Sneak Attack!

1998-06-01

Joseph Ferguson

(No rights reserved.  Please confirm and distribute this report.)

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DEA PLAN TO SPRAY MONSANTO DEFOLIANT OVER U.S. COUNTRYSIDE EXPOSED!
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By Joseph Ferguson, Santa Cruz chapter Alliance for Democracy.

At yesterday's monthly meeting of the Santa Cruz chapter of the
Alliance For Democracy, Marilyn Garrett, member of our chapter and
of the anti-pesticide group Farm Without Harm, read a memo that the 
DEA and USDA are proposing a large scale aerial spraying program to 
eradicate cannabis.  

The principal chemical to be sprayed is RoundUp(tm) one of the 
principal sources of profit for the Monsanto Corporation, but the 
chemical mix being proposed includes other ominous sounding 
defoliants reminiscent of the Vietnam war.

Apparently the program being proposed is for large areas of the 
country (lots of RoundUp(tm) sales).  California (the state where 
56% of the voters recently cast their ballots for cannabis and 
against the prohibitionists despite the best lies and expenditures
of the anti-cannabis cartels and the U.S. Federal Government) is
named as a primary target.

Marilyn, who is also associated with Pesticide Watch, mentioned the
scientifically proven fact that in such applications of chemicals,
only a tiny fraction of them reach their target (I believe the
number is one one-hundredth of one percent).  This means that the
huge bulk of these chemicals do nothing but accumulate in our 
environment.  This aspect tends to reinforce the notion that this
contract is primarily a gift to Monsanto and whatever other corporate
villains are involved.  Poison the countryside for profit?  Sure!
Why not?  California deserves to be punished anyway, and why not
make a buck at the same time?

Marilyn's information only reached the people passing it along on
May 28 (last Thursday) and the period allotted by the Federal
Government for public comment ends June 1st, TODAY!

Please, pass this message to any groups you know who may have any
information on this, especially if any of you have an email address 
for Pesticide Watch.  I have no reason to doubt Marilyn's information,
and I apologize for the sketchy nature of this information.  All we
had last night was one person reading a memo, with the rest of us
taking notes by hand.

If this information is accurate, we need people to call their
representatives and Senators, to demand that the public be informed
and that the period for public comment be extended so that the
people who want to comment have a chance to do so.

THIS IS AN EXPLOSIVE ISSUE WITH POTENTIAL FOR UNITING 
ENVIRONMENTALISTS, GROUPS FIGHTING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, INCUDING
THOSE OPPOSING THE WAR-ON-DRUGS, AND GROUPS PROMOTING CORPORATE LAW 
REFORM AND AWARENESS OF THE ROLE CORPORATE GREED AND POWER IS PLAYING 
TO RUIN OUR WORLD TODAY.

IF TRUE, THIS ASSAULT ON OUR ENVIRONMENT SEEMS TO ME TO BE GROUNDS
FOR A NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF MONSANTO.

- Joe Ferguson,  Santa Cruz, California, June 1, 1998

(No rights reserved.  Please confirm and distribute this report.)

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