The Natal Chart of John Boehner

On Thursday, November 17, 1949 John Boehner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was elected House Minority Leader for the Republican Party on January 4, 2007.

Mr. Boehner's birth time is unknown to me, but for the 24-hour period, the Moon remained in Libra (11:13 - 26:03) with Sun in Scorpio ranging from 24:31 to 25:32; Mercury in Scorpio 21:17 - 23:23.

The following planetary positions are from his natal chart set for noon est:

Venus 12Cap10; Mars 11Vir53; Jupiter 27Cap41; Saturn 17Vir50; Uranus 4Can25 Rx (his only Rx, an unpredictable maverick); Neptune 16Lib19; Pluto 18Leo12; Chiron 10Sag29; NN 19Ari10.

Mars/Saturn

Boehner's Mars/Saturn conjunction in Virgo makes him a hard worker and good at organizing others yet there's an element of frustration as if something or someone is always holding him back - this is the 'driving with the brakes on' conjunction. There may be sexual implications.

Moon/Neptune

Moon in Libra crossed idealistic Neptune during the day of his birth which is an imaginative, sensitive, emotional, and psychic combo (especially if the orb between Luna and Neptune is narrow enough to count as a conjunction - the closer, the stronger.) Professional life must have enough challenges to keep him alert, and public-oriented enterprises suit him best. (Moon = the public; Neptune = the masses.)

Facing harsh realities isn't easy for Moon/Neptune folk, and other people tend to be categorized according to very subjective criteria. Plus, Mr. Boehner may be something of a poet! (This combo is shared by comedian Craig Ferguson, btw - very creative.) And he may think he's being impartial and fair while it's actually deeply buried emotional needs that are motivating him.

Idealistic views of the mother, and thus of women in general, are probable. If there is a dependency on drinking, it may very well spring from an emotional source.

Neptune/SN

There is what can be a problematic Neptune/South Node conjunction in Libra, sign of partnerships (this conj does not depend on a correct birth time.) Neptune/SN does not make for popularity due to intuitions from the unconscious that tend to be out of harmony with social trends. Also, it can give out-of-sync timing when opportunities for good fortune arrive yet there are several indications of good fortune in his natal chart which belie this problem (see below.)

At best, one may be able to sidestep the 'folly of the masses' through superior intuitive abilities, though a caution is that others may take credit for his ideas (bwo Neptune's stealing and loss tendencies.) Neptune/SN has a karmic vibe indicating spiritual purposes which must be worked through under difficult conditions.

Sun and Mercury in Scorpio

Obviously the close conjunction of Sun and Mercury in intense Scorpio shows a deep intelligence and possible interests in mystical subjects; a talent for thinking on his feet aids his political career immensely, yet his opinions (Mercury) are extremely subjective and forcefully expressed. His primary interests relate only to his nibs.

Venus in Capricorn

Venus in worldly Capricorn describes one who needs wealth and material status to bolster emotional security; marrying above one's station is often the case with Venus in Saturn-ruled Cap. This placement may be underneath Boehner's suave, proud, and reserved manner in his public behavior. There's a quiet, dignified air which may be based on a desire to feel superior to the common man and which may border on snobbishness. (Well, he is a politician, after all. Most of them do consider themselves to be above the rabble, don't they?)

Venus square Neptune

Venus is afflicted by an applying square from Neptune which doubles the chances for the emotional, overly idealistic tendencies already mentioned with unrealistic expectations of partners; chances for using negative escapism for emotional reasons is also ramped up by this square. Secret romances may be indicated as well.

Jupiter in Capricorn

Now Jupiter in Capricorn gives good fortune in politics and business with a materialistic streak, too. At 27Cap41, Boehner's natal Jupiter not only conjoins US natal Pluto (a duo of big banking and those who mount large-scale projects) but is snugged between President Obama's natal Jupiter 00AQ52 Rx and n Saturn 25Cap20 Rx - in fact, their Saturns are conjunct in its own sign of Capricorn. What do you think - do they try to out-daddy one another? Out-control, for sure.

Mr. Obama's tenuous relationship with his father is well known and described by a retrograde Saturn (father not around, or weak when he should be strong, dominating when he should be gentle, etc - a major, unconscious influence.) But Boehner's Saturn is direct and thus is much more of a conscious influence in his life.

There are at least five midpoint pictures to consider in the chart which are in effect the whole day through, the first a T-square based on the Nodal axis and the Venus/Neptune square (any, all, or none may apply and are subject to transits and progressions):

Neptune/NN = Venus: misconceptions regarding other people's relationships and associations; unfaithfulness; wrong liaisons.

Mercury/Mars = Neptune: the process of undermining another's position; a pursuit of fantastic or hopeless plans; not keeping promises; a tendency to harm others through falsehood or underhanded behavior.

Jupiter/Saturn = Mercury: a desire for variety and making changes; inconstancy of mind and philosophy; a fortunate separation.

Jupiter/Uranus = NN: striving together with others for a common purpose; an ability to show oneself gay, cheerful, and hopeful in the presence of others; a fortunate, new acquaintance.

Neptune/Pluto = Saturn: grievous emotional suffering; pessimism; dark forebodings; self-torment; a gradual decline of one's powers and faculties.

(The Combination of Stellar Influences, Reinhold Ebertin.)

Dark forebodings? This may tally with his being born during a Balsamic phase of Sun and Moon which has a prophetic tendency, and of coming along when someone just left such as taking over a vacated position, finishing another's project, etc.

Rep. John Boehner was born into the 5 New South Series of Solar Eclipses. His Pre-Natal Eclipse occurred on Oct 21, 1949 @ 28Lib08. Paraphrasing Brady's Predictive Astrology we find that this is a quite a spiffy PE to have for it indicates joy, happiness, good news, peak experiences, and benefits, and last occurred on November 23, 2003 @ 1Sag14 ('1Sag' = "A Grand Army of the Republic Campfire" - naturally we think of the invasion of Iraq); its next manifestation will be Dec 4, 2021 @ '12Sag' = " A Flag That Turns into an Eagle That Crows."

(That's the ASC degree for the US in the Sibly natal chart. Seems to me it's crowed too loudly and too often already. We're broke from all the crowing.)

Well, that's my thumbnail astro-sketch of Rep. John Boehner. Please feel free to add your ideas to this post with your on-topic comment either astrological or political, as you may. Perhaps a little something about those piercing blue eyes?

Looking ahead to November midterms 2010

While Democrats pushed through a jobs bill that kept the doors open at local schools, hospitals, and senior centers, Republicans voted to lay off hundreds of thousands of Americans.

While Democrats looked out for us, paying for this bill by eliminating corporate loopholes, Republicans looked out for CEOs who shipped jobs overseas.

It's a clear choice this November. Either we open doors to a better future, or we slam the door in its face.

~:~

The above words are not my own. They came with the video (thanks, Alex!) but I have to say that the Republican Party prefers Big Corporations even more than the Democratic Party does.

Or at least I feel less left out with Democrats in charge.

Yeah, that's some choice the American people have for November midterms but I've never ever voted for George W. Bush before so you certainly won't catch me voting for Bush-Cheney policies this November 2010. You?

For if the GOP should wrest control of the House or Senate in November, the resulting gridlock will tie this country into more knots than we've ever before seen at a critical time when things need to improve, not stagnate in Washington.

Now I'm not a big fan of the health insurance legislation that was passed because I don't think it addressed our issues well enough and will cause rising costs for the American people, at least in the short run. But the middle class will not appreciate Republicans fighting that battle over ad nauseum, along with other battles against a Dem White House, just to score political points for their side and make themselves look important.

One thing we cannot do in November, however, is stay home, not vote, and let the GOP trample over us as they did for 8 years under Bush-Cheney. How are we liking the wars Bush-Cheney started and refused to finish? Because those neocon warhawks are what we'll be voting for in November if we vote GOP. That, I refuse to do.

And all this comes from a blogging gnat who doesn't believe the US actually has a two-party system. More Independents, please!

Now imagine if everyone in the nation got behind President Obama - and if his policies didn't work, like FDR, he and we would try something else. Actually, I thought that's what our collective plan was from January 20, 2009. And no, the Democrats are no angels, but who tossed the monkey wrench of obstructionism into our plan out of sheer spite and cussedness for losing the White House?

Predictably, it's the rabid Republican Party which seems to think they have a 'divine right' to rule. They did no soul searching when they lost in 2008. They took their same old deficiencies and prejudices and beat Mr. Obama over the head with them. I was one of those who said, Shut up. You lost. But they plowed through led by Rush's "I hope he fails" ploy. One assumes the rest of Rush's sentiment involves the failing of the nation as well since presidents-r-us.

And that's after we crashed into the ditch the GOP drove us into under Bush-Cheney with Limbaugh cheering them on! So who profited most from those 8 years? Maybe you. But it certainly wasn't the majority of the American people.

Well, if Washington politicians aren't going to legislate on Capitol Hill led by the party in power without resorting to this sort of stubborn undermining and trickery by the minority party until the nation is in worse trouble than before, why not reduce our government to only one party in name as it acts in deed? Call a ruling class a ruling class and forget the tiresome theatrics.

When the power and ego games they play leave we-the-people and our pressing business out of the political process, it's our right to kick them out of Washington. In the 2010 midterms, I'll vote Dem or Independent, but I can't think of one single Republican who deserves a chance in November to show me what he or she can do. Their party's actions and ideology of the past 10 years have shown me too well what they can do and will do if they gain a majority of seats in either chamber.

They'll ramp up the nastiness against the White House, gridlock everything, and once again the American people will be the collateral damage of the 'win at any cost' tactics that much of Washington loves so well.

Is more gridlock what we need at this critical juncture?

Or should we support the White House we have while letting Mr. Obama know when we - not the power-seeking opponents trying to undermine him - don't agree with his policies?

BP doesn't want you to view this video

Ignore BP's and the government's assurances about the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout's environmental impact and damage to our Gulf Coast region and its victimized people - watch the video anyway.

Francis Bacon, Uranus/Neptune, and Pluto

If you like to read about America's founding, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and other such mystical topics, you may be interested in a discovery I've just made of a site that has so many links and articles to check out, I'm just getting started. But I want to be certain you knew about it, too, though much investigation is required to find out how much it contains concerning America.

As you know, Sir Francis Bacon was an early activist within the 'New World', 'New Utopian' crowd and is thought to be the founder of English Freemasonry.

My own discovery is intriguingly titled Nine Degrees of Francis Bacon and is chocked full of some fascinating stuff!

And while I'm on such topics, here's an excerpt from J. R. Church's Guardians of the Grail:

It is reported that Benjamin Franklin was a Rosicrucian. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington were Masons...Though these men were part of these orders, George Washington warned the Masonic Lodge in America of the dangers of the Illuminati, while Thomas Jefferson and John Adams later disagreed over the use of the Masonic Lodge by the Illuminati.

"Dangers of the Illuminati"? I'll say.

So when we see the Illuminati symbol of the 'eternal flame' over an assassinated president's resting place (or over those of other world stagers' tombs, those who've mysteriously or violently died such as MLK, Robert Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Ground Zero), we may assume that the early warning against the Illuminati Society overtaking America either wasn't heeded or was, in stages, overcome by the Uranus/Neptune-inspired 'Illuminati' and their ilk and enablers.

It is my belief that our modern day New World Order types, the 'one world government' promoters such as Bush Sr, *David Rockefeller, the UN, and others you know by name, are part of the agenda's original 'vision' of America as a Utopian social experiment which uses chaos and what Naomi Klein has termed 'shock doctrine' to send mankind back to the jungle.

Seems to me that we would have to characterize the attacks of 9/11 as 'shock doctrine' and sadly for civilized people the world over, transformative Pluto's transit through the structural sign of Saturn-ruled Capricorn is mightily aiding the Uranian-Neptunian agenda as Mr. Hades, wearing his cape of invisibility, slowly approaches his natal position in **1776 at America's founding.

~:~

*David Rockefeller, in his speech to the Trilateral Commission in 1991, stated:

"But the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march toward a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."

Actually, no. It isn't preferable at all. You plotter.

**fyi, here again are the dates of America's Pluto Return/s 27Cap33:

1. February 20, 2022
2. July 11, 2022
3. December 28, 2022

Newt Gingrich then and now: (im) peaches and tea

Newt Gingrich last won political office so long ago the chads have whiskers.

And though he's up to something GOP-ish with the big corporation Koch Brothers funded Tea Party movement, this article comparing him in his political heyday (think 'impeach Clinton') to his current machinations leaves me sputteringly speechless. Almost.

As I like to remind people whenever necessary: Mr. Gingrich is not from Georgia. I am from Georgia. He is not. And yes, there be many home-grown jackasses from Georgia and I may very well be one of them.

But Gingrich is from elsewhere.

So if you must, here's Newt back in 2009 accusing President Obama of 'coddling terrorists' while visions of Joseph McCarthy danced in his head.

You know, if it weren't so tragic for the entire world, I'd say, Crazy Washington! You impeached the duly elected president the American people liked while ignoring our calls to impeach the usurper, the One Who Should Have Been Impeached along with his side-winding sidekick who speaks out of the side of his mouth.

Autumn Equinox 2010 on Capitol Hill

Horoscope: Autumn Equinox September 22, 2010 Capitol Hill, Washington DC; Hour Saturn; chart-ruler Mercury 12Vir49 in 4th house of Domestic Scene and Real Estate - unaspected; Sun 00Lib00:00 in 4th house conjunct US natal Midheaven (Sibly chart); Moon 27Pis11 in 10th house of Public Recognition, Status, and Career; MC 00Pis01 conjoins America's Pre-Natal Eclipse 00Pis33 in the 12 South Series which we are in now: issues at first seem worse, then suddenly clear with successful outcomes (paraphrasing Brady's Predictive Astrology - let's hope so.)

As you see, the 12S Series manifested on July 11, 2010 @ 19Can24 (we're in it now) and falls within the 2nd house of Money, Earning Ability, and Values in the Autumn EQ chart. Fall EQ 2010's Saturn rules 8th house and is positioned at 6Lib46 which inhibits or delays Creative Projects, Gambling, and Risk-Taking. This may be a good thing considering how Capitol Hill has spent and gambled with taxpayers' money the last several years and put us into beggarship. Alternately, Saturn here may indicate loss through gambling or risk-taking, so caution is advised.

The big, honkin' mass of T-Squares all point to manipulative puppet master Pluto 2Cap49 (again opposing US natal Venus in Cancer); Mr. Hades refuses to share his power or reveal his true plans; highlighted in yellow, upper right, is the list of the midpoint pictures formed by the T-SQs; please look them up for some are repeats which I've noted here before.)

One date to mark on our calendars is Nov 9, 2010 when the Moon meets Pluto meeting the transiting North Node of encounters with destiny. The dragon's head (NN) conjoins Pluto, the dragon, while the dragon's tail (SN) swipes US natal Venus, planet of evaluations and relationships. Moon-Pluto-NN 3Cap36 hook up @ 3:13 pm est, Washington DC. (I'm using the Moon as a timer here to get an exact moment; the Pluto/NN conjunction lasts longer than that, of course.)

Soon to come is this Wednesday's New Moon 15Vir41 of September 8, 2010 (Rosh Hashanah) also also falls in 4th house of the EQ chart (noted as 'Syz Moon' = Syzygy Moon, the prior lunation), along with the unaspected chart-ruler Mercury, planet of commerce, trade, young people, reporters, journalists, and bloggers. All types of communications, speeches and speech writers are also under Mercury's purview. That the speedy one is unaspected strengthens the mercurial energies of the chart within its house and sign (with the effects lasting until at least Winter Solstice 2010 - or perhaps until Spring EQ 2011.) Plus, Mercury is strong in one of its own signs.

With Virgo being the sign of the critic, book writer, and health worker, we may expect emphasis placed on these areas to be of great interest in the US. If a new book hits the best seller list, it will most likely be from a home grown author, or its topic will center on US concerns which include real estate.

Mercury in 4th house may also indicate a moving of residence, and its energy may boomerang into the 10th house of Career. Moon in sympathetic Pisces is an interesting placement and with sign Pisces at MC, career decisions may overwhelm the people (Moon); much publicity may continue to center on (un)employment issues.

Plus, Luna nears the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction 28Pis10/33, both Rx, a pairing of energies that describes explorations, scientific, or technological realms. Jupiter rules Pisces with Neptune as co-ruler (as I say around here) and with Neptune 26AQ27 Rx conj Chiron 26:59 Rx - both conjunct US natal Moon - we may expect more news and concerns about oil spills and blowouts, gas leaks, or flooding here or abroad (9th house, but conjunct US n Moon.)

Now I don't usually include the mysterious Dark or Black Moons but I have penned one in because it conjoins the Neptune-Chiron-US natal Moon trio at MC: it's Dark Moon w/mat2 which I note as a depression indicator and as a spot in a horoscope where something is being hidden. Since it's near MC, perhaps revelations about the Deepwater Horizon blowout (and other water disasters) will be aired in the next few weeks or months.

ASC 23Gem00 brings up America's natal Mars, planet of action, energy, motivation, quarrels, and war. Fixed Stars Capella (Alpha Auriga, of constellation Auriga, The Charioteer: the need for independence; taking the reins of control) and Phact (Alpha Columba Noae: exploring unchartered waters; seeking the unknown; the quest for adventure) are rising as well. Note the keyphrases for Phact in relation to America's tendency to expand and invade territories.

Also, Columba Noae = The Dove of Noah's Ark, which is hopefully a reference to President Obama's participation (or refereeing?) of the Middle East peace process - such as there is one. 'Columba' or 'Columbia' also refer to America as does 'Atlantis' (which also relates to ancient Atlantis and to the Atlantic Ocean; keywords: where one feels doomed; abuse of power); you see that
Atlantis is penned into the 4th house and is conjoined with nasty old asteroid, Nemesis (divine retribution; the unbeatable foe.) Foes we got, foes we continue to make as abuse of power occurs on all sides.

One worst case scenario may be that the 4th house Mercury unaspected in criticizing Virgo with difficult asteroids = terrorists in the homeland, yet links to the US military cannot be ruled out (US natal Mars rising) especially with US n Neptune in 4th house - our national Mars/Neptune square may be at work with its confused motivations and/or deceptive actions. US security needs are on the agenda.

And if the 29th-crisis-degreed Dec 21, 2010 Lunar Eclipse (here, in 1st house) affects the markets as previously predicted along with the finance-influencing Solar Eclipse of Jan 4, 2011 (opposing US natal Sun and also at a critical degree), troops may be held on stand-by and perhaps for good reason - to control the angry peasants. Hope not, but there it is. Disagree if you like, add your insights if you please.

Well, as usual, there are more factors to consider yet my blogging time grows short on this Monday holiday with company coming for dinner. If you wish to discuss, please leave an on-topic, courteous comment with no spammy links inside for they will be deleted! (You know who ya are.)

Perhaps you'll wish to mention the ongoing Venus/Mars hook-up, now in intense and passionate Scorpio (sign of Big Business and Surveillance) which here hang out in the risky 5th house of Romance...'6Sco' = "A Gold Rush" - which may be a clue to gold 'piercing' (Mars conjunct Eros) a new and higher level of pricing.

Gold is awfully heavy to transport and store though, isn't it?

~:~

Here's interesting info concerning the Fixed Stars linked to US inaugurations, both when they were held in early March and the switch to January 20. Bernadette Brady compares the inaugurations of Richard Nixon and Barack Obama and why 'scandals and rumors' accompany all US presidencies since the date was switched to January.

Plus, you may wish to check out a few brief details concerning Autumn Equinox 2010's ethereal Sun Libra-Moon Pisces blend.

Scott Simon encapsulates Labor Day 2010

No Astrology this morning, just a link to one of the best Simon Says features I've heard NPR Weekend Edition's Scott Simon deliver in a long time. It gives an intimate picture of Labor Day 2010 in America - personal without being too personal - and the sorry unemployment rate that Americans and their families are dealing with.

They'd Trade Labor Day for Days of Labor briefly but succinctly encapsulates the experience of living without gainful employment, and if you missed it this morning, I recommend a listen to Mr. Simon's voice rather than reading his text.

Also from NPR comes explanation on why US unemployment numbers are now the highest of any nation's in the world. Quite a change since the year 2000 - pre-Bush-Cheney.

You know, I half expected a small mention that US corporations might be doing their part to undermine a Democratic president in the White House.

What a crazy idea! Right?

Well, we all have crazy ideas at some time or another. Like deciding to vote in November 2010 to put GOP big spenders in or back in office! How crazy is that?

Opinions: Obama's 'end of combat ops in Iraq' speech

It was quite a dizzying tightrope he walked and perhaps President Obama's multi-messaged speech with two-directional, murky Pisces Rising concerning the 'ending of combat operations in Iraq' didn't go over very well among his more discriminating listeners. Here's an article round-up of opinions for you including mention of one of my favorite topics when it comes to the US government - Orwellian Doublespeak:

Obama's Iraq Speech An Exercise in Cowardice and Deceit

By Bill Van Auken

The most chilling passage came at the end of the 19-minute speech, when Obama declared, "Our troops are the steel in our ship of state," adding, "And though our nation may be traveling through rough waters, they give us confidence that our course is true."


The Audacity of Cynicism

By Elise Hendrick

Barack Obama's Iraq speech - is an impressive entry in the annals of warpropaganda. In it, he glosses over a criminal war as 'a remarkable chapter'in US history, and creates the false impression that the occupation of Iraqis over. He places the responsibility rebuilding a society out of the rubblewe created on the shoulders of the Iraqi people.


The True Cost of the War

By Paul Craig Roberts

Obama's "end of Iraq war" speech must have shattered any remaining belief in him. Forced to appease both his supporters and the warmonger right-wing, who denounce him as a Muslim and a Marxist, Obama resorted to Orwellian Doublespeak.


Flying the Flag, Faking the News

By John Pilger

Loud noises from Washington about a US pull-out from Iraq are a poor disguise for America's determination to keep waging war. And the same sort of spin is at work here in Britain.


Here's the text of the President's speech in case you missed it in all its hazy glory.

'Stuff Alan Simpson Says' about Social Security

From Daily Kos comes an email with a link to Stuff Alan Simpson Says in an attempt to keep Social Security cuts from beggaring the Americans who depend on it. Those with higher incomes and exalted positions are apparently blinded from appreciating the 1935 SS program's benefit to society as a whole which keeps Americans from having to live out of shopping bags on street corners (and goodness knows there are enough of us doing that already.)

'Cat Food Commission' is a grim yet sadly perfect title for the commission Simpson now chairs and Congress will be voting on the commission's recommendations before the end of 2010 - so do check out the website, if you care.

But perhaps our exalted leaders don't want to appreciate SS's benefits for the American people when there are so many war profits to be made 'going forward', so many borders to breach, so many lies to tell.

Hmmm...America hasn't started a new war in at least 7 years so we know the neocon warhawks must be chaffing over your Aunt Granny Fanny getting her SS check on time when the money could be spent strong-arming some sovereign nation and sending its population into chaos. Drones and bombs don't come cheap, y'know!

Well, as I've stated before, self-employed folk like me have paid 100% of our SS taxes for years and trusted the US government to dribble it back to us when retirement age is reached. To me that makes it our money, not Alan Simpson's. Therefore, completing the social contract bwo SS seems only fair to me but it's turning out to seem mighty gullible of us, especially now that foxes like Alan Simpson are in charge of the hen house. (Please pardon the tired cliche but if it's ever been applicable, then this would be the situation.)

So not only is it not Alan Simpson's money to monkey with but none of the money the US gov spends belongs to anyone but we-the-people, as we certainly know! Washington has forgotten for the most part and they need reminding more and more often.

Like many people, I'm left to wonder What on earth was President Obama thinking when he appointed Alan Simpson (assuming it was BHO's choice)? Whose side is Mr. Obama really on?

Germany bans planting of Monsanto's GM corn

Will the multi-national US corporation Monsanto fight the ban on genetically modified corn Germany has announced?

My guess is, yes. Unless Monsanto decides it's not in their best interests to air their dirty GM laundry in court for all to see.

For an interesting article on what it's like to grow corn (with lovely photos, too) and what happens when one variety crosses with another try The Ladybug Letter.

Here's a brief excerpt:

If one variety of sweet corn crosses with another variety the result could be a loss of quality; the randomly hybridized kernels may not be very sweet, or they could be chewy and fibrous. An affected grower could lose money for a season. But if a GMO corn crosses with an open pollinated, non-GMO variety the consequence might easily be that a new gene is introduced into an otherwise heirloom variety, compromising its purity.

Corn, the matrix of life! Its purity is compromised by big controllers like Monsanto who hijacked our foods with the help of mad scientists who should care more about the human race than they obviously do. Of course, the phrases 'population control' and 'government-induced famine' are in the back of my mind here.

During the summers of my childhood, I loved to play among the rows of two cornfields corn my Dad grew each year and corn on the cob was a favorite dish around our southern household. My Mom and I used to shuck corn together and I was fascinated by corn silk. Boil the water and pass the butter!

That Monsanto thinks it 'owns' corn bwo a Frankensteinian patent to all its kernels (and there are several varieties as The Ladybug Letter explains) is something they cannot be allowed to get away with any longer. (I feel the same about soybeans and other crops but that's a different post.)

So Kudos to Germany for putting a crimp in Monsanto's style! Now please don't let Monsanto strong-arm you over this - or pay you off. A hungry world will be watching.