Monthly Archives October 2014

Yes On 92! A Vote For Food Justice

Monsanto has just dropped another $2.5 million to defeat GMO labeling in Oregon – bringing the total to $4.5 million in just one state. They also dropped another cool million in Colorado – bringing the total to about $5 million in that state – all to keep voters from checking that YES LABEL GMOs box at the voting booths or on their ballots.The GMO measure is the costliest in Oregon history at more than $17 million given so far. What exactly are these companies trying to hide from U.S. consumers? Measure 92 is all about keeping the right to know with consumers, and not further selling out to biotech bullies and seed monopolies. It goes against giving corporations the same [...]
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Money Or Morals-Which Will Prevail In Labeling Initiatives This Fall?

Voters in Colorado and Oregon will decide this November whether or not they want labels on foods containing genetically modified ingredients. The ballot measures this fall highlight a much larger national conversation about requiring labels on genetically modified foods. Similar measures failed in recent years in California and Washington state, and Vermont is being sued for the labeling law it enacted earlier this year. “This boils down to a consumer’s right to know,” says Ben Hamilton, a human resources consultant. “So it’s not to debate whether GMOs are safe or they’re good for you or bad for you. But it is about a right to know what’s in our food supply.” Many [...]
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Why Voting Is A Hoax

Why did the face in the Oval Office change but the policies remain the same? Critics tend to focus on Obama himself, a leader who perhaps has shifted with politics to take a harder line. But Tufts University political scientist Michael J. Glennon has a more pessimistic answer: Obama couldn’t have changed policies much even if he tried. The American people are deluded… they believe that when they vote for a president or member of Congress or succeed in bringing a case before the courts, that policy is going to change. The ultimate problem is the pervasive political ignorance on the part of the American people. And indifference to the threat that is emerging from concealed institutions. That is where [...]
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Monsanto Looks To Buy Votes

Records from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office show that on October 8, Monsanto made a contribution of $2.5 million in a bid to crush an Oregon initiative, bringing the company’s total contributions to $4,085,150. The initiative—ballot measure 92—would require manufacturers and retailers to label “genetically engineered raw and packaged food.” Backers of the provision say that Oregonians “have the right to know” what is in their food. This is not the first time Monsanto has poured its funds into efforts to crush such measures. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the company has spent $4.7 million to defeat a similar initiative in Colorado, also up for vote in November. [...]
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Official Lawsuit Filed Against EPA Over Agent Orange Herbicide

Enlist Duo, an herbicide containing glyphosate and 2,4-D a known component in Agent Orange, has been approved for use in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The EPA has 10 other states under consideration for approval for GMOs and the herbicide from Dow. Specialty crops have been genetically modified to tolerate the Enlist Duo herbicide. Enlist corn and soybean will be sold along with the herbicide, as soon as 2015’s planting season. The combination allows farmers to spray their crops and only destroy weeds. The EPA has received over 400,000 comments regarding Enlist and will continue to accept input until November 2014 regarding the other states’ approval. EPA was sued by the Natural [...]
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EPA Defies Public Concern, Approves “Agent Orange” Herbicide

Despite the desperate outcry of both the public and members of Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of Monsanto and Dow Chemical’s latest herbicide. 2,4-D is a very toxic herbicide and a suspected endocrine disruptor that has been linked to cancer and reproductive harm. Children are particularly susceptible to its effects. The toxic chemical – created in WW2 to destroy enemy food supplies – will soon end up in animal feeds and the food we eat. Marion Nestle, New York University food scientist and organics promoter recently blogged, “The potent and toxic 2,4-D has been linked to many human health problems. It also is likely to harm non-genetically engineered crops [...]
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