Is the Monsanto Protest the Next Salt March?

[marmar]

Is the Monsanto Protest the Next Salt March?

Wednesday, 29 May 2013 08:23
By Stephanie Van Hook and Michael Nagler, Metta Center for Nonviolence | Op-Ed


When a people is faced with a destructive system that has been insidiously putting its tendrils down in many sectors of society, steadily taking over its institutions, it can seem all but impossible to dislodge that evil; but it always seems that a system like that will have some vulnerability, some leverage point that an aroused people can ferret out and be rid of the evil.

The question is, has the Monsanto Corporation become that leverage point by attacking which we could be on our way to the crumbling of the entire system of militarism, racism, greed, and violence that we loathe. Could 2 million-person worldwide March Against Monsanto that took place on May 25 be our Salt March? And our answer is, yes; if we choose to use it as such.

We are aiming high here. Monsanto is a giant corporation; it has a firm grip on many elements of our government. It has created an internal system, including the personnel it attracts and holds, of an insensitivity to life and nature that is unparalleled even in our insensitive age. That is their strength. It is also their vulnerability.

Gandhi, with his insight and his passion, saw that with the simple mechanism of the salt tax the British Raj had a chokehold on the life of India, particularly its impoverished millions. Vandana Shiva has rightly named her movement in India against the corporate giant a “seed Satyagraha” to emphasize the parallel with Gandhi’s pivotal campaign. (“Let the seed be exhaustless, let it never get exhausted, let it bring forth seed next year” are the words of a Indian peasant prayer). In the case of Monsanto, of course, we have a subtler situation than that tackled by the Salt Satyagraha; Monsanto’s employees do not come from another country and wear a different-colored skin. Still, it is as dangerous and as offensive as the British attempt to commoditize salt to the extent that Indians were not allowed to harvest it from their own seashores. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/16633-is-the-monsanto-protest-the-next-salt-march

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. True, Monsanto's employees share our citizenship and look like us

but its executives possess a mindset that is so foreign to our sense of right and wrong that they may as well be from another planet.

[abelenkpe]

3. You could say that about many top execs

Corporatism is killing what little is left of democracy.

[Dustlawyer]

4. If so, than they need to demand COMPLETE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM (CCFR)!

Lets stop fighting and protesting other single issues that dilute our message and our numbers. If we fight for CCFR and are successful (really big fight) we can stop our system of legalized bribery of our politicians and get OUR (WE THE PEOPLE) Representative government back! Monsanto would have to face a Congress they haven't bought off for once! I will march for that!

[ReRe]

5. Marking to return later and read!

K&R

[raouldukelives]

6. I certainly hope something will awaken people. Sometime soon.

People filled with anger wondering who the owners of Monsanto are. Wondering who could turn a profit from this behavior.
The sad reality is that many people who might read this or say "I support this!" or other similar actions themselves have investments supporting Monsanto and it's ilk. Are themselves the owners they are searching for.
While every once in awhile they might voice vocal support against Monsanto or perhaps even join a march.
24/7 365 they are financially behind Monsanto & financing the attacks against our natural world, our political process, and in the end, every living creature on the face of the planet.
Until people can be convinced not be their own worst enemy, they will continue being all of ours.

[midnight]

7. I love this letter....“a single garment of destiny” MLK

Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.

http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/resources/article/annotated_letter_from_birmingham/