There are bound to be individuals that abuse the system. But before we blame the individuals, we should take a look at who created this system, who really profits from it, and uses it to buy influence in Washington. Today's subsidized farmer is just as much of a scapegoat as yesterday's "welfare queen." If we're gonna get mad, let's get mad at Archer Daniels Midland.

God, that Becks is handsome. And when I saw him cry I wished, just for a moment, that I was Posh.

Thanks for the Gaza update, and pointing out that Israel has every right to self defense. The Stranger has taken a strong pro-Israel stance over the years, many appreciate that.

Yes Israel has the right to defend themselves. They have the right to exist. they have the right to go after Hamas and every Palestinian fanatic.

They dont have the right to act like a terrorist state and blow up water plants, electric plants, blow up civilians, shoot women and children, and maintain a concentration camp called the Gaza strip.

The Stranger has been pro Israel and thats fine, because they have every right to exist, but their silence over the abuse and brutality by the Israeli Defense forces is not appreciated by many.

Re: farm subsidies. The real villains are Cargill, ADM, and the other huge agribusiness folks.

Here's how the racket actually works. The government sets a parity price for commodity corn, e.g. If corn sells for below that price, the government makes up the difference in subsidy payments. The overall effect of this it to keep prices low.

Who benefits: commodity buyers who have a cheap source of inputs to use and competitive advantage over those using unsubsidized inputs.

Who suffers: 1) farmers, because the price will never climb above parity the way the system works and only large heavily debt-laden farms can survive, and then only for a while. A few farmers may thrive, but that's a matter of luck. 2) Poor people everyewhere, because we can then dump a ton of low cost grains on the world markets, often at prices well below actual costs. 3) Taxpayers, because we pay for it. 4) The American consummer because it subsidizes the processed food system producing the grotesquely obese mass of adipose tissue known as the average american.

I'd recommend perusing these studies done by the WWF about the economics and environmental consquences of the commodity corn/soy/beef mega-industry in the US. It's a good start. The artice cited in the post gets too many facts wrong to even bother with.

The Stranger has a lot of Jewish writers who care about the truth. If you want to read anti-semitic pro Rachel Corrie blather pick up Seattle Weakly. Israel has a right to self defense against terrorists. Rachel Corrie was a terrorist, as are many in Gaza. Thanks to The Stranger for printing what the dailies and corporate weeklies are afraid to print. (Gevurah represents the fearsome powers of divine punishment and wrath in the world - Gaza brought this on themselves.)

(Gevurah represents the fearsome powers of divine punishment and wrath in the world - Gaza brought this on themselves.)

Hmmm, I guess this divine crap is what gives a lot of settlers in parts of the occupied territories the right to walk around armed, protected by Galil carrying IDF soldiers while shooting at unarmed civilians, its what gives the right to Israeli soldiers to shoot at rock throwing children, its what gives the right to them to demolish homes, cut off water, electricity, and force people to live like animals with absolutely no hope.

Obviously this poster can not read a simple post or is blinded by religion. I said Israel has a right to defend themselves, but they dont have a right to act like a terrorist state. No one is defending Hamas or any other terrorist, but as soon as somebody points out the brutality of Israel's policies, some tool comes out repeating some worn out speech.

Yes, there are terrorists in Gaza, but that doesnt give you the right to shoot children.

I never mentioned Rachel Corrie or anything else. Get a clue.

Fanatics engaged in a land dispute with no solution resulting in continuous death and suffering - eh. What about the dangers the rich and famous face? I've just never had to worry about hitting my head on the chandelier while taking a piss after doing some push-ups in my apartment.

Eli Sanders reported that Rachel Corrie was helping a terrorist group. It was the best writing I've ready about Gaza - courageous, intelligent, and willing to speak the truth to power. Rachel Corrie died to save a dentist's house, was it worth it? Most Stranger readers agree with Eli, and are unwilling to swallow the anti-semitism that passes as reporting in the dailies. Israel has a right to bomb Gaza.

Here we go. That didnt take long. Why is it anti semitic to say that Israel Defense force's are behaving brutally?

So anytime someone critizise Israel they're anti Semitic? How convenient for supporters of Israel's brutal occupation. How tiring.

Again, no one mentioned Rachel Corrie, except for the two supporters of the Israeli position.

Israel does not have a right to bomb Gaza. They have a right to defend themselves and go after terrorists and fanatics, but to conduct mass killings is not their right and it will never be their right, regardless of their supporters wish to inflict harm on unarmed civillians.

The reason why Josh & ESF write about Ms. Corrie is because they know the truth in their hearts, that she was peacefully protesting against tyranny & injustice. They can't stand that, because the tyranny & injustice was being carried out by Israel. Because their minds tell them that Israel is _always_ right, and anyone who disagrees with that is _always_ wrong, it forces them into an interior conflict which they must resolve. To do that, they go with what they've been programmed to think (Israel = the only good), and have to reinforce that programming by squaking out whatever irrational & jingoistic blather that comes first to mind. There's little difference between these people, Mr. Sanders included, and people like Bill O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Coulter, etc.

I find it amusing that the Stranger is wetting itself with indignation over the Critical Mass incident, a group whose intent is to piss off everyone else around them, and condemns the peace work that Ms. Corrie was engaged in, someone who, naively or not, genuinely wanted to make the world a better place & put her life on the line for that belief.

I know lots of Jewish people, some are my friends. Few feel any loyalty to Israel, and many are disgusted by it's actions. Anyone who equates being against Israel with anti-semitism is espousing a very dangerous, very deadly form of bigotry that aids & abets the tyranny & injustice humans of conscience have been fighting against for centuries.