AFF Sentinel Vol.7#13

Colorado Springs, CO May 28, 2010 AFF has just published a page on Facebook. Search for us there. First, for those who need a refresher, there's background info on AFF. Then, click on our "Wall," to add your thoughts regarding some discussion points we've posted on immigration, climate change and financial reform. Let us know what you think. We don't have the technology to link you direct to our page yet (soon). But this link will take you to Facebook and you can search Agribusiness Freedom Foundation out.

Horrifying is one way to describe what went on the weekend of May 15-16. Even more horrifying is considering what parties shared the philosophy and methodology.

You see, down in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez had quite a weekend. He took over a flour mill run by a Mexican company, then nationalized a bauxite operation owned by an American company, a steel subsidiary run from Luxembourg and a group of transport companies ("Hugo Chavez's Expropriation Binge," Investor's Business Daily, 5/18/10).

Then, he took over a private university and launched new monetary exchange controls - another way of expropriating wealth, as IBD notes.

But the capper was taking over a cattle/oranges/coffee ranch owned by his own former official, a past UN Security Council president. The ranch had been in Diego Arria's family since 1852, but Arria had spoken out against Chavez, so the ranch was taken over. For good photo opportunities, Chavez hauled in 300-400 kids and let them swim in the ranch's pool, ride the horses, tour the house and take souvenirs. Chavez said it was all proof he was "socializing happiness," IBD reported.

The same weekend Chavez took over private property and bused in kids to enjoy the spoils, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) conducted its own raid violating private property rights. The SEIU loaded up 14 busloads of its union members and hauled them to a Maryland suburb, parked in front of a bank attorney's private home and proceeded to storm the lawn like a parade of giant ants. Photos show union members all over the lawn, front walk and stoop, waving their picket signs.

Nina Easton, a Fortune magazine editor and frequent Fox News Sunday guest, had put her two-year- old down for a nap in her house across the street, only to have the kid awaken to screaming chants from hundreds of protestors, Easton told Fox News.. The home's owner, away from home attending a child's Little League game, got a phone call from a terrified teenager left behind at the house.

Asked by a reporter about invading private property and the concept of trespassing, a union member claimed "nobody did anything illegal." He actually tried to justify their actions by explaining that the union had sent letters, e-mails and protested in front of the bank's offices and still Bank of America was having a "negative impact" on Americans nationwide.

Meanwhile, not only were the police careful enough not to show up on the scene until after the protestors had left, Easton later learned the bus motorcade had gotten a police escort to the home. The police explained later that they didn't want to show up during the protest and "incite" something. Like what? Respect for private property? What would happen if this were a ranch or a feedyard? Would Maryland police be afraid to spook the protestors then, too?

What is happening in the United States of America? Congress and this administration is trying to back us into a corner with unimaginable spending that can only be paid for with confiscatory tax rates. Then they are attempting environmental regulations making productive industries nearly uneconomic, planning death tax "reform" to rob more asset value, nationalizing auto and bank companies, demonizing insurance and oil companies and literally laughing at upset voter/citizens. Now out-and-out trespassing on private property by one of the administration's principal allied organizations not only goes practically unnoticed but gets a police escort?

We imagine Obama would gladly expropriate that sunny term, "socializing happiness," from Hugo, except that Obama is not honest enough with himself - nor are his supporters - to call a spade a spade. None of them can bring themselves to use the word "socialist," because, of course, that connotes, well, (squirm), you know, the socialist dictator thing. We like to gloss over the need to stifle the entrepreneurial capitalist types rebelling against the ruling class. That's messy.

Notice that word "reform" that most dictators use has also been applied by the "not-socialist" U.S. leftists to the health care industry, the financial industry, the oil industry, etc. How long until the "food industry" gets "reformed" by the administration? This summer's livestock industry competition "workshops," - code for "we need political cover for `reforming' another industry" - could be our turn in the barrel.

But how much protection from the crises perpetrated by the EPA, the Endangered Species Act, from dozens of government agencies and the taxman can livestock producers and feeders, processors, foodservice and retailers expect if basic private property rights like freedom from trespassing can't even be respected and enforced? If Hugo does it in a dictator's paradise that's horrific enough. There is no way on God's green earth it should be boldly perpetrated in the United States of America. The trends in this country have gone from disturbing to alarming. November second can't come soon enough.

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