Finals

Hi everybody, sorry I haven't been able to post in awhile. I'm in the middle of finals, graduating, finding a real job, working my fake job, etc., etc. I'll be back ASAP!

Virgil & Monsanto, Sitting in a Tree

I'm sure there are a million reasons that Virgil Goode and the corporate sponsors that compose 94.3% of his 2008 campaign contributors are bad for the small family farmer.* Obviously, Virgil loves corporate money, even when it comes from Monsanto, a company that not only poisons a large percentage of our drinking water with their dangerous pesticides and herbicides but also recently introduced corporate feudalism to American crop production.

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Here's the story:

Monsanto is a giant multinational corporation that produces a variety of agricultural products, leading the world in pesticide and biogenetically-engineered seed production. Outside of dangerously high levels of pollution produced by their chemicals, Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops provide by far the most danger to the American farmer. The corporation places strict regimes on farmers purchasing their seed by means of technology contacts and patents. The contracts essentially allow Monsanto to control farmers' ability to plant, harvest and sell the [genetically modified] seed" through a variety of obscure national and international intellectual property laws. Farmers under these technology agreements are also subject to numerous Monsanto harassment tactics, including surprise farm inspections. There have also been several instances of electronic surveillance on farmers suspected of planting seeds saved from a previous year's crop.

Monsanto thrives on producing controversy and then slipping away from prosecution, hiding behind heavy campaign contribution coffers and an overwhelming force of corporate money, i.e. lawsuits. So far, Monsanto has sued 90 farmers, with an additional 147 farmers and 39 small businesses forced to wage expensive lawsuits in order to protect their family farms. In all, Monsanto has earned $15 million in court awards in the United States alone. One farmer paid Monsanto over $3 million in damages in 2007 while the corporation earned $998 million globally that same year.

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This is only one example of the kind of people Virgil Goode will accept money from and supports in Congress. It's only $1,000, right? Well, not really. As seen from previous Goode corporate profiteering, he also received another $1,000 from lobbyist group Troutman Sanders, who list Monsanto as a client. The same firm also represents the Farm Credit Council, a pro-corporate agribusiness group which also gave $300 to Goode. However, if I can take 10 minutes from a busy day and find one instance of corporate bundling in Virgil Goode's 2008 corporate donor list, what else is in there?

And what did Monsanto's money buy them? A vote against the Farm Bill, that's what. On August 29th, 2007, Virgil Goode explained his vote against the bill, which would have provided billions of dollars in relief to US farmers, by stating:

Further, last-minute tax increases added by Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee would, in some cases, impose the equivalent of a 30-percent gross receipts tax on certain U. S. subsidiaries of foreign companies that provide 5.1 million jobs in our country, with an annual payroll of almost $3.25 billion. The tax increases will have a negative impact on such companies as Food Lion, Nestle, Bayer and T-Mobile. - The New Dominion.

You've probably guessed my point by now: those very same "tax increases" would've negatively impacted Monsanto as well....



*Goode corporate sponsorship rates (corporate % of total contributions:)
2005-2006: 81%
2003-2004: 90.9% (Thanks MZM!)
2001-2002: 87.9%
1999-2000: 85.4% (As an independent)

Technorati Tages: Politics, Congress, Election, Corruption, Monsanto

Tom Perriello Summer Fellowship Program

Taken from Perriello's Facebook group:

Tom Perriello is challenging Congressman Virgil Goode (R-VA) in one of the most competitive congressional races this year. Tom is running to restore our nation's commitment to the common good with a politics that focuses on right and wrong instead of right and left. We have designed an intensive summer fellowship program for college-aged people to reflect this new generation of leadership. The program will offer young people a unique opportunity to play a major role in this election and to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will affect people’s lives in the 5th district for years to come.

As a Fellow, you will participate in an intensive grassroots training at the program’s outset and continue to receive advanced trainings over the course of the fellowship to hone your campaign skills. Common Good Summer will be the most comprehensive voter mobilization program in the history of the 5th congressional district. Fellows will be given ambitious goals for registering new voters and raising awareness, particularly among underserved groups such as younger voters, African-Americans, and rural residents, preparing us for a strong “get out the vote” effort in the fall. This will include door-to-door canvassing, a pervasive presence at public gatherings (county fairs, BBQs, bowling alleys), phone banking, and other means of reaching potential voters.

Fellows will learn winning campaign skills, such as direct voter contact, targeting, modern technology, and use of message to persuade and motivate voters. Skills learned during this fellowship will enhance your knowledge of political organizing and prepare you for a career in political campaigns or public advocacy.

Email: cgsummer@perrielloforcongress.com

Website: www.perrielloforcongress.com

Office: U.S. House, VA-05

Applications are due on APRIL 30. Go to Perrielloforcongress.com to apply today!

(My thoughts: This is a pretty brilliant use of netroots campaign strategies to turn online enthusiasm into real world action, potentially giving a unique solution to the problem that currently plagues most online political campaigns.)

- Concerned Citizen

Hello Everybody.

For years now, I have cringed at the small-minded nature of Virginia's elected officials at the federal level, especially that of my hometown Congressman, Rep. Virgil Goode. However, with the defeat of fellow bigot Sen. George Allen in 2006 and Gov. Tim Kaine's victory this past year, 2008 is shaping up as a year in which Southside Virginia could finally have the opportunity to do exactly what is needed: remove Virgil Goode from office.

The following editorial from Roanoke.com is a good place to start looking for reasons why we need change in the 5th District. Over the course of the next few months, myself and others will be posting other reasons here as well as articles on his opponent in the general election, the highly qualified Democratic challenger Tom Perriello. You'll also be able to find links to Perriello's campaign events in the right-hand sidebar along with additional information on volunteer opportunities. I would like to take this opportunity to say that we are not affiliated in any official capacity with the Tom Perriello for Congress campaign. We are doing this of our own accord due to our strong belief that in order for the 5th District to move forward to a brighter future we must first rid ourselves of the vestiges and embarrassments of the past, namely Virgil Goode.

Here's the editorial:

Editorial: Virgil Goode's macaca moment

Rep. Goode is mistaken. Not all of his constituents are narrow-minded bigots.

Virgil Goode isn't about to apologize for his racist diatribe that equates Muslims with illegal immigrants and terrorists. He shouldn't apologize for his beliefs because that would just pile the sin of hypocrisy onto the heap of bigotry.

But his constituents in Virginia's 5th Congressional District should be hopping mad, because Goode now has the nation believing that they are as small-minded as he is.

Goode never intended for everyone to know that he fears now that one Muslim has been elected to Congress, illegal immigrants and terrorists will pour over our boundaries. His letter -- the one that has made national news for a few days running -- was intended to go out to only his xenophobic supporters.

One copy mistakenly went to a non-supporter in what Goode's office claimed was a "clerical error." Too late. They couldn't take it back or deny it. Instead, Goode defends his stance and claims it mirrors his constituents' views.

Would that include his thousand or so constituents of Arab descent? Or those of African descent who make up about 23 percent of his district?

They can keenly recall a Virginia that tried to bar them from entering "white" society with the same repugnant fears.

Do the residents of the 5th District share Goode's modern-day bigotry? If so, do they think Goode is one of them? Really, that affinity has been his appeal throughout his political career.

The people of his district look the other way when he gets wrapped up in a campaign finance scandal; they excuse him in Martinsville where the town is on the hook to pay back a substantial grant because of a Goode scheme with disgraced MZM officials. They have forgiven him so easily because they believe good-old Goode is "one of us."

Goode certainly seems to think he's among like-minded folks. As long as he insulates himself with people who reflect his thoughts and avoids those who would challenge him to rethink his biases, there's no reason for him to believe differently.

Every broad-minded thinker in the 5th District must cringe at the thought of outsiders believing Goode is representative of them.

Goode's got another two years in Congress, but his constituents will have little representation during that time. No one, other than of a handful of his bigoted supporters, will ever take Goode seriously again. Not that he'll notice.

- Concerned Citizen