By Rady Ananda

Today, the US Senate passed the Patriot Act for Food, S510, by a vote of 73 to 25. We can expect to watch the raids on natural foods increase, and we can expect continued malicious prosecution of growers, like the 2-acre gardener in Georgia.

We can also expect private food arrangements to go underground, so as to opt out of the increased rules and regulations we can expect from the FDA.

"Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless or corrupt." ~Mahatma Gandhi

“Hope has two beautiful daughters: Courage and Anger. Anger at the way things are and courage to make them the way they ought to be.” ~Augustine of Hippo

"The idea that life can ever be without risk is an invitation to self-selected enslavement." ~Claudia Woodward-Rice

Grow your own, buy local, decentralize the food system.

UPDATE (1:45 pm ET): The only amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act allowed was the Tester Amendment which exempts small operations (earning under $500,000 a year) from having to file a food safety plan. All four amendments considered yesterday and today failed, including Sen. Tom Coburn's amendment to streamline the bureaucratic process. Even the New York Times admits:

"But neither version [House bill HR 2749 and Senate bill S. 510] would consolidate overlapping functions at the Department of Agriculture and nearly a dozen other federal agencies that oversee various aspects of food safety, making coordination among the agencies a continuing challenge."

Congress must now pass a final form of HR 2749 and S 510, which President Obama is expected to sign into law.