Activists, Farmers, Indigenous People Rise Up to March Against Monsanto

[kadaholo]

Source: CommonDreams by Staff Writer Nika Knight

Anti-corporate activists, organic farmers, Indigenous peoples, environmental groups and others took to the streets across six continents and over 400 cities on Saturday in a global grassroots march against bioengineering giant Monsanto.

"The fight against corporate control of our food is global," a food sovereignty campaigner with UK-based nonprofit Global Justice Now rallied the crowd marching in London.

The grassroots March Against Monstanto campaign began in 2013 as a coordinated movement to "take back the food supply." This year's march takes place amid allegations of collusion and industry rigging of the regulatory processes surrounding the company's toxic weedkiller Roundup and GMO crops in Europe and the United States.The campaign, based in the U.S., described why so many are fighting the chemical behemoth in a statement:

Monsanto has infiltrated various agencies within the United States government, and as a result both public health and the health of our environment has suffered greatly. Glyphosate, the cancer-linked herbicide that is an essential component in the expansion of GMO crops, is already being banned around the world over safety concerns. Here in the United States, glyphosate is consistently being discovered in everything from hospital feeding tubes and tampons to the breast milk of nursing mothers.


Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/21/activists-farmers-indigenous-people-rise-march-against-monsanto

[niyad]

1. kudos to all of them

[Zorra]

2. Recommend. nt

[Judi Lynn]

3. It's a matter of time. This treacherous monster is going to be stopped, sooner or later. n/t

[zentrum]

4. The only thing

…..pure about Montsanto is its evil.

[Archae]

5. "March Against Monsanto" is a fraud.

Anti-vaccinations...

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/fraud-deceit-malfeasance-the-cdc-is-lying-about-much-more-than-the-mmr/

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/why-the-hell-is-march-against-monsanto-talking-about-vaccines/

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/robert-de-niro-defends-controversial-autism-film-lets-find-out-the-truth/

And alarmists, who get funding from "organic" food lobbies.

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/the-brain-destroying-cancer-causing-ingredient-hidden-in-most-of-our-food/

[Humanist_Activist]

9. They are a hodgepodge of believers of some of the craziest conspiracy theories...

and anti-science advocacy imaginable. Not to mention being barely coherent, for example, what has Monsanto done that warrants such a march?

[Archae]

12. There are three main groups in thse anti-science loons.

1. The certifiably crazy.
"The voices in my head tell me science is bad!"

2. The agenda is everything.
Never mind evidence, facts, or truth.
The agenda, in this case which is to destroy "The EEEEE-VIL Monsanto," takes precedence over everything.
Even if it causes death and disease.

3. The profiteers.
Most of these are in the employ of organic lobbies, who just can't stand actual competition for our money.
So they put out propaganda that says "GMO's is POISON!" even though it's a lie.
This way they can charge much more for their "natural, organic" products."

[womanofthehills]

13. Horrors done to the people of Chaco,Argentina and to people all over the world

Exposing Monsanto: Herbicide Linked to Birth Defects - the Vitamin A Connection

A frightening example is a study of birth defects in Argentina, which found that Cordoba, an area of intensive planting of GM soy and heavy glyphosate use, had a higher incidence of spina bifida (spinal cord protrusion in the lower back), microtia (abnormal ear), cleft lip and palate, polycystic kidney, postaxial polydactyly (extra fingers or toes) and Down's Syndrome than other regions. Many of these defects are of the type associated with disturbances in the Vitamin A signaling system.

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25122-exposing-monsanto-herbicide-linked-to-birth-defects-the-vitamin-a-connection

[Humanist_Activist]

15. Is there any evidence of these claims, what you are posting is opinion...

opinion isn't fact, its not even convincing if they can''t come up with reasons that glyphosate causes these birth defects. Not to mention this wouldn't be confined to the countries you have mentioned, but to many others, including this one. Not to mention that the source for this claim is Seneff's googling being published as if it were original research, which it isn't.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392553/

She also claims the rise in autism is due to glyphosate, which it isn't, and she's being contradicted by doctors and biologists on many of these mechanisms of disease. Note that she is neither.

[Lancero]

10. That'll be next on their list.

And with how fearful of science they are making people, many will start to fall for it.

The AGMO movement doesn't have the honesty to admit to the parallels, despite them being broadly apparent. They're in so deep that they refuse even the potential of parallels.

They fight against big ag/pharma to protect us against unsafe food/medicide. GMOs/Vaccines cause autism, and only big ag/pharma shills deny it. People are better off not putting those dangerous and unsafe gmos/vaccines inside their bodies.

Hell, we've already got some who have decided to run with the anti-vaxxers 'something something, causes autism' arguement.

Still though, given the enlarged role GMO's will be playing in modern vaccines it they'll soon have to face up to the music - Anti-science movements are never good for the world. Climate science denial is killing our planet. Medical science denial - denying vaccines - is going to kill people. And supressing GMO technology will harm everyone given how widely used the technology is in the medical fields.

Case in point, this

https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/07/01/anti-gmo-advocates-try-to-scare-diabetics-off-life-saving-genetically-engineered-drug-treatment/
[img][/img]

Your average anti-gmo scare ploy, trying to convince insulin users to stop using 'extremely dangerous' gmo insulin despite it letting them live.

[Archae]

19. Have you noticed this about the anti-GMO and anti-Monsanto zealots?

They are ignoring the absolute stupidity in the ranks of "March Against Monsanto."

Anti-vaxx? Anti-science? Anti-progress? Doesn't matter!
"We gotta destroy Monsanto! Why? Because we said so!"

[womanofthehills]

14. Sad that the USA is so behind in banning Monsanto

[Humanist_Activist]

16. Is there anything you post where you are correct? I have yet to see it.

https://gmoanswers.com/ask/why-are-companies-monsanto-being-banned-many-countries-and-why-countrys-government-protecting

[kadaholo]

6. Monsanto: A Beginner's Guide to the World’s Most Dangerous Corporation

Monsanto: A Beginner's Guide to the World’s Most Dangerous Corporation
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/5/25/1211599/-Monsanto-A-Beginners-Guide-to-the-World-s-Most-Dangerous-Corporation


Sealed Documents Reveal the Truth Behind Roundup's Toxicological Dangers
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/monsantos-sealed-documents-reveal-truth-behind-roundups-toxicological-dangersMonsanto's


15 Health Problems Linked to Monsanto’s Roundup
http://ecowatch.com/2015/01/23/health-problems-linked-to-monsanto-roundup/


Top 10 Poisons that are the legacy of Monsanto
http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/poisons-legacy-Monsanto.php


Bayer offers to buy Monsanto in global agrochemicals shakeout
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-m-a-bayer-idUSKCN0YA054

[kadaholo]

7. Long Beach Files Lawsuit Against Monsanto May 21, 2016

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/long_beach_files_lawsuit_against_monsanto_20160521

[appalachiablue]

8. K & R. Mass chemical evil.

[libodem]

11. Monsanto owes a lot of people

Their lives back.

Seriously. Probably owes most of us back our gut bacteria. Probiotics never used to be a 'thing'. Now natural flora needs to be artificially replaced with yogurts and gummy vitamins.

[Humanist_Activist]

17. That's called feeding a fad with marketing based on shaky "cutting edge" medicine...

apparently the amount of bacteria in our gut is greatly exaggerated, and while its absence and/or imbalance probably can be linked to things like IBS or other types of digestive track issues, there's not a whole lot of evidence that it will kill you to have imbalanced gut bacteria. Oh, and here's the most important bit, what does Monsanto have to do with this? The most common reasons to have problems with gut bacteria is due to antibiotic misuse/abuse.

Seriously, is Monsanto the one corporation to rule them all? This is getting ridiculous, they are the "Thanks Obama" of the left. Its stupid.

[libodem]

18. It's the roundup in the soil

And all over the plants. All the gene splicing into wheat, of any weed roundup doesnt kill. We all eat roundup. We eat weed genes. How can it not be hazardous to our health when it's carcinogenic.

[Humanist_Activist]

20. Roundup is not an antibiotic, its also not carcinogenic. Where are you getting your information?

Also, there is no GM wheat being grown commercially, so I have no idea what you are talking about there. You seem to be conflating a bunch of unrelated things to sound vaguely bad without demonstrating any knowledge of the subjects at hand.

[libodem]

21. Roundup

Is antiplant and anti fungal. It's an anti biological chemical of sorts. All that massive corporate farm business is meant to work with Monsanto products starting with the seeds engineered to resist dying from roundup.

I also think that its part of the fad of gluten intolerance. The wheat is not the same. The soil is full of antibiological chemicals and the plants grow in it.

Look at the rates of prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Almost everyone gets it. Our environment is being poisoned.

[Humanist_Activist]

23. You demonstrate the need for better science education, particularly in biology...

You seem to not know how glyphosate works on plants, why its an effective herbicide, nor do you seem to want to understand.

Also, "antibiological" isn't a thing, and won't become a thing, because its a nonsensical and meaningless term in this context.

Not to mention that gluten intolerance isn't a thing, Celiac disease is a thing, a fad is a fad, its made up, and anyone who doesn't have Celiac disease but claims they have a "gluten intolerance" is probably suffering a nocebo effect, if they aren't making it up to be fashionable. So what did Monsanto and its non-existent GM wheat do?

Also, and I hate to break this to you, but cancer rates have been declining steadily for most cancers since the 1990s, and yes that includes prostate and breast cancer. This includes both incidences and mortality rates, by the way.

http://www.cancer.gov/research/progress/annual-report-nation

If glyphosate is poisoning us, its doing a piss poor job at doing so.

[yellowcanine]

36. "It's an anti biological chemical of sorts." Sorry but you are just spewing now.

Really you need to check reliable sources and stick to them.

[yellowcanine]

31. "All the gene splicing into wheat" Say what?

There are no commercially available GMO wheat varieties. Please, if you are going to comment, at least get the basic facts correct. So much misinformation.

[libodem]

32. Hmmmm?

I went looking and you are right about the wheat because Europe won't buy it.

http://responsibletechnology.org/glutenintroduction/

[Vakero]

22. They deserve better treatment

I'm with them

[Bad Dog]

24. I had an argument with a supporter of GM crops.

He made some valid points about higher yields and lower use of pesticide. My point remains that while one company makes enormous profits and ensures that they and they alone control the supply of seeds, the real beneficiaries are the fat cats.

This is too important an issue to leave to the market.

[HuckleB]

25. Several companies make GMO seeds, and they all also make other types of seeds.

The anti-GMO movement is, in fact, helping to ensure that only big companies can utilize the technology, as they make it more expensive to do so, without justification.

All types of seeds can be, and are, patented. So using this argument about GMOs makes no sense, since it applies to all types of seeds.

[Archae]

27. See? There you go again, citing actual *GASP* facts and logic...

And we can't have THAT when the goal is to destroy Monsanto completely, no matter how false or out-of-date the accusations...


People are bringing up how a chemist at Bayer invented heroin, over a hundred years ago.
(Bayer is bidding to buy Monsanto...)
You see, even if all those who did something wrong out of ignorance, stupidity or more rarely, greed, died decades ago, the company is itself "possessed by their evil spirits" so it has to be destroyed.

[HuckleB]

30. It's interesting to see so many DUers "like" posts like this.

And yet none of them wonder why they can't defend the irrational fear mongering pushed by such posts.

[LanternWaste]

28. Quite the creative, though unsupported allegation.

"The anti-GMO movement is, in fact, helping to ensure..."

Quite the creative, though unsupported allegation.

[HuckleB]

29. You keep telling yourself that.

You always do.

http://appliedmythology.blogspot.com/2013/01/counting-cost-of-anti-gmo-movement.html

[Bad Dog]

33. Farmers in 3rd World countries can't afford to spend a lot of money on seeds.

Usually they use their own seeds, but GM patented seeds are infertile so they're tied in to buying seeds every year.

[HuckleB]

34. Most patented seeds of any type can't be reused.

So that's really not something that is about GMOs. It's about all types of seeds.

And while some NGOs are working hard to help improve the situation, it's interesting to note that the anti-GMO movement tends to fight those NGOs actually trying to help

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development

and there are many reasons for moving to hardier seeds...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-31/sowing-the-seeds-of-a-farm-boom-in-africa

[Bad Dog]

37. Which is why it's best not to use patented seeds.

The whole GM project is too tied up with big business, profit seems to be the overriding factor, not necessity. And unless those perceptions alter GM is going to continue struggling.

[HuckleB]

38. Even if you use seeds off patent, you often can't reuse them.

Hybrids, for example, will not have the same traits, as the links show. It costs a lot of money and labor to reuse seeds. The links also point out the fact that new traits may lead to much better production, so ignoring those factors is not wise.

[Bad Dog]

39. In the third world labour's not so expensive.

A lot of farmers can't afford to keep buying seeds, and that's the problem.

You're trying to convince the wrong person, I'm fairly open minded about the whole thing, but if you want to convince the opponents you need a disconnect between big business and GM. As long as people are suspicious of motives they're going to be distrustful.

[HuckleB]

40. Even when big business is disconnected, the opponents don't care.

That's been a big part of the problem for people actually trying to make positive changes.

[Bad Dog]

41. Big business isn't disconnected though.

A couple of small scale operations don't count. This is all about Monsanto, and people who are quite open to GM per se aren't going to listen when it all boils down to the profits of one rather dodgy multinational.

[HuckleB]

26. The Surprisingly Sudden Demise of the Anti-GMO Movement

https://risk-monger.com/2016/05/23/the-surprisingly-sudden-demise-of-the-anti-gmo-movement/

"If you had asked me six months ago if GMOs had a future, I would have replied, sadly, “No”. The forces of ignorance and activism pushing their Age of Stupid agenda were dominating the news, winning regulatory and supply chain concessions and influencing how conventional farmers were planning their crop rotations. But in the last two months, something has happened. GMOs are now seen as the reasonable, beneficial and socially and environmentally important strategic decision for sustainable agriculture.
How did this happen so quickly, over a matter of weeks?

Here today, GMO tomorrow

A year ago, the anti-GMO pro-labelling campaign in the US, which guaranteed no negative consequences, was occupying the common-sense middle ground.

* Today, we are beginning to notice that food manufacturers like Hershey’s, in moving from GMO sugar beets to non-GMO sugar cane to avoid public concerns about GMOs, were causing significant environmental and social destruction.
A year ago, the media were jumping on reports that regulators were not sharing all of the evidence on GM research, bees and pesticides.

* Today, following a report from the US National Academies of Science that gave GMOs a very positive scorecard (after consulting over 900 scientists), even the most campaign-driven UK news-source, the Guardian, had to conclude that in the EU: “We can no longer afford to turn our backs on the cultivation of genetically modified crops in our fields in coming years.”

..."

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

The lack of people at most MAM rallies was fairly astounding this year.

Hmm.

[HuckleB]

35. Why This Mom Is Taking On Monsanto Protesters

https://www.good.is/articles/march-against-myth