Mafia Style "Voluntary"

NoNAIS.org ^ | 2006-05-10 | Walter Jeffries

[pubwvj]

Main Entry: vol·un·tary
Pronunciation: 'väl-&n-"ter-E
Function: adjective
1 : proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent
2 : of, relating to, subject to, or regulated by the will —vol·un·tari·ly adverb
-Merriam-Webster's Dictionary

Voluntary means voluntary, right? You know, you get to choose. But in the Brave New World Order where words are being redefined. A very relevant example for small farmers, homesteaders and pet livestock owners (e.g., horses) is the April 2006 USDA document which talks about the USDA's proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) being voluntary (page 1, paragraph 3). This is a switch from the past strong usage of the word mandatory. The USDA, in this document and its press releases, seems to be trying hard to tone down the language and avoid the term mandatory if possible.

If only life were so good and the government so honest. Please turn to page 3, paragraph 1 where they discuss the "Contingency Plan" which states that if we don't voluntarily sign up to their satisfaction (no definition given) then they will force it down our throats:

"If participation rates are not adequate, the development of regulations through normal rulemaking procedures will be considered to require participation in certain aspects of the program."

That isn't what I call voluntary. More like a Mafia style protection racket - for our own good, of course. Pay up or else...

Here in Vermont our Agency of Agriculture has backed down from their original plans for full implementation of NAIS and is now saying that "The program is still voluntary, and anyone who wishes to unregister can do so." What they fail to mention is they are working hard to make it mandatory as soon as they can. Fortunately we have a citizen legislature that is listening to concerned Vermonters and digging in their heels so we have some time to think this through.

A big issue with Premises ID is it is discriminating against livestock owners. It is like the yellow star of Hitler's Germany. (And yes, I get to use this example.) The current excuse for NAIS is Avian Influenza (AI). Livestock aren't the only animals that get Avian flu - cats and people do too. My kitty cats go out and eat wild birds and bring their infections back to their human families. If the government is so afraid of AI then they should be worried more about wild birds, domestic cats and human travelers than livestock - those are more serious vectors of bird flu. Chickens are merely terminal hosts.

Unlike big factory farms with their masses of crowded birds primed for mutation to High Pathogenic AI (HPAI), small backyard flocks are healthier, more distributed, not sitting on and eating their own manure or crowded into conditions that are perfect for breeding a new super virus. Grandma's egg hen is not a threat to society. This whole hoopla is simply a case of miss-direction. The Ag Depts are going to spend hundreds millions of dollars on a program that is looking for flu in the wrong places.

We don't need an expensive new Premises ID for outreach or education either - we already have a 911 system, the media, emergency broadcasting system, the web, gossip at the general store, etc. If someone is so isolated that they won't get the word through one of these means then they are not a threat to society and the ag dept. shouldn't be worrying about them. We don't need a complex new system of Premises ID tacked onto our already hackneyed government programs to duplicate existing forms of communication or identification. Everyone already has a 911 address - assume they have a bird, a cat or a human there...

On the flip side, let me say that I do applaud the Vermont Agency of Agriculture's new focus on education and testing rather than routine depopulation. This is encouraging. We need more of that. We aren't idiots who need to be led around by the nose. The USDA would benefit from taking a page from the Vermont approach to educating farmers. I would like to see more of this.

Any program should also be completely market driven. If the buyer wants trace-back, they should pay a premium to the sellers who choose to offer it. Good old capitalism. There is no need to help the Mega-Corps like MacDonald's keep their costs down by forcing everyone to provide trace-back - that is fascism. We don't need to be supporting their profits through government programs - let them bid on the open market for their beef. No need for the government to be a middleman in this game. If people really want to know where their food comes from then they could buy local. Isn't that a Vermont Agency of Agriculture slogan?!?

Preventing disease is a good idea. NAIS is a bad idea. We can achieve the stated goals of disease management without trampling all over our constitutional rights, invading people's privacy and wasting hundreds of millions of dollars.

Whatever we end up with, it should be kept 100% voluntary by the original meaning of the word. Honest use of the words would be nice. Voluntary means you choose, not the Mafia, er, I mean government.