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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Applegate blaze rips through two outbuildings, damages home ... Our View: Cheers and Jeers ... Stouts fire still growing, but in a good way ... Applegate blaze rips through two outbuildings, damages home ... Our View: Cheers and Jeers ... Stouts fire still growing, but in a good way ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Deconstructing Wyden's town hall By Gregg Marchese MailTribune.com By Gregg Marchese Posted Aug. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Gregg Marchese Posted Aug. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Sen. Ron Wyden's Medford town hall July 19 was like a drug and alcohol party: felt good and fun at the time, but nauseous afterward. It was a posturing performance by Ron Wyden. He tried to be funny, charming, polite and caring, and some in the crowd clapped and laughed at the appropriate times. That was disappointing to me. Wyden was a rare Democrat who sponsored a law that will do so much devastation in the near and far future that we can scarcely conceive of it now. He was a main reason we now have Trade Promotion Authority, aka Fast Track, which will pass gargantuan trade deals for the next six years, with unprecedented consequences, not just for trade, but for every aspect of human and animate life on Earth. It will repeal Southern Oregon's GMO crop bans, one thing it is designed to do. And people were cheering and laughing? I was embarrassed at the kindly welcome some in Southern Oregon gave to this man who claims to represent us, but revealed himself to be a corporate advocate, uncaring or even hostile to our values and visions. I did not buy how many times he referred to his vote for the Sanders amendment against Monsanto, to answer every question about GMOs. Why? 1) Wyden knew the amendment would not pass (20-plus to 70-plus), but he would look good voting for it. 2)  At least three of the top five donors to Wyden's election campaign have links to GMO/chemical companies. . I did not buy his earnest replies that he would help struggling Oregon farmers. Why? 1) See No. 2 above. 2) He worked hard — against the stated requests of Oregon farmers — to pass a law codifying trade agreements profoundly harming Oregon farmers! I did not buy his self congratulations over the work he did getting transparency and decision-making time into Fast Track. Despite his patiently didactic explanation, why is Fast Track so great, when we already have a transparent participatory process in Congress to make trade agreements, under the Constitution? A process where we the people can influence our Congress more than we can under Fast Track. Did he want us to believe he knew more about the well-being of Oregon's economy than Oregon Fair Trade, Citizen Trade Campaign, Sierra Club, Our Family Farms Coalition, and many other organizations and individuals who told him clearly, No Fast Track? I didn't buy it. Sunday was depraved political theater. Front man posturing and obfuscation. State Sen. Alan Bates might have kissed Wyden during the introduction, so effusive was his praise. I felt a hitch in the stomach, but held it in. The first citizen to speak brought the right tone to the hall. Her anger was thick. She demanded Wyden not "tap dance" around the issues, but that's what he did, appearing earnest. Bill sponsorship talks, campaign donor totals talk, and the consequences to the 99 percent people talks. All his talk that Sunday was tap dance and string-along and graceful dodging. The ol' soft shoe song and dance routine. We the people will not get real representation from this man. No farmer except the GMO growers and chemical companies will influence him. A local seed, food and farm black hole. Wyden is Monsanto's man, like many in Congress. If Monsanto needs Wyden's vote on HR 1599, the preemption law for all things GMO, it will get it. If Monsanto has enough votes to win, Wyden will vote no and use that profusely in his next campaign to show Oregonians that he is working for us. Don't buy it. We can't legally Recall Wyden. We can throw him out in the next election, and promote someone who supports everything we believe in — not just acts charming and funny selling us out. I will remember Wyden if the trade court rules Southern Oregon GMO bans infringe on corporate profits and must be repealed. I will remember him when trade agreements roll in like tsunamis and erode remnants of democracy, environment, labor, banking, and much more. It should be a crime for Wyden to lie in a town hall. It would be a worse crime to believe him. We're not that easily dazzled in Southern Oregon. I see through Ron Wyden, all the way to his chemical company, corporate and global investor handlers. Fast Track exposes him, no matter what he says and how he says it. I say he must go. It won't be too soon. But it may be too late. We will see in 2016. Gregg Marchese lives in Talent. He hosts a monthly radio show, 'Rogue GMO Watch,' and blogs and posts on local food, health, GMO's, chemicals and related issues.   By Gregg Marchese MailTribune.com By Gregg Marchese Posted Aug. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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