Need More Reasons To Grow Your Own Food? WATCH!

Food, Inc.--New Movie...New Motivation To Grow Your Own!

This past weekend, a movie called, Food, Inc. was released. If you have the proverbial "stomach" to go see it, perhaps it may entice you once again to take garden hoe in hand, canning jar to task, and 5 gallon bucket to fill...with whole grains and cereals. Here are a few comments about this lastest release:

New film exposes unsavoury side of US food industry

By Leonard Doyle in Washington
Published: 7:05PM BST 14 Jun 2009
The much-anticipated documentary Food, Inc. opens this week, many may find themselves unable to finish their snacks as the film exposes some unsavoury realities about how food reaches the dinner table.

Major food producers would not agree to be interviewed for the movie and they tried to ban the filmmakers from their stock yards, pig farms and chicken barns.

The documentary claims cows are fattened up on heavily subsidised corn, even though they cannot digest the grain properly and their guts become breeding grounds for deadly E. coli strains as a result.

It also says chickens with oversized breasts are grown to maturity and are ready to be slaughtered twice as quickly as they would be naturally, thanks to chemicals in their feed.

There is also stomach-churning footage of conveyer belts packed with little yellow chicks being pushed around like mechanical parts; a cow, barely alive, being dragged around by a forklift; and herds of squealing pigs being forced onto a factory "kill floor".

Food Inc is being released as America is finally starting to wake up to the public health crisis fuelled by its eating habits and food industry

In the film, the best-selling food writer Michael Pollan says: "The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000. You go into the supermarket and you see pictures of farmers, the picket fence and the 1930s farmhouse. The reality is, it's not a farm, it's a factory. That meat is being processed by huge multinational corporations that have very little to do with ranches and farmers."
The film addresses the country's epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Among young Americans born after 2000, one in three will contract early onset diabetes. For blacks, Hispanics and American Indians a staggering one in every two will contract the disease.

"The industry doesn't want you to know the truth about what you're eating because if you knew, you might not want to eat it. We've never had food companies this big and this powerful in our history."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/5533075/New-film-exposes-unsavoury-side-of-US-food-industry.html


Fast-Food Nation Kills Kids, Sickens Corn-Fed Cows: Interview

June 12, 2009
By Rick Warner
Bloomberg

Food is like air, an essential ingredient of life that most of us consume daily without much thought. “Food, Inc.” may change your attitude.

The new documentary dramatically shows how the U.S. food industry is controlled by a handful of conglomerates that churn out products that can make us -- and their workers -- sick.

“It’s all about producing food that’s cheap and plentiful,” Michael Pollan


Warner: Monsanto, Tyson, Smithfield, Perdue. Why are so few companies producing most of our food?

Pollan: Fast-food franchises have a lot to do with it. They need huge quantities of beef for hamburgers and huge quantities of chicken for chicken nuggets. And they want their food to taste the same everywhere in the country. So they’d rather deal with one producer instead of 50.

Warner: Cows are now being fed corn instead of grazing on grass because it makes them grow bigger and faster. How does that affect the health of the cows and the quality of the meat they produce?

Pollan: Cows aren’t designed to eat corn, so it makes them sick and their guts become a breeding ground for E. coli. Forty percent of the animals on feed lots are carrying it. It gets into the food supply through manure. And when you’re slaughtering 400 cows an hour, the way some of these places do, it’s very easy for the manure to get into the meat.
The government can recall toys and cars, but it doesn’t have the power to recall meat. That’s left up to the companies. Which tells me the government can’t ensure the safety of our food supply.

Revolving Door

Warner: Isn’t part of the problem the revolving door between the industry and government agencies? The movie documents how industry officials end up running the agencies that are supposed to regulate their former businesses.

Pollan: People go back and forth all the time. The food industry is one of the most powerful lobbying forces on Capitol Hill. They usually get what they want

Warner: What can the average person do to change the system?

Pollan: They can do a lot. Never underestimate the power of the consumer. Wal-Mart listened when consumers said they didn’t want milk from cows treated with (artificial growth) hormones. And McDonald’s stopped using genetically modified potatoes after consumers complained. People can vote with their pocketbooks.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9lvgmYFkJHFOGOpJbIb5xfmnGuwD98O27A82

Instead of spending money to go see the movie, maybe you should invest in a couple packages of seeds...

Grow Heirloom Tomatoes! They're Yummy for Your Tummy!

There is nothing like a home grown tomato...the taste is exceptional. Tomatoes take a while to grow, and if you are fortunate to live in a warm climate, apparently I don't because there is a foot of snow around my house still! and it snowed again today!) they are easy to grow from seeds. Most of the time it is advisable to start your tomato seeds sometime in February or March...but, I have had success getting my starts going in April. However, if you can't get your seedlings started, you can always resort to buying plants at the local nursery. You won't regret the investment.
Heirloom tomatoes have sometimes gotten a rotten rap...as per this article which appeared in The Examiner, Chicago entitled Hurray for Heirloom Tomatoes. But never fear, as this article points out, heirloom tomatoes are wonderful tasting and wonderful plants.

If you want a variety of tomatoes in your garden, how about stopping in at

You can get an amazing amount of heirloom tomato seeds, plus pick up some great gardening tools and supplies!

Click here to visit TomatoFest.com

Happy Planting!

Backyard Gardening: Grow Potatoes In A Barrel

Now is the time to truly consider growing your own vegetables. But, what if you don't have a large plot to grow a garden? You can grow vegetables in an assortment of containers...buckets, recycled plant containers, old barrels, etc. One vegetable that is EASY to grow and delicious (once again, once you eat one of your own potatoes, you'll not want for the potatoes in the store!...TASTE is back!)is the potato. And, you can grow potatoes in a container...anything from a 1/2 barrel to a full 55 gallon barrel. Here are some tips to get you going:

Choose the size of container/s in which to grow your potatoes...it can be plastic, metal or wood.

Drill holes in the bottom of your container to allow for drainage. You may have to put a screen over the holes once they are drilled to prevent soil leakage, etc..depends on how big you drill the holes! The holes should be about 6 inches apart.

Set barrels on blocks, old pallets, or whatever, to ensure that there is good drainage. And make sure your barrels are in a spot that receives a good amount of sunshine.

Place some gravel in the bottom of the barrel...again, to help with drainage.

Put down at least six inches of clean soil, mixed with a good compost, sand and maybe some sawdust.

Now...plant your potatoes. To plant potatoes you must get "seed" potatoes from a garden supply store, nice neighbor (smile) or feed store...or online. Do not use the potatoes you buy from the store...they will not produce well even though the potatoes grow little "buds". Once you get your seed potatoes, cut the potato into halves or fourths, depending on the size of the potato. But, make sure you have at least 2 "eyes" in each piece of the potato. Allow your cut potatoes to rest for the night and let the cut edges dry a bit. Next morning, place the cut-side down in the dirt and the "eyes" looking up, and push the potato seed down so that the seed is just covered. Water gently. In a couple of days, your potatoes will start to sprout. Let your potatoes sprout about 2-4 inches...then cover the plant with more soil/compost/sand mixture and gently water. Continue this procedure until your barrel is full. Once you see your potatoes "blossom" you know you have succeeded. Then, let the plants die back. When you are ready to harvest, kick the barrel over, and gather your potatoes. Then, enjoy!

Growing A Backyard Vegetable Garden: Ideas to "Mulch" Over

Want to have a fantastic backyard vegetable garden? I invite you to scroll down the page and click on my article written for Ezine Articles concerning this very subject. In the meantime, here are some ways and ideas of where you can obtain your mulch material.

* Ask farmers or ranchers for spoiled straw or manure. As ranchers are cleaning out their barns this time of year, you may be able to hit the jackpot!

* As neighbors begin to mow their lawns, ask them for their lawn clippings. In the fall, as neighbors if you can have their leaves and other lawn debris.

* Go to parks and do the same as above...you'll be surprised, and most likely THANKED for hauling away the debris!

* After the highway department has mowed the roadsides, rack up what you can...just keep a look out for cars!

* Go to lumber yards, cabinet shops, etc. and ask for wood chips and sawdust. You can also check out tree trimming companies for wood chips and leaves.

* In addition to the above ingredients, don't forget cornstalks, pine needles, shredded newspaper, and peat moss. All make an excellent ground cover.

So, now you have many options in which to obtain mulch...it's cheap and easy, but the value and benefits will produce great dividends!

Grow a Backyard Garden, Raise a Backyard Chicken...Together!

Are you still planning to put in a garden this year and also raise backyard chickens? Here's an idea you may want to consider...plant your garden and put your chicken coop in the same area...let me explain.

1. Choose a suitable place for your garden and fence twice as much growing space as you will need to grow your various vegetables.
2. Put a gate at each end of your rectangular plot.
3. Build your chicken coop directly in the center of your "compound", and divide that area right down the middle with more fencing. Make sure there is a door on each side of your new chicken coop.
4. The "first" year of your garden, plant vegetables on one half of your plot, while on the other half of your plot, let the chickens run free in their yard.
5. At the end of the gardening season, let your chickens have the run of the whole place.
6. The next gardening season, rotate the whole operation: plant your garden on the alternate side, and let the chickens have the run of the area that was your garden last year!
7. Keep this rotation system up each year. Not only will your chickens naturally fertilize the area for your future garden each year, they will do a dandy job of ridding unwanted bugs and insects!

As a reminder, order your heirloom seeds and garden supplies from:

or click on the banner for Survival Seeds

Happy Gardening! And Chicken Raising!

Emergency Food Preservation...Don't Wait Until An Emergency to Prepare

Have you been following the latest headlines?

Walker's World: New food crisis looms
By MARTIN WALKER, UPI Editor EmeritusPublished: April 6, 2009

Alarm bells are starting to ring about another food crisis this summer. Last week's acreage report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 7 million fewer acres were being planted for all crops. This came after the USDA's January report that noted that winter wheat acreage was down 7 percent.

This means lower output from the United States, the world's top food producer, at a time when world stocks are already low, and farmers are blaming the difficulty in getting credit and the high costs of key inputs like fertilizer.( see my post on manure!)
Mother Nature is making things worse, with the worst drought in almost 70 years hitting northern China and devastating the winter wheat crop. More than 200 million acres in China's top six grain-producing provinces have been hit, and yields are down by as much as 40 percent.

The problem is not just hitting grains. With world soybean stocks 9 percent lower than they were this time last year, a further drought in Latin America is a new concern. Yields in southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina are also running at 40 percent of last year's levels. All this is triggering concern in the markets, where analysts are warning that price hikes are looming, and the speculators coming into the market could drive prices even higher.

Here are some more disturbing news items!

South Florida Suffering From Drought! Crops Could Suffer!

North Florida Suffering From Flooding! Crops Could Suffer!

Tornados EF-3 reported near Mena..homes, electricity, crops(?) affected

Worst flooding predicted for Georgia. Crops Could Suffer!

Farmers Scramble in the Carolinas due to latest cold snap! Crops Could Suffer!

Wintry Weather Slams Plains Wheat; Will The Crop Recover?

Drought, Cold Devastating Texas Crops

One needs to connect the dots...there is a very great and grim potential for food shortages starting this summer. You need to prepare. Whether you grow your own garden (please see our heirloom seed providers...Survival Seeds or TomatoFest..simply click on either banner located to the right) begin a home canning program (for home canning videos see Be prepared for the coming food shortage.
), or want to stock up on freeze dried food (see Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food
or 1800prepare, LLC.
CLICK HERE or American Family Safety)

I have also written several posts on how you can prepare, store and put up bulk food. Please peruse this blog to get more information. Take action and take care.

Gold For Your Home Garden! Manure!

When it comes to growing a garden, your soil needs nutrients. However, if you have gone to the local nursery to purchase some of that precious fertilizer for your garden, you might be overwhelmed by the price of that fertilizer!!!! So what's a gardener to do? When I still lived in a city, I drove out to the suburbs of town and found many willing folks who would allow me to take home some of their "x-tra" stuff from their barn. WOW! Now, I have an excess of "stuff"...including a variety of "feces species". So, here are some things you can do....

Offer to clean a stall or two in someones barn for horse manure. Or even offer to clean out a chicken coop. If this is first year manure, you will have to "age" it...in other words, it will be too "hot" for your garden and will burn your plants. Another point, especially with horse manure, is to pile your manure in the sun, cover it with black plastic, and let it "cook"...it will kill most weeds in the horse manure. If you are fortunate to find sheep or goat manure, you can directly put the manure on to your garden.

At any rate, it is best to try and put manure on your garden in the fall and till it into the soil over the winter. However, it's still not too late to till manure into your garden soil.

This post was inspired by this article that appeared last week...take a gander:

Manure More Precious Than Gold
From Gene Logsdon
by Gene Logsdon

I half-jokingly suggested about a year ago that animal manure— used livestock, horse, and chicken bedding— was going to be the hottest commodity on the Chicago Board of Trade. There are indications now that such a seemingly absurd prediction might not be so absurd after all. Last year the prices of some farm fertilizers shot up to over a thousand dollars a ton. Ammonium polyphosphate is still nearly that high. Deposits of potash in Canada, a main source of our potassium fertilizers, are declining. Natural gas, from which commercial nitrogen fertilizer is manufactured, is rising in cost as other uses compete for it. Long term, there are reasons to believe that the era of abundant manufactured fertilizers is passing.

Today, the situation has changed dramatically. With no assurance that grain prices will be high enough to cover the high prices of manufactured fertilizers, farmers are waiting in line at the animal confinement operations, willing to fork over good hard cash to get the lower-priced manure. The laugh of the day now is that maybe manure will become more profitable than the food produced, that the operations will become, in fact and not in jest, money-making manure factories which just happen to produce meat, milk, and eggs as byproducts. This seems particularly possible since some of these factories change hands about as often as partners do in a square dance.

The possibility that all of agriculture might have to rely on animal and human waste to maintain the necessary fertility to keep the world from starving is not at all something new to civilization. Only in the last century or so has it been possible to lard enough chemical nitrogen on cropland to attain record breaking yields while burning most of the organic matter out of the soil. Before this modern “progress,” human society had no other choice than to consider manure— animal and human— to be more precious than gold. At least humans did so in countries that sustained an ample food supply for very long periods of time, as China and Japan did. We all need to read again Farmers of Forty Centuries, by F.H. King, published in 1911, about oriental agriculture at that time. Manure was treated like a precious gem because it was a precious gem. Every scrap of animal waste, human waste, and plant residue was scrupulously collected, composted, and reapplied to the land. So precious was manure that Chinese farmers stored it in burglar-proof containers.

As a result, the oriental farmer for thousands of years maintained an unbelievably productive agriculture. Their little farms produced at the very least five times the amount of food per acre that American farmers were getting in 1907 when King traveled through Japan and China. Those yields still far exceed those of American agriculture even today, except where intensive, raised bed gardening is practiced here. For all practical purposes, a large part of China in 1900 was one huge intensive, raised bed garden. Indeed, the oriental farmer had no choice, because population densities were much higher than anything the United States had or has yet experienced. They either produced huge crops or starved.

Cheap, plentiful manufactured fertilizers and a seeming infinity of farmland allowed the United States over the last two centuries to become the champion wastrel of agriculture (and everything else). One can only imagine the famine and chaos that would result if we continued that kind of extravagance for forty centuries, even if we could. As sources of cheaper chemical fertilizers decline, manure will either once more become the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or population levels will dramatically decline.
~~
Gene and Carol Logsdon have a small-scale experimental farm in Wyandot County, Ohio.
Gene is author of The Mother of All Arts: Agrarianism and the Creative Impulse (Culture of the Land),
The Last of the Husbandmen: A Novel of Farming Life, and All Flesh Is Grass: Pleasures & Promises Of Pasture Farming
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com

Organic Farming/NAIS/ and You....

Despite the arguments about H.R. 875 you may read on the internet, one thing is clear...something is up. Whenever there is "big" money involved, if we the people haven't figured it out, what is fed to the sheeples on the surface as something "good" most likely contains something we have come to know as "pork" is beneath the surface..which is not good. Most people who support H.R. 875 will even admit that some of the language is "vague" and can be misconstrued. In light of what is happening in our country today...where most language used is no longer vague, but in your face, we need to pay attention to what laws are being past and how it can affect us now and in the future. Perhaps there are some very good parts of this bill...I do not argue that...but, at least clean up the language and ensure that the rights of those that want to organic garden, participate in local farmers markets, etc. will NOT be affected by this bill...isn't that why we voted in our representatives?



Further, most bills that are presented, as stated before, present very good measures to ensure that our food supply is safe and healthy. But just as this bill has the earmarks of becoming too intrusive, so has a very innocuous bill, the NAIS, or National Animal Identification System, become intrusive, and does, in fact, threaten all people of the United States from owning and raising their own live stock.
What exactly is the NAIS? "The USDA’s proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) was originally designed to give the big beef producers help in getting export markets which required disease controls. The idea is that every single livestock animal in the United States will be identified and tagged. All livestock animal movements will be tracked, logged and reported to the government. The benefit is to the big factory farms who probably do need this type of regulation. They get to do single ID’s for large groups of animals. Small farmers, pet owners and homesteaders will have to tag and track every single animal.

There are no exceptions - even small farms that sell direct to local consumers will be required to pay the fees and file all the paper work on all their animals. Even horse, llama and other pet owners will be required to participate in NAIS. Homesteaders who raise their own meat and grandma with her one egg hen will also have to register their homes as ‘farm premises’ and obtain a Premise ID, tag all their animals and submit all the paperwork and fees. Absurd? Yes - There are no exceptions under the current NAIS plan. The USDA has slipped this plan in the back door without any legislation. This is going to be very expensive and guess who is going to pay for it in higher food prices… You!"

nonais.org

Grow A Backyard Vegetable Garden

There are many reasons why you should grow your own VEGETABLE garden. I emphasize vegetable because in my "younger days" I had a running argument with my sister that I didn't grow any thing that I couldn't eat. She on the other hand, had a lovely lawn and a bunch of flowers. Of course, some flowers are edible...hmmm. Any way, the obvious reasons include healthy food, food (which is becoming a concern), great tasting food, etc. And with the economic woes and people staying home more often, having a garden is a positive diversion...it gives you something to do!

You really do not need a lot of space to get a garden going. If you have a five gallon bucket, you can grow something! It is much cheaper to grow your own plants from seeds. I have written an article on the pros/cons of using hybrid/non-hybrid seeds. You can find this article at http:www.goarticles.com/ and then plug in the keywords hybrid/non-hybrid seeds in the search box.

A quick gardening tip for today is: SAVE THOSE EGG SHELLS! Egg shells make great little "starter" containers for your seeds. When cracking your eggs, try to only knock off the top 1/3 of the shell (best when you really don't care if your egg breaks). Fill your egg shell with a good starting soil, plant seed, let grow. When you are ready to transplant, simply place the whole thing in the ground. I knock off the bottom so the roots can poke through the bottom of the shell. Not only do you not disturb the fragile roots, but the calcium in the egg shell will provide some extra nutrition for the plant.

In future posts I will address other gardening concerns, tips and strategies.

Lose Your Property for Growing Food?????

There is a draconian bill being introduced. It is HR 875/S 425. It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with this bill. Who stands to gain from a bill that is trying to regulate all facets of agriculture? And yes, it will affect all facets...you have to read the fine print. Who is promoting and supporting such a bill? The following facts were taken from www.organicconsumers.org WHO BENEFITS FROM GM CROPS? *the real beneficiaries are the GM companies which profit from patents, expensive GM seeds, and increased pesticide sales *Monsanto is the world's largest seed firm *Monsanto holds a near monopoly in the biotech "traits" incorporated in GM seeds *Monsanto is the world's fifth largest pesticide firm *Monsanto markets Roundup, the world's biggest selling pesticide *Monsanto controls roughly 60% of the market for glyphosate (the active ingredient of Roundup) *Roundup is used in conjunction with Monsanto's 'Roundup Ready seeds'
ARE GM CROPS REDUCING PESTICIDE USE? *almost all GM crops involve just 2 traits, mainly just one trait - herbicide tolerance *herbicide tolerance is found in over 80% of all GM crops planted worldwide *GM crops have contributed substantially to increased pesticide use *most new GM crop varieties are also pesticide-promoting *GM crops have caused an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds *this is encouraging the use of more toxic petsicides, including ones banned in some European countries.

Please also read this timely and infomative article:


March 16, 2009
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Lose Your Property For Growing Food?

Criminalize Organic Gardening????? Watch!

Please read the following article for more information!

HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment

Posted by LydiaScott on 03/06/09 03:36 AM





HR 875 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c1112RD9bb:e11439:

This bill is sitting in committee and I am not sure when it is going to hit the floor. One thing I do know is that very few of the Representatives have read it. As usual they will vote on this based on what someone else is saying. Urge your members to read the legislation and ask for opposition to this devastating legislation. Devastating for everyday folks but great for factory farming ops like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson to name a few.

I have no doubt that this legislation was heavily influenced by lobbyists from huge food producers. This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.

DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, READ THIS LEGISLATION FOR YOURSELF. The more people who read this legislation the more insight we are going to get and be able to share. Post your observations and insights below. Urge your members to read this legislation and to oppose the passage of this legislation.

Pay special attention to

Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it's entirety.
section 103, 206 and 207- read in it's entirety.
Red flags I found and I am sure there are more...........

Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.
Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use the word organic.
Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it.
Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game.
Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.
Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. Who do you think they are going to side with?
Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more.
Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
There are many more but by the time I got this far in the legislation I was so alarmed that I wanted to bring someone's attention to it. (to the one person who reads my blog)
Didn't Stalin nationalize farming methods that enabled his administration to gain control over the food supply? Didn't Stalin use the food to control the people?

Last word...... Legislate religion and enforce gag orders on ministers on what can and can't be said in the pulpit, instituting regulations forcing people to rely soley on the government, control the money and the food. What is that called? It is on the tip of my tongue..........

I haven't read any of the Senate's version of the bill as I have been poring thru the House's version. Here is the link and I hope some of you can take a look and post your observations and insights below. One thing I am pretty sure of is that very few if any Senator's have actually read the legislation and when it comes up for a vote they will more than likely take someone else's word on how they should vote. The other thing I am pretty sure about is that the legislation was probably written by lobbyists and industry experts.

S 425 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s425:

Things you can do

Contact your members at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose HR 875 and S 425. While you are at it ask them if they personally have read the legislation and what their position is? If they have not read the legislation ask them to read it and politely let them know that just because other representitives are not reading the legislation and voting on it does not mean they can do the same.
Get in touch with local farmers and food producers by attending a local farmers market and asking them how business is.
Attend a local WAPF meeting, this is a good start to learning about what is going on in farming and local & state initiatives . The website is http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html
Check out the Farmers Legal Defense Fund at http://www.ftcldf.org/index.html
Find out who sits on your states agriculture and farming committee and contact them with your concerns.
Continue to contact your elected officials and let them know your position on legislation and why.
Get active at the local and state levels, this is the quickest way to initiate change.