A voice from the heartland with something to say

A while back I posted a guest editorial from Stephen Anderson.  His editorial took exception to negative letters he read in a magazine and he questioned the accusations that were being leveled at the Occupy movement.  Even though he wasn't exactly singing Occupy's praises he was at least being fair and honest about his observations.  A friend of mine has been in communication with Mr. Anderson and he shared with me the following video that Stephen sent to him.  The video records a speech Anderson gave at an event in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2008.  The speech was very timely then and it is still worth listening to now.  Mr.  Anderson continues to be a fair and honest observer of society and his style is articulate and entertaining.  Forty-five minutes isn't too long to give to this thought provoking verbal presentation. 

Check out what's coming to the Elks Theatre in Rapid City

March film “Farmageddon”

POSTED BY HEARTLANDFILM ⋅ MARCH 18, 2012

Farmageddon – Movie Trailer from Kristin Canty on Vimeo.

Elks Theatre, 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 26. All seats $5.00.

Directed by Kristin Canty. Starring Linda Faillace, Mark McAfee and Joel Salatin.

Farmageddon is the story of a mom whose son healed from all allergies and asthma after consuming raw milk, and real food from farms. It depicts people all over the country who formed food co-ops and private clubs to get these foods, and how they were raided by state and local governments. Source: IMDb.com

A movie whose claims, if accurate, should give us all food for thought. – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

Kristin Canty’s Farmageddon is a plucky, grassroots, urban mulch pile of info-tainment. – Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine

89 minutes. 2011 release.


Additional note from Clay Upton:


Hello friends,


This Monday, March 26 we will be showing the film "Farmageddon." There will be a discussion panel afterwards. Jessica Miller, representing Dakota Rural Action, Dawn Habeck, representing Black Hills Milk, Shirley Frederick, representing Dakota Local Food Network, and Nisa Schwiesow, representing Breadroot Food Cooperative, will be the panel members. Nisa also has a CSA farm and is a permaculture certified organic gardener. She has been involved with sustainable agriculture in Costa Rica and on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Dawn and her husband John have a dairy farm in Bell Fourche, and now have retail stores in Rapid City and Spearfish. Shirley is also a member of Dakota Rural Action and is actively involved in other local community organizations. This promises to be a very informative evening. Please come out and join us. We look forward to seeing you there. 

SOUTH DAKOTA ELECTED OFFICIALS SUPPORT GOLIATH WHILE CITIZENS SUPPORT DAVID

The following guest post is a public news release:

SOUTH DAKOTA ELECTED OFFICIALS SUPPORT GOLIATH

WHILE CITIZENS SUPPORT DAVID

Citizen Protest Against Private Foreign Companies Use of Eminent Domain

(Rapid City, SD) South Dakota elected officials including Senator Thune, Representative Noem, Governor Daugaard, and the SD Legislature continue to support TransCanada, a foreign corporation, over South Dakota landowners. Even after the Presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline has been denied, TransCanada continues to move forward with eminent domain court proceedings against local landowners.

This Saturday, February 25, 2012 at noon, citizens of South Dakota will come together at Main Street Square in downtown Rapid City to protest TransCanada’s continued bullying of landowners and our elected officials who continue to repeat false statements about the proposed project. Citizens will speak up against their elected officials ignoring their constituents. Members of groups supporting this action include Occupy Rapid City, Dakota Rural Action, and SD Peace and Justice. We believe the Davids of our country should be represented when the Goliaths, like TransCanada, do not play fair.

While a construction project will bring short-term jobs, long-term growth for SD depends upon the health of our soil and water and the families who have spent their lives as stewards of these resources. Why would private property rights be given away to a foreign company that has not proven they can care for the land, its resources, and water?

Dakota Rural Action, a grassroots organizing non-profit, recently introduced HB 1111 into SD Legislation. This bill aims to create an even playing field for both landowners and private organizations and define a clear process for good faith negotiations where eminent domain is used as a last resort in the development of railroads and large transmission pipelines for hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, the bill failed on the House floor last week with a 35 to 35 reconsideration vote.

“According to The New York Times, the company has at least 34 eminent domain actions against landowners in Texas, and 22 in South Dakota.2 And their threats to landowners in Nebraska3 helped spark massive public opposition and a special legislative session that were key in the decision to consider a different route.” -Credo Action

South Dakota landowners have proven and earned their right to private property rights over multiple generations through their responsible stewardship. Why are we letting the Goliaths continue with condemnation proceedings on a project that offers little public benefit? 

For More Information:

Clay and Mary Ellen Uptain

Occupy Rapid City

605.341.0724

dcu777@rushmore.com

occupyrapidcity.org

Jessica Miller

Dakota Rural Action

605.716.2200

jessicam@dakotarural.org

dakotarural.org

Jim Peterson

SD Peace & Justice

petersen100@cs.com

1. "Keystone XL Pipeline: Texas Farmer Wins Temporary Restraining Order Against TransCanada," Huffington Post, February 14, 2012
2. "Eminent Domain Fight Has a Canadian Twist," New York Times, October 17th, 2011
3. "TransCanada Keystone XL Eminent Domain Threat Letter ," Dirty Oil Sands
4. "Texans rally against Keystone XL oil pipeline easement," LA Times, February 17, 2012

It's a case of "kill the messenger"

Guest editorial

            Few people will deny the U.S. faces a serious economic crisis, an economic

Waterloo if you will. Yet I'm astonished where our letter writers and columnists place the blame.  One thing is certain: if the only advice a noted Ph.D. in economics has to offer Congress, the president, and the public is a silly, asinine fairy tale about 10 beer drinkers, then we as a nation are in serious trouble. No less a personage than Warren Buffet -- the oracle of Omaha and the second wealthiest capitalist in the U.S. -- has bluntly told Congress, "The rich should pay more." He used himself and his own employees as an example, clearly showing how he paid a lower percentage rate on his millions of income than his employees do on their monthly salary. If Congress and Ph.D. economic professors ignore Warren Buffett, don't blame beer drinkers.

            In the November 17 issue of Western Ag Reporter, every other letter writer or columnist gave environmentalists or the Occupy Wall Street movement a whack. Why? Was it tree huggers or was it Paul Volker, chairman of the Federal Reserve, who raised interest rates to 21% in the 1980s, resulting in an economic crisis in rural America?  Who was President of the U.S. when the E.P.A. was created and the clean air and clean water acts passed... socialist Adolph Hitler or Republican Richard Nixon?  Was it the Occupiers or the Banksters that created the housing bubble that ultimately crashed, creating a global crisis?

            After the 1929 crash and depression, numerous restrictions were placed on Wall Street to prevent a re-occurrence. Who removed those public safe guards.. the occupiers or Congress? The power of eminent domain to take private property was granted to corporations. Who changed the rules and constitution? Occupiers or Supreme Court?

Who robbed the Social Security trust fund and left only IOUs and a pending crisis? Occupiers or Congress?  Was it the Occupiers or Congress that negotiated the Free Trade agreements that gutted U.S. manufacturing and exported 10 million jobs to third-world slave labor? Was it a tree hugger or a federal judge who voided a billion-dollar jury verdict in favor of U.S. cattlemen? The ceaseless flow of 35 million illegals have overwhelmed our schools, hospitals, and welfare agencies and spawned unprecedented drug violence. Who condones and even encourages and exploits this illegal flow? Corporate hogs, dairy, poultry, meat packers, and fruit and vegetable growers or the Occupy Wall Street protesters?

            I haven't made a personal inspection of the Occupiers so I can't speak with authority on their lack of cleanliness as some have, but I view them as analogous to canaries in the coalmine. I do know that something is vitally wrong with our nation and that neither Congress nor our President is willing to take other than divisive political actions.

            When 30 major corporations can avoid paying taxes for seven years, when innumerable corporate CEOs like Lowell McAdam of Verizon draw pay of $55,000 per day (yes, per day!), when we have thousands of soldiers stationed in Germany and Japan 65 years after the end of WW II, then something is wrong. Turn off your TV and learn what our real problems are and who's causing them. By the way, what book commanded us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widows and orphans, and love our neighbor as ourselves? The left wing, socialist Occupiers handbook or the Holy Bible?

                                                                   Stephen Anderson

                                                                   Alma, KS