via the factory system of meat production, chickens especially, added to what gets flushed into the water is appalling. Same with the antibiotics we humans imbibe and those they shove into factory farmed animals.

with the Feds. Career removed by a previous funding source. They don't play nice or fair. TTP should be lovely/s.

Even expressing concern about the use of Round Up is equivalent to global warming denial. I tried to reason with him, but got tired of the insults, and anger. It was like a Bernie diary!

Anyway, we need to do more than stop using chemicals to kill things. We are headed for the icebergs of global warming, overpopulation, and declining resources. As we accelerate to the cliff, I just count my blessings. I could have been born today with a rather ugly future, rather than more than half a century ago.

I feel sorry for those that think everything will be fine. Americans have been lulled into a false sense of security by decades of relative stability, a corporate media, and wealth.

I have nothing against the plants we call weeds. I dig out the invasive ones (Bind weed, deadly nightshade vine and couch grass) use a vinegar /hot pepper filled spritz bottle on the dandelions in the patio and walkway paver cracks and plant hardy natives, ground covers and perennials everywhere except the veggie beds. Organic mulch helps make it easier to pull them. People get too freaked out about weeds. I had to laugh as at the nursery, I saw 4 inch pots at 3.99$ of a 'weed' that grows wild in our area for sale as a native perennial.

My 92 year old next door organic gardening neighbor liked my weed attitude. He would say you should be proud you have the healthiest weeds on the block. I see organic dandelion greens for sale at the local progressive' grocery store and they are expensive. I drink roasted dandelion tea. I'm thinking of harvesting and roasting the roots in my yard. Another thing I've noticed over the years is if you keep at it the invasive nasty weeds become literally weeded out. They still pop up now and then and I just nip them in the bud.

If you manage your soil organically and keep the weeds at bay organically the rest of your yard including the veggies thrive and the weeds don't take over. We yanked out the front lawn years ago and planted natives trees and shrubs and native ground covers which crowd out the perennial weeds. Many Vintners in Oregon plant Festuca grass between the rows of gape vines for weed control. It's nice looking and it is not poisonous to the dirt, plants, critters and bugs.

A poem my grandma used to recite as we weeded her garden

PORTRAIT BY A NEIGHBOR - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Before she has her floor swept
Or her dishes done,
Any day you'll find her
A-sunning in the sun!

It's long after midnight
Her key's in the lock,
And you never see her chimney smoke
Till past ten o'clock!

She digs in her garden
With a shovel and a spoon,
She weeds her lazy lettuce
By the light of the moon.

She walks up the walk
Like a woman in a dream,
She forgets she borrowed butter
And pays you back cream!

Her lawn looks like a meadow,
And if she mows the place
She leaves the clover standing
And the Queen Anne's lace!

I didn't realize how many people are actually aware of the modifying of seeds. Seeds that you have to keep buying in order to plant and eat. Seeds that will not reproduce.

I have worked with people, used to work in organic/local food store, and they saved seeds, stored them, catologued them, shared them Keeping them safe.

And about the drift topic: That was happening in N. Calif due to Monsanto. They'd drift spray near grape farmers or what have you. Their poisonous shit would "drift" onto the organic farmers grapes or fields. Which caused a few things to happen:

First... you have to be certified and there's much testing and paperwork to be certified organic. Monsanto's drift spraying would ruin that.

Then Monsanto, after ruining your organic fields would swoop in with lawyers and claim that you STOLE their pesticides/spray because it's on YOUR land. Theft.

They fuck you over and then they sue you.

American's generally don't care about seeds, growing things and food. They feel there is so much food because there is so much WASTE. Waste while people go hungry... it's insane... but that's another topic. Anywhoos... Americans can't grasp a food shortage because we are obese on empty food. But the food shortages are coming, the water wars are coming.. We just aren't aware of it. Hell, our citizens think it's more important to have green yards than clean water. Dead Dandylions and disabled babies.

They will realize that they have poisoned their lawns, their water, their own bodies. Then it will be too late. It already is. Just look at the refugee crisis happening... everywhere. People here are going to be rudely awakened and they won't have time to think about spraying poison on their pretty flowers.

Water is going to be deadly expensive in just a few short years. Not only are we not ready. We aren't even aware it's coming.