Comments on: Laredo’s ‘Agent Orange’ Controversy

By: » Laredo’s “Agent Orange” Controversy Update - By ¡Para Justicia y Libertad!

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:51:19 +0000

[...] of weeks ago, US Customs and Border Protection wanted to use the herbicide imazapyr, Habitat, to defoliate the carrizo cane along a 1.1-mile stretch of the Rio Grande riverbank. Once news spread like wildfire, Mexican [...]

By: Meep

Meep — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:23:27 +0000

I am LIVID.
I hope that others in Texas will fight this tooth and nail. I moved from the state a year ago so I don’t think that I would be as effective, but I do want to get the word out.

By: XicanoPwr

XicanoPwr — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:40:04 +0000

Thank you for your input and your tips. I am hoping that the powers that be are taking your suggestions to heart. We have contacted the Laredo's Mayor to get a comment, however, he has not responded to us. I don't see why Border Patrol needs to hire a consultant, that is a waste of taxpayers money considering Mexico considers imazapyr to be a medium risk, and the European Union has banned use of the herbicide in 2003 according to the Laredo Morning Times. I will save the Border Patrol, my next post is uncovering new information I found on imazapyr and it supports what I wrote.

By: Juan

Juan — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:45:49 +0000

No doubt Monsanto is behind the spraying, just as they were Agent Orange in Viet Nam. The single most corrupt corporation in the world (though Exxon and Big Tabacco would be a close behind), Monsanto is absolutely IN LOVE with toxic chemicals. As I write they are and have been spraying Columbia with their Roundup herbicide to kill coca plants there. Of course there is collateral damage, as there always is, and the people there are getting sick and dying. On top of that they are laying waste to the Amazon Jungle with their herbicide.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/12/colombia-drug-war

They were convicted of INTENTIONALLY dumping millions of gallons of PCBs in the creeks around Anniston Alabama causing many deaths and much misery. They also did the same in the UK.

Oh, did I mention that they also genetically engineering the food we all eat?

More about them here:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto

By: nagamaki

nagamaki — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:37:03 +0000

A letter to the President.

Dear President Obama,

I’m reading today that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is planning to use an herbicide to eliminate tall grass cover in the border war with Mexico. While herbicides may be effectivie in killing all plant life, it will also contaminate and pollute the environment in which it is used including the ground water. This is not acceptable when alternatives exist!

A “proven” alternative to herbicide use to accomplish the same objective without harm to the environment is to employ the use of goat herds to eat the problem away. We must stop these ideas of, it’s okay to do harm in the name of good. It is never okay to do harm, especially when there are positive alternatives. One step forward and two steps back is NOT the way to move forward. Create a problem to solve a problem, now we’re beginning to sound like republicans! Is anyone listening? Where is the voice of reason here?
Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely Yours,

Please email the White House; http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

By: At the Border Security is Privilege | VivirLatino

At the Border Security is Privilege | VivirLatino — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:31:03 +0000

[...] They are the undocumented coming into the U.S. protected by plants that conspire to hide them. So part of the plan includes spraying potentially harmful chemicals to kill the plants that help to hid…. [...]

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:24:05 +0000

Carrizo Springs in South Texas was named after the cane that grew around the creeks and springs that were once found in the area. However, in the 1930’s a rodent, nutria, was imported by southern fur farmers. Although it was a failure as a source of fur, escaped nutria thrived on riverine vegetation, including the young shoots of cane. Today, you won’t find any carrizo in Carrizo Springs because the nutria ate all of the new shoots.
A more natural solution to the border proble might be to import more nutria to the area, and then mow down the old cane and let the nutria take care of the new shoots.
At least you won’t have herbicides polluting the Rio Grande and killing all of the downstream vegetation.

By: Jules

Jules — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:48:39 +0000

XicanoPwr, that is neat with the donkeys. They are also tough creatures that will eat most anything. I hadn’t heard of that one before.

I know the goat program was successful because the herd will stay close together working in a “team” and they only need to radio collor or GPS collar one or two to keep track of the whole herd. (They must keep them from running wild, which would case problems of its own once they eat the unwanted veggies they will wander off to farms and lawns!) If the donkeys can work together in herds and don’t stray far, they would work well like the goats.

I just wonder, if the donkeys pull the vegetation out by the root like goats do, which prevents it from growing back. Or do they crop it off at the base of the plant like horses, so it can sprout back the next season? I wonder.

Natural solutions are often better and often overlooked. This way they end up with happy people, and happy goats and donkeys.

By: One Penny Sheet » Laredo’s ‘Agent Orange’ Controversy

One Penny Sheet » Laredo’s ‘Agent Orange’ Controversy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:42:46 +0000

[...] via » Laredo’s ‘Agent Orange’ Controversy – By ¡Para Justicia y Libertad!. [...]

By: Border Explorer

Border Explorer — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:59:11 +0000

This makes me literally sick. Have we learned nothing as a nation? I cannot believe we would deliberately poison the earth, kill the creatures there and contaminate the water. Things are worse than I thought.