Star Endorses Jeff Harris

The KC Star endorsed Rep. Jeff Harris in his bid for the Democratic nomination for attorney general. After saying nice things about Margaret Donnelly, the KC Star sings Jeff's praises and gets in a few digs at Koster.

Harris and Donnelly both show integrity. Harris, however, has an edge based on his leadership role and prosecutorial experience. As the former Democratic leader in the Missouri House, he effectively managed diverse interests, which is no small task.

Moreover, Harris has sound ideas. He wants to use the office to emphasize open government and preservation of public records, for starters. He would work to protect consumers. One of his good ideas is to transfer the Office of the Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility rate matters, to the attorney general’s office to give it more independence.

As a legislator he worked to protect Missouri’s environment from pollution by factory farms. He also championed limits on campaign donations.

Jeff recently picked up the Columbia newspaper's endorsement, but that was his back yard. Wait, isn't this Koster's backyard? Leaving Koster out of the integrity line - BANG! Koster's corporate pig farm friends - ZING! Campaign donations - POW!

The Smell Test

Kinda like the stench of a corporate pig farm, people start to move away from the smell. Here's an interesting article from the Post-Dispatch's web site about Democrats returning Koster's contributions.

Dem candidate returns Koster contribution
By Jo Mannies

Dr. Vernon (Doc) Harlan, a Democrat running for the 71st District state House seat in the Aug. 5 primary, says that he has returned a $300 donation to his campaign from state Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville and a St. Louis native who’s running for attorney general. Harlan cites “the recent revelation that aides to…Koster have been connected to laundering of political funds.”

Harlan was referring to reports, initially by the Associated Press’ David Lieb, that a Koster aide had delivered checks from an independent pro-Democrat campaign committee — the Economic Growth Council — to a representative for a legislative committee. That person then gave a donation from the legislative committee to the Koster aide.

Koster’s critics contend that action violated state campaign law, which bars donors from dictating to legislative committees which candidates get the money. (The Post-Dispatch ran a detailed story, days before Lieb’s account, about how the committee pass-through system works. We also reported that Koster had benefited the most, percentage-wise, from the practice.)

Koster says no illegal activity took place, and that he has regularly sought guidance from the Ethics Commission. Critics have filed complaints with the commission, which is expected to act after the primary. Commission officials have otherwise declined comment. In any case, Harlan says he “is also calling on other candidates to avoid any appearance of condoning or benefitting from unethical behavior by returning funds from Koster and his publically discredited Economic Growth Council.”

“I am deeply saddened by Mr. Koster’s decision to circumvent campaign laws by using the Economic Growth Council to access and control hundreds of thousands of laundered dollars,” Harlan said in a statement. “This is especially troubling when done by the man who aspires to be our state’s top justice official. Koster’s actions convey the message that the law is only for the rest of us, not for him and those he supports…”

Speaking of corporate pig farms (CAFO), CCP endorsed candidate Jeff Harris is the only AG candidate to address this important environmental issue (on the side of the environment, not the corporations). Here's a link to Harris' platform on this important environmental issue.

Clean Air in Missouri

Missourians of all political strips should be able to agree that cleaner air and new energy alternatives are needed. Some folks are doing something about it.

Missourians for Cleaner Cheaper Energy is starting a campaign and they need to enlist your support. Go to their web site, read more about what they are doing and sign up as a supporter. No money needed, just lend your name as a supporter.

These crazy environmentalists, first it is clean air. Next thing you know they are going to start talking about not putting 20,000 pigs next to our water supply.

Corporate Pig Farms Make Headlines

Two pieces of information hit me today regarding corporate pig farms.

The first was a front page story in the KC Star regarding a corporate pig farm in Northwest Missouri. A soldier is away at war, so the corporate pig farm is arguing that it can be located 1300 feet from the soldier's front door because he has abandoned his home. This is a very interesting article by Karen Dillon and reveals just how ruthless a CAFO can be; 4800 pigs within 1300 feet of your front door!!

The second piece arrived in the form of a form of a press release from Rep. Jeff Harris, Democratic candidate for Attorney General

Harris Takes Factory Farm Issue to Nationwide Radio Audience; Harris discusses need for local control on Air America Radio Network, host Mike Papantonio praises Harris’ “courage” and “focus” on the issue

Columbia, MO – Representative Jeff Harris, a Democratic candidate for Attorney General, appeared this weekend on the national show “Ring of Fire Radio” on the Air America network. Harris discussed his leadership in tackling the issue of factory farms, their ecological impact and the importance of ensuring local control for Missouri communities.

Harris is sponsoring a bill in the Missouri House that would give local communities a voice in where CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) are located. Harris also has sponsored a bill that would prevent CAFOs from being sited near parks and historic sites. The House Republican leadership continues to hold his legislation hostage. Harris told host Mike Papantonio that local control is a vital tool for Missouri communities.

“When we look at this issue of factory farms, we ought to be looking at it with two goals in mind,” Harris said. “One is to protect our environment and our natural resources, and the second is to preserve family farms. And regrettably, in a lot of cases, in a lot of states, we haven’t seen either of those goals met.”

Papantonio praised Harris’ leadership. “I wish we had more people that had the kind of courage that you’re showing out there in Missouri,” he said. “It would just be such a great thing for Missouri to have an Attorney General with the kind of focus that you’ve shown here.”

Audio of Harris’ interview is available on his campaign website at:
http://www.electjeffharris.com/news/newsclip.php?clipID=67

Video of the broadcast is available at:http://www.goleft.tv/viewer.asp?v=1292

Papantonio co-hosts the program with environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. This weekend’s broadcast also featured activist and actor Matthew Modine.

Corporate Pig Farms - or CAFOs - are not just a rural issue. Its about regulating these small cities. A pig "produces" more waste than humans. Would we ever think it is ok for a new city to sprout up and have 4800 people dumping waste into a lagoon within 1300 feet of a home? Heck no - but that is a CAFO. The reason we dissect fetal pigs in science class is the same reason our noses hate the smell of pig crap -humans and pigs have very similar digestive systems. No 1984 jokes here, please. Water source issues are hugely important for big cities and little towns. Even the guys who like to go canoeing in the Jack's Fork River in Southern Missouri understand why CAFO's must be highly regulated.

Jeff Harris is going to pull every environmentalist's vote in the Democratic primary for attorney general (where all the Sierra Club members vote, anyway).

Spring is Coming

The season of the family farm is HERE.

The Farmer's Community Market at Brookside opened again yesterday. Not much to choose from - a little organic lettuce. The Amish farmer was selling lamb, I saw his two kids sneak over to Bella Napoli for hot chocolate. The important part is the little white tents are back, which means if I get up early before the kid's soccer games that fresh, non-chemical laden food can be had at a reasonable price. Shopping at the farmer's market, inviting friends over for dinner on Saturdays, cooking local food, sitting on the deck - I'm ready for Spring!

One of my favorite family farms is Campo Lindo. They stick a little note into every carton of eggs. Carol (I'll not insult her by calling her the farmer's wife) captures my feelings perfectly:

Good day from Campo Lindo Farms. I may be exaggerating just a bit, but I swear that I saw a hen with a big grin on her beak when it got to 70 F last week. It has been a long, hard winter for us here at the farm and the hens are not the only ones looking forward to a change. The cows, sheep and horses are worn out from standings on hard, frozen ground and I'm sure they are looking forward to green pastures. The peek at warm temperatures was a real emotional booster and you can bet we'll all be grinning when winter is behind us for another year. Thanks for buying our local eggs! Carol, Jay, Brandon & Isabel

.

I'm grinning, too.

Corporate Pig Farms

Attorney General candidate Rep. Jeff Harris has filed a bill to protect our water ways from corporate pig farms (CAFO's). He's also produced this little video that explains why KC MO folks need to be worried about this environmental issue.

Here's the summary - the crap from a corporate pig farm in St. Joe spills into a stream, the stream leads to the Missouri river, KC MO Water is pulled from the Mighty MO and then I have fecal matter in my water.

Corporate Pig Farms Get Added Scrutiny

Corporate Pig Farms (CAFO's - concentrated animal feeding operations) continue to be a big environmental and local control issue.

The Joplin Globe recently can a story on the desire of local governments to control these enormous feed operations vs. the efforts by some Republicans to force these operations on folks.

“The problem with Missouri is that it’s wide open for CAFOs. Missouri’s laws, when compared to other nearby states, permit far larger numbers of animals to be confined under one roof with little or no regulation,” said local farmer Zach McQuire. “What these corporate farms can do with these small CAFOs, with just a few thousand animals, is put them right against their neighbor’s property line and drive them out to buy their land.”

Rep. Jeff Harris, a candidate for Missouri Attorney General, is sponsoring legislation that would allow local governments - like Clay and Platte counties - to determine what restrictions are appropriate. Farm Bureau, the voice of corporate farms and a group that supports Republicans like Gov. Matt Blunt, opposes the legislation. Several environmental and pro-farmer groups - like Missouri Rural Crisis Center - are in favor of the bill.

A bill recently introduced by state Rep. Jeff Harris, D-Columbia, would give rural communities greater power to limit CAFOs near their property. House Bill 1931 would allow local residents to use the initiative-petition process to put approval of a proposed CAFO to a public vote.

Existing law only requires notification of those living within 4,500 feet of the proposed CAFO. Nor does the law require the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to take local opposition into account when reviewing a permit application.

Harris, who wants to be the Democratic nominee for Missouri attorney general, said, “This legislation will give the people forced to live with the smell, pollution and waste caused by a nearby CAFO a powerful voice in the licensing process.

The Globe followed up with a strongly worded editorial.

Big ag will take proposals by state Rep. Jeff Harris as a slap in the face. Don’t. Take them rather as a boot to the butt.
. . .

The need for this is so self-evident it doesn’t even require justification. One can’t wander too far around Southwest Missouri before discovering that factory farms have overplayed their hand at the expense of neighbors’ property values, our environment and quality of life.

House Bill 909, meanwhile, would prohibit CAFOs near state parks and historic sites by setting up a five-mile buffer. Arrow Rock and the Battle of Athens state historic sites already are threatened by hog CAFOs, and a 65,600 chicken CAFO already is operating not far from Roaring River State Park.


What's the big deal? Who cares about corporate pig farms in Joplin? Well, the folks in Clay and Platte Counties - folks with a Kansas City, Missouri address - are concerned enough about having a million tons of pig crap in a lagoon to support this legislation. And for the folks who take thier families canoeing on the North Fork, the Joplin Globe points out that the lagoons are getting closer and closer to the springs that feed that crystal clear river in Pettis County.

Additionally, this becomes even more important in the tight Attorney General race when Chris Koster filed the pro-Farm Bureau/CAFO bill and Jeff Harris filed the anti-CAFO bill. The Globe pointed out that a huge voter turnout - 80% against CAFO - was reported in one recent local government election dealing with these corporate pig farms. This could sway an election.

God Loves the Family Farm

Frequent readers will know that we often get off (or on) track from Democratic values to discuss family farms.

In each carton of eggs from Campo Lindo Farms comes a little note, like this one:

Happy New Year from Campo Lindo Farms!

Things have been a little hectic - several of our ewes are lambing earlier than we like (lack of planning on my part last summer) and the snow sure makes it challenging. The "turkey brooder" turned into the "lambing pen" on Christmas day, when a healthy little lamb took advantage of the sunny day to be born. (He's a cutie!) Two other ewes lambed yesterday, Dec. 31, but unfortunately, one of the lambs didn't make it. That mom has decided that she will co-mother the other one, so one lucky lamb at Campo Lindo has lots and lots of milk to keep his tummy full and warm.

Thank you for supporting this local farm during the past year and may you have a 2008 that's as full of love and blessings as this one little lamb is!

Carol, Jay, Brandon & Isabel

Fighting monster corporate pig/sewage farms, supporting small businesses and helping out Missouri family farms may just be a Democratic values, after all.

HOGS for Edwards

On my recent trip to Iowa to door knock for John Edwards, I managed to find a Hogs for Edwards bumper sticker in the Newton office. Newton is the union town which lost the Maytag plant to Mexico, which is why that office still had some but they were all out in every other Edwards' office

These were the most popular bumper stickers in Iowa. Edwards came out against corporate pig farms. Preserving the family farm from these monster septic pools is a pig deal in Iowa, and Missouri.

Representative Jeff Harris is going to sponsor a bill that will ensure local governments, like Clay and Platte Counties, can regulate CAFOS. Maybe there will be Hogs for Harris bumper stickers sprouting up in rural Missouri in this year's attorney general's race.

Corporate v. Family Farm

The fine folks over at Gone Mild had an interesting post - "Koster the Imposter Brought Home the Bacon." The post discussed corporate pig farming (CAFO's).

Some of the comments discussed local farms, in particular Campo Lindo. I am big fans of their eggs, and chickens. Why buy their eggs, which are expensive (even without the costly antibiotics)? Because every carton of eggs includes a note from the people who own the farm. On this Sunday, when snow covers the ground, the little note I discovered in my egg carton made me feel warm.

Hello from Campo Lindo Farms,

Someone mentioned to me yesterday that they had been told that we are currently getting eggs from other people and selling them in our cartons. I just want to let you all know that we do not do that. "Our ladies" are the only ones doing the work for us, hence the recent shortages. Our young layers are finally getting with the program, so hopefully we'll be in good shape in time for Christmas cookies! Thanks for being patient with and supporting a local farm where "the ladies" do a lot of the work.

Carol, Jay, Brandon & Isabel

Environment Takes Lead in Politics

The Democratic Party has always been the home of environmentalists. Global Warming issues have propelled Al Gore pack into the spotlight with his Nobel Prize. The Sierra Club has been a constant critic of the Bush Administrations pro-oil policies. Democrats and environmentalists go hand in hand.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr recently endorsed Hillary Clinton and is spending time in Iowa. In Missouri, those involved in helping keep our world clean and safe are keenly aware of politics, not just green house gases. For example, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment recently emailed its members urging them to contact Sen. Kit Bond to help save wilderness areas of the Mark Twain Forest. The Missouri Sierra Club has opposed coal burning plants.

A key issue for all of these environmental groups is CAFO - large corporate pig farms. According to an EPA study, a CAFO with 4,000 hogs can generate as much waste as a city of 16,000 people. A Class 1A CAFO (17,500 hogs and above) can generate as much waste as the city of St. Louis. The Sierra Club opposed pro-CAFO measures in Missouri. The Missouri Farmers Union (the anti-Farm Bureau) opposed CAFOs. The Missouri Rural Crisis Center, progressive, statewide membership organization that works to empower farmers and other rural people, opposed CAFOs. A group called Concerned Citizens of Platte County opposed CAFOs. National groups such as FactoryFarm.Org are even focused on Missouri.

Here's how this becomes an issue. In Iowa, the #1 bumper sticker is "Hogs for Edwards" because John Edwards has come out strong against CAFO. The issue gets Democratic primary voters energized. In Missouri's AG race, Koster supported CAFOs, Harris and Donnelly opposed. We will see if this turns into anything or not.