More reason not to have them in Hawai'i. Please take the time to read this.TaneDate: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:47:48 -0400From: oca@mail.democracyinaction.orgTo: tane_1@msn.comSubject: Organic Bytes: Stopping Monsanto's MadnessStopping Monsanto's Madness#233, July 16, 2010Health, Justice and Sustainability Newsfrom the Organic Consumers AssociationEdited by Alexis Baden-Mayer and Ronnie CumminsIn this issue:History Lesson of the Week: How Monsanto Got Their Permit to Poison UsAlert of the Week: Tell Obama's FDA to Regulate, Not Cheerlead for Genetically Modified OrganismsResource of the Week: Four Simple Ways to Avoid GMOsVia Organica: Spreading the Biointensive Revolution in MexicoMillions Against Monsanto: Vote Monsanto into the Corporate Hall of ShameVictory of the Week: OCA's Coming Clean Campaign in the New York TimesVideos of the WeekRadio of the Week: Ronnie Cummins on GE SalmonLittle BytesConnect with us:Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | DonateHistory of the WeekDan Quayle Couldn't Spell Potato, But He Made Sure They'd Be Genetically EngineeredHow Monsanto Got Their Permit to Poison UsOn May 26, 1992, George Bush's Vice-President, Dan Quayle, proclaimed the Bush administration's new policy on bioengineered food."The reforms we announce today will speed up and simplify the process of bringing better agricultural products, developed through biotech, to consumers, food processors and farmers," Mr. Quayle told a crowd of executives and reporters in the Indian Treaty Room of the Old Executive Office Building. "We will ensure that biotech products will receive the same oversight as other products, instead of being hampered by unnecessary regulation.""We will not compromise safety one bit." Mr. Quayle told his audience.In the F.D.A.'s nearby offices, not everyone was so sure. Among them was Dr. Louis J. Pribyl, one of 17 government scientists working on a policy for genetically engineered food. Dr. Pribyl knew from studies that toxins could be unintentionally created when new genes were introduced into a plant's cells. But under the new edict, the government was dismissing that risk and any other possible risk as no different from those of conventionally derived food. That meant biotechnology companies would not need government approval to sell the foods they were developing.Dr. Pribyl, a microbiologist, was not alone at the agency. Dr. Gerald Guest, director of the center of veterinary medicine, wrote that he and other scientists at the center had concluded there was "ample scientific justification" to require tests and a government review of each genetically engineered food before it was sold.The scientists were displaying precisely the concerns that Monsanto executives from the 1980's had anticipated - and indeed had considered reasonable. But now, rather than trying to address those concerns, Monsanto, the industry and official Washington were dismissing them as the insignificant worries of the uninformed. Under the final F.D.A. policy that the White House helped usher in, the new foods would be tested only if companies did it. Labeling was ruled out as potentially misleading to the consumer, since it might suggest that there was reason for concern.-Excerpt from "Biotechnology Food: From the Lab to a Debacle," by Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times, January 25, 2001READ MOREAlert of the WeekTell Obama's FDA to Fix What Dan Quayle Got WrongIn 1992, Monsanto successfully lobbied President George H.W. Bush's administration to deregulate its controversial and untested technology of genetic engineering or genetic modification. Vice President Dan Quayle made the announcement, saying, "We will ensure that biotech products will receive the same oversight as other products, instead of being hampered by unnecessary regulation."The official policy is based on industry propaganda rather than peer-reviewed science; it claims that genetically engineered food, crops, and animals "substantially equivalent" to conventional food and crops. No safety testing or labels are required.The result is that genetically engineered foods are everywhere. Nobody knows that they're eating them, and there isn't any scientific research that could tell us what effect this is having on human health. Study after study indicating serious damage to animals fed GMOs have been downplayed or ignored. Links to human hazards, such as the genetically engineered L-tryptophan disaster of 1989, which killed scores of Americans and permanently injured thousands more, or experiments in 1999 in the UK by renowned scientist Arpad Pusztai, have been literally suppressed.The Truth in Labeling Coalition is trying to get President Obama to fix what Dan Quayle got wrong. TLC has submitted a citizen's petition to the Food and Drug Administration making the case that failing to label genetically engineered foods is a violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act which prohibits misleading consumers by failing to reveal facts that would affect their decision as to whether or not to buy a product.The Organic Consumers Association supports Congressman Kucinich's Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, but an act of Congress isn't necessary to safety test and label genetically engineered foods. President Obama could simply direct the FDA to reverse the Monsanto Mandate forced on us by Bush-Quayle, and put an end to the idea that genetically engineered foods and crops are trustworthy and don't need to be labeled, as they are in the European Union.It shouldn't be that hard to get President Obama to do the right thing. On the presidential campaign trail in 2008, he went on record in support of mandatory labels for genetically engineered foods.Please support the Truth in Labeling Act's citizen petition by writing to President Obama and the FDA.Read the Citizen Petition & Take ActionResource of the Week4 Simple Ways to Avoid GMOs1. Buy organic - organic producers are not allowed to use GMOs2. Look for "Non-GMO" labels3. Avoid risky ingredients: corn, soy, vegetable oil (canola, cottonseed, and soybean), sugarbeet sugar4. Buy products listed in the Non-GMO Shopping GuideGuide & iPhone AppPLEASE DONATE!OCA Needs Your Help to Fight Monsanto and Spread the Organic RevolutionOCA and our growing network of organic consumers and farmers understand that we have a positive life-affirming solution for the global food, health, and climate crisis: organic food, farming, and ranching. But to fight Monsanto and Big Food and get out our all-important message we need your support. Please send us a tax-deductible donation today and we'll send you a free "Millions Against Monsanto" bumper sticker so you can help spread the word in your community. Please be sure to put 'sticker' in the comments field of your donation.Just Arrived! Millions Against Monsanto t-shirts! Organic and fair trade. This week any donation $200 and over will get a free t-shirt. Please specify your interest and size in the comments field. Help OCA and spread the word about the Millions Against Monsanto Campaign!PLEASE DONATEVia OrganicaSpreading the Biointensive Revolution in MexicoOCA and our affiliate in Mexico, Via Organica, believe that "biointensive" organic agriculture is the only way we're going to feed ourselves and feed the world in this emerging era of climate chaos, Peak Oil, and evermore scarce water. "Biointensive" is a cutting-edge method of organic farming and gardening, incorporating traditional methods, appropriate in both urban and rural settings, spearheaded by agronomist John Jeavons and the California-based organization, Ecology Action, which generates maximum yields on minimum areas of land, with a goal of long-term sustainability and soil improvement. Biointensive methods can produce between two and four times the number of vegetables and herbs per acre as traditional organic and chemical farming. As the world population grows, it is essential to find alternatives to the relatively low yields of conventional energy and chemical-intensive monoculture. Biointensive, like all organic agriculture, takes carbon dioxide from the air and stores it in the soil, does not rely on fossil fuels, and increases yields.Jennifer Ungamach, Via Organica's resident expert and a student of John Jeavons, will be holding English language, Biointensive Agriculture Workshop for three consecutive Saturdays beginning August 14 at the Via Organica farm school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The course will also include an introduction to soil microbiology, compost tea brewing and clay pot irrigation.For more information please contact Jennifer at oficina@viaorganica.orgMillions Against MonsantoVote Monsanto Into the Corporate Hall of ShameIf there were a Corporate Hall of Shame, would Monsanto belong in it? Of course they would.Thankfully, there IS a Hall of Shame for abusive corporations, and now we can help make sure Monsanto is inducted.Corporate Accountability International, a membership organization that protects people through campaigns that challenge abusive corporations, is opening up voting to the public for their popular Corporate Hall of Shame.The Hall of Shame exposes some of the most abusive, manipulative and harmful corporations - and this year Monsanto is one of eight possible inductees.Voting is open now, so click here to vote to make sure Monsanto gets inducted.Corporate Accountability International will announce the three new inductees this fall, and having Monsanto included will add pressure to our own campaign work.Thanks for voting.Vote HereVictory of the WeekOCA's Coming Clean Campaign in the New York TimesThe New York Times covers the Organic Consumers Association's successful campaign to get Whole Foods Market to dump faux organic health & beauty products.Read MoreVideos of the WeekThe Food and Climate ConnectionWhat is simultaneously one of the greatest contributors to climate change and one of its greatest potential solutions? As you may know, it's how we farm and eat. Indeed, food and climate change are inextricably linked. The same global food system that is making us sick, increasing food insecurity, and polluting the environment is also contributing to climate change. Climate change, in turn, is contributing to rising rates of hunger and food insecurity. But the good news is all of us can be part of the solution.WatchThe Future of FoodLily Films is now streaming The Future of Food, the groundbreaking documentary by filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia on the industrial food system, genetic engineering, the patenting of life and farmers' rights, for free with no commercials on their website.WatchHands That FeedHands That Feed is a documentary film exploring the agricultural collapse in Haiti, its role in the post-earthquake food crisis, and the emerging grassroots development models that seek to restore Haiti's food supply and environment.WatchRadio of the WeekRonnie Cummins on Genetically Engineered SalmonIf the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the first ever genetically-modified salmon, so-called "Frankenfish" could soon be coming to a plate near you. OCA Director Ronnie Cummins speaks with Uprising Radio in Los Angeles, CA about the dangers of GE frankenfish. Listen to the whole radio interview here.ListenLittle BytesThe Escalating Chemical War on Weeds - Profit Drive Of Monsanto And Other Chemical Companies BackfiresREAD MOREChez Sludge: How the Sewage Sludge Industry Bedded Alice WatersREAD MOREA Debate on Geoengineering: Vandana Shiva vs. Gwynne DyerREAD MOREProfit Drive Of Monsanto And Other Chemical Companies BackfiresREAD MORESafe Canning: BPA in Canning Lids and Canned FoodREAD MORELOCAL Your State NEWS OF THE WEEKYour State - Get Involved LocallyLearn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in Your State here.Join Your State discussion groups in our forum.Post events in Your State on our community calendar.Message from our SponsorsBecome an OCA Sponsor!Every issue of Organic Bytes now goes to 250,000 organic consumers with a thousand new subscribers each week. Please help us and your business by letting our subscribers know who you are and that you support the work of the OCA. Please contact us if you want more information! (Note: select "Sponsorship Coordinator" from the dropdown menu)Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites,print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association6771 South Silver Hill Drive - Finland, MN 55603 - Phone: 218-226-4164 - Fax: 218-353-7652You are subscribed as:tane_1@msn.comRead past issues and print- friendly PDF versions of Organic Bytes |Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Donate
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