Today I would say that our agriculture policy is immoral, undemocratic, and coming from a Judeo-Christian ethic, very un-Christian. And every family farmer today deserves a congressional medal of honor.

Now, we had a communication problem. I was supposed to speak, I thought, on livestock, and I may still do that, since I'm a hog farmer. The problem we have in World Trade is in its mechanics. Our founding fathers must be turning over in their graves at the very thought of our legislative branch of government, capitulating its constitutional power to the World Trade Organization. The WTO is made up of unelected individuals whose loyalties are seeing to it that national and international financers, industrialists, grain exporters, and food processors prowl about the world unmolested. It does not represent the interest of the world's independent family farmers and workers.

The real problem facing U.S. farmers is in this nation's flawed agriculture policy. Federal officials have turned back the clock to pre-revolutionary America. What U.S. farmers have experienced these past two or three years is an escalation into a world of economic colonialism. The resource drain, low grain and livestock prices into the hands of agribusiness conglomerates is not a new phenomenon. The resource drain happened to the North Vietnamese under French rule, to Cuba under American imperialism, to India under British rule, and to our own American 13 colonies under King George III.

The Freedom to Farm Bill is like the icing on the cake for America's new colonial masters like Cargill or IBP and Monsanto. They are reaping millions of dollars off U.S. family farmers and workers.

One of my favorite books is called The March of Folly by historian Barbara H. Tuchman. In the book she describes in great detail the events that led to the Fall of Troy, The Reformation, the American Revolution, and to America's defeat in Vietnam. In summary, she ascribes the events to woodenheadedness. Woodenheadedness is described as self-deception which plays a remarkably large role in government. It consists in assessing a situation in terms of preconceived notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs. It is acting according to wish while not allowing ones self to be deflected by the facts. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a mirror image of Iowa's government officials five years ago who not only ignored the facts about hog factories, they put in place unjust laws like Iowa House File 519. It is too bad Tuchman isn't around to write about the folly and woodenheadedness in U.S. agriculture policy.

If government officials are asking me what can be done to stop the livestock and grain crisis, then they must first throw off the yoke of corporate influence that hangs around their necks. Secondly, they must send a very strong message to the meat packers: either pay a just price to the independent producer or they will find themselves being investigated by the long arm of the law. Thirdly, all export enhancement money would cease to any meat exporter who had food safety problems, worker safety problems, pollution problems, or who failed to pay a livable wage. Fourthly, make the pork check-off voluntary.

Now, in regards to the hog factory producer, I would allow county governments to enact local control laws and give neighbors the power to sue. I would enact strong environmental laws, and before a hog factory could be built, an independent, economic, social, and environmental impact study would be conducted and then made public in public hearings. If the study proved that the hog factory would hamper instead of improve the community or area, then it could not build.

I would also forbid earthen lagoons and irrigation guns. I would also regulate the amount of hogs that could be fed on one site and enact strong worker safety and health laws to protect hog factory workers.