But in a Libertarian society, who would regulate Monsanto?

My Libertarian credentials and activities are now out there to the point that I'm no longer introduced as Whited, the shipping manager, or Whited, the father of The Aggie. 

I'm now Whited, the Libertarian. 

Here's the conversation that comes up about 50% of the time:

Whited: Nice to meet you!

Statist Slave: You too.  Hey, how can you be a Libertarian when they want to let Monsanto poison people and create Godzilla corn and torture puppies? 

Whited: Who told you that? 

Statist Slave: Well, you guys are always in favor of the big corporations, and....

Whited: No, no, no, we're not in favor of the big corporations.  We're pro-free market. 

Statist Slave: But if you have nothing but unfettered capitalism, corporations like Monsanto will continue to steal our Bibles, and dig up the bodies of our ancestors for target practice. 

And so it goes.....

Seriously, here's what works best.  There's lots of confusion out there about "less regulation" and "holding people to account for harming others".  There's almost total ignorance about Public Choice Theory and Regulatory Capture. 

Ask your friend which corporations he fears.  You're going to hear about Monsanto, some military contractors, Wal-Mart, and global multinationals.  That's it.  Not the agricultural subsidy hawgs, the green energy scammers or G.E. 

Ask why they are afraid of these companies.  You're going to hear about corporate oppression, advertising that allows us no choice because we're so susceptible to marketing, underpaid workers, and harm to the environment. 

Take 'em on one at a time.  Monsanto OWNS the FDA.  And the EPA. There's nothing but a very well-lubricated turnstile between those three organizations.   Go here for details.  (This is called "regulatory capture", but taken to the 10th power in this case.  Most government agencies wind up defending their regulated companies from competitors.  In Monsanto's case, the regulators are Monsanto.  Truly amazing) 

Ask what they want the government to do to Monsanto.  They'll state that they want GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) labeled as such.

 (Full Disclosure: I can't stand Monsanto, but it's because of the Monsanto Protection Act, which essentially states that if a GMO crop goes bad or turns out to be dangerous, Uncle Sam is obliged to purchase the crop.  With your money.  That's why I turn up at every Monsanto protest within 50 miles of Cowtown.)   

There are other ways to do this without getting government munchkins and pygmies involved.  Look to the example of Kosher foods.  Underwriters Laboratories.  The same thing could be put in place for GMO's.  But if they think the FDA (also known as Monsanto) is going to require Monsanto (also known as the FDA) to label GMO's, it ain't going to happen. 

We're getting close to the end here.  Hang with me.  At this point, my new friend, who is going to avoid me until he starts making a lot of money and feeling guilty about seeking tax shelters, is getting uncomfortable. 

Ask about Farmer's Markets, and the Locavore movement (eating foods grown with 100 miles).  Are these little guys going to handle all this paperwork and testing and pay for certification?  How about the Mexican dude selling tacos and burritos from a bicycle?  Will he have to be accountable?  Where would you draw the line?  (Of course they can't.  That's why Big Business loves Big Government.  Big Government stops little guys from getting started.) 

Finally, for those who believe in evolution, mention that 150 years ago, an ear of corn was about an inch and a half long.  Wheat grew at about 25% of its present density and yield.  Ditto for rice.  Some of this was achieved through trial and error, some through traditional hybridization methods, some by accident, and some by guys at Monsanto (and State Ag Colleges) saying "Screw it, I'm just gonna alter the DNA."  Where would you draw the line?  In the messy, random process that resulted in the Big Mac you're currently eating, where do we draw the line? 

Do you say "this is a sesame seed bun".   And it's the official sesame seed bun, starting with 2013.  This is a pickle.  The 2013 variety.  This is the DNA of 2013 lettuce.  Or pick your year.  We could say that the heirloom seeds of 1953 are the non-GMO variety.  Or we could try to define the beef patties that were present in The Garden Of Eden, and declare those to be the non-GMO's. 

But the foods are going to be changing, through human action, or through Natural Selection.  The lawyers will be very, very happy.  Monsanto can afford lots and lots of lawyers. 

At this point the Statist Slave will say "THE USA IS THE ONLY 1ST WORLD NATION THAT DOESN'T HAVE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE."  and agree to disagree. 

Keep fighting, people.  Keep fighting.  Later on this week, I'll write about how to alienate yourself by defending Wal-Mart. 

Fort Worth - March Against Monsanto, May 25, 2013

Here's the rant that I delivered at the "March Against Monsanto" in downtown Fort Worth yesterday.  Good times, good times. 

My name is Allen Patterson, and I’m Chair of the Tarrant County Libertarian Party.

Check us out at the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup, The Tarrant County Libertarian Website, and remember to come to the NORML State Leadership Conference, Norris Conference Center, about 8 blocks north of here, June 7th 8th and 9th.

If you can’t remember all of that, Google Fort Worth March Against Monsanto sometime tomorrow. My website’ll be in the top 5 search results. Come see me over here any time this afternoon. I’ve got flyers, bumperstickers, and other info, and I’d love to talk to you about freedom and the Libertarian Party.

Why would the Tarrant County Libertarian Party participate in a "March Against Monsanto"? We’re supposed to be the small-government party, right?

Here’s why…. Monsanto developed some hybrid life forms. That's not problem for many of us.

Monsanto wanted a monopoly on these plants and started suing people who used "their" seeds without their permission. One of Monsanto's former lawyers, Clarence Thomas, was appointed to the Supreme Court, where he eventually wrote a majority opinion in a 2001 lawsuit, stating that "newly developed plant breeds are patentable under the general utility patent laws of the United States".

Sorry, Clarence, but if someone purchases a John Grisham novel and then re-sells it to Half-Price Books, that individual can't be sued because he didn't mail John Grisham a check. The same thing goes for purchasing, and then re-selling a car, a stapler, "Beyonce's Greatest Hits", or "Milli Vanilli - Unplugged". It's called the "First Sale Doctrine".

I own me. You own you. And if you grow some soybeans, you have a right to do what you want with the seeds. It really is that simple. Farmers have been growing plants and re-using the seeds for thousands of years, and should be allowed to continue doing so, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kegan, and Barack Obama’s FDA be damned!

But if you want Big Government, what you’re seeing today is exactly and precisely what it looks like.

Government puts a monitor in place (the FDA, the EPA) and within 25 years, the inmates are running the asylum. When you get a chance, Google the phrase “Regulatory Capture”.

Now....we’re going to play a game called “Name That President”.

I’m going to give you the name of a Monsanto employee, and you’re going to guess the name of the president who appointed him or her to regulate organizations like…..Monsanto.

It’ll be fun.

Which president appointed Monsanto director William Rucklehouse as acting head of the FBI? – Richard Nixon

Who was president when Monsanto’s VP of Government and Public Affiars was appointed as Deputy Administrator of the EPA? Clinton and Bush

Who appointed Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s Vice President of Public Policy, as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration? Obama

This is what Big Government Looks Like!!!


Which president appointed former Monsanto attorney Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court? Bush

William Ruckleshaus is a retired Monsanto Board member. Which president appointed him as the very first head of the Environmental Protection Agency? Nixon

Earle H. Harbison, Jr. was once President of Monsanto. Who was president when Mr. Harbison was working his way up to Deputy Director of the CIA? (It looks like Ford, Carter, Reagand and Bush)

Who elected Monsanto lobbyist Toby Moffett to the U.S. Congress? You did, if you voted for him. 

Who elected Monsanto legal Counsel Dennis DeConcini to the U.S. Senate? You did, if you voted for him.

Who was president of the USA when Monsanto’s Chemical Lab Supervisor Margaret Miller was Deputy Director of the Food and Drug Administration? Daddy Bush and Clinton

This is what Big Government Looks Like!!!

Which president appointed Marcia Hale, Monsanto’s International Government Affairs Director to his White House Senior Staff? Clinton

Which President appointed Mickey Kantor, a Monsanto Board Member, as Secretary Of Commerce? Clinton

Which Presidents appointed Linda Fisher, Monsanto’s Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, as Deputy Administrator of the EPA? Bush, Clinton

Which President appointed Roger Beachy, the Director of Monsanto’s Danforth Center, as Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture? Barack Obama

Folks, I could go on and on and on. There are about a dozen others on the list.

I often wonder if you move back and forth from Monsanto to Government, does it even count as a job change?

This is what Big Government looks like.

I’m Allen Patterson, Chair Of the Tarrant County Libertarian Party.

Check us out at the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup, The Tarrant County Libertarian Website, and remember to come to the NORML State Leadership Conference, Norris Conference Center, about 8 blocks north of here, June 7th 8th and 9th.

If you can’t remember all of that, Google Fort Worth March Against Monsanto sometime tomorrow. My website’ll be in the top 5 search results.

Come see me over here. I’ve got flyers, and I’d love to talk to you about Liberty and the Libertarian Party.

We’re the party that is pro-choice about EVERYTHING, including what you can do with your own damn soybeans.

The March Against Monsanto - Fort Worth, Texas Edition

Why would the Tarrant County Libertarian Party participate in a "March Against Monsanto"? (Saturday, May 25th at 1:00 p.m., General Worth Square, Downtown Fort Worth)


Because that's where a crowd is going to be !!! We'll be handing out flyers and spreading the word about the Libertarian movement.

And seriously.... Monsanto developed some hybrid life forms. That's not problem for many of us.

Monsanto wanted a monopoly on these plants and started suing people who used "their" seeds without their permission.

One of Monsanto's former lawyers, Clarence Thomas, was appointed to the Supreme Court, where he eventually wrote a majority opinion in a 2001 lawsuit, stating that "newly developed plant breeds are patentable under the general utility patent laws of the United States".

Sorry, Clarence, but if someone purchases a John Grisham novel and then re-sells it to Half-Price Books, that individual can't be sued because he didn't mail John Grisham a check.

The same thing goes for purchasing, and then re-selling a car, a stapler, or Beyonce's Greatest Hits. It's called the "First Sale Doctrine".

The Tarrant County Libertarian Party Executive Committee believes that corporations shouldn't "own" life forms. Where would it end? Farmers have been planting, growing, and then re-using their seeds for ten thousand years. Clarence Thomas and Monsanto should not be allowed to interfere in that process.

Hope to see you there, Saturday May 25th, General Worth Square, 900 Main Street. It starts at 1:00 p.m. Go to the open area north of the Fort Worth Convention Center. Look for the old hippies and passionate Gen-X'ers.

I own me. You own you. And if you grow some soybeans, you have a right to do what you want with the seeds. It really is that simple.

Since taking office, Barack Obama has....(insert disappointment here)

Over on Reddit, someone was shocked, SHOCKED !! to learn that Obama had appointed Michael Taylor, Monsanto's ex-VP for Public Policy, as the FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Foods.
What in the hell was surprising?
Here's what the sheltered, pampered little dunce has done since taking office, taken from the comments of the same post:

• Opposed gay marriage in 2009 and reaffirmed his position in 2010. When he finally flipped on his position in 2011 he stated that he was still "grappling" with his personal views on gay marriage.
• Signed the NDAA - an indefinite detention bill - into law.
• Gave $535,000,000 of our money to a company which he knew (or at least should) have was going to go bankrupt.
• Placed Sanctions on Iran that will likely lead to war.
• Increased the TSA’s budget and allowed the scope of their authority to increase
• Gave Blackwater a quarter of a billion dollars.
• Approved of a more draconian Patriot Act.
• Assassinated three American Citizens 1 2 3.
• Continued the Drug War. Including pushing for a five year mandated sentence for Charles C. Lynch the owner of a licensed medical marijuana dispensary.
• Wins right to deny habeas review from detainees.
• Protected Bush officials from charges relating to torture.
• Waged war on Libya without congressional approval.
• Waives health care coverage for employees of 29 companies including McDonald's.
• Deports record number of immigrants.
• Continued and escalated a covert, drone war in Yemen.
• Takes the hardest stance in American history against government whistle blowers.
• Escalated the proxy war in Somalia.
• Pushes harder for warrantless wire taps than Bush did.
• Escalated the CIA drone war in Pakistan including attacking first responders and funerals.
• And what about the Children?
• Promises more transparent government denies more FOIA request than Bush.
• Gives BP and other big oil companies exemption from EPA laws.
• Will maintain a presence in Iraq even after "ending" war.
• Sharply escalated the war in Afghanistan.
• Secretly made deal to kill health care public option while secretly meeting with health care executives and provided an exemption for abortion.
• Secretly deployed US special forces to 75 countries.
• Sold $30 billion of weapons to the dictatorship in Saudi Arabia.
• Signed an agreement for 7 military bases in Colombia
• Appoints multiple lobbyists while signing an executive order limiting this practice. This included lobbyists from Goldman Sachs , Raytheon and Monsanto.
• Continued Bush's rendition program.

If Obama had promised to do all of the above, would you have supported him or voted for him?  Now that he's done all of the above, will you still support him? 

Gary Johnson for President in 2012.  Everything else is truly a wasted vote. 

On the places where Warren Buffett chooses to invest his money, Part 3, The final conflict !!!

Warren Buffett wishes he could pay more taxes, if only someone would make him. 

Check out my two previous posts,

Then look at what this guy wrote. 

Lord have mercy, what a Corporatist/Statist tool.