Iraqi Farmers Aren't Celebrating World Food Day

[Cassandra]

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htm

"As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save their seeds. Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US corporations -- including seeds the Iraqis themselves developed over hundreds of years. That is because in recent years, transnational corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or developed by indigenous peoples. In a short time, Iraq will be living under the new American credo: Pay Monsanto, or starve. "

Nothing like the sweet taste of freedom! Uneffingbelievable! What right do we have to tell farmers what they can do with their own seeds.
Thanks to buzzflash for pointing this one out.

[teach1st]

1. Corporatism: It's what's for dinner

Nothing says loving like something from the board room...

[Malva Zebrina]

2. and about those poppy fields in Afganistan

copyrighted seeds also?

All the land and all the people in Iraq belong to Bush's America now.

Your farming methods are obsolete, Iraq. Get with Monsanto or die.

[iamjoy]

3. Sounds Like The Joke About Cows And Facism

You have two cows. The government seizes both and sells you the milk. You join the underground and start a campaign of sabotage.

[malaise]

4. How much more

of this nonsense can I take.

[Deja Q]

5. Patented something that God gave us?!?! A fucking SEED?!

When will they start charging for the very air we breathe?

[Cassandra]

7. This is only new to Iraq...

nothing new here. Where have you been? Monsanto has been pulling this shit for a number of years.

[dbt]

6. Goddess, what a great human interest story this would make!

"NBC's Anne Curry has more now on the plight of war-ravaged Iraqi farmers who have managed to reclaim a few acres of land from mortar rounds and mines--only to find out that they can't plant their own seeds unless they pay a royalty to Monsanto."

Pure ratings dynamite, I tells ya! But it will never see the light of day because it would piss off a big corporation that advertises on NBC.

Man, if people knew a tenth of the shit that's really going on, bu$h would have to have 4,000 troops in DC to protect his sorry ass on Coronation Day!

:evilgrin:
dbt