The left does it, too (just without the racism)

So here's the thing. I believe that the protests on Tax Day were hysterical, not in a funny way, but in a stark-raving, beyond reason sort of way. I mean, come on: "American taxpayers are the Jews for Obama's ovens"? Really? That's wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to begin. It was a mob of people who, in my opinion, are mostly just threatened by Mr. Obama himself. Otherwise, they should have been out protesting sometime during the last 8 years when the seeds were sown, and those tax codes applied.

But it's easy to get people all riled up, as I said before.

Here's a neat example from the left. Pete just sent me a link to a facebook group against the ban on organic farming, going on about how Monsanto was behind legislation that was going to make organic farming NAY! even your pretty little backyard garden AGAINST THE LAW! Grandma will be taken away in chains, a few stray string beans dangling from her dirty gardening gloves. Even our First Lady will be led away to the delight of the White House Paparazzi.

You know, when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Likewise, if something sounds too bad to be true.

People need to get some sense about themselves, if only for my sake. I am PMS-ing, and I do not have time for this sort of nonsense.

While it does appear to be true that Big Ag had their panties in a bunch over Ms. Obama's organic garden and sent her a letter urging her to use "crop protection products" e.g. chemicals, in and on her White House Garden, and thereby on her children and Guests of State. It made them "shudder" that it was going to be organic.

Well, to be fair, it would have made me shudder were it NOT going to be organic, but I do not have millions of dollars in lobbying money in a hidden pocket in my trenchcoat, unless you count an ever-growing percentage share in many American financial institutions.

My first reaction to the facebook group was "That sounds like bunk to me." I mean, I would not put it past BigAg; I have a healthy mistrust of mega-corporations, but still. It sounded hysterical. And I have to apply the same amount of scrutiny to all ideas for my opinions to be legitimate.

Granted, I did not troll around for hours on the internet, but it does, indeed, sound like a bit of hysteria. Snopes has a page, and you can read the actual text of the actual bill (always a good idea. If I ever have a minute, I'll get back to my whole Fannie&Freddie thing.). It's a hundred and seventeen pages long, if you have a minute (summary here). The bill has been introduced and referred to committee, and just as a note: all 41 co-sponsors are democrats. One of them might be yours.

Here's my take: people need to calm down and put their energy toward the real problem. The bill itself does not appear to do what they are saying it will, and it's probably coming from the right place, e.g. ensuring the safety of our food. Sure, call your congressperson and express concern over some of the wording in the text that, when broadly interpreted, could possibly be applied by not-so-well-meaning persons in limited circumstances to hurt small and organic farmers, but while you are at it, lobby for things that might actually help, like regulations on feed lots and large scale food producers, as well as testing on imports. Advocate for help that goes directly to small, local, and organic farmers because from what I understand, localizing will do a lot to make our food safer and healthier. Our whole food system needs to be overhauled, and acting like a bunch of hysterical tea-baggers is not going to help anything.