Showing posts with label DuPont. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DuPont. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Meet Monsanto's number one lobbyist: Barack Obama

Dear Readers,

I prefer not to post political topics on my blog, however I was shocked to read this news article and felt that it should be shared here. My blog primarily deals with health, food, vitamins, medicines, and toxins. If you have been a long time reader of this blog then you know that I am no proponent of GMO foods on any level. 

Peace & Wellness,
~Kymeth


During his 2008 campaign for president, Barack Obama transmitted signals that he understood the GMO issue. Several key anti-GMO activists were impressed. They thought Obama, once in the White House, would listen to their concerns and act on them.

These activists weren't just reading tea leaves. On the campaign trail, Obama said: "Let folks know when their food is genetically modified, because Americans have a right to know what they're buying."

Making the distinction between GMO and non-GMO was certainly an indication that Obama, unlike the FDA and USDA, saw there was an important line to draw in the sand.

Beyond that, Obama was promising a new era of transparency in government. He was adamant in promising that, if elected, his administration wouldn't do business in "the old way." He would be "responsive to people's needs."

Then came the reality.

After the election, and during Obama's term as president, people who had been working to label GMO food and warn the public of its huge dangers were shocked to the core. They saw Obama had been pulling a bait and switch.

The new president filled key posts with Monsanto people, in federal agencies that wield tremendous force in food issues, the USDA and the FDA:

At the USDA, as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto Danforth Center.

As deputy commissioner of the FDA, the new food-safety-issues czar, the infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.

As commissioner of the USDA, Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack had set up a national group, the Governors' Biotechnology Partnership, and had been given a Governor of the Year Award by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto.

As the new Agriculture Trade Representative, who would push GMOs for export, Islam Siddiqui, a former Monsanto lobbyist.

As the new counsel for the USDA, Ramona Romero, who had been corporate counsel for another biotech giant, DuPont.

As the new head of the USAID, Rajiv Shah, who had preciously worked in key positions for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major funder of GMO agriculture research.

We should also remember that Obama's secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, once worked for the Rose law firm. That firm was counsel to Monsanto.

Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. Kagan, as federal solicitor general, had previously argued for Monsanto in the Monsanto v. Geertson seed case before the Supreme Court.

The deck was stacked. Obama hadn't simply made honest mistakes. Obama hadn't just failed to exercise proper oversight in selecting appointees. He wasn't just experiencing a failure of short-term memory. He was staking out territory on behalf of Monsanto and other GMO corporate giants.

And now let us look at what key Obama appointees have wrought for their true bosses. Let's see what GMO crops have walked through the open door of the Obama presidency.

Monsanto GMO alfalfa.

Monsanto GMO sugar beets.

Monsanto GMO Bt soybean.

Coming soon: Monsanto's GMO sweet corn.

Syngenta GMO corn for ethanol.

Syngenta GMO stacked corn.

Pioneer GMO soybean.

Syngenta GMO Bt cotton.

Bayer GMO cotton.

ATryn, an anti-clotting agent from the milk of transgenic goats.

A GMO papaya strain.

And perhaps, soon, genetically engineered salmon and apples.

This is an extraordinary parade. It, in fact, makes Barack Obama the most GMO-dedicated politician in America.

You don't attain that position through errors or oversights. Obama was, all along, a stealth operative on behalf of Monsanto, biotech, GMOs, and corporate control of the future of agriculture.

From this perspective, Michelle Obama's campaign for home gardens and clean nutritious food suddenly looks like a diversion, a cover story floated to obscure what her husband has actually been doing.

Nor does it seem coincidental that two of the Obama's biggest supporters, Bill Gates and George Soros, purchased 900,000 and 500,000 shares of Monsanto, respectively, in 2010.

Because this is an election season, people will say, "But what about Romney? Is he any better?" I see no indication that he is. The point, however, is that we are talking about a sitting president here, a president who presented himself, and was believed by many to be, an extraordinary departure from politics as usual.

Not only was that a wrong assessment, Obama was lying all along. He was, and he still is, Monsanto's man in Washington.

To those people who fight for GMO labeling, and against the decimation of the food supply and the destruction of human health, but still believe Obama is a beacon in bleak times:

Please wake up.

Sources:
http://redgreenandblue.org

http://www.motherjones.com

http://fooddemocracynow.org

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/genetically-engineered-foods/

http://news.yahoo.com

JonRappoport
The author of an explosive collection, THE MATRIX REVEALED, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world.
www.nomorefakenews.com

Friday, July 27, 2012

GMO wars - Monsanto suing DuPont to see who will dominate the world's food supply

Biotechnology giant Monsanto is suing one of its largest rivals, DuPont, for what the company says are violations of a licensing agreement established between the two firms back in 2002. And at the very same time, DuPont is suing Monsanto for allegedly, illegally withholding important details from the federal patent office about its Roundup Ready trait, as well as for allegedly engaging in anticompetitive business practices that restrict competitive agriculture.

Many people are unaware of this, but DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred division, which produces seeds, several years ago tried to develop its own genetically-modified (GM) soybean product known as Optimum GAT that was intended to rival Monsanto's Roundup Ready GM soy product. When the original Optimum GAT product failed to perform as intended; however, DuPont decided to add Monsanto's Roundup Ready trait onto Optimum GAT's existing glyphosate-resistant trait, a fact that did not come to light until 2009.

Once DuPont's trait-blending activity became public knowledge, Monsanto initiated legal action against DuPont for allegedly using its own Roundup Ready trait in violation of the established licensing agreement between the two companies, which prohibited DuPont's creation of a GM soy product containing multiple GM traits. According to Monsanto, DuPont illegally used the Roundup Ready trait without a license in hundreds of seed lines back in 2008.

"For years, they told the world GAT was going to work," said George C. Lombardi, an attorney for Monsanto, during Monsanto's opening arguments before the jury. "When it failed, they relied on the Roundup Ready product."

But DuPont, in its own defense, says Monsanto's Roundup Ready patent is unenforceable because it was not properly obtained. According to the company, Monsanto failed to disclose pertinent details in its patent filing about how Roundup Ready seeds work, and how they are made. In fact, DuPont alleges Monsanto actually lied to the federal government in order to obtain the patent, which means it cannot legally be considered valid.

"(Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybean patent) is invalid and unenforceable because Monsanto intentionally deceived the United States Patent and Trademark Office on several occasions as it procured the patent," said Thomas L. Sager, DuPont Senior Vice President and General Counsel, in a recent statement.

The trial, which is expected to last several weeks, officially began on July 9, 2012. Some commentators believe the case will more than likely be settled rather than take its full course because neither Monsanto nor DuPont want to be hit with a surprise verdict. If the case does proceed; however, Monsanto's Roundup Ready patent could end up being declared null and void, which would be a significant victory for food freedom.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.sfgate.com

http://www.nasdaq.com

http://www.bloomberg.com

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

GMO labeling victory! Measure accepted onto California ballot;

In this breaking news for the food-conscious community, the California Secretary of State has just announced that the GMO labeling ballot measure has met and exceeded the requirements to be placed on the November ballot. (http://www.sos.ca.gov/admin/press-releases/2012/db12-068.pdf) and (http://www.labelgmos.org/we_made_it_on_the_ballot)

This measure, which has been strongly pushed by the Organic Consumers Association, the Institute for Responsible Technology, and a large number of dedicated volunteers and donors, would require genetically engineered ingredients to be indicated on food labels. This is an honest labeling issue that would allow consumers to make informed decisions about what they choose to purchase and consume.

504,760 signatures were needed to qualify for the November ballot, and the GMO labeling signature effort has greatly exceeded this number. Tremendous thanks are due to all those who fought for this honest labeling initiative. NaturalNews has consistently covered this issue from day one, and has helped drive significant awareness and funds to this GMO labeling effort.

A passage of this initiative could spell the end of GMOs in America, as food producers already know that if given a choice, 90+ percent of consumers would choose to avoid genetically engineered food. For this reason, food producers would be forced to switch to non-GMO sources for their food ingredients. This, in turn, would see a near collapse of GM seeds being planted in fields across America.

The disinfo war begins

Of course, Monsanto, DuPont, Big Agriculture and the food industry don't want consumers to know what's in their food. They profit when consumers are kept in the dark, and they will spend tens of millions of dollars to spread disinformation about this initiative in order to influence California voters to vote it down.

Thus, the next great battle begins: The battle for voting YES on the ballot measure. Expect NaturalNews and all the same allies who advocated the ballot measure to now shift gears and start educating voters to support the ballot measure.

This initiative will be won on the internet. It is the website articles, Facebook posts, tweets and emails that will educate consumers to vote YES on this measure. Please join NaturalNews in this effort to achieve victory in November in California because it has global implications. If we can defeat Monsanto at the ballot in November, we will be one step closer to eliminating dangerous GM crops altogether.

We have won a major battle, but an even larger one awaits us in November.

Personally, I don't care who you vote for when it comes to President, as the candidates are virtually identical in their policies. But voting on this GMO ballot measure is the real reason to get out and vote. This is something that was written by the People, advocated by the People, and its passage will help protect the People from greed-driven corporations that sell poison and call it food.

It's time to end GMOs across America. If you're a California voter, vote YES on GMO labeling in November. Spread the word. Stay tuned to NaturalNews for more grassroots activism on this issue.

Victory against GMOs is within reach!

Learn more:
www.labelgmos.org
www.JustLabelIt.org
www.ResponsibleTechnology.org
www.OrganicConsumers.org