Mike Adams (of NaturalNews), Monsanto, Nazis, and a Very Disturbing Article

[HuckleB]

Free speech is good, but does this go too far? Certainly, from an ethical standpoint it does. No?

Link to the article with the same title as the thread title:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2014/07/22/mike-adams-monsanto-nazis-disturbing-article/

From the article by Keith Kloor:

"...

... after reading the latest piece on GMOs by Adams, I have to wonder if he is literally dangerous. Here’s the title of his piece:

Biotech genocide, Monsanto collaborators and the Nazi legacy of ‘science’ as justification for murder

Here’s how it starts:

(NaturalNews) Monsanto is widely recognized as the most hated and most evil corporation on the planet. Even so, several internet-based media websites are now marching to Monsanto’s orders, promoting GMOs and pursuing defamatory character assassination tactics against anyone who opposes GMOs, hoping to silence their important voices.

These Monsanto collaborator sites tend to be “leftist” publications but also include at least one prominent business and finance publisher on the political right. All of them are Monsanto collaborators who have signed on to accelerate heinous crimes being committed against humanity under the false promise of “feeding the world” with toxic GMOs.

This is the mind of a person who Dr. Oz proudly brought on his show earlier in the year. Here’s the sentence from above I want you to keep in mind as you keep reading: “All of them are Monsanto collaborators who have signed on to accelerate heinous crimes being committed against humanity…”

..."


------------------------------------


Kloor followed that piece with another today:

Mike Adams Elevates his Ugly Anti-GMO Campaign
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2014/07/24/mike-adams-elevates-ugly-anti-gmo-campaign/#.U9Eyc_ldWGc


I have no intention of discussing GMOs on this thread. I'm curious about people's thoughts regarding such rhetoric, which seems to be more common as time goes on. Of course, I could be very wrong about that, but anyway. This is deeply disturbing to me, at least.

[SidDithers]

1. DU rec...

Glad yer back.

Sid

[HuckleB]

2. Thanks!

[underpants]

3. +

Marking for later read

[conservaphobe]

4. Disturbing. Needs to be exposed far and wide. nt

[HuckleB]

27. My thoughts exactly.

This type of push could lead to actual violence. It's not without precedent.

[NuclearDem]

5. Even for NaturalNews, that's batty.

[HuckleB]

18. Exactly!!!!!!

[KurtNYC]

6. So this is a bogus smear against the 90% of Americans who GMOs labelled?

Nice try.

[HuckleB]

9. I'm not focusing GMOs.

Thank you for your comment.

[Eleanors38]

7. And a strong connection to gun control.

[HuckleB]

10. I'm confused by your post.

Can you clarify the meaning for me? Thanks!

[Eleanors38]

14. The former head of Monsanto PR was Shannon Watts,

who is now head of Mothers Demand Action, formerly One Million Moms for Gun Control (which she founded). Her gun control efforts are now reportedly funded by Bloomberg.

Monsanto is into Everything, and it goes way beyond the Beltway. Like the Koch Bros., it seems particularly interested in burnishing its image with perceived liberal or progressive groups, causes, and sites.

[HuckleB]

15. What does that have to do with Mike Adams' bizarre articles?

[Eleanors38]

31. I'm no fan of Monsanto, and don't read Adam's stuff.

My big concern, maybe something Adams should have dealt with more, is the way in which Monsanto and other corporations have moved beyond lobby/public official revolving doors to influencing groups and organizations beyond the string-pullers in D.C. I am struck, too, by some critics if Monsanto who see its "tentacles" creeping into every corner of the culture, but whistle pass Shannon Watts' efforts for some peculiar reason.

[HuckleB]

32. Your responses don't seem to be on topic.

Take care.

[mike_c]

8. that sort of rhetoric is part of a broader anti-science movement....

The internet has greatly advanced the various science denier movements. On the one hand, people doing shoddy, agenda driven "research" are finding, and creating, pay-to-publish print and online journals that give an appearance of legitimacy to their claims, which are then immediately trumpeted as "proofs" of science denier positions by the anti-science movement generally. Lately these "developments" are monitored closely by the lay press, which often parrots them as "science," when in fact they're the polar opposite of good science. Widespread scientific illiteracy among their readership makes science denial even easier. We've seen this recently with, for example, the Seralini BS.

On the other hand, this creates a climate of science denial that supports-- and arguably even needs-- rhetoric like you've posted. Over the top hyperbole without rational intellectual boundaries, the more strident and angry the better. It plays well to the outraged passion of the anti-science movement who see themselves as Davids opposing the Goliaths of universities and businesses conducting and commercializing scientific research. Like conservatism generally, it becomes an essentially political game of entrenching opposing "sides," with actual objective truth completely discounted as beside the point, especially when it contradicts the science denial movement's biases.

[wyldwolf]

29. Like I've been saying, the left has their version of climate change deniers

...

What Adams is saying is 'screw science, I KNOW BETTER.'

[el_bryanto]

11. Free speech means that people are going to say hateful, hurtful things.

If they advocate violence against those websites directly than that's one thing, but otherwise they are probably in the clear.

That said, it's one thing to talk about what people should be allowed to say and what they should say. While I think they should be allowed to say this stuff, I also think that they go too far towards painting people who disagree with them as monsters.

Bryant

[HuckleB]

12. Indeed.

The scary thing is that Adams has now singled out one journalist, and he has linked readers to a page inspired by his first tirade. That page lists a number of journalists and publication as "collaborators."

[mathematic]

17. "it is the moral right... of human beings everywhere to actively plan and carry out the killing"

He says this:
"All of them are Monsanto collaborators who have signed on to accelerate heinous crimes being committed against humanity "

And later this:
"it is the moral right -- and even the obligation -- of human beings everywhere to actively plan and carry out the killing of those engaged in heinous crimes against humanity. This fundamental philosophical truth..."

He updated his post with a website that lists these collaborators. Thirteen names of actual human beings, including Keith Kloor, who wrote the article in the OP.

I have no idea what legal standards are regarding restricting speech that advocates violence but if this doesn't meet them then it's as close to line without going over that you can get.

[Zorra]

13. It appears that Monsanto's internet corporate trolls are driving even hard core conservatives over

the edge with their constant pro-corporate bullshit.

[HuckleB]

16. Ah, it's all the shill gambit's fault.

Hmmm.

[GliderGuider]

19. I don't know what's happened to Adams

Four years ago when my new wife introduced me to his writing he seemed like a slightly strident truth-teller. Now we both agree he's just gone bat-shit crazy. We just ignore him now.

[HuckleB]

20. From my perspective, his aim has always been to make money.

Maybe he thinks he has to jack up the rhetoric more and more to keep the cash flowing.

[GliderGuider]

23. On the principle that there's no such thing as bad publicity? Maybe.

It feels more like some form of progressive mental illness to me.

[HuckleB]

24. I don't disagree, but he's always been anti-vaccine, while promoting some bizarre treatments.

As a mental health provider, I'm not a fan of diagnosing people outside of the clinic. Still, I won't deny that my "personality disorder" bells go off when it comes to Adams. Cheers!

[SidDithers]

22. His 'OMG there's fibers in Chicken McNuggets' expose is some of the funniest unintentional humour...

that you'll ever see on the interweb.

Orac details the dumbassery here:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/09/03/mike-adams-puts-chicken-mcnuggets-under-the-microscope-hilarity-ensues/


Read and enjoy.

Edit: the wootube video here:

Sid

[HuckleB]

35. +1

[Delphinus]

28. I agree.

I used to listen to him, but he got so off the wall (even for me) that I had to stop reading what he had to say.

[Codeine]

21. Mike Adams is a fucking moron.

Evidently and increasingly paranoid moron.

[HuckleB]

30. Yup.

[etherealtruth]

25. These charlatans have "always" been with us

"They" have always engaged in this type of inflammatory rhetoric (while misinforming/misleading) and they have always done it with great charm, charisma and polish. They are skilled at this. Their messages are slick, sleek and very easy to understand (regardless of the absence of truth/fact)

While I feel the rhetoric has been around for eons ... todays ability to rapidly disseminate information (or in this case, mis-information) has increased the potential for harm exponentially.

[HuckleB]

26. Exactly.

I've been wondering about sci-fi. I'm not a big sci-fi, but I've read my fair share. It seems like most plots focus on overbearing government or corporate entities creating horrific futures. Has anyone done a plot where conspiracy theories run so rampant that the people who follow them create the horrific future? I'm starting to wonder if that story might not be the most likely one to occur in the real world.

[HuckleB]

33. Vandana Shiva Posts Mike Adams' Screed On Her Site.

http://www.donotlink.com/framed?64627

Are there any boundaries any more?

[HuckleB]

34. Mike Adams Tries To Blame Monsanto But Gets Caught Lying, As Usual

http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/07/25/mike-adams-claims-monsanto-set-up-kill-gmo-supporters-website-as-scientists-journalists-face-death-threats/

"NOTE: The GLP has been able to confirm that Adams is indeed the mastermind and financier behind the Monsanto Collaborator’s website. The story has now taken an even more bizarre twist, as Adams, facing multiple investigations from law enforcement officials, including the FBI, is now trying to make it appear that not only did he not oversee the project, but that it was a set up by Monsanto in a twisted plot to discredit anti-GMO critics."

[HuckleB]

36. FBI turns up heat on Mike Adams as ‘Health Ranger’ fiasco widens, plus Adams’ archive

http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/07/28/fbi-turns-up-heat-on-mike-adams-as-health-ranger-fiasco-widens-plus-adams-archive/