Page 57 - Summer2008

animals, the scourge of modern diseases and now time to deal with the problem here in America and abroad and it be-
physical degeneration—appear on agribusiness gins, not with a call for dictatorship or radical social upheaval and revolt,

accounting ledgers. but with each of us buying locally, helping pass legislation that benets
Migrant or illegal workers have replaced and protects our nation’s small farmers, and educating others to do the
the Roman slave gangs with little improvement same.
in compensation or working conditions. CAFOs, When we encourage people to buy local and regional real foods and

vast monocultures of genetically modied corn grass based animal products raised by real people who receive just wages
and soy, and a host of other abominable farming in exchange for their work and stewardship of the land, we are not only
and food production practices have replaced the encouraging them to protect and contribute to their own health and the
old Roman slave barracks and store houses. Even vibrant health of their children, we are encouraging them to protect and
worse, the companies that employ such practices contribute to the health of our nation and the health of the entire world.
are sometimes able to secure immunity from the We are asking them to take tangible, sustainable steps to reduce poverty,
most basic of environmental laws and traditional pollution, economic injustice and world hunger. We are asking them to
taxes in the name of economic development and help heal some of the sickness of our society. We don’t need a dictator to
progress. How such atrocities against planet and undo the damaging effects of agribusiness in our nation and world. We
people can be called development and progress do need tens of thousands of average citizens like the Gracchi, citizens
boggles the mind. willing to make sacrices for the sake of our nation’s small farmers and

We now nd our nation’s economy in dis- others.

6
array, our cities riddled with crime and disease, Personal, family, community and national health start with our deci-
while our countryside has been abandoned to sion to buy local and put nutrient-dense real food on our dinner plates. Let
either neglect or abuse by chemical and machine each of us choose wisely and encourage others to do the same.
intensive monoculture farms, concentration

camp-like connement farming facilities, or REFERENCES
wealthy resort-like castles, where tens to hun- Primary Source: Plutarch, Lives of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, translated by John Dryden.
dreds of acres of Roundup-manicured grass Secondary Source: Rufus Fears, Famous Romans, The Great Courses. The Teaching Company,
2001.
are mowed rather than mooed year after year,

wasting valuable agricultural space and fossil 1. The above introduction is a ctional story, yet rooted in the general historical situation and
circumstances of the Roman nation in the 150’s-120’s BC, created to help the reader gain
fuels for the sake of a select few. World hunger a general feel for the characters and context of the article as a whole.
skyrockets in the face of rising commodity prices 2. It is important to note that patrician and plebeian did not necessarily mean rich and poor,
fueled by an economic system hooked on grain powerful and powerless, though in general the plebeians were the lower, poorer classes
while the patricians were the upper, wealthier classes in Roman society. Some plebeian

and gas like a drug addict on crack. But our families enjoyed great wealth and inuence, while some patrician families over time fell
into poverty and obscurity.
industrial agricultural appetites have begun to 3. For this material and much of the historical material throughout this article, I am indebted
catch up with us. to Dr. Rufus Fears and Dr. Bob Luginbill. The historical knowledge was their gift to others
Our industrial agricultural practices have and me; the synthesis of that knowledge is my gift to them and others.
contributed to the obesity and modern illnesses 4. Dr. Fears’ general summary of an ancient principle, which still applies to America, is that
“A balanced constitution and civic virtue would bring with it success (empire) which would
of the developed nations and to the starvation bring wealth and contact with foreigners, and undermine civic virtue, the foundation of
liberty,” Famous Romans, The Great Courses. The Teaching Company, 2001.
4
and oppression of the developing nations. The 5. For a researcher who shares this same general viewpoint, see Raj Patel, Stuffed and Starved:
planet and its people are the victims of this vile The Hidden Battle for the World Food System.
process, while purpoted solutions that benet 6. For more general information related to industrial agriculture, see Richard Manning’s book,

Going Against the Grain and “The Oil We Eat,” Harper’s Magazine. Accessed April 21st,
only the problem makers—agribusiness and its 2008 http://www.harpers.org/archive/2004/02/0079915.
sinister cohorts of GMOs, pesticides, herbicides,
IN MEMORIAM
fungicides, NAIS and other “food safety” regu- We are sorry to note the passing of Professor H. Leon Abrams, MA,
lations and measures that militate against small EDS who died on January 4, 2008 at age 82. Professor Abrams was As-
farmers and wholesome and healthy products like sociate Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at East Georgia College,
real milk—are pushed through, often without the specializing in Mesoamerica and nutritional anthropology, as well as a
knowledge or consent of the nation’s people. 5 member of the honorary board of the Weston A. Price Foundation. He
Agribusiness is a symptom of a sick and was the author of seven books, including Your Body Is Your Best Doctor,
sickly society. It is like a chronic infection or and 170 articles and reviews. Professor Abrams helped popularize the
cancer that must be dealt with before a person work of Weston A. Price and was always quick to point out the fact that
can ever hope to return to vibrant health. It is all traditional cultures consumed animal products in the diet.

SUMMER 2008 Wise Traditions 55