The New American FARMER Idol

Imagine we are watching a new type of American Idol contest. America's best and brightest are sharing their discoveries that create worm free apples without pesticides on American Farmer Idol, in it's 7th season.

First envision a contestant from Monsanto. This person brings a flashy display of GMO seeds that have tough skins the worms cannot penetrate. They've inserted the gene from the armardillo into the apple. We all laugh alot, and they are voted off the show for not taking the competition seriously. Imagine needing a titanium apple peeler! Imagine the armadillo taste! Simon strongly suggest that they find a new profession.

Then, enivison a young woman. She's been trying different ideas to stop the worms from eating her apples. She likes to have the apple all to herself and figures the worms need something else to tempt their taste buds. She develops a worm feeding station that all the worms enjoy so much that they leave the apples alone. When the worm's short life is up, they fall down a chute and the waiting chickens goggle up these high protein snacks and create even better eggs for the young woman's breakfast.

Then, envision an older man - not your typical Farmer Idol winner, who discovered in his backyard, that if he used a certain type of mineral that was inexpensive and easily found, that the worms don't seem to be interested in eating the apples on his trees.

We love these two contestants. As a nation we talk about them, debate their ideas and celebrate them. They are not famous scientists. They don't have a Harvard degree. They came from nowhere. We decide we cannot choose between them, and by some coincidence, they work harmoniously together. There is the first tie for the American Farmer Idol title.

Our nation's orchards don't skip a beat and they start with the simple home-made worm feeding stations and create collateral income from chicken eggs. Meanwhile they start applying the mineral to the tree's soil. After applying the mineral for a few short years, the apples are completely free of worms, and the feeding stations are no longer needed.

These two people are awarded the Green Cross, our nation's highest honor for courage! Together they have saved many people from eating pesticide laden fruit and all the health problems that entails.

The orchards in our land are now free of pesticides and the apples are even more sweet and juicy. The armadillo skinned apple never made it to the market, and we are still free to bite into delicious nutritious apples without titanium teeth!

Silence is NOT Golden - The Buy-cott

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s messages on Civil Disobedience hit home today. Here's an excerpt from his "But If Not" lecture - 

"I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live. You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.

You refuse to do it because you want to live longer. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab or shoot or bomb your house. So you refuse to take a stand.

Well, you may go on and live until you are ninety, but you are just as dead at 38 as you would be at ninety. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.

You died when you refused to stand up for right.

You died when you refused to stand up for truth.

You died when you refused to stand up for justice.”

What's more important and precious to fight for than food - that gives us the ability to walk, talk and live? We need to rescue our food - and rescue our bodies to boot!

Please join me in an International BOYCOTT - of factory farmed, GM, processed and imported foods for a week in October, to start on Farmer's Day, October 12, 2009 (coincides with Columbus Day - A Federal Holiday)

The same week, we will have a BUYCOTT -buying only fresh, locally produced foods. 

We can use the three day holiday to visit farms, farmers markets and restaurants (those that sell entrees made with local food) to stock up for a week-long boycott of factory farmed food sold in grocery stores, restaurants and fast food chains.

Boy-cott will EMPTY factory farm food outlets - grocery stores, fast food and chain restaurants.

Buy-cott will FILL homes and tummies with fresh grown local produce!

Buy-cott will FILL farmers pockets with cash to kick start a comeback!

Buy-cott will FUEL our local and national  and international economy!

You will see the power of your purchases this week, as factory farms fall, animals are liberated from confinement, grocery stores and restaurants clamor for local products,  and GM seeds are used as bean bag filler.

You will see the power of your voice this week, as farmers use the dollars you give them to enrich their soil, nuture their animals and create more good food.  

You will see the power of your money this week, as local farmers use it to prime the economic engine and end the recession.  Small Farms Ended the Depression.  With your purchases they will end this one as well.

You will see the power of ending your silence.

I am hoping that you will join me in a - 

• "Fast" from Fast Food.  
  
• "Sit-In" at restaurants serving local fare.  
  
• "Drive-Out" to the country to visit your food being grown or raised. 
  

Bigger than the Civil Liberties Movement. More legendary than Woodstock.  Something to build a monument about in Washington DC. Something our children will be proud to put on their facebooks.

The week we break the cycle. The week we break the rhythm. The week we find our old-is-new again groove and kick start our local enconomy and eat great food while doing it!

The current merciless machine will utter a gasp, faint, falter and fall and crumble from our inattention to it.   

The new rhythm will be established across the land. 

Let's take our food back.