Thousands Worldwide March Against Monsanto and GM Crops
Source: Yahoo
PARIS: Thousands of people hit the streets in cities across the world Saturday to protest against the American biotechnology giant Monsanto and its genetically modified crops and pesticides.
The third annual March Against Monsanto - begun by the Occupy movement - was held in upwards of 400 cities in more than 40 countries from the Americas to Africa and Europe.
About 2,500 people staged anti-Monsanto protests in the Swiss cities of Basel and Morges, where the company has its headquarters for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Up to 3,000 protesters, rallied by environmental organisations including Greenpeace and anti-capitalist group Stop TAFTA, gathered in Paris, with Monsanto's market-leading herbicide Roundup the main targets of protesters' anger.
FULL story and photo gallery at link.
Dozens of protesters blocked the driveway outside the Monsanto plant protesting the lack of GMO labeling.
Activists take part in a march against US agrochemical giant Monsanto and GMO food products, May 23, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-worldwide-march-against-monsanto-gm-crops-200532901.html
Where is the MSM on this?
Novara
(5,817 posts)babylonsister
(171,029 posts)petronius
(26,595 posts)for my little town. Wondered what the impetus was...
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)forest444
(5,902 posts)Being cajoled, feted, wheedled, wined, dined, and sixty-nined by the good folks at Monsanto, where else?
Judi Lynn
(160,433 posts)EU dropped pesticide laws due to US pressure over TTIP, documents reveal
US trade officials pushed EU to shelve action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility to facilitate TTIP free trade deal
Arthur Neslen Brussels
Friday 22 May 2015 06.58 EDT
EU moves to regulate hormone-damaging chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility were shelved following pressure from US trade officials over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade deal, newly released documents show.
Draft EU criteria could have banned 31 pesticides containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But these were dumped amid fears of a trade backlash stoked by an aggressive US lobby push, access to information documents obtained by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show.
On 26 June 2013, a high-level delegation from the American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham) visited EU trade officials to insist that the bloc drop its planned criteria for identifying EDCs in favour of a new impact study.
Minutes of the meeting show commission officials pleading that although they want the TTIP to be successful, they would not like to be seen as lowering the EU standards.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/22/eu-dropped-pesticide-laws-due-to-us-pressure-over-ttip-documents-reveal
appalachiablue
(41,102 posts)officials to push the TTIP at the expense of people, wildlife and the environment. Monstrous. Because of it's relevance I attached the Guardian article to the Monsanto Worldwide March Video I posted earlier today.
Archae
(46,299 posts)Even worldwide!
And the MSM pretty much ignored it.
It was ran with on MSNBC as filler.
It was a march for full disclosure of all the flying saucer reports, that were claimed to being covered up.
Am I comparing the anti-GMO luddites to flying saucer believers?
You bet your ass.
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)--that there are no scientific reasons to ban many Monsanto products
--that there are no reasonable ordinary citizen concerns about Monsanto products
--that there are no political/social reasons to de-charter this corporation and seize its assets for the public good.
You are wrong on all counts.
You are also wrong that a person has to believe in "flying saucers" in order to demand full disclosure from our government on any investigations it may have conducted about this, or anything else.
It seems to me the height of ignorance to equate concerns about Monsanto products with Ludditism (as the Luddites are generally understood). There is really nothing more dangerous in our current world than the disruption of natural cycles that is occurring with very unnatural man-made products like Monsanto's. We are risking a worldwide failure of agriculture, on top of a threatened worldwide failure of all natural systems due to climate change. One example of the former is the scientifically proven impact of pesticides on bee colonies. Another is the less dramatic but equally lethal, long term loss of soil fertility and desertification due to repeated use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the long term impact of these artificial substances on fresh water sources and on the ocean. Another example is the Roundup use on coca crops in Colombia, which Colombia just banned. Roundup wasn't just killing coca plants. It was killing food crops and farm animals and causing cancer in farm families. On the political/social side, BILLIONS of our tax dollars have poured into the pockets of Monsanto executives and investors for horrible U.S. government projects such as poisoning farm families and tens of thousands of farm acres in Colombia. This is VERY corrupt, and it is also very real, Archae. Nothing to do with "flying saucers."
Please try to be better informed when posting at Democratic Underground.
Archae
(46,299 posts)"Poisoning farm families" HAR!
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)Please get better informed!
Archae
(46,299 posts)That leaves "Natural News" out, I know...
It looks like in Columbia, Roundup was overused.
Anything like Roundup that isn't treated carefully and overused is going to poison a few people.
I saw a march in California, against the state government requiring vaccinations in little kids going to public schools, the "belief exemption" was over-ruled.
And the anti-vaccination people sounded EXACTLY like these anti-Monsanto people.
This past week, my Mom and I used Roundup on her backyard brickwork, and like last year, we treated it carefully like it could make us sick if we drank it.
That means using it sparingly, with thick protective clothes that we changed right after.
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)...on thousands of innocent children, peasant farmers, farm animals, wild animals, food crops, without warning, for profit--huge profit?
And this is just ONE of Monsanto's crimes. Please look into it. And I would not want Roundup anywhere near my garden, my house, my neighborhood or our communal water tables, nor in any drainage area to creeks, rivers and the ocean, nor in any bee habitat. And did you think of the soils, the earthworms, the beneficial microbes beneath the bricks? Or of the development of Roundup-resistant weeds--an exponentially growing disaster for U.S. and other farmers? We all have to find better ways to control our environment--if control is what we desire or need--without poisoning ourselves and our only home, Planet Earth. You are right to take precautions but it would be best not to use Roundup at all.
The following provides information on just one aspect of Monsanto's (and other chemical corporations') horrible project to addict U.S. and other householders and U.S. and other farmers to glyphosate and other, ultimately extremely harmful herbicides and pesticides. In deciding about a product like Roundup, we need to consider not only the short and long term potential impacts to ourselves and our communities, but also regional and global impacts, threats to the food chain itself and the POLITICAL influence of these huge corporations that results in the spread of these horrendous practices for the profit of the few. For instance, Monsanto is one of the worst offenders in trying to destroy ancient faming practices such as saving seeds. They are ACTIVELY seeking to destroy this ESSENTIAL traditional practice. And they are finally meeting effective resistance in some places, such as Mexico. (See the final article about Mexican beekeepers.)
US 'superweeds' epidemic shines spotlight on GMOs
http://phys.org/news/2014-01-superweeds-epidemic-spotlight-gmos.html
...Earlier this month, the USDA announced that, at the request of Dow Chemical, it would study allowing genetically engineered seeds on the market that can tolerate several herbicides at onceincluding a controversial weed killer 2,4-D that several scientific studies have blamed for cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease.
Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Just as the heavy use of antibiotics contributed to the rise of drug-resistant supergerms, American farmers near-ubiquitous use of the weedkiller Roundup has led to the rapid growth of tenacious new superweeds.
To fight them, Mr. Anderson and farmers throughout the East, Midwest and South are being forced to spray fields with more toxic herbicides, pull weeds by hand and return to more labor-intensive methods like regular plowing.
Glyphosate-resistant weed problem extends to more species, more farms
http://farmindustrynews.com/ag-technology-solution-center/glyphosate-resistant-weed-problem-extends-more-species-more-farms
The area of U.S. cropland infested with glyphosate-resistant weeds has expanded to 61.2 million acres in 2012, according to a survey conducted by Stratus Agri-Marketing. Nearly half of all U.S. farmers interviewed reported that glyphosate-resistant weeds were present on their farm in 2012, up from 34% of farmers in 2011. The survey also indicates that the rate at which glyphosate-resistant weeds are spreading is gaining momentum; increasing 25% in 2011 and 51% in 2012.
Sweet victory for Mexico beekeepers as Monsanto loses GM permit
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/aug/08/sweet-victory-beekeepers-monsanto-gm-soybeans
In withdrawing (Monsanto's) permit, the judge was convinced by the scientific evidence presented about the threats posed by GM soy crops to honey production in the Yucatán peninsula, which includes Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán states. Co-existence between honey production and GM soybeans is not possible, the judge ruled.
Every action we take--such as paying our hard-earned money to Monsanto for Roundup, cuz it's the "easy way" to control weeds (temporarily)--has consequences far beyond our lives and immediate environments. We've had to learn this the hard way on so many products pushed upon us by our Corporate Rulers--from DDT to antibiotic-drenched, tortured chickens, from oil and its many HUGE impacts, to tasteless, nutrition-less tomatoes, and more, so much more. Time after time, they lie to us, and our bribed, embedded government lies to us, and WE pay the price in so many ways.
It's not easy to live within a Corporate-run society and make the difficult, complicated choices about health-friendly, environment-friendly products. Monsanto, for instance, has successfully fought every effort to label--just to label!--their GMO products. They don't want us to know! That should tell you everything you need to know about Monsanto. But there is one choice, to my mind, that is very simple: Don't use Roundup!
GreatGazoo
(3,937 posts)1. It is mych slower than traditional hybridization
2. Gene guns create unpredictable and unwanted variations as the presence or absence of genes influence the expression of other genes; Somewhat like genetic billiards.
3. The technology's main appeal (to Monsanto) is patent trolling. They patent gene sequences so they can get paid.
4. As you cite, though it takes years to create GMO crops any advantage they might have in the field starts to diminsh immediately as "weeds" start selecting for RoundUp resistance. What take Monsantos labs years to do, the other plants begin to do immediately and this effect is what has produced RoundUp Ready palmer amaranth, etc.
5. GMO has NO benefit for the end consumer and little for the farmer.
6. The US taxpayer is on the hook for $8 billion in subsidies to GMO crop growers. Without these subsidies there would be no GMO farming. The cost of growing GMO crops is above the price paid on the commodities market and still rising.
http://www.businessinsider.com/billions-in-tax-dollars-subsidize-the-junk-food-industry-2012-7
Last edited Fri May 29, 2015, 08:15 PM - Edit history (1)
1. GE technology is much faster than other see development technologies.
2. GMOs allow for single gene switches that are known and predictable. Other seed development technologies change vastly more genes, and those genes are unknown.
3. All forms of seed development technologies are patented.
4. Superweeds are a problem for all forms of plants. In fact, superweeds have arisen at a slower rate since the onset of GMOs.
5. GMOs have led to increased crop yields, less pesticide use, safer herbicides, and increased profits for poor farmers.
6. All farmers are able to get subsidies. Subsidies are not tied to GMOs.
PS: Linking an article that has nothing to do with the claims you made seems odd.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Hmm...
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)No doubt, "it looks like" only what we want it to. And all else is invalid. No doubt, one march sounds just like another if we try hard enough to compare apples and tennis rackets. And all else is invalid.
A dogmatic mind is an entertaining thing to watch in action, especially the one's who pretend to be anything but dogmatic.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)I don't think you are being fair in your characterization.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)... he just chose the wrong target.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)... who blindly and stubbornly condemn GMOs without knowing a damned thing about them.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Cha
(296,775 posts)"Poisons for Profits" theme.. with their little diversionary tactics.
It's hard to believe they think they're changing any minds with their constant badgering of those who won't buy into their monsanto propaganda.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Utilizing the shill gambit doesn't change the fact that the science is clear. GMOs are safe, and they are helping the environment.
Fear mongering does work. It scares people, but more people are learning to question the fear mongering every day. They are learning how science works, and they're using that knowledge to question those pushing fear without scientific support. These marches have decreased in size every year, despite the power of fear.
Science is fighting back, and it is changing minds, however slowly.
https://skepchick.org/2015/05/science-drama-mamyths-zen-honeycutt/
BTW, the behavior of many of the protestors was despicable.
http://feralautisticlife.blogspot.com/2015/05/into-depths-of-anti-science-hell.html
Response to Archae (Reply #8)
Post removed
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Insults.
He was the one that said words to the effect that all we had was our willingness to not face up to "the Truth."
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)Your comment was calling "addled" anyone opposed to you, which is a pretty direct insult.
(By the way, I would never Alert such an insult)
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Still, I was given a "time out" at DU for posts that are ridiculously tame by comparison to that post. Something is not right.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)That Awkward Moment When March Against Monsanto Used a Slavery Comparison
http://skepchick.org/2015/05/march-against-monsanto-used-a-slavery-comparison/
Archae
(46,299 posts)Sticking their fingers in their ears and screaming "Is not, is not, is NOT!!"
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Whose research showed the many serious indications that the GM foods destroy a body's vital organs.
Of course, that study has been discredited, but only after the entire top brass at the Journal that published it was replaced by industry shills.
We also have the decent work of Don Huber, who has collected and shown many indications of how awful for health both RoundUp Ready wheat and GM foods happen to be.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)He doesn't want other scientists looking at it. That ought to tell you all you need to know about his claims.
http://kfolta.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-generous-offer-to-dr-huber.html
Pushing non-studies and debunked "studies" doesn't change the overwhelming scientific consensus on GMOs. Also, there is no plausible mechanism for the claims made by the "study" you are pushing.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Much as the pro-GMO crowd is reduced to "this march sounded a lot like that march"
Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)On the other hand, there are marchers who have chosen to ignore the science.
I'm not sure what your point is otherwise.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)?
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,433 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)And it did so without pointing out the BS these "protesters" push. Why are you complaining?
villager
(26,001 posts)Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)And you will direct us to those Monsanto talking points so we can bust those fargin' corporate shills, right? Just a little link would be so awesome.
villager
(26,001 posts)Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)Response to Buzz Clik (Reply #44)
villager This message was self-deleted by its author.
Cha
(296,775 posts)Thank you, World!
And, I don't give a shite what the Big Ag Corp shills have to say about how good gmo is.. like they're going to persuade anyone otherwise with their aggressive Monsanto-like tactics.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Last edited Sat May 30, 2015, 01:20 PM - Edit history (1)
And it's an odd thing to be proud of the fact that you refuse to allow evidence to change your mind.
BTW, these marches did not exactly show the best of humanity.
https://skepchick.org/2015/05/science-drama-mamyths-zen-honeycutt/
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Last edited Sat May 30, 2015, 01:21 PM - Edit history (2)
https://skepchick.org/2015/05/science-drama-mamyths-zen-honeycutt/And one more piece on the topic:
http://kfolta.blogspot.com/2015/05/mamyths-standing-up-for-science.html
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Last edited Sat May 30, 2015, 01:22 PM - Edit history (1)
http://feralautisticlife.blogspot.com/2015/05/into-depths-of-anti-science-hell.htmlFarrenH
(768 posts)Afraid of what they don't understand, to stupid or lazy to understand the science and 180 degrees out of alignment with actual scientific consensus and literature.