Ellington

When 90 members of the Wampanoag tribe joined 50 Pilgrims for the first Thanksgiving back in 1621, they had a cornucopia of food. For three days, they feasted on venison, goose, turkey, eels, lobster, hoe cakes, corn, cranberries, beer, wine ... and so much more. Yet, this abundance didn't require any chemical additives, genetic engineering, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones or other weaponry of today's high-tech agribusiness industry. Those poor ignorant fools just didn't know how it should be done, I guess.

Well, as we approach this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that so many farmers, consumers and others are realizing that we've been played the fool by corporate profiteers who've been messing so much with our food supply. There's a widespread "Back-to-the-Future" movement in our farm and food world, bringing some democratic control and common sense back to the food economy.

One sign of this is the surge in America's organic sales, now topping $10 billion annually and growing 20 percent a year. And now, thanks to grassroots pressure, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently created a national organic label so we consumers can readily identify foods produced without such tortures as chemicals and genetic engineering.

But using organic methods is not enough. If General Mills monopolizes organic production and processing, if the crops are produced in China or elsewhere with sweatshop labor, if Wal-Mart squeezes out local sellers and corners the retail market, that's not an organic system. Food should also be about sustaining our local economies and communities. The good news here is that there's a boom all across America in farmer's markets, community-supported agriculture, direct sales to restaurants, co-ops, and other enterprises that bring the wholesomeness and neighbor-to-neighbor connectedness that only comes from locally produced food.

This Thanksgiving, connect the feast back to nature ... and back to your own community.

Jim Hightower is a best-selling author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. To order his books and CDs or to schedule him for a speech, visit http://www.jimhightower.com To subscribe to his monthly newsletter, the Hightower Lowdown, call 866-271-4900.