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This photo was inspired by the work of Maria Pia Tedesco
See her work at artistamato.blogspot.com.br

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The Approach Of Election Day

 The image of a bird upon a nest is for most of us a bit reassuring. In a very subtle and completely non-verbal way, many of us see such things as a sign of hope. What this unsuspecting mother dove does not know is that she and her mate have built their nest on top of pressure treated lumber. The key word here is "treated" which means that the wood had been impregnated with a highly toxic additive which renders it unpalatable to creatures such as termites. To her everything looks just fine, but it's not.
Here in California, one of our ballot measures would require that all genetically engineered food to be labeled as such, and thereby  assure the public that the term  "Natural" apply only to food products which do not include any genetically engineered crops. Agribusiness interests are pouring a great deal of money into the campaign against this initiative. People want to know what they are buying and what's in it. A lot of big business interests would rather be able to redefine certain terms which might make it easier for them to remain somewhat less than transparent.

Before going any further it might be important to state that the author has not been affiliated with any political party for several years now.

People in a democratic society expect to be able to make informed decisions. Being able to do so is part of the rationale for mandating and funding public education, so that the people are better able to make choices based upon accurate rather than misleading information. Most of us, regardless of where we fall upon the political spectrum tend to support this idea. It is only certain professional politicians and lobbyists who find the idea of controling access to information appealing. At times  campaigns of disinformation are designed by  particular special interests so that they can continue to make deals behind closed doors where the general public can not see. Knowing who (either living individuals or corporate entities) supports an issue or candidate can influence how we evaluate something or someone.  Concealing the identity of a donor is not a protected form of expression under the First Amendment, but the Citizens United Decision rendered by our Supreme Court has now allowed unlimited funding of political spending and the public has no way of knowing where the money is coming from. The doors are closing on the age of transparency. Soon, if one party gains any more power, even the Freedom of Information Act could be dismantled.  Public Radio and Television are on the hit list of many who do the bidding of those who want to limit access to information and transparency.

During the most recent Bush Era, The ERIC Educational Network which freely disseminated research related to all levels of education was dismantled. Could it be that some of the results of research which did not support the many scripted programs which came into full force with No Child Left Behind were seen as too inconvenient or perhaps just too distracting for the educational community to have to deal with. Happily much of the  information once held in those collections has been restored and is now available, but for how much longer?

Will we see a multiplication of oil drilling platform permits in now protected areas? Will the public even  know? It's not a matter of energy independence, because there are many ways of moving in that direction, and most in big business and both parties are not that interested. Instead, for them it's  not only about making a quick buck, but also about monetizing almost everything. Social Security was almost on the chopping block before, but the Big Boys in the Back Room had to put on the brakes when AARP began to react. But they will try again. The R and R candidates will usher in another relaxation of all regulation once more, and we could have another financial crisis, but this time, we will as a nation go under, all thanks to those who want to provide a kind of corporate welfare state. I am not a huge fan of Mr. Obama nor many other national level politicians, but I feel that it is unfair to criticize him for not fixing the economy, when the Republicans in Congress have done all that they could to prevent him from doing anything. Almost without exception, they have made this their first priority and put the welfare of the American people on the back burner, just so that the President would not seem successful. It all comes down to being able to make choices, not having them forced upon you or taken away. We like to think of our nation as the land of the free, but if too many honest, hard working, and well meaning people do not really think about what are doing, it may be too late for us all after Tuesday. What worries me most is the Karl Rove is pulling a lot of the strings.