Dear Congresswoman di Tullio, Congressman Basterra, Counselor Barletta, Congressman Cabandié, and Others:
Although I had hoped to learn about the progress in a matter dear to me – and one which I suppose is very dear to all of you, too (maybe even more so than for me) – I believe the door has been shut on me by you, for me to learn about the Victory Front’s (FpV) effort to get effective legislation protecting the vulnerable of this country from abusive pesticide-spraying.
In a letter to Argentina’s president in mid-Februrary, I expressed my gratitude to the Nation of Argentina for the health care I have received: http://carrascocompass.com/?p=20.
It had been in this spirit of thanks, combined with the conviction I thought I felt from certain people – in a companionship-in-struggle way – from some of the FpV community center at M.T. Alvear and Paraná, which initially helped me enjoy a sense of cooperation within the governing party, so to thereby understand something about bringing important legislation forward, to save people from harmful pesticide use, (I just wanted to help, and felt the door had been open for me to do so.)
To the point: Last month, I realized nobody from the offices responsible were replying to me anymore, and, quite by coincidence, about the same time, I went to see a documentary about Dr. Ernesto (“Che”) Guevara’s death (“De Sus Queridas Presencias – Una Película Sobre La Guerrilla del Che en Bolivia”), with interviews of his Bolivian comrades, at the Cine Gaumont – which is only a few doors away from the “Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria” (INTA) http://inta.gob.ar/. So, I decided to pay a visit there, to INTA, and was very informally presented to INTA’s National Director, Eliseo Monti, at the parking garage across the street from their offices, where his chauffeur was waiting.
I asked Dir. Monti about the lack of controls on the use of harmful pesticides. He suggested I come back “tomorrow,” which I did. (Also, I finally went to see the movie on Dr. Guevara’s death that next day, which also happened to be on the day-before Dr. Guevara’s assassination, by pure coincidence, to me.)
When I arrived to the INTA offices I was told by their security Dir. Monti was in a meeting. I got the message I was to leave him alone, but not in so many words. (The guard was very cordial, of course; as they usually are in Argentina.)
Upon leaving INTA, I saw the same television crew I noticed when walking from the Gaumont to INTA. Included in this group of four was a bearded, famous-looking television presenter, or so, about whom I knew absolutely nothing, standing around, apparently after filming something concerning the Peruvian Consulate, which is also nearby.
I said to the, frankly, leftist and kind-looking fellow, who I thought probably to be pro-Kirchner, he “was one of the famous,” and proceeded to share with them, him – Nicolás Wiñazki – and his ‘crew,’ about the facts.
1 … AGRO CONCERNS, AS THE CROP-PRODUCTION CENTERS (FARMING TOWNS) ARE TO BE FILLED INCREASINGLY WITH CHILDREN WITH BIRTH DEFECTS CAUSED BY ABUSIVE HERBICIDE USE, WHICH IN TURN WILL CREATE A TAX BURDEN (OVERWHELMING PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS) FOR SOY PRODUCERS AND OTHERS, AND ENORMOUS JUDICIAL STRESS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, TOO;
2. … THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, AS THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION WILL SUFFER IN NUMEROUS HISTORY BOOKS, BECAUSE THE SOY BOOM OCCURRED WITHOUT EFFECTIVE (ie. ENFORCEABLE) MINIMAL HERBICIDE CONTROLS, DURING THEIR WATCH;
3. … AGROCHEMICAL PRODUCERS, BECAUSE, WITHOUT CONTROLS, THEIR PRODUCTS’ SALES WILL DECREASE, FOR LACK OF A MARKET TO WHICH THEY CAN SELL.
I’ve greatly benefited, in terms of peace-of-mind, from the State healthcare system here. I would like to see, as I’m sure you all would, too (maybe even more so, than do I) all 40 million Argentine citizens able to take advantage of the dream, as yet any other citizen (I received citizenship on my birthday, May 22, 2013, and I am a U.S. Citizen, too), but inflicting citizens (even yet-born) with defects, for the myopic, nationally-damaging, greedy farming practices currently tearing apart the nation’s health, is to be a dark spot of the early 21st century.
Finally, I did not have the heart to tell Wiñazki & Co. (of “Clarín – Canal 13”), after I saw the “Che” movie, that I had just lobbied INTA National Director Eliseo Monti about the lack of controls on harmful farming practices, but, instead, only just gave someone from “Canal Trece” the Carrasco Compass blog address (http://carrascocompass.blogspot.com.ar/), along with my telephone number, to which they have not called (though I guess they might, even if I very mistakenly told them I preferred to remain anonymous).
I couldn’t tell someone from Channel 13 this. It might have spoiled the good relations I thought I had with a few people from the Frente para la Victoria, including maybe some of you, and especially, maybe with just at least one activist from the FpV locale at Paraná & M.T. Alvear.
Thank you & I am sincerely,
-Christopher E. Carpenter
Argentine DNI 19.013.209