIONAL (PPI)
                               - - -
    a public service of CADRE (Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance)
                       http://cyberjournal.org


Publisher's note:

After much care devoted to maintaining a numbering system for postings, I
have decided to give it up!  Too much work, and slowing down the flow of
useful news.

A note to those wiwhing to send in postings:  __PLEASE format your
submissions suitable for posting, and do __not quote the posting you are
responding to.  If your posting looks good it may get a _fast _track to the
list; if I need to reformat it, it may stay in the queue indefinitely.
(welcome to the real world).

rkm

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 14:17:33 -0700
From: •••@••.••• (Joe Ferguson)
To: •••@••.•••, •••@••.•••,
        •••@••.•••,
        •••@••.•••, •••@••.•••
Subject: Clarification & Original Alert From CPR

Dear Colleagues,

I apologize for the inaccuracies in my report sent this morning.  I have
appended to the bottom of this message, a copy of the original alert,
kindly sent to me by Californians for Pesticide Reform.

I think I misunderstood the CPR alert.  I thought that the public comment
period that in fact was ended as of this morning was for comment on the
DEA / USDA spraying program, but after speaking with Jack Edmundson of
the USDA today, it sounded like he was saying that it was only a period
of public comment on the Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement.

Does this mean the Public will have a chance to tell the government what
it thinks about the spraying program itself?  (Maybe we should just go
ahead and DO that?  Please refer to the information at the bottom of this
message if you want to do that.)

First of all, I was wrong to use the word "defoliant."  Mr. Edmundson
corrected me right away on that: a defoliant only removes the leaves of a
plant.  The spraying proposal is for _herbicides_ which totally kill the
plant.  Glad to have that clarified.

I asked Mr. Edmundson if much "public comment" had been received, and he
said yes, there was a pretty good amount.  I asked him to give me his take
on what "the public" was saying, whether we generally oppose this or
whether we're OK with it.  He didn't answer that directly.  He seemed to
be saying there was this problem with the comments, that many of the
people commenting had not read the Environmental Impact Report.

I confessed to Mr. Edmundson that if I had had the chance to comment, I
would probably have been in that category, since I don't need a scientific
report to know that I don't want to pay Monsanto big bucks to spray their
proprietary poison all over my county, to eradicate a plant that I, along
with 56% of the Californians who voted on prop 215 consider to be a good
thing.

Apparently, states have to request the aerial, cannabis eradication
spraying services.  Apparently the only states currently requesting these
services are Hawaii, South Dakota, and Oklahoma.  So all is not lost for
Monsanto, but if you have any friends or family in those states, this
is probably not good news for you.  (I wonder if I go backpacking in,
say, Kauai, will I be getting Rounded Up(tm) on the trail?)

Mr. Edmundson offered to send me a copy of the EIR, but I declined.  He
said that this would put me on his office's mailing list so that I would
receive all of their stuff, but I told him "I already get way too much
mail I don't want."  He got a chuckle out of that, and this tended to
break the ice a bit.  It reminded me that guys like Jack are not my enemy.

Not to stray too far from the topic, but having read the first few
chapters of Mike Gray's new book "Drug Crazy" which is the China Syndrome
author's well written expose of what the "War on Drugs" is, where it came
from and what we can do about it, I am seeing that the primary force that
drives our society to such insane policies is the raw fear and ignorance
of the population.

The people giving Jack Edmundson his orders may be the ones steering the
boat, but We the People are the ocean.  We create the tidal forces that
crafty people then have at their disposal to mold to their private
purposes.  We are ultimately responsible.

I still feel that this is a powerful issue around which to forge ties
between all the great environmental groups around like CPR, all of the
great reform groups like DRCNet, FAMM, etc. fighting for justice in
America's longest war, and groups like the Alliance For Democracy, who
are focused on those people "steering the boat" on a destructive course
as they gradually maneuver themselves into a position of total economic,
informational, political and cultural power over us, the People.

Once again, I apologize for in any way raising a false or premature alarm.

- Joe Ferguson



----- Begin Included Message -----

>From •••@••.••• Mon Jun  1 11:55:41 1998
X-Sender: •••@••.•••
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 10:45:04 -0700
To: •••@••.•••, joseph.ferguson@Eng
From: •••@••.••• (Californians for Pesticide Reform)
Subject: Alert: Stop Aerial Spraying for Cannabis

Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR)

Action Alert

USDA/DEA Propose Using
Roundup, 2,4-D And Triclopyr Pesticides
In US Cannabis Eradication

Call Friday, May 29, To Extend Public Comment Period


The United States Department of Agriculture and the Drug Enforcement Agency
are proposing to use Roundup, 2,4-D and triclopyr pesticides in their
cannabis eradication in the United States. They issued a Draft Supplement
Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) adding triclopyr and 2,4-D in their
eradication efforts. They also have a new aerial application technology
they will use according to an initial summary of the DSEIS.

The use of these pesticides for cannabis eradication could result in
applications throughout California and the country that could harm
children, the public, Native Americans, as well as negatively impact our
environment. The public comment period on the proposal ends on June 1, yet
news of the proposal has just reached public interest and community groups
in California on May 28.

We must involve congressional support to extend the public comment period
on this proposal. We encourage everyone to call and/or fax the following
administrators and representatives to demand an extension.

Congressman Sam Farr
DC Office: (408)649-3555
District Office: (202)225-2861
email: •••@••.•••

Senator Barbara Boxer
DC Office: (202)224-3553, (202)228-1338
District Office: (415)403-0100, Fax: (415)956-6701

Congressman Henry Waxman
DC Office: (202)225-3976  Fax (202)225-4099
District Office: (213)651-1040  Fax: (213)665-0502

Jack Edmundson
USDA-APHIS
(301)734-4844, fax (301)734-5992


Sample Letter
(Direct your letter to Mr. Edmundson and cc: it to the representatives above.)

May 28, 1998

Mr. Jack Edmundson
DOA/APHIS
4700 River Road, Unit 149
Riverdale, MD   20737-1228

Dear Mr. Jack Edmundson,

I am writing on behalf of _________, to urge USDA to extend the public
comment period on the "Draft Supplement to the Environmental Impact
Statement for Cannabis Eradication in the Contiguous United States and
Hawaii" (DSEIS).

We learned of the DSEIS, today, May 28, and we are gravely concerned, based
on the summary information we have seen, about the use of triclopyr, amine
formulations of 2,4-D, and Roundup in DEA eradication efforts. We are also
very concerned about aerial applications of any pesticides in California.
Consequently, we strongly encourage your agency to extend the public
comment period so our organization and others in California who may be
impacted may review this proposal and reply.

(INSERT A LINE OR TWO, IF YOU HAVE TIME, ABOUT WHY YOUR ORGANIZATION WOULD
CARE ABOUT/BE IMPACTED BY THE CANNABIS ERADICATION TECHNIQUES MENTIONED)

I look forward to your prompt response to our request. I can be reached at
(415)495-1149.

Sincerely,


YOUR INFO


cc: Senator Barbara Boxer, Congressman Henry Waxman, Congressman Sam Farr

Joan M. Clayburgh
Campaign Director
Californians for Pesticide Reform
•••@••.•••
415-495-1149
fax: 415-495-1141

CPR IS MOVING!!
 After July 1, 1998 our address will be:
49 Powell Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel (415)981-3939, Fax (415)981-2727


----- End Included Message -----

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