MONSANTO

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Permalink Reply by Melissa MoonGoddess on February 29, 2008 at 12:14pm

The problem is that corporate monoliths, like Monsanto, have sucked up most of the small companies in the ag sector, and are in the laps of legislators in Washington AND in our state capitals. The Monsanto lobbyist here in Vermont is a literal Mae West and uses it to her advantage.

It's only when we can lift the veil from the eyes of the all too complacent/passive North American populace that we will be able to effect any major change in this area. Until that time, many legislators will continue to consider those who advocate against GMOs as just another "fringe group". And, of course, the corporate media are also culpable in that they choose what will and will not be highlighted in the so-called evening "news".

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Jonathan Mather on February 29, 2008 at 4:16pm

Aloha Guys,
Remember doing some research several years ago on dangers of pesticides and being rather
shocked by the number of times Monsanto had been found guilty of a broad spectum of corporate
crimes. I guess one could argue that they had all those convictions and fines and kept on tickin', but it also seems to me that you could maybe reverse engineer a bit-- look at some of the most substantial environmentally related $ penalties, and look to connect the dots RE: Monsanto illegal
activities. 60 Minutes just ran a story on a pipe-making outfit that was brought to their knees and forced to abandon a decades old corporate culture of the worst kind of safety and environmental
disregard. Maybe there are some templates for getting Monsanto to either change or quit...
Aloha, Dr. J

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Permalink Reply by Jodee on February 29, 2008 at 5:48pm

I saw the show about pipe maker and it blew me away to see the head of OSHA talk about that company's 500+ violations, and the see him at the end of their report working for that crummy company! It seems to be all about the money and only that for the politicians. I think that is why Afriend of B wants to keep them out of this conversation, because they are NOT going to do ANYTHING to help, only hinder this situation! I do feel strongly about the need to educate the public who are mostly naive and uneducated about what Monsanto and Food producers are doing to our food! I think we need to stand up and be heard, that we want better labeling so that we can make informed choices! Vandana Shieva of India stood up against the giant, Monsanto,and we can too! We first need to educate our families and friends and communities and then initiate action!Another area to watch is the use and production of PVC vinyl siding that is going on houses faster than wildfire! Get your hands on the newly released DVD called "BLUE VINYL", It is an eye opener and similar to our food crisis. Uninformed consumers do not know about how terribly toxic the plants are that manufacture the stuff. Entire towns have had to be abandoned from the pollution caused by these plants in the south. It is an eye opener, and is it any wonder that I had to special order the DVD at my local super book store? What is that? How come it is not on the shelf???
Information is power,and it is what we need more of in this country!

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Jonathan Mather on February 29, 2008 at 7:34pm

Aloha Jodee!
My thought was really aimed toward using the EPA as a tool (sledgehammer!!) to accomplish a goal-- and my furhter take is DEFINATELY in alignment with you and "friend of" in that leaving it to politicians, town councils, whatever is NOT the way... but if we can help educate and equip/arm ourselves with workable knowledge of applicable laws-- I'll bet a nickel that there are
HUNDREDS of farmers, homeowners, etc., that have documentable horror stories that could be
filed with the EPA. Eventually the heaving stink of the gigantic pile of cases that the was
stonewalling or dodging would pick up some kind of coverage,ie. 60 Minutes and hopefully-
at least a small direct hit. Does anybody with legal expertise know if a class action suit
brought by organic consumers would have anyn traction? Lets keep bumping ideas around
and we WILL end up with an effective grassroots course of action...
Mahalos, Dr. J

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