This is my article for today.

We had a wonderful turnout in Worcester to hear about the plight of the valley farmers. It was a great first stop for our relay across the country and I want to thank Ken for all his efforts.

Currently we are having a lovely Mexican meal. The drive from Maine down was uneventful. Would that all our events go so well.

Background:

The Central Valley of California, after having been attacked by radical environmental law that aims to put animal life over the lives of humans, has now been abandoned by our federal government. This prosperous region that produces over 14% (25% according to some estimates) of the nation’s food supply and as much as 99% of certain products like pistachios, cannery tomatoes and almonds, is being dried up not by drought or natural causes, but by our own government.

Thanks to Congress and the federal court’s misuse of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and two subsequent biological opinions, the vast majority of water that normally flows to California’s West-Side Central Valley farmers has been shut off during the growing season in order to protect a two-inch baitfish called the Delta Smelt, and a handful of other marine species. To make matters worse, in 2010 through the implementation of the San Joaquin River Settlement, and the betrayal by environmental groups and the government, water that normally flows to farms and cities on the East-Side of the Central Valley will be diverted into the Delta and ultimately into the ocean. All this will be done in an attempt to restore a long-lost salmon run, which experts say will not reestablish.

Now, rather than seeing fertile farmland on the West-Side of the Central Valley, we are left with hundreds of miles, and over 500,000 acres, of dry ground, creating a second American Dust Bowl, only this time it is our own government that has caused it. In an already down economy, our government has caused unemployment in certain cities in this region to reach a staggering 40%, putting over 40,000 employable people out of work. Farmers are loosing their land, their homes, their life’s work, and their dreams of a better life for their children. All the while, the President, and politicians like Nancy Pelosi, George Miller, Dianne Feinstein, and even our own Jim Costa, Dennis Cardoza, and George Radanovich, sit back and allow it to happen. This is unacceptable.

Americans need to ask themselves whether they are willing to settle for foreign food, like they have settled for foreign oil. We have already seen this government – that claims to care so much about the people – hand out cans of carrots shipped in from China to the farmers whose produce is lying dead on American farms. That is an outrage! What happened to the America that we grew up in, where we were proud of our country and proud of the fruits of our labor? How has radical environmentalism been given this much power? And where is the government whose sole purpose is to protect the American people?

Our Vision:
In June 2009, the Central Valley Tea Party teamed up with Water for All and then Families Protecting the Valley to help spread information regarding the water issues in the central valley to those attending the July 4th Freedom Rally Tea Party at the Tulare International Agri-Center.  Our original vision was to take our farmers message first to the entire state of California and then to the nation.  On August 28th we met with Tea Party Patriots from across the state in Sacramento, along with other leaders from some of California's most productive industries - that have also been singled out for destruction - and let our voices be heard.  Then on September 12th of this year our message went national to the Tea Party Patriots 912 rally in DC.  With over one-million protestors in the streets, it was the largest protest in our nation's history, and the perfect venue to spread the message of our governments devastating environmental policies.  Not long afterward, Sean Hannity came out to the Central Valley and ran a follow-up story to the series he had fittingly titled "The Valley Hope Forgot", helping spread the message even farther.  Since that time the response from Tea Party Patriots and others from across the country has been overwhelming.

Our Objective:
Thanks to the hard work of volunteers from several different groups (Water for All, Families Protecting the Valley, the Central Valley Tea Party, Tea Party Patriots from across the nation, local Valley farmers, and countless supporters from across the state and nation, we have decided to start an action/donation campaign to support our Valley farmers and their families.  Our aim with this campaign is to unite hardworking, freedom-loving Americans from across the country to stand up and demand that Congress and the Administration fix the water crisis that they have created in the Central Valley of California. 

Solution Part 1:

The solution involves passing two bills:

• One to suspend the biological opinions that are destroying the West-Side
• Another to abolish the San Joaquin River Settlement, thus preventing the looming devastation on the East-Side.
• To keep this kind of radical environmental regulation from spreading any further across the country, we also recommend that supporters demand that the ESA be amended to take into consideration the impact on human life that such far-reaching legislation can have.

Who to Call:

First, call your own Congressional Representatives, both in the House (see www.house.gov for contact information) and in the Senate (see www.senate.gov for contact information). Then call the following:

· President Barack Obama (202-456-1111)

· Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (202-208-3100)

· Judge Oliver W. Wanger [the federal judge who decided this case] (559-499-5600)

· Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (202-225-4965 / 415-556-4862)

· Bay Area Representative George Miller (202-225-2095 / 925-602-1880)

· Senator Dianne Feinstein (202-224-3841 / 415-393-0707)

· (Supposed) Representatives Jim Costa (202-225-3341 / 559-495-1620)

· (Supposed) Representatives Dennis Cardoza (202-225-6131 / 209-946-0361)

· (Supposed) Representatives George Radanovich (202-225-4540 / 559-449-2490)

· (Supposed) Representatives Kevin McCarthy (202-225-2915 / 661-327-3611)

Demand that these politicians join Congressman Devin Nunes, Senator Jim Demint, and the rest of the American people in supporting the farmers in the Central Valley over fish in the Delta.

Solution Part 2:

In the meantime, we, along with countless thousands from across the country, will do what Americans do best: support our own. For far too long we have allowed ourselves to become dependant on the government to sustain us in times of crisis. It is apparent that they cannot be trusted. Each one of us must stand up for our fellow Americans. With over 40,000 employable people out of work, and winter fast approaching, we will focus the second tier of our campaign on sustaining the basic needs of our farmers/laborers and their families until victory in the water war is achieved.

For those that can help, please see our DONATIONS PAGE for details.

The outpouring of support from Americans from across this great country has been overwhelming. We have even had groups like the Tea Party Patriots, who are doing a cross country information/donation drive called the “Farmer Relief & Freedom Relay” to raise awareness and support. We cannot tell you how humbly grateful we are. Thanks to all involved. United We Stand – protecting the food supply for our nation – by Saving the Valley that Hope Forgot.