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 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Seeking an Effective Democratic Response to Globalization and Corporate Power" --- a workshop retreat for those committed to systemic change June 25 <incl> July 2 - 1998 - Nova Scotia - Canada --- Restore democratic sovereignty Create a sane and livable world Bring corporate globalization under control. CITIZENS FOR A DEMOCRATIC RENAISSANCE (CADRE) mailto:•••@••.••• http:http://cyberjournal.org --- To keep join the discussion on bringing about a democratic renaissance, send _any message to: •••@••.••• --- To subscribe to the PPI newsfeed, send any message to: •••@••.••• (Peoples Press International) --- A community will evolve only when the people control their means of communication. -- Frantz Fanon --- To review cj archives, send any message to: •••@••.•••
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