January 25, 2006

What can I do to help?

General — walterj 3:24 pm

Here are some ways you can help make a difference:

Get Informed

The government’s most powerful tool in this battle for our rights is secrecy and apathy. Lets change that and take back our great country!

  1. Read the Handout. It explains the background and dangers of NAIS in a one sheet summary including web links to supporting documentation.
  2. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at left which answer the basics.
  3. See additional articles from this site and others - see links in the left and right sidebars.
  4. Extra Credit: Read the 84 pages of USDA draft regulations for NAIS. See the Technical Documents section of the right hand sidebar of this page.

Stay Informed

By staying informed you are empowering yourself against the government and big corporations that would steal away your rights and freedoms.

  1. Get email alerts from NoNAIS.org in the top of the right hand sidebar.
  2. Subscribe to the NoNAIS.org RSS feed or;
  3. Bookmark NoNAIS.org and come back often to check out what’s happening.
  4. Extra Credit: Join a NoNAIS discussion list - see right sidebar for national and state-by-state lists.

Speak Out

Let legislators, bureaucrats and other folks know what you think about NAIS. If they realize that this is a hot button topic they’ll want to be sure to come down on the right side of the fence - the people’s side.

  1. Sign a petition. This is the easiest thing to do but probably the one most likely to be ignored by the government.
  2. Give feedback to the USDA.
  3. Email Neil Hammerschmidt who is the USDA Animal ID Coordinator.
  4. Email or write your state legislative members. This carries far more weight than a petition. See the sample letters below. Paper letters have much more of an impact than email and it only costs 39¢ 44¢ for a first class stamp. Even a simple postcard will do the trick. (Note that postage increases time to time and I don’t keep this sentence up to date. Check with the USPS if you are not sure of the correct postage to use.)
  5. Email or write to your Congressional representatives in the House and Senate.
  6. Extra Credit: Organize a rally to get media attention, speak at a meeting or on a talk show.

Spread the Word

To break the government’s lock of secrecy we need to inform more people about NAIS. Once people find out about how the USDA is sneaking this through they get upset and want to stop it. So spread the word!

  1. Link to NoNAIS.org on your web pages and blogs. See these instructions. This also helps NoNAIS.org’s search engine page ranking.
  2. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. This helps spread the word so that other people know about the dangers of NAIS, can find this web site and take action. See the sample letters below.
  3. Pass out the NoNAIS handout to people you know, leave it at gatherings, libraries, general stores, etc.
  4. Hang-up the NoNAIS Poster and hang it up on bulletin boards. This is an eye catcher that includes tear off tabs with contact info to get people to come to NoNAIS.org to find out more about NAIS. A postal address is included for people who lack internet access.
  5. Become a mobile billboard - Put a bumper sticker on your car or hang the NoNAIS Poster. If you want you can even print your own bumper stickers using the artwork here.
  6. Extra Credit: Place ads in your local newspapers and advertising papers using your own ad design or one of these ads. Local sales paper ad spots are often very inexpensive running $10 to $150 per week depending on ad size and newspaper circulation. This will reach a great many people.
  7. Bonus Credit: Tattoo NoNAIS.org across your forehead. Note: this is only for extremists over the age of 18, not recommended if you work for a Fortune 500 company, permanent tattoos are, keep off the grass, void where prohibited…

What ever you do, do not voluntarily signup for Premise ID. It is a slippery slope down into fascist Big Brother government. Many people are being “voluntarily” signed up without their permission so watch out for suspicious questionnaires in the mail or by phone. In most states, you are not required at this time to sign up for Animal ID or Premise ID, two of the components of NAIS. Know your rights.

Feel free to use the sample letters below which you can copy to your email program or word processor, print, sign and send. For a more powerful message, modify the letter to fit your views or, best of all, write your own letters for the greatest impact.

Sample Letter #1:

I am very opposed to the National Animal ID System. It is an invasion of our privacy and our rights. The real reason for the system is to give profits to the big meat exporters. Disease prevention can be better achieved through simple bio-security procedures without having to trample all over the Constitution. Please stop the USDA and states from implementing Premise ID, Animal ID and Animal Tracking. NAIS should be kept 100% voluntary. At the very least, we need an exemption for small farmers, homesteaders and pet livestock owners. Please go to http://NoNAIS.org to learn more about this unreasonable regulation.

Sample Letter #2:

I am concerned that USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is going to destroy the wonderful Buy Local movement that has just been getting its feet off the ground. The burden of NAIS is going to be overwhelming for small farmers who sell directly to customers.

There is no need for tracking their animals nor is there any need to track the animals of pet owners (horses, etc) or homesteaders who are raising their own food. There should be exemptions for these groups. NAIS might be a good idea for those big, horrible factory farms and for big farms that sell into the commercial food distribution system, but it is a bad idea for local farmers.

People interested in learning more about NAIS should go to http://NoNAIS.org

“Should I sign electronic petitions?” Yes, but I do not have a lot of faith that they will be much good. I don’t think that the government listens to electronic petitions or puts much weight in them. Still, go ahead and do it because it is easy to do and maybe something good will come of it. However, do not just do that. Also take other actions as outlined above.

“Can I send money to NoNAIS.org?” No, I am not accepting donations at this time. I have some ideas for printing up masses of bumper stickers and decals to get the word out, but that project is in the future. Your voice and actions are what count most. Protecting our freedoms is a long haul project so be prepared to write letters every month to keep the ball rolling. If you really want to spend money, buy ads in newspapers, on Google and other places that will help spread the word. Some people are already doing this with great results.

Talk about NAIS. Get other people interested. Spread the word. The government has conspired with big business to keep this quiet too long. We must speak up and be heard. What we need is the power of the voice of the people. The force of people speaking up and rejecting this absurd usurpation of our rights, our freedoms. Take a stand now while you still can. Lets once again make this be “America, the Land of the Free and the Brave!”

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
in Vermont

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16 Comments »

  1. do you know how i would make the template changes on my blog to add the logo on the side?

    Comment Paige — January 30, 2006 @ 12:20 am

  2. Thank you for what your doing and this web site. As a small farm co-owner I am in this fight to the end.

    Comment Susan Wolfe — February 27, 2006 @ 10:53 am

  3. Thank you for the information! My 12 yr old daughter is severely mentally retarded and interacts with household pets better than people, we use animals for her to take care of and give/receive love and attention. She has a little dog that has been the best thing to ever come into her life as well as a baby goat we raised and several cats that adore her. I don’t know how the funding for this type of thing would be achieved as we live on a VERY limited income and there is no money to “chip” her pets, they are provided with food, shelter and routine vet care but there is no money for this. I am printing out everything I can find on the subject and taking it to our local feed store to be seen by the community. I was not aware this was going on and I bet MANY people have no clue.

    Comment Missy Levesque — March 1, 2006 @ 11:54 am

  4. From your contacts link, I sent this message–

    Dear USDA Representative,

    I have been recently informed of the push to implement NAIS on a federal level. I am wholly opposed to this mandate. I suggest that, for the sake of small farmers, local community livelihood, and protection of individual rights, that NAIS be completely voluntary. It is clear that NAIS promotes corporate profit and international trade, but the job of the USDA is to ensure the livelihood of small farmers (the common people are far more numerous and heritage-rich than big businesses). Individuals working closely with the land, free to grow and raise their own food and to distribute to the local community, these are the people that this country was founded on. Please support NAIS as a strictly voluntary measure.

    Thank you for your time and commitment to the protection of small farmers’ rights

    Comment Ashley of Boone, NC — March 3, 2006 @ 3:12 pm

  5. I have a small publication I put out monthly. It is called Goat Gabber. May I print your “Protect Traditional Rights to Farm”? I distribute 500 copies in Missouri to area sale barns and feed stores. A perfect way to target the people who need to know.

    Comment Dorothy Hall — April 11, 2006 @ 8:39 am

  6. Everything on http://NoNAIS.org may be republished to help spread the word and fight against NAIS. If you were able to send me a copy that is appreciated but not required.

    Keep up the good fight!

    Comment walterj — April 11, 2006 @ 10:37 am

  7. Quite a few people at gun shows have been intrested to hear about the NAIS.

    Comment Rawles — May 1, 2006 @ 10:34 am

  8. I went to the local township meeting last night and they allowed me to speak to the folks present I was able to get the word out to them and was able to post a flyer at the firehall.Keep kicking!!

    Comment LEE — May 2, 2006 @ 8:34 am

  9. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK….CAN’T SEEM TO GET THE POSTER OR HANDOUT ON MY COMPUTER. COULD YOU E-MAIL THEM TO ME SO I CAN GET THE WORD OUT??

    Comment Lin Gendron — May 30, 2006 @ 8:03 am

  10. Done, Lin.

    Comment walterj — May 30, 2006 @ 8:12 am

  11. thank you for your work

    Comment fayne — June 28, 2006 @ 6:47 pm

  12. THIS IS SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT THE BIG OIL CO.GOT A LAW PASSED TO ALLOW THEM TO RETAIL GAS ON EVERY STREET CORNER.LOOK AT GAS PRICES NOW.NEEDI SAY MORE? IT WORKED FOR BIG GAS CO.AND PUT THE SMALL MAN OUT OF BUSINESS.–NOW THE BIG BEEF CO.ARE TRYING THE SAME PLOY.—IF WE STAND BY AND LET THIS BILL PASS IT WILL BE OVER FOR THE SMALL FARMERS ALSO.SOUNDS LIKE THE BIG DOG WANT’S ALL THE BONE TO ME.THAKKS FOR READING.JOE– FROM GEORGIA

    [Joe, it is easier to read appropriate mixed case letters. All caps like the above feels like shouting and lacks the fine details of communication provided by appropriately mixed case letters. -WJ]

    Comment JOE MCELREATH — August 15, 2006 @ 9:56 pm

  13. Jan ‘07 I heard Celeste Bishop on the Steve Quayle Radio show and she said there were new word glossaries that redefined common words to fit the agenda of the NWO/United Nations agendas to enslave us all. Can you provide links for such glossaries; or can you assist me in my search for these glossaries? Thank You. Art Crane, Roseburg, OR

    Comment Art Crane — July 20, 2007 @ 10:13 am

  14. Art- email me at elisheva@w-link.net and I can provide you with the glossaries. I will be doing some media soon! Stay turned….

    Comment Celeste — July 21, 2007 @ 5:47 pm

  15. The Links under “Speak Out” for both federal and state reps has expired. Who would I write to in the state bureaucracy in Wisconsin? Is there are legislation or other action pending in Wisconsin?

    [All help with updating links is always appreciated. Just email me which section (e.g., Contacts, Naughty, Nice, etc), which link (e.g., President at the White House) and what the new link should be (URL or email address e.g., comments@whitehouse.gov). Thanks, -WJ]

    Comment Rick Mortimer — February 3, 2008 @ 6:00 am

  16. Um, first class postage is not 39 cents any longer. After the latest rate increase, a first class stamp is 44 cents. Just a what-for; the rest of the information is very useful, thanks!

    [Funny that two different people make an issue of that in one day. Yes, and this article was written in early 2006. One does not expect an article to be constantly up dated with the current postage or other costs of living. Check with your local post office before you mail a letter. In any case, I have already updated, prior to your note, about this and given a link to the USPS. So why do you bother to leave a comment with this nagging? How odd. -WJ]

    Comment Michelle — June 21, 2009 @ 7:47 pm

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