Action Alert
February 1, 2007
Meeting in Noble, Oklahoma on Saturday, February 3rd
A town hall meeting with Representative Collins will be held at the Poor Boys Restaurant, Highway 77 at Maguire Rd, in Noble, Oklahoma, on Saturday. The meeting starts at 9 am. Representative Collins has committed to introducing a bill to limit NAIS, and is seeking people's input on what should be included in the bill. This meeting is important not only to provide that input, but to show that there is significant public support for a strong anti-NAIS bill. After all, it does not help us to introduce a strong bill if we can't get a majority of the legislators to vote Yes on it!
Please contact Don Grissom at dongrissom@earthlink.net or 405-822-4072 for more information and to tell him if you're coming.
If you cannot come to the meeting, please call or email Representative Collins to provide your input and support. His number is 405-557-7386 and his email is wallace.collins@okhouse.gov. Be sure to thank him for supporting our cause!!!
Everyone needs to also call their own Representative and Senator, and urge them to support Representative Collins' efforts to stop NAIS. If you don't know who your legislators are, you can find them at www.capitolconnect.com/oklahoma/default.aspx Representative Collins cannot fight this battle on his own, and everyone needs to get their own Representative and Senator to join. Below are some talking points you can use when calling or emailing your legislators. Be sure to personalize your comments, and remain calm and polite.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, you can reach us at noah@libertyark.net.
GET YOUR FRIENDS TO SIGN UP TO SUPPORT LIBERTY ARK'S FIGHT AGAINST NAIS. SEND THEM THIS LINK: http://libertyark.net/pledge.dyn
Talking points
Economic Damage: NAIS will drive farmers and ranchers out of business and hurt our economy
- There has been no cost analysis by USDA or the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
- Costs of the program = the cost of the tags, hardware, software, and labor.
- Small farmer and ranchers will pay these costs, and many cannot afford it.
- Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.
- Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, lowering demand for local foods.
- The export market can, and should, be addressed by a voluntary, participant-funded program
No Scientific Basis: Neither the USDA nor the ODA has scientific proof show that this will improve disease control
- It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
- It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.
Not for Food Safety: The program will not improve food safety.
- USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program.
- Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards.
Not About Terrorism: The program will not protect against terrorism.
- The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
- The databases will create targets for hackers.
Unconstitutional: The NAIS infringes on people's Constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom. Voluntary Federal NAIS: USDA states that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, so there is no "federal mandate" requiring Oklahoma to move forward with this program.