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Eartha
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« Reply #15 on: May 06, 2007, 07:57:38 AM » |
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Folks,
Start with your local state Departments of Agriculture and elected officials. They are MUCH less likely to be in the pockets of the big corporate farms and businesses. Not to mention that they will probably have an office with REAL people in it within walking or biking distance of you! Each state sets its own health codes and commodity feeding policies, so this is a real power source much closer to home. Face to face meetings convey way more than e-mails or phone messages.
All this talk of having the feds doing everything is exactly what has caused this mess in the first place! THINK AND ACT LOCALLY "We are too busy to reply to you" means exactly that you are just a peon and your pet is even less important. Talk with people who can't hide thousands of miles away or behind a dozen staffers.
My local state congressman AND state senator have both talked with me and offered real options, while the two Democratic Federal Senators we have sent back time after time for decades won't even reply to anything. Very good lesson, same political party, very different results. State inspectors started showing up and veryfying recalled product removal within days after initial contact. Calls to Washington, DC just don't produce the same results, ever.
I don't disagree with contacting state legislators and county advisors. It's a good place to start. But, I don't think that means that people should give up on national representatives. They are after all the ones who are in 'the seats of power' and more able to affect change (they dole out the FDA paychecks for example). Although the struggle to get the message across may be more difficult, there are definite advantages to trying to get US congressional and senatorial support. Plus, for some of us the US capitol is much closer than the state capitol in both physical distance and mentality. |
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JJ
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« Reply #16 on: May 07, 2007, 12:00:05 AM » |
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Seriously, if any candidate is willing to take up this issue I would guess it would be Kucinich. He is a vegan and big on animal rights.
By the way, I just read on AOL that John [edited] has 22 pets. Where is he in this mess? (I'm not a [edited], so I will say I'm not surprised he's keeping mum.)
Probably too busy trying to run for the top office to pay any attention to problems with pets who live here and the people who care about them. The voters will remember the people who chose to ignore this. |
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'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.'
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~Martha~
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« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2007, 08:28:54 PM » |
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Seriously, if any candidate is willing to take up this issue I would guess it would be Kucinich. He is a vegan and big on animal rights.
Probably too busy trying to run for the top office to pay any attention to problems with pets who live here and the people who care about them. The voters will remember the people who chose to ignore this.
Posted by ~Martha~ :
I'm certain, things already on his schedule (like the impeachment of VP? Cheney, the upcoming [edited] Debate, ending the Iraq war, as well as his? campaigning for President) are taken first before e-mails on other subjects. However, my main disappointment is with the volunteer NOT getting the message TO Kucinich, but "responding" to the questions herself when she had no clue.
As far as I know he never knew I had a concern since the email was intercepted.
However, you are most likely correct when you said we won't forget being ignored. I'm afraid I don't easily forget/forgive anyone that's harmed my fur kids, or ignored my plea to help them.
Right now I am just very disappointed that my questions didn't make it through the political system. I can't blame him entirely....yet.? ?
~Martha~
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JJ
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« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2007, 11:02:57 PM » |
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Seriously, if any candidate is willing to take up this issue I would guess it would be Kucinich. He is a vegan and big on animal rights.
Probably too busy trying to run for the top office to pay any attention to problems with pets who live here and the people who care about them. The voters will remember the people who chose to ignore this.
Posted by ~Martha~ :
I'm certain, things already on his schedule (like the impeachment of VP? Cheney, the upcoming [edited] Debate, ending the Iraq war, as well as his? campaigning for President) are taken first before e-mails on other subjects. However, my main disappointment is with the volunteer NOT getting the message TO Kucinich, but "responding" to the questions herself when she had no clue.
As far as I know he never knew I had a concern since the email was intercepted.
However, you are most likely correct when you said we won't forget being ignored. I'm afraid I don't easily forget/forgive anyone that's harmed my fur kids, or ignored my plea to help them.
Right now I am just very disappointed that my questions didn't make it through the political system. I can't blame him entirely....yet.? ?
~Martha~
Only person I remember even touching on the recalls and for more laws to protect pets is Durbin but we'll never know unless a law is passed that was introduced by him. |
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'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.'
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~Martha~
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« Reply #19 on: May 11, 2007, 06:15:20 AM » |
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Well, actually JJ,? Kucinich did "get involved".....
? ? ?
Lawmakers probe FDA response to harmful pet food
April 4, 2007? ?
Launching a probe on behalf of dogs and cats -- and pet owners like himself -- House Oversight and Government Reform Domestic Policy Subcommittee Chairman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, is investigating the Food and Drug Administration's response to the massive recall of pet food that has killed or sickened pets.
Kucinich, whose panel has broad jurisdiction over domestic issues, has written to Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, requesting information on when the agency first discovered harmful toxins in Menu Foods Income Fund pet food.
<snip>
Kucinich posed as many as 20 specific questions to Sundlof in a letter dated Tuesday, including a request for FDA plant inspection reports over the last two years.
"Millions of American families have a right to be assured that everything possible is being done to protect the health of their beloved family pets," Kucinich, owner of two beagles and a cocker spaniel, said this week. A Kucinich spokeswoman said the subcommittee might conduct a hearing on the issue.
Citing the additional recalls after the Menu Foods announcement, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., initiated their own inquiry into the FDA's oversight of pet food manufacturing facilities.
"Based on the evidence so far, it would appear that FDA is failing its responsibilities to protect animals from unsafe food as much as it is failing to protect American consumers," said DeLauro, whose subcommittee has jurisdiction over the FDA.
She and Durbin, a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach seeking an analysis of FDA's oversight of pet food manufacturing facilities and a report of actions taken since the recalls began.
<snip>Durbin and DeLauro introduced legislation in February that would create a single food safety agency. The measure would consolidate the food oversight responsibilities now spread throughout 15 government agencies.
"In light of recent events, it looks like we will need to broaden [our] effort to include pet foods" in the proposed agency, DeLauro said in a prepared statement.<snip>
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CodyBear
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« Reply #20 on: May 12, 2007, 09:11:01 AM » |
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Thanks for this thread! Based on the ideas above, I did some sleuthing. Here's a list of candidates who got campaign contributions from Nestle Purina during the 2006 election cycle. (Source: opensecret.org) Based on data released by the FEC on Monday, February 19, 2007. Figures in parentheses denote negative numbers, and may indicate returned contributions or bounced checks. (My note: please consider that party affiliation isn't relevant. What's relevant is who is going to be most likely to vote the way you want.)
FOREIGN PARENT COMPANY: Nestlé
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Switzerland
Official PAC Name: NESTLE USA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
Location: Solon OH, 44139
Industry: Food Processing & Sales; Food & Beverage Products and Services (includes pet food)
Treasurer: O'Neal, Denise
FEC Committee ID: C00087882
House Candidate Total Contribs
Baca, Joe (D-CA) $1,000
Blunt, Roy (R-MO) $1,000
Boehner, John (R-OH) $1,000
Bonilla, Henry (R-TX) ($1,000)
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) $1,000
Cardoza, Dennis (D-CA) $1,000
Davis, Danny K (D-IL) $2,000
Hastert, Dennis (R-IL) $1,000
Hobson, Dave (R-OH) $1,000
Johnson, Nancy L (R-CT) ($1,000)
Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH) $2,000
Kind, Ron (D-WI) $2,000
Nunes, Devin Gerald (R-CA) $1,000
Pryce, Deborah (R-OH) $1,000
Schiff, Adam (D-CA) $1,000
Solis, Hilda L (D-CA) $1,000
Spratt, John M Jr (D-SC) $3,000
Total to Democratic House Candidates: $13,000
Total to [edited] House Candidates: $5,000
Senate Candidate Total Contribs
Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) $1,000
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) $1,000
Durbin, Dick (D-IL) $1,000
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) $1,000
Lincoln, Blanche (D-AR) $1,000
Lugar, Richard G (R-IN) $2,000
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $3,000
Total to Democratic Senate Candidates: $3,000
Total to [edited] Senate Candidates: $7,000
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« Last Edit: May 12, 2007, 09:14:17 AM by CodyBear »
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JJ
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« Reply #21 on: May 12, 2007, 09:06:00 PM » |
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Thanks for this thread! Based on the ideas above, I did some sleuthing. Here's a list of candidates who got campaign contributions from Nestle Purina during the 2006 election cycle. (Source: opensecret.org) Based on data released by the FEC on Monday, February 19, 2007. Figures in parentheses denote negative numbers, and may indicate returned contributions or bounced checks. (My note: please consider that party affiliation isn't relevant. What's relevant is who is going to be most likely to vote the way you want.)
FOREIGN PARENT COMPANY: Nestlé
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Switzerland
Official PAC Name: NESTLE USA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
Location: Solon OH, 44139
Industry: Food Processing & Sales; Food & Beverage Products and Services (includes pet food)
Treasurer: O'Neal, Denise
FEC Committee ID: C00087882
House Candidate Total Contribs
Baca, Joe (D-CA) $1,000
Blunt, Roy (R-MO) $1,000
Boehner, John (R-OH) $1,000
Bonilla, Henry (R-TX) ($1,000)
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) $1,000
Cardoza, Dennis (D-CA) $1,000
Davis, Danny K (D-IL) $2,000
Hastert, Dennis (R-IL) $1,000
Hobson, Dave (R-OH) $1,000
Johnson, Nancy L (R-CT) ($1,000)
Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH) $2,000
Kind, Ron (D-WI) $2,000
Nunes, Devin Gerald (R-CA) $1,000
Pryce, Deborah (R-OH) $1,000
Schiff, Adam (D-CA) $1,000
Solis, Hilda L (D-CA) $1,000
Spratt, John M Jr (D-SC) $3,000
Total to Democratic House Candidates: $13,000
Total to [edited] House Candidates: $5,000
Senate Candidate Total Contribs
Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) $1,000
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) $1,000
Durbin, Dick (D-IL) $1,000
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) $1,000
Lincoln, Blanche (D-AR) $1,000
Lugar, Richard G (R-IN) $2,000
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $3,000
Total to Democratic Senate Candidates: $3,000
Total to [edited] Senate Candidates: $7,000
Good post as I see Durbin's name on here as taking the money. I believe he along with [edited] (also from IL) both voted to give our social security money to illegal aliens no matter what country they came in or got in the U.S. from. Don't ya just luv it when someone else wants to give away your money? |
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'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.'
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~Martha~
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« Reply #22 on: May 12, 2007, 09:28:09 PM » |
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Thanks for this thread!? Based on the ideas above, I did some sleuthing.? Here's a list of candidates who got campaign contributions from Nestle Purina during the 2006 election cycle.? (Source: opensecret.org)? Based on data released by the FEC on Monday, February 19, 2007. Figures in parentheses denote negative numbers, and may indicate returned contributions or bounced checks.? (My note: please consider that party affiliation isn't relevant.? What's relevant is who is going to be most likely to vote the way you want.)
FOREIGN PARENT COMPANY: Nestlé
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Switzerland
Official PAC Name: NESTLE USA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
Location: Solon OH, 44139
Industry: Food Processing & Sales; Food & Beverage Products and Services (includes pet food)
Treasurer: O'Neal, Denise
FEC Committee ID: C00087882
House Candidate?? ? ? ? Total Contribs
Baca, Joe (D-CA)? ? ? ? $1,000
Blunt, Roy (R-MO)? ? ? ?$1,000
Boehner, John (R-OH)? ? $1,000
Bonilla, Henry (R-TX)? ?($1,000)
Cantor, Eric (R-VA)? ? ?$1,000
Cardoza, Dennis (D-CA)? $1,000
Davis, Danny K (D-IL)? ?$2,000
Hastert, Dennis (R-IL)? $1,000
Hobson, Dave (R-OH)? ? ?$1,000
Johnson, Nancy L (R-CT)? ? ? ? ?($1,000)
Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH)? ?$2,000
Kind, Ron (D-WI)? ? ? ? $2,000
Nunes, Devin Gerald (R-CA)? ? ? $1,000
Pryce, Deborah (R-OH)? ?$1,000
Schiff, Adam (D-CA)? ? ?$1,000
Solis, Hilda L (D-CA)? ?$1,000
Spratt, John M Jr (D-SC)? ? ? ? $3,000
Total to Democratic House Candidates:? ?$13,000
Total to [edited] House Candidates:? ?$5,000
Senate Candidate? ? ? ? Total Contribs
Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM)? ?$1,000
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA)? ? ? ? ?$1,000
Durbin, Dick (D-IL)? ? ?$1,000
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA)? $1,000
Lincoln, Blanche (D-AR)? ? ? ? ?$1,000
Lugar, Richard G (R-IN)? ? ? ? ?$2,000
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY)? ? ? ? ?$3,000
Total to Democratic Senate Candidates:? $3,000
Total to [edited] Senate Candidates:? $7,000
You're welcome...and thank you for your lists of donations!
If you noticed, Dennis Kucinich is NOT on this list. He does NOT accept any donations from big business/ corporations. ...never has.
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