WHAT: Get Pollan appointed United States Secretary of Agriculture

WHEN: Immediately

HOW:  Through our U.S. Representatives and Senators

 

ACTIONS:

1.  PLEASE CALL your Representative and two Senators.  Ask for the Agriculture Aide.  Speak to the Aide (leave a message if you have to) and say:

 

"My name is _____ and I live in your district.  I want to see Michael Pollan appointed Secretary of Agriculture.  I respectfully request that Representative______ [Senator_____] contact Mr. Obama and ask him to appoint Michael Pollan Secretary of Agriculture.  Pollan's unique understanding of Agriculture makes him the best choice for Secretary.  In his open letter to the next "Farmer in Chief," published in the New York Times magazine (on October 12), Mr. Pollan shows his understanding of the deep connections between farming and health, our economy, our environment and our national security.  

 

I will be extremely dissatisfied if Mr. Obama appoints anyone other than Mr. Pollan as Secretary of Agriculture.

 

Thank you for speaking with me.

 

2.  Please follow up your phone call with a fax (faxes are more effective than emails).

 

Your Representative:  http://www.house.gov/ 

Your Senators:  http://senate.gov/

 

BACKGROUND: A huge bi-partisan movement of support to appoint Pollan for Secretary has been gaining momentum, with almost 8000 signatures on the petition so far (sign the petition:  http://pollanforsecretaryofagriculture.com/ ).  An internet search on Pollan + Secretary yields 168,000 hits.  

 

Why do we want Michael Pollan as Secretary of Agriculture?  Pollan, in his best-selling books "Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food,"  in his open letter to Obama--the next "Farmer in Chief," (http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=97 ), in many other writings and in his life, has lifted the rock on the agricultural-industrial system.  He knows the danger to our farms, health, economy and environment from massively subsidized factory farming and GMO corn.  He knows that the solution is transparency, ecologically sound farming, local food production, support for heritage family farms and access to the real food our farms produce.  He can make a change.

 

President Elect Obama says that he is for change.  Let us make sure it happens.  

 

Our U.S. legislators influence Cabinet appointments and through them we can reach President Elect Obama.

 

Please call your legislators TODAY. 

 

See http://pollanforsecretaryofagriculture.com/ for more information and to sign the petition.

 

(The 111th Congress will be sworn in January 6, 2009. Please contact both if your representation will be changing. http://www.congress.org/election/guide )

 

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT Blane Friest, lobbyist for the movement:  bfriest@pollanforsecretaryofagriculture.org