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Table of Contents Edition

Monitoring Songbirds for Mercury in the Catskills
  Precautionary action can take many forms. An early warning system
  is an important kind of precautionary action, monitoring local
  conditions to keep good things going or stop bad things from
  happening. This story describes an early warning system that's
  testing for mercury in wildlife in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
Oregon Farmers Join an Early Warning Network for Pesticides
  Oregon farmers have joined an early warning network to discover
  pesticide contamination as early as possible, aiming to minimize harm
  to the Pudding River and its tributaries.
New Study Finds REACH Could Save EU Billions of Euros
  The European Union's precautionary REACH legislation on chemicals
  (coming up for a final vote any day now) could save Europeans
  billions of dollars (euros, actually) in water treatment and other
  environmental costs such as sewage treatment, according to new
  research for the European Commission.
Right-wing Extremists Maintain a Drumbeat Opposing Precaution
  In recent weeks, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's ultra-right-wing
  newspaper, the Washington Times, has stepped up its attacks on the
  precautionary principle. Here the Reverend Mr. Moon opens his columns
  to the American Enterprise Institute, which claims that precaution
  has paralyzed business leaders, frightened judges out of their wits,
  falsely labeled children as "vulnerable," and stifled needed
  innovation. Notice that zero evidence is offered to support these
  claims.
Soviet Hamakua?
  Andrew Walden, a newspaper editor in Hawaii, has grown alarmed
  because 9000 residents of rural Hamakua, Hawaii (on the big island)
  propose to adopt the "precautionary principle" and reduce the use of
  pesticides and genetically modified seeds in agriculture. They also
  propose to "be mindful of the 7th generation" -- perhaps indicating an
  unAmerican concern for the future. As Mr. Walden sees it, this all
  adds up to a communist plot to establish a new Soviet outpost in the
  Pacific.

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  Rachel's Precaution Reporter offers news, views and practical
  examples of the Precautionary Principle, or Foresight Principle, in
  action. The Precautionary Principle is a modern way of making
  decisions, to minimize harm. Rachel's Precaution Reporter tries to
  answer such questions as, Why do we need the precautionary
  principle? Who is using precaution? Who is opposing precaution?

  We often include attacks on the precautionary principle because we  
  believe it is essential for advocates of precaution to know what
  their adversaries are saying, just as abolitionists in 1830 needed
  to know the arguments used by slaveholders.

  Rachel's Precaution Reporter is published as often as necessary to
  provide readers with up-to-date coverage of the subject.

  As you come across stories that illustrate the precautionary 
  principle -- or the need for the precautionary principle -- 
  please Email them to us at rpr@rachel.org.

  Editors:
  Peter Montague - peter@rachel.org
  Tim Montague   -   tim@rachel.org
  
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