New for June 24, 2007: A flyer campaign as a simple way for everyone to get active and help spread the word. Print out the flyer and pin it up in places where others will see it. Post it to cork boards at the vets office, dorm rooms, laundry rooms, the office, club house, etc.. Hand them out to friends and family members with pets. In your browsers file menu, set the all the page margins as close to zero as your browser will allow. Cut the sides of the flyer to make tear off strips. You now have a handy flyer to post all over town. The more people who are aware there is a problem, the better the chances are positive change will eventually take place. To date, the FDA and mainstream media are standing down on informing pet owners of the whole truth as to how and why the pet food recall came to pass. While the reason for why some of the most important news of our time is periodically buried without a trace is open to debate, the fact remains that at times much that is important is lost. For the first time since the days of Ben Franklin and his printing press, the Internet has given the average American citizen a voice to shout with. In recent years an enormous alternative media has grown online, which includes everything from self published websites and web logs, to professionally operated alternative media organizations employing hundreds of independent journalists. Today, when the mainstream media fails, there is an alternative. We are no longer at the mercy of the mainstream press. I would encourage those who consider the unreported, or under reported, aspects of the pet food recall to be of critical importance to avail themselves of alternative media sources. Use the Internet message boards and alternative media to help get the word out. Becoming informed is only the first step in bringing about change. While there is a great deal individuals may accomplish working independently, eventually organization is necessary to take it to the next level. Among the goals citizens have identified as being critical in preventing another devastating recall are: strict labeling regulations, a nonpartisan investigation of the circumstances leading to the recall, pet food company accountability, FDA accountability, better oversight and enforcement, plus civil and criminal liability sufficiently severe to act as a real deterrent. Forming a nonprofit PAC (political action committee) might be a practical approach, although there may be others. I am very much open to suggestions, so feel free to drop me a note with any ideas you may have. I also hope to eventually create a newsletter sign up feature to this section in order to communicate with those interested in getting actively involved in working toward making meaningful changes in the way pet food companies do business. In the mean time, if you would like to be included in future notices along the lines of a newsletter, drop me a short note to that effect.