Thank you Arnold!

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I read the news today, OH BOY! About a governor who made my day.

Arnold Schwarzenegger today ordered the California Department of Food and Agriculture to disclose the complete ingredients in the pheromone spray Checkmate. That's the stuff CDFA sprayed over the Monterey Peninsula last month and which they plan to periodically spray all over the Monterey Bay region until the light brown apple moth fades into oblivion.

As I wrote before, it seems only prudent to tell us exactly what is being applied to our neighborhoods. Apparently the Governator agreed.

I don't consider this a victory for "our side." I consider this a victory for truth. It is a victory for honesty, which is always the best policy. It is especially refreshing to see a Republican leader who cares more about the people on the streets than the people in the suits who are trying to hide behind "trade secrets." This world would be much better off if every Republican thought that way.

Trade secrets are OK with me as long as the chemicals are being applied to restricted areas, and exposing only those who have been trained in the safe handling of such products. If they're spraying over the heads of hundreds of thousands of unprotected people, a higher standard must apply. That standard must be complete openness and honesty. Only then can we be sure these chemicals are as safe as the manufacturer and the CDFA claim.

I'm gratified that Governor Schwarzenegger believes the same.

Addendum, October 23:
According to the Monterey County Herald, the ingredients in Checkmate LBAM-F are:

Water

(E)-11-Tetradecen-1-yl Acetate

(E,E) -9,11 Tetradecadien-1-yl Acetate

Crosslinked polyurea polymer

Butylated Hydroxytoluene

Polyvinyl Alcohol

Tricaprylyl Methyl Ammonium Chloride

Sodium Phosphate

Ammonium Phosphate

1,2-benzisothiozoli-3-one

2-hydroxy-4-n-octyloxybenzophenone



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