Protesters at N.D. pipeline

It is horrendous what’s going on at the North Dakota pipeline! It’s hard for me to believe that we are losing our freedom to protest peacefully or to speak out in this our United States of America. United in what? United in our belief in an individual’s freedom of speech? Or is that, in fact, a freedom only for the wealthy or large corporations?

Native Americans are interested in preserving the Earth and protecting the environment, as are many people around the world. Many tribes assess their actions by looking at how their actions will affect the seventh generation into the future, and decisions are based on that. Drilling for fossil fuels would not be a priority. A better path would be developing alternative energy resources. That would insure a better future for all living things.

Anyone who puts his or her own personal desires above their children’s and grandchildren’s well-being is greedy, ignorant or possibly evil. If you offer a small child the choice between a jar of candy or clean water, the child will probably choose the candy, only because they do not understand the situation. Think of all the money being spent — and sent in the wrong direction. Yes, the pipeline does provide jobs but so would any huge endeavor working on alternative sources of energy.

If we want a world that includes humankind, we need to change the course we are on today. The world will probably recover eventually, even if man does not. The world has all the time in the world, but we don’t.

Eliida Lakota, Pekin

GMO Labeling Fiasco

A little update since I wrote my OpEd “The Future of Food: A View from the Farm” (November issue Community Word): The current labeling law was not yet passed when the article was written. The GMO labeling bill (Senate bill 764) was signed by Pres. Obama and is really quite extraordinary as it formalizes a double standard. Everyone who puts anything in your food must list the ingredients in writing on the label . . . except the bill creates a special way to obscure the presence of GMOs with a QR code or phone number. Plainly, the bio-tech industry is not required to follow the same rules as all other industries.

I suppose we all suspect from time to time that there may be “double standards” in politics, but it is really kind of a shock to see one formalized in law.

The net effect is less trust in both the food system and the regulatory system – and more people seeking out organic and non-GMO verified products.

Dave Bishop, PrairiErth Farm, Atlanta, IL

Editor’s note: The federal legislation establishes a national labeling standard that supersedes all state regulations and replaces a stronger law in Vermont with this weaker regulation. Critics contend the new labeling law discriminates against low-income consumers who may not have the technology to read QR codes. It also required that consumers seek more information. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has two years to write rules.