At Home in Nature

At our farm stand it occured to us that the american small farm is a dying breed, and the USDA agreed.  Very small vegetable and fruit farms focus on the labor-intensive non-mechanized crops while larger farms undertake mechanized agriculture, encouraging US farms to both get larger and smaller in the future.Currently, 8% of all farms produce 87% of all the fruits and vegetables on very large acres, and 68% of farms produce 1% of all produce on less than 4 acres.

Mir Ali and Gary Lucier of the USDA ERS will report in their study, Vegetable Production Concentrated on Very Large Farms (Amber Waves , June 2011) that because an increase in the size of a vegetable and fruit farm of about 3 acres corresponds with an increase in production of nearly $250,000, vegetable and fruit production is encouraged to be on as many acres as possible.

Surprisingly, the improved economy of scale has less to do with the expanded land size than the very large value of the crops and their relative high profit margins.“For example, during 2007-09, the average per acre farm value of U.S. fresh-market field tomato production was $12,238, meaning that a farm with just 82 acres of fresh tomatoes could have farm sales in excess of $1 million. In contrast, about 1,500 acres of sweet corn for processing would be required to reach $1 million in sales,” say the doctors in their study.This means that commodity crops are encouraged to large acreages by economy of scale, but fruit and vegetable production is encouraged by different pressures to become larger.

Which explains why there is also downward pressure towards smaller farms too: there is an economy of decreasing and also increasing scale.There is a very large number (68% of the entire farmer population) of small farms (less than 4 acres) which are satisfied by average incomes of less than $40,000 because they have fewer costs of machinery, labor and other expenses: very small farms can undertake the labor by hand because those productions have not yet been mechanized and large farms have to also undertake the labor by hand.

Archeology is lending its support to understanding the domestication of the chicken, science which may improve the continued development of the important species in the future by farmers worldwide.In their new study, La domestication du poulet : de l’archéologie à la génomique (Comptes Rendus Biologies, Volume 334, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 197-204) Drs. Michèle Tixier-Boicharda, Bertrand Bed’homa and Xavier Rognona of France have found a history of the domestication of the chicken written in its genome.

La connaissance de la domestication du poulet s’appuie sur des données archéologiques, historiques et moléculaires. L’existence de plusieurs foyers de domestication en Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est, et la contribution de Gallus sonneratii à la domestication du poulet en complément de l’espèce ancêtre majeur Gallu gallus sont maintenant bien démontrées. La diversité génétique du poulet domestique est actuellement distribuée entre populations traditionnelles, races standardisées et lignées sélectionnées. L’accès à la séquence du génome a accéléré l’identification des mutations causales de différences morphologiques majeures entre poulets domestiques et Gallus sauvages. Un reséquençage du génome comparant poulets domestiques et Gallus sauvages a permis d’identifier 21 signatures de domestication. L’une présente une mutation non-synonyme du gène TSHR dont les conséquences fonctionnelles restent à explorer. Cette approche peut aussi identifier des gènes candidats correspondant à des locus à effets quantitatifs (quantitative traits loci [QTL]) déjà détectés. La génomique ouvre de nouvelles voies pour comprendre les changements majeurs induits par la domestication et la sélection.

Which translates to

Current knowledge on chicken domestication is reviewed on the basis of archaeological, historical and molecular data. Several domestication centres have been identified in South and South-East Asia. Gallus gallus is the major ancestor species, but Gallus sonneratii has also contributed to the genetic make-up of the domestic chicken. Genetic diversity is now distributed among traditional populations, standardized breeds and highly selected lines. Knowing the genome sequence has accelerated the identification of causal mutations determining major morphological differences between wild Gallus and domestic breeds. Comparative genome resequencing between Gallus and domestic chickens has identified 21 selective sweeps, one involving a non-synonymous mutation in the TSHR gene, which functional consequences remain to be explored. The resequencing approach could also identify candidate genes responsible of quantitative traits loci (QTL) effects in selected lines. Genomics is opening new ways to understand major switches that took place during domestication and subsequent selection.

Though far from complete, their line of inquiry will shed light on the characteristics that the first chicken farmers sought to improve in the chicken, and lend insight on how they limited chicken development today.With advances in breeding, not to mention genetic engineering, we may be able to reclaim a now extinct ancestor of the chicken and begin domestication anew with the skills and understanding unavailable to our worthy ancestors so many thousands of years ago.

Denver is on the verge of allowing you to raise a four legged friend not named fido. 

Raising sheep can be very profitable, whether you are raising them for wool, meat, milk, or to sell lambs.The best way to maximize profits is to keep your flock healthy from day one.When you buy your sheep, no matter the age, make sure that they have been ear-tagged with scrapie tags.Scrapies is a serious infectious disease and you should never buy a sheep that does not come proven to be from a scrapie-free herd.Also make sure that you are buying sheep that are current on vaccinations.

If you are buying young lambs or have pregnant ewes, young lambs require special care.If your lamb is not nursing and needs hand-fed, make sure to feed it several times daily.It should also receive colostrum at first, whether from its mother or from a bottle.By the time the lamb is one or two months old, it should be eating grass or hay in sufficient quantities to wean it from its mother or the bottle.Lambs over a week old should be given access to hay and grain so that they can start learning how to eat more than milk.

With all age sheep, make sure to feed grains that are formulated for sheep: sheep are very sensitive to copper, and feeds not designed for sheep (such as cattle feed) are too high in copper.Sheep that have too much copper in their diet will become lethargic and anemic, and typically die 1 to 2 days later.Copper toxicity may take years to show symptoms as the copper builds up in the liver, so don’t assume that your feed is okay just because your sheep appear healthy.

Sheep are prone to fly infections under their tail, which results in a painful and potentially fatal disease.To prevent this, all lambs should have their tails docked (removed) when they are less than one week old.It is difficult and dangerous to remove the tails of older lambs.This is typically done by banding, wherein an elastic band is tied around the tail to cut off the blood flow, and the tail will fall off after the tissues die.You may also want to vaccinate for tetanus at this time.

Male lambs should also be castrated by banding before they are a week old.When your lambs are 6 to 8 weeks old, they should be vaccinated with a CD-T vaccine.They should be given a booster shot 2 weeks later.Most sheep do not require any other vaccines than this during their life.

Watch out for worms!A worm infection in your sheep’s gut can make it very sick or kill it.You can tell if a sheep needs dewormed by looking at the color of the membranes of its lower eyelids. A pale color (white or pinkish white) is a sign of anemia (low red blood cells) which is the primary symptom of barber pole worm infection. The barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is the primary worm affecting lambs. It is a blood sucking worm that causes blood and protein loss, not diarrhea. A lamb with scours (diarrhea) should be treated promptly.It is not usually contagious, but it can be, depending on the cause.Many things can cause scours, but it is usually caused by a type of bacteria called coccidia.This can be treated with several different medicines.Lambs with scours should also be given electrolytes in their water.

Coughing sometimes occurs in sheep, typically from dusty feed.If your feed is not dusty, or if your sheep are coughing even when no food is present, they may have allergies, or they may have a respiratory infection.Take their rectal temperature: if it is more than 103F, they have an infection and should be given antibiotics.Other diseases such as soremouth and footrot should also be watched for.With regular care and fast response when you see a problem, your sheep can live long and productive lives.

The wild brassicas are flowering on the Palmer divide, which indicates with extreme certainty one of the two following possibilities: either the last frost has happened, or the plants are senseless.Certainly this has been something of a crazy year throughout the United States, but, hard won as it may be, the wild throws of temperature are now at least hovering something above freezing.

Brassicas are generally edible, and more often than not, delicious.When harvesting wild brassicas, however, be careful to achieve positive identification.They know they are delicious and will pretend to be other plants.They are such good mimics that even expert hunters may mistake a poisonous or nasty tasting plant for a brassica.

Brassicas are also known as “mustards,” “radishes,” “cabbages,” or other familiar names.They are identified by having no coloration of the sap, may or may not have hairs on the stem, may or may not have a waxy coat.Their leaves are serrated and pinnatifid, with lobe tips pointing towards the leaf tip.The sprout seeds are usually cordate.Flowers are what give the plant away best: they cluster at the tops of stems, have four petals cruciform, usually four long and two short stamen, often are yellow, but can be of other colors.Their fruits are delicacies: they are capsules, with round seeds and usually spicy!

Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment.They also discovered how to use the thistle to make cheese. They mixed unfermented grape juice, known as “must,” with ground mustard seeds to make “burning must,” mustum ardens — hence “must ard.”The only surviving recipe from the later Roman period (late 4th Century) includes a mixture of ground mustard, pepper, caraway, lovage, grilled coriander seeds, dill, celery, thyme, oregano, onion, honey, vinegar, fish stock, and oil.

Though the French had been making mustard since the 10th century, the first appearance of mustard makers on the royal registers in Paris dates back to 1292. Dijon, France, became a recognized center for mustard making by the 13th Century. The popularity of mustard in Dijon is evidenced by written accounts of guests consuming 70 gallons of mustard creme in a single sitting at a gala held by the Duke of Burgundy in 1336.Due to its long tradition of mustard making, Dijon is regarded as the mustard capital of the world.

An early use of mustard as a condiment in England was in the form of mustard balls – coarse ground mustard seed combined with flour and cinnamon, moistened, rolled into balls, and dried – which were easily stored and combined with vinegar or wine to make mustard paste as needed. The town of Tewkesbury was well known for its high-quality mustard balls, which were exported to London and other parts of the country, and are even mentioned in William Shakespeare's play King Henry the Fourth, Part II.

There are many varieties of mustard which come in a wide range of strengths and flavors. The basic taste and "heat" of the mustard is largely determined by seed type, preparation and ingredients. Black seeded mustard is generally regarded as the hottest type. Preparation also plays a key role in the final outcome of the mustard. Mustard, in its powdered form, lacks any potency and needs to be fixed by soaking. One of the factors that determines the strength of a prepared mustard is the temperature of the water, vinegar, or other liquid mixed with the ground seeds: hotter liquids are more hostile to the strength-producing compounds. Thus, hot mustard is made with cold water, while using hot water results in milder mustard.The pungency of mustard is always reduced by heating, not just at the time of preparation; if added to a dish during cooking much of the effect of the mustard is lost.

When hunting mustards, it is difficult to decide whether to enjoy them as a vegetable, flower or fruit!

Ana Villar and Jon A. Krosnick in their recent publication, Global warming vs. climate change, taxes vs. prices: Does word choice matter? (Climatic Change (2011) 105:1–12) found that how we describe things does matter.Their excellently worded abstract puts the situation succinctly, or should I say precisely?

Does “climate change” seem like a less serious problem than “global warming” to Americans and Europeans? Does describing the costs of climate change mitigation in terms of “higher taxes” instead of “higher prices” reduce public support for such efforts? In an experiment embedded in an American national survey, respondents were randomly assigned to rate the seriousness of “global warming,” “climate change,” or “global climate change.” Contrary to predictions made by a leading political strategist, the full sample and political Independents perceived “climate change” and “global warming” to be equally serious. Among Republicans, “climate change” was perceived to be more serious than “global warming,” whereas the reverse was true among Democrats. A similar experiment embedded in a survey of residents of 31 European countries showed that “global warming” and “climate change” were perceived to be equally serious problems. And an experiment embedded in an American survey showed that describing the increased costs of climate change mitigation legislation via “higher taxes” instead of via “higher prices” did not reduce popular support for such legislation, also contradicting a political strategy memo. Thus, word choice may sometimes affect public perceptions of the climate change seriousness or support for mitigation policies, but a single choice of terminology may not influence all people the same way, making strategic language choices difficult to implement.

Yet words mean more to those who are more educated, especially in the phrasing of questions.The doctors found that people with less education look to questioners and other people to form an ideology about a word: “among respondents with some college or less education, the primacy effect was sizable. The proportion of people who rated the problem as extremely serious or very serious when those options were presented first was 62.49%, compared to 55.89% when those options were last, a difference of 6.60% (?2 (1) = 9.04, p = 0.003, N = 2,005). Among respondents with a college degree or more education, the primacy effect was non-significant. The proportion of people who rated the problem as extremely serious or very serious when those options were presented first was 59.40%, compared to 58.14% when those options were last, a difference of 1.26% (?2 (1) = 0.14, p = 0.71, N = 861). Consistent with past research (e.g., Krosnick and Schuman 1988), education was a marginally significant moderator of the relation between response choice order and seriousness ratings (Wald (1) = 13.36, p = 0.09,one-tailed)… The primacy effect that appeared here was the same effect documented in many other past studies of rating scales and appeared here, as in past research, to be most common among people most likely to satisfice when answering survey questions: respondents low in education. It is therefore important to counter-balance rating scale point order in surveys in order to avoid bias.”

Educated people have already formed opinions and ideology, which impacts the way that we interpret words: “Among Europeans in the “center,” people were equally likely to mention global warming as the most serious problem as they were to mention climate change (63.30% vs. 64.88%; ?2 (1) = 2.47, p = 0.12.)”

Word choice matters, but no less so to those who are undeducated about a subject.When using words, it is important to choose the most objective word, and to fully understand the word’s ideological associations with the audience at hand.

A fun adventure for children is camping in the woods, but the next best thing is camping out in the backyard.While a safe place for the family to explore the basics of camping and do a “dry run” of a real camping adventure with children, it provides enough excitement and interest for the children to keen their interest in the adventure of wilderness camping while sharpening their minds to the skills they will require later.

Stay up late and watch the stars and the moon, listen to the night animals.Did they know they had so many nighttime neighbors?Give a thought to the poor who are forced to camp in the city with or without a tent.There are so many big thoughts for a small night out.Such thoughts give confidence in school.

Later, when the kids grow up they will think back on the occasional nights out and remember the lessons you taught them, and begin to think of the entire world as their backyard.

When planning landscaping or your garden, remember the wild creatures – especially those that migrate.By planting native species, you are likely providing necessary food and or shelter to these animals.You can also then better enjoy the show this year as butterflies, bumblebees, birds and other interesting creatures come to your garden for food and shelter.

A sure bet for good wildlife watching is thistle, but you also can’t go wrong with milkweed.Both of these produce good things for you as well: the thistles are good in your cooking pot, in your cheeses, and even in vases with your ornamental flowers, and the milkweeds are edible, very sweet smelling and soothing to the eye.Don’t forget to save some of the blossoms and seeds for the critters out back!

If you ask us, and we do get asked a lot, the best book to learn about farming and gardening (or to learn a few new tricks if you're a life long farmer or gardener) is to go to the source: Jethro Tull's Horse Hoeing Husbandry, the first, and still the best, book on modern scientific agriculture.  It's available on Kindle for just under $2 at

http://www.amazon.com/Hoeing-Husbandry-Jethro-Brachfeld-ebook/dp/B0041OSBPW

The book teaches you how to farm and garden better - and the science behind why.  Covering everything from soil science to harvesting and marketing, from training draft animals to training better roosters, the most basic algae to the most complex agroecology, the history of agriculture gains new relevance when updated with modern science.

Our tests of a new variety of pumpkin from Bob’s Designer Pumpkins is underway.The sample pumpkins have been planted in three fields, each with different soil and environmental pressures.

Field 1: Located in the Denver area, the field borders a creek.The soil is clayey loam, and has been under cultivation since 2005.It is expected that wildlife will be the biggest threat to pumpkin production here.Advantages are climatic, with little wind and more moderate temperatures.No fertilizer will be used at this field.

Field 2: Located in the Agate area, the field has sandy loam and is sheltered from the north by a windblock.The seeds have been entrusted to an amateur gardener, who is expected to be the largest threat to pumpkin production here.The field has been under cultivation since 2007, with at least 2 seasons of fallow preceding planting.Fertilizer will include goat manure.

Field 3: Located in the Agate area, the field is exposed to the high winds of the Palmer Divide.Also sandy loam, also recently fallowed, the biggest threat is expected to be the climate.Fertilizer will include poultry manure.

In all three fields, the pumpkins have been interplanted with pulse, grain, and small vegetables.

For those new to the story, Bob’s Designer Pumpkins are the result of 10 years of selective breeding, crossing pumpkins with various winter squashes.The result of this open pollinated seed is a highly variable crop designed for ornamental and agrotourism markets.

Though size, color and shape are as variable as there are differences between delicate, acorn, carnival, and other winter squashes, the designer pumpkins may be characterized as being bicolored, long stemmed, thick walled and naturally long-lasting.Germination rates of the seed are more than 90%.

Bob Koenders, of the Backyard Bouquet Farm in Armada, Michigan, is new to the vegetable industry, having trained in agronomy and practiced floriculture.For 30 years, he has practiced an independent agricultural consulting business, having tested more than 250,000 acres of soil for his area farmers.He donates more than 500 pumpkins to area public schools, where he lectures on genetics and breeding.

His farm has a naturally calcium-rich ancient lakebed of level topography, loam and sandy-loam soils.He improved his soils with potassium and phosphate, and subsurface tile drainage.He is an advocate of no-till and minimum tillage, relying on rye grass cover crops.

10 years ago, he found volunteer pumpkins growing in a ditch nearby, aggressively competing among the maple trees and quackgrass, even out competing the rose bushes.Impressed by their vigor, he allowed them to fruit and the pumpkins hung on vines so strong that they were supported entirely off the ground from the branches of the trees!

By autumn, he was able to identify the squashes as being crosses between pumpkins and winter squashes.He harvested them and used them as attention grabbers at his farm stand, where they did the job well.Demand for the pumpkins was obvious, and he began to deliberately cross his pumpkins and squashes.

All farmers might tell a similar story: it is an important lesson to keep an eye out for mutations and random selections.From the pink grapefruit to the zinfandel grape, farmers have in the past learned to grab hold of opportunity when it comes, and we look forward to testing these amazing pumpkins.

There are many reasons to learn another language, but the best one of all is to speak with your fellow citizens intelligently about the things that matter most to our nation.27 of our 50 States have legalized English as their primary language, but of those, 2 states have found such legalization to be unconstitutional (Alaska and Arizona).Hawaii has two official languages.Less than half of our nation, officially, speaks English.That said, 82% of America speaks English, 12% speaks Spanish, and 6% speak another language entirely, likely French, Dutch, German, or Italian.We are a nation of immigrants, and it has been our national tradition to welcome strangers as our friends, accommodating them with their language and culture.This has made America strong in the past, and is a key to our future success.American English has begun to diverge from other languages as it incorporates influences from German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and other languages.To require the King’s English at home would be a sharp change to many self-proclaimed “English” speakers.When the barriers of language are put aside, we learn that we have more in common than we thought.

It must be summertime again!The crickets are singing and the temperatures are warming up.Did you know that crickets can be used to tell the temperature?The Library of Congress reports that “the frequency of chirping varies according to temperature. To get a rough estimate of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and then add 37. The number you get will be an approximation of the outside temperature” (http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/cricket.html)

The crickets are not the only ones singing about summer.Whirlwinds have been seen, too: these long-lived whirlwinds are believed by many cultures to be the ghosts of people, some good, some bad.Though rarely as strong as tornadoes, they have been known to reach tornado intensity on occasion.They occur in summertime, mostly, though sometimes they occur in winter too.Here on the Palmer Divide, they are summertime occurrences, and I have seen them strong enough to lift metal sheets weighing many pounds.

Animals react to the changing seasons in many ways.In physiological and scientific terms, animals are sentient, conscious creatures, with emotions and memories just like people.What summertime means to them may be a mystery to us, but, just like people, they also experience chemical reactions to the changes in temperature that are as predictable as a calibrated thermometer.Sometimes, though, animals (and people) surprise us.I have seen a horse kick at a threatening whirlwind, and wild antelopes stop and watch a whirlwind’s passage.How we react to warmer temperatures is as individual as our ability to overcome our instincts: I have no doubt that a cricket need not sing faster with warmer temperatures if they wanted to.But why would they want to?

There are so many of our own instincts as human beings that we don’t even question.With the change of season, it is easier to see how other people and animals react instinctually, and take a moment to think about our own instincts.That is a truly human reaction to the change in temperature, but whether it is instinct to be contemplative I don’t even risk a guess.

Farmers who employ their children (or children self-employed in agriculture) may now obtain drivers licenses from the State of Colorado for transportation between the farm and their residence on the most direct route.The same rules that apply to all underage drivers applies to these young farmers, including passenger limits.

HB 11-1024, sponsored by Representative Vigil and Senator Brophy, does not make allowance for urban farmers, granting this right to only children residing on land zoned Agricultural. Even still, this will ease the burden on labor-strapped farms, which rely on family (sometimes 14 year olds) to operate, freeing older and more experienced labor (such as parents or older siblings) to do more complex work.

Senator Brophy, a farmer and mountain biker, has sponsored other bills include limiting liability for bikers and eliminating taxes on most agricultural products and clearly this fits right in with his other work towards empowering people to be personally responsible.Representative Vigil also has a strong focus on agricultural matters, and an emphasis on personal responsibilities.

Whether 14 year old drivers will live, and live up to the high expectations for personal responsibility of these two men will be seen.

The deer are beginning to enjoy the first flushes of green out on the Palmer Divide.Even in Elizabeth.It is now against the law to feed the deer in Elizabeth, but luckily there’s plenty for them to eat anyway.It’s also against the law to have a horse on less than 2 acres in this “horse friendly” community without special permission from the government.

It used to be that horses were essential forms of transportation, and with gas prices climbing, who knows?Maybe they will be again.In any case, it is hard to understand why a horse couldn’t be kept on much less than 2 acres, as they have in the past through good stabling methods.Not every car is kept in a garage equipped with a mechanic’s shop, nor is every dog allowed miles of range because its natural range would extend miles (I know of dogs that are kept inside all day every day, in fact).

The deer and the horses in Elizabeth are different: the horses require people to feed them (even on 2 acres), and the deer don’t.Elizabeth says that deer are traffic hazards and that feeding and watering them is a danger to the public.But they are not so quick to explain the mysterious limitation on livestock.

In days when even the City of Denver is allowing chickens, goats and other critters, why would Elizabeth restrict these necessary animals?

I could imagine the solution to the traffic hazards of the deer might be encouraging horses as a form of transportation again.Why not make some streets non-automobile?Horses have a built-in speed limit.And they have a knack for not running into deer.Even if you’re riding while drunk.

But planners are too busy making automobiles necessary to consider practical solutions like mine.They first make all activities fall into particular zones, then separate residential zones from commercial and industrial zones so people can’t live and work in the same place and need a car to get from home to work and back again.Sometimes they offer a bus, but not all the time.Planners are paid enough to not need to ride the bus.Thank goodness.

Many people like to read farm blogs, and want to support farmers but - for too many reasons - the expense and commitment of actually subscribing to a farm is too much to undertake.As farmers, we at Two In Tents would encourage you to consider microshares.

We offer microshares to folks who want to enjoy some produce and support farms but may only have $20 or sometimes less to invest in a farm.Sometimes, they are paired with workshare so that a full share of produce can be enjoyed, but we are also quite happy to simply provide some delicious treats to those who can’t afford the entire season’s worth.

Wherever you are, if you have been holding off subscribing because of the significant financial commitment required, consider asking your local farmer for a microshare.Tell them what you can afford, and ask what you could get for it.You might be surprised at the warm welcome you receive: thanks to Walmart and government intervention into the free market, many farmers are now hungry and scared too.

It is a fact that small farms are going out of business, and while getting involved politically is a good step to securing our nation’s long term interests in small farms and local food supplies, the first step actually begins with helping those farmers who are still in business.With a microshare, you can do a lot with a little: just like one signature on a petition can change the law, one customer, however small, might make or break a farmer.

If the reader will pardon first an explanation of bias, I will pass into truly alarming news.It seems that the disturbing assault against religious freedom undertaken in Europe has come home to America, again targeting Moslems, Jews, Sikhs and other minority religious groups.The facts of our multicultural heritage and the enormous contributions of Jews and Moslems to American society notwithstanding, legal gimmicks aimed at preventing the free exercise of religion, especially when undertaken in the guise of public safety or health, is obnoxious and pernicious.

In Europe, especially France, laws forbidding the covering of the head have passed under the explanation that these measures are necessary for security.To some extent, this has also been adopted here at home: in Elbert County Courthouse, not even tight fitting head coverings are allowed because they disrupt the identification process undertaken by security cameras and guards, and in many other public places, head coverings are not permissible.

Despite several noticeable commendable and remarkable acts of resistance against this growing intolerance of religious and cultural minorities, including resistance by military lawyers that permitted Sikhs to retain their religious right to long hair and head coverings, today is a shameful day to be an American.

It seems our indomitable American spirit cannot withstand being outdone by the French.In San Francisco, citizens have organized a petition to outlaw circumcision for males under the age of 18, an essential rite for both Jews and Moslems, and several other minority religions too.

Though there is significant medical evidence demonstrating the healthful benefits of circumcision, the petitioners use the argument that it is damaging to the health of a boy to be circumcised.They use the argument, falsely, that the parents do not know what is best for their child.They use many arguments citing the Christian bible, and expect all other San Franciscans to live like Christians.

This is against the interests of a polycultural society like America, against the interests of any society.A society is richer for cultural and religious diversity, it is a strength that should not be underestimated.

Joshua Sabatini, a San Francisco reporter for the Examiner, reports that, “needing at least 7,168 valid signatures by today’s 5 p.m. deadline, San Francisco resident Lloyd Schofield, who is the lead proponent of the measure, said Monday he has 12,250 valid signatures. ‘It’s in excess of what we need to qualify for the ballot,’ Schofield said. He plans to submit the signatures to the Department of Elections today. The department has 30-days to review and determine whether it officially qualifies for the Nov. 8 election.The measure would amend The City’s police code “to make it a misdemeanor to circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the foreskin, testicles or penis of another person who has not attained the age of 18.” (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/04/san-francisco-circumcision-ban-makes-november-ballot#ixzz1KxH5Eewv).

San Francisco has prospered by welcoming people of diverse religions and cultures, and this would be a step in the wrong direction.It sets dangerous precedents of law over the interests of public health and free religion.It also goes to show that you can get 12,250 people to sign anything in front of them.If each one of those people had stood their ground and denied this the opportunity to appear on the ballot, I would sleep better tonight.