Hooray for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and the Sierra Club. It may be “truly disappointing” to you, Mr. Kruse (Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau), but the majority of Missourians don’t like living with the stink and air, land and water pollution of industrial farms. Haven’t heard any complaints about the family farms and ranches, so why do you keep bringing them into the argument?
Trying to scare the family farmers and ranchers into thinking new regulations are directed towards them is hogwash. The industrial farms, ie. CAFOs with thousands of animals confined in buildings, that pay your way are the culprits, and we are sick and tired of them being shoved down our throats. If you don’t think the majority of Missourians aren’t, why do you think 20 Missouri counties have adopted their own health regulations regulating CAFOs? There is currently so little statewide regulation in place that the only setback requirements for the location of a CAFO are 100 feet from a perpetual stream or well and 1,000 feet from an existing residence. In theory, they could put chicken houses all along the banks of Roaring River, Shoal Creek, Spring River or any other creek, stream or lake or for that matter surrounding any municipality where there are no county health regulations in place, and there is nothing that can be done about it thanks to the current governor, Legislature, and the Missouri Farm Bureau that has bought and paid for them.
I, too, grew up on a family farm. We had chickens, beef and dairy cows, horses , etc. and a wonderful way of life. I was a little boy in heaven, and for the same reason, my children grew up in the same atmosphere. The Missouri Farm Bureau’s misleading defense of industrialized farms is wrong for Missouri. In fact, I bet the majority of Missouri Farm Bureau members would drop their membership if they only knew. Mr. Kruse, you are not fooling everyone.
Mark Stephenson
Joplin
Opinion
Voices: No need for new regulations?
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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Our View: Victims should come first
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