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23rd Anniversary of Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 300,000 Dead (So Far)

This is an unbelieveable week, folks.  Senators Kerry, Lieberman and Graham are about to introduce a so-called ‘Climate Bill’ pushing nuclear power on Chernobyl day, Monday, April 26; while the USA is trying to crush hopes of making organic food more widespread by preventing the use of ‘GMO-Free’ labelling worldwide.  Here are the details in brief:

For the GMO-Free action, this is from CREDO- starting with an easy way, a link provided for YOU to be able to do something about an attempted travesty: (Genetically modified food is not considered organic; the Codex Alimentarius is a United Nations affirmed organization trying to set food standards with worldwide input – the Codex functions out of Europe:

Stop the sneak attack on food labeling.
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5489&id=8832-2765332-MtMoKFx&t=9

Organics at risk.

Your message to the US delegation:

I demand that the U.S. delegation to the Codex Committee on Food Labeling
follow sound science and existing U.S. law and FDA policy. The delegation
must drop its stated opposition to Codex provisions allowing the labeling
of genetically engineered food. Further, the U.S. delegation should
generally express positions consistent with current U.S. law and FDA
policy which recognize a clear ‘difference’ between genetically engineered
foods and other foods.

Dear Friend,

If the U.S. government has its way, a powerful intergovernmental group
you’ve probably never heard of may soon prevent anyone anywhere from
labeling genetically modified (GMO) food.

Operated by the United Nations, the Codex Alimentarius is a collection of
guidelines, codes and recommendations regarding food safety and labeling
standards used by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to settle
international disputes regarding food and agricultural export agreements.

The U.S. Delegation to the Codex meeting is adopting a position that would
make it virtually impossible to label foods as “GMO-free” anywhere in the
world. Click here to automatically sign our petition asking them to change
their stance.
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5491&id=8832-2765332-MtMoKFx&t=12

According to draft language circulated by the FDA, the U.S. will oppose a
proposal at an upcoming meeting of an important Codex committee that would
allow the labeling of genetically engineered food. Consumers Union and
more than 80 family farm, public health, environmental and organic food
organizations have raised concerns that the U.S. position will create
major problems for American producers who want to label their products as
“GMO-free.” [Over 40% of the world’s population lives in countries where GMO
foods and crops are labeled.]
Unfortunately, rather than taking a proactive stance on GMO labeling and
standing up for the rights of American citizens, the Obama administration
has incorporated pre-existing Bush administration positions stating that
Codex should not “suggest or imply that GM/GE foods are in any way
different from other foods.”

Leading national food policy experts believe this position directly
contradicts USDA Organic standards, which prohibit the use of genetically
engineered products. If adopted, the Obama administration’s proposal might
weaken organic standards and could also lead to further genetic
contamination of U.S. organic crops — the fastest growing and most
profitable segment of agriculture today.

Even worse, the current U.S. draft position paper declares that mandatory
labeling laws such as they have in Europe are “false, misleading or
deceptive.” If the U.S. succeeds in writing these proposals into the
Codex, any attempts here in the U.S. to label foods as genetically
engineered, whether voluntary or by law, would become far more difficult.

This extreme position on genetically engineered food is unacceptable.
Countries should be allowed to make their own decisions on the labeling of
GMOs. Click here to automatically sign our petition.
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5491&id=8832-2765332-MtMoKFx&t=13

Thank you for working to make a better world.

Adam Klaus, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=8832-2765332-MtMoKFx&t=14

Did you know CREDO has a Facebook page?
Click here to check it out!
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=3854&id=8832-2765332-MtMoKFx&t=16
Sad, isn’t it?  President Obama said campaign promised that he WOULD ensure
that GMO foods would be labeled.
Now, for Chernobyl day, while we should know that the latest estimates from
Dr. Alexey Yablokov are that over 980,000 people have died prematurely from nuclear
contamination worldwide SO FAR: latest NIRS (stay in touch at nirs.org):
Pertaining to the Chernobyl Day release (the infamous
Chernobyl, Ukraine nuclear reactor steam explosion occurred
April 26, 1986, followed by a a 10 day graphite fire
that spewed nuclear radionuclides into the atmosphere,
spreading these all around planet Earth, having repercussions
and dooming many to cancer for the hundreds and thousands
of years these radionuclides will continue being radioactive)
of the upcoming Climate Bill: NIRS tells us>>

We won’t accept a taxpayer-funded revival
of nuclear power, offshore oil drilling and
billions of dollars for the illusion of “clean coal”
as the price–even more so when the climate part
of the bill is embarrassingly weak.
Indeed, from what we know of this bill, it is
simply business-as-usual–a taxpayer giveaway to
giant nuclear and other energy corporations wrapped
up in the guise of a climate solution. It’s greenwashing
taken to an extreme.

We haven’t yet seen the exact language of the bill,
so you’ll have to take us somewhat on trust. We won’t
be able to send you the final copy of the statement
before it goes out–we may need to adjust it a
little depending on that exact language.

But here is a Reuters report on some of what is expected
to be in the bill:

“– A 17 percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas
emissions by 2020, from 2005 levels, would be the goal.
Many scientists think that is insufficient to keep global
temperatures from rising a dangerous 2 degrees Celsius
(3.5 F) above pre-industrial times. The bill hopes to
achieve around 80 percent reductions by 2050.

— The Environmental Protection Agency would be prohibited
from regulating carbon dioxide emissions. State and regional
“cap and trade” programs to reduce carbon pollution would
be terminated. States could still impose energy-efficiency
standards and renewable energy standards.

— Electric power utilities would be put under a cap
and trade program, starting in 2012, to force them to
reduce carbon emissions. Cap and trade forces a reduction
in carbon pollution over the years and required pollution
permits could be traded on a regulated market. Still
unclear is how the pollution permits would be allocated to
utilities and whether all of them would initially be given
away for free or whether some would be sold.

The legislation is expected to avoid the term “cap
and trade,” in favor of something more descriptive,
possibly “pollution reduction targets.”

— Domestic and international “offsets” would be
allowed to help companies achieve pollution-reduction
goals. Instead of reducing some of their smokestack
emissions, they could invest in projects that aim to
cut emissions, such as saving forests. More details
on the number and type of offsets were unknown.

— *Additional government loan guarantees, possibly
$54 billion, to encourage the nuclear power industry
to expand its capacity.* *But it was unclear whether
new nuclear power would be counted in a new initiative
requiring utilities to use “renewable” energy.*

— More government funds to help the coal industry
develop clean technology, such as “carbon capture
and sequestration.” Last month, $10 billion was
included in one draft, but changes were more recently
made and details were not available.

— An expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling
in parts of Alaska and the East, excluding the
Northeast. There’s been a fight over whether
states would share some of the federal revenues
generated from the new drilling, with some senators
vehemently opposed, either because they are against
expanded drilling or they come from non-coastal states.”

Go to http://www.nirs.org to learn more.  Additionally,
for example here is a P.S….

P.S., As a great example of what can happen when we
all work together, yesterday NIRS and some 20 other
groups released a new report exposing a design flaw
in the Westinghouse AP-1000 reactor design–and got
a lot of media coverage. [This flawed reactor is the
one President Obama is pushing to be built in Georgia
as two nuclear reactor units in an economically
challenged area [poor people live there, in other words]
You can find out more on the front page of the website,
http://www.nirs.org

See more about Chernobyl on the home page of
http:crestofthewave.com including within the posted chapter one.
Tell everyone you know that they can do something here.
All the Best, Conrad Miller MD April 25 2010

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