WCRS Podcast - consciousvoices

http://civicallyengaged.net 

A group of citizens from Union County who oppose the proposed installation of a large-scale egg-farm in their community met with Adam Ward, who is legislative liaison of the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Kevin Elder, who is Executive Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Livestock Environmental Permitting Program.

The company, Hi-Q Egg Products wants to build a facility near Mansfield that would involve 6 million chickens. Citizens formed the group called No More Chickens because they are concerned about , as their website says “the further negative impact that this facility will bring to our health, ground water, streams, air, soil, property values and roads.”

The meeting between community members and Adam Ward and Kevin Elder of the Ohio Department of Agriculture was part of the Ohio Environmental Council’s Environmental Lobby Day. It’s an event via which members of the community, along with members of environmental groups meet with Ohio legislators.

The conversation you will hear took place in the State House atrium. It was noisy. About 12 or 13 people sat around a banquet table in the echo y atrium, struggling to hear one another. I huddled closely with the people at the table in an attempt to hear what was being said.

The meeting between community member and Adam Ward and Kevin Elder of the Ohio Dept of Agriculture interested me because the concerns that were being voiced is a specific case which reflects the broader issue of problems associated with some aspects of industrialized agriculture.

When I spoke with some of the people working with the community group NO MORE Chickens , some of them said that promoting local and organic food is part of the solution

Columbus commemorated Earth Day 2009 with many work-site events around greater Columbus on Saturday April 18, and with a celebration at Goodale Park on the following day.

The music you are hearing is from System Theory, recorded at Dick’s Den on High Street. Just a Frisbee throw south of the Blue Danube, the jazz bar is , in my opinion, one of Columbus’ cultural and historical sites.

On keyboards is Scott Steeleman . On bass guitar Jim Tussing. On drums and moog synthesizer Adam Smith, not to be confused with the economist. On flute is Michael Cox.

Some might call the Earth Day event a celebration. Some might call it an observance of Earth Day, not wanting to use the term ‘celebration,’ due to thinking that humanity has many tough ecological challenges before us. Some might say its premature to celebrate any sort of achievement in terms of dealing with our eco-challenges.

But another way of thinking of the Earth Day event is think that there are things to celebrate, such as the fact that many people are working together to address our eco-challenges and not giving in to cynicism and hopelessness.

Some people might also say that environmentalism has at its roots a celebration of life-or perhaps a celebration of, and appreciation for, the physical and mental health of human beings, and other sentient beings, and an appreciation for the Earth’s services

upon which, not only life, but quality of life depends.

So, with that line of reasoning, Earth Day can involve celebrating life and appreciating the quality of life we have.

But how much of that celebration is based on our sense of what we have accomplished in terms of making our lives and our communities more ecologically and socially sustainable? You tell me. Go to Civically Engaged DOT NET to give your input. It would be great to hear from you.

WCRS  talks with David Swanson, author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union

September 2, 2009

WCRS :   Tell us about the book.

David Swanson: The book is called Daybreak: Undoing The Imperial Presidency And Forming A More Perfect Union, and as that title might suggest, it’s somewhat divided into a couple of parts. One part – what’s wrong, and one part, what do we do about it.

The part about what’s wrong deals largely with the real acceleration during the past eight years of the transfer of power -- from the Congress, and the courts and the people to the White House, and the crimes and abuses but also the systemic changes that need to be undone and reversed.

The bulk of the book is about -- you know, beyond undoing the damage, how do we form a more perfect union where we have better representation, better government, better public services, a better relationship with the rest of the world, and so on. (The book is about) imagining what could be and then strategizing as to how citizens can be better at making things happen.

WCRS: Could you tell us about the October 5 protest that is scheduled?

David Swanson:
Sure, one of the things that’s happened in the past 7, 8, or 9 months is that the peace movement has largely gone away and been de-funded… [but] we have human rights groups that would never oppose the war [but are now] helping with opposing torture and war crimes .They would never back impeachment, but they’re all for prosecution.

Related links  veal crates ,   battery cages for laying hens  gestation crates  

 Ohio voters will decide on Issue 2 in the Nov 3 elections. If passed, the ballot initiative will amend the Ohio constitution so as to establish a 13 member “Livestock Care Standards Board.”

Proponents say Issue 2 will promote safe, affordable, and local food, while also promoting the care of Ohio’s farm animals.

Opponents say the ballot initiative is a corporate power grab that will, in reality, impede improvements to farm animal welfare, while also promoting the interests of factory farms over those of small to medium sized farms.

The Yes- on- Issue 2 signs you might see around Columbus include the words ‘safe, local, food.’ But both its proponents and opponents say the ballot initiative is an attempt to prevent the Human Society of the United States from facilitating changes to Ohio’s laws pertaining to confinement practices for farm animals, as the organization has done in seven states.

The confinement practices in question are those that prevent farm animals from having enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around or extend their limbs.

Eriyah Flynn is an animal rights activist working with Mercy For Animals in Columbus, Ohio.