Food Sovereignty: Can It Be Done?

It’s a sign of the times, to be sure. States and communities are chafing under the domineering thumb of the federal government. This story caught my eye:

Food Sovereignty: Freedom from Regulation? From the Food Safety News:

With some fanfare, Sedgwick, a town of about 1,000 residents, passed the Local Food and Community Self-Governance Ordinance unanimously at a town meeting. In essence, the ordinance says food grown, produced, or processed locally is exempt from any federal or state laws that require food sold to the public to be prepared in licensed facilities open to government inspectors.

…Can they do that?

The short answer is no. The slightly longer answer is that the declaration raises issues of the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which gives federal law preeminence, and a state’s police powers to protect the public welfare through regulations such as building codes or environmental safeguards.

Well, despite my Northern roots, I fully believe in states’ rights. Sure, the Constitution is the law of the land… but heck not even the feds are keeping it, only when it favors their side. There’s nothing in the Constitution that gives the federal government the authority to control and manage the food supply in the country, no way. And the Bill of Rights (10th amendment) gives the states the right to manage affairs that are not enumerated in the Constitution. Not to mention that the feds should be doing a HECK of a lot more inspecting all that foreign food supply rather then slapping Aunt Martha for her banana bread she sells at the auxiliary club.

Nonetheless, the federal government is pretty powerful…. to thwart even their unConstitutional grabs for power can have dire consequences. They just may send in the OxyElite Pro Force or something, lol!

But if the town really wants to make things in their community more “home grown” without federal agents picking through their banana bread, maybe they could change their tactics. Hone in on the “food sold” part, as is stated in the story:

federal or state laws that require food sold to the public to be prepared in licensed facilities open to government inspectors

What if the town made all local food exchange a barter system? You know, Aunt Martha’s banana bread for Old Charlie’s eggs. Do those transactions fall under food safety laws? It’s not like anything is being sold…

Or how about community gardens? Share and share alike?

You know, part of the problem with all these laws and regulations is that Americans don’t interact within communities anymore. There’s a cold distance between folks, and the government has become the intermediary. Towns that don’t like to live like that need to realize this– you just can’t kick out government intervention, you HAVE TO BOND together in communities like the olden days. And bonding may mean that you GIVE things away and volunteer and share. It’s the money transactions that spur the regulations, I’d think.

Anyway, these are just a few thoughts. I study history, especially social history– how people interacted with each other in the past. One of the reasons for America’s greatness was the closeness of the community. But today, who even knows their neighbors?

Tweets, Fast Food, and Fat

One of the interesting things about Twitter is that I get to know (well, not really KNOW but *know*) people from all over the world. It is amazing learning about other cultures, other people, what other folks eat or how they entertain or think about government or their favorite polo boots or whatever.

On Twitter, some of my pals have additional stuff, like stuff from Foursquare or whatever, saying exactly where they are or what they are doing. I think there’s a little of the creepy factor with that– the last thing I want to do is announce my whereabouts and activities across the Internet for Google and the governments and the other kooks out there… and to be honest, I find that information dull. I’d rather read what people are actually saying.

However, am I the only one who has noticed how much Americans eat out? It’s crazy! Hey, I like eating out– well, what I reallylike is NOT COOKING and CLEANING, that’s what I like about eating out. Butthe fare that is served at most restaurants, YUK! Loaded with grease, fats, salts, calories. My Hubs used to work in a fancy restaurant, and always ate the food there. The food was always very, very rich and full of delicious fats. But he developed high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure. I think it was from eating all that rich food. He had always been very healthy and thin, but gained weight after eating restaurant food.

I don’t know… eating out is a nice treat, but the stuff restaurants serve is not good. It’s a tough thing for moms, especially moms who work. After working all day, the last thing moms want to do is cook and clean and care for the kids! Dads should pitch in.

Detox Clinics: A Sad Sign of the Times

I’m not necessarily saying that detox clinics are sad, but the increasing prevalence of them in our society is.

In my local news, there was a big cocaine bust last week. There is ALWAYS some kind of drug bust around here. The city is a haven for people from New York City and other countries around the world, plus my area is practically a penal colony because NYC sends all their criminals to the Upstate prisons. I am shocked by the amount of drug activity (and other activities) around here. Utica, NY, the county seat, was known as Sin City for its mafia, crime, drugs, and prostitution.

So rapid detox isn’t just for Hollywood celebrities anymore. It’s now for Average Joe and his sons and buddies. It’s all so heartbreaking. We really need a revival, that’s for SURE.

I Boiled Water Today!

That may not sound like bloggable news to you, but it sure is to me!!

We haven’t been able to boil water on the stove in FOUR months. Today was the day, baby! It was like getting new toys, I tell you what!

In case you have no idea what I am babbling about– we have gutted our kitchen and dining room, and are slowly restoring it. It’s been nearly four months since the plaster and lathe was torn out. It’s been a loooooong four months. Yow.

Well, we got the stove hooked up today. It was quite the adventure. In an old house, nothing is level, nothing is predictable. We had to drill a hole up from the basement to snake the electric cable to the service plug. Yeah, rrrright, JUST drill a simple hole, right? I’ll spare you the painful details, but we finally got it after trial #3.

So the son boiled water and boiled some edamame for us tonight. It was SO good. I stuffed myself with them.

Thank God, things are starting to come together.