March Against Monsanto Explodes Globally

originally posted by: DiddyMcCoy
a reply to: Metallicus

Ive learnt something over the years, monkey does, monkey do. The only thing you are in this world is survival instinct, and you call it humane. Defend freedom yet forget that a human is always a slave under instincts.

Honestly that sounds like it could come straight out of "Classics by George W. Bush"

Right after

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me.. you can't get fooled again"

and

"We're going to have the best educated American people in the world."


Even if your points were valid, they only show you're a pessimist. Yep, humans have destroyed a good part of earth. But as long as it's in rotation and the sun is still burning, I'd say we always stand a good shot at restoring things, at least in part


Looking at practices like those of monsanto and addressing them, is a good place to start.

Shoving your head in the sand and saying "humanity is an instinct driven animalistic species doomed to self-destruct", is a self-fullfilling prophecy that I and many others are not to keen on seeing come true, so we speak up

Humanity is only doomed if all of it's individual members think so, which is FAR from the case, showing from this march, among many other things.

F*K MONSANTO! REAL FOOD FOR REAL PEOPLE ON A REAL PLANET!

I feel better

a reply to: Elementalist

Can I get an amen?

a reply to: Iwinder

All the proof I need that God exists is this existence
of evil and morpphing hatred for Gods creation.

It's plain as the nose on my face. And that's very plain.

Monsanto, Proctor n Gamble Johnson n Johnson are all
advocates of the Devil himself.

a reply to: Phage

Ok, I'm better now. Sorry about that. Concentrates are redonkidonk.

Help me out here. The testing for chemical residue by the CFIA. Does GMO show the pesticide in the final product or is it flushed somehow? I don't really know where I am going with this, but I am trying to continue what ever sense I was attempting to make last night.

a reply to: Elementalist

I love you man!

a reply to: MALBOSIA

I'm going off the cuff here, no wikipedia crutch, so if I'm wrong go easy on me:

GMO= genetically modified organism You can't test for GMO unless you are able to map the DNA and compare it to an heirloom specimen.

Certified Organic= tested for chemicals/pesticides As a PP pointed out there is a small threshold amount that is acceptable, but for the most part if a food item is labeled "USDA Organic" there was little to no chemicals used in it's production.

Theoretically a USDA Organic item COULD still be GMO. But if the label specifically states "Non-GMO" then you're probably good to go. And I don't think I've ever seen a "Non-GMO" label that wasn't "USDA Organic" as well.

PS If you're new to the label reading game terms like "No added sugar" and "All natural" don't mean sh*t. The only statement that means anything is "USDA Organic" or "Non GMO" everything else is just marketing gimmick. And FYI pretty much all corn and soy is GMO at this point.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Ummm....you are attempting to discredit Stoutbroux quoting I-SIS by asserting that Dr. Mae Wan Ho is a quack and I-SIS isn't a scientific journal.

But....you 'made your point' by citing a freakin' blog.

So, pot meet kettle.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
Aren't there close to 100 other companies that make GMOs? Are there any rallies protesting them?

It's not just about GMOs. It's about Round Up Ready seed, the copywriting of seed, the cross contamination of this seed onto adjoining land, the suing of farmers for using seed they posses for an extra season they didn't pay for, it's about cornering the seed market and price fixing in third world countries-leading to farmer suicides. It's NOT just about GMOs.

originally posted by: DiddyMcCoy
a reply to: Metallicus

I value life, as long as it is respected. Look at it today, Industrialized mass slaughter, what makes a human life different from any other, how do we look upon captivation on innocent humans? Yet we do it in mass scales on every other specie and call it modernized. We outlived our function, so i think monsanto is the greatest idea ever existed.

You go with that. I think you are a troll.

originally posted by: babybunnies
There's not much point in marching against Monsanto globally, as about the only place that they're actually allowed to plant or sell anything is in the USA and Canada.

They're already banned in most other countries, and in major areas like the EU, Australia, etc.

They're only allowed to sell their GMO crops in places where they are able to pay off the politicians, like the widespread corruption in the United States.

Not true SOURCE Monsanto doesn't just sell GMO seed. I counted 68 countries and some are EU.

a reply to: reldra
Seeds have been patented since before there were GM crops.

How much cross contamination has occurred? What have been the consequences?

Yes, farmers have been sued for knowingly replanting patented seed. People have also been sued for other patent and liscensing agreement infringements in other industries.


Monsanto and Dupont (and others to a lesser degree) certainly dominate the seed market but cornered? Not really.
Market Shares

Farmer suicides? Really? That myth?
India had a high rate of suicide among farmers (and others) before the introduction of GMOs and the rate of increase declined after they were introduced in 2002.

“The issue of farmer suicides is not just entirely a farmer issue, or rural issue, or a village issue — it is a much more broader political-economic problem,” said Raju Das, a developmental studies professor at York University.

While the spotlight is on farmers, forgotten is a suicide crisis among Indians where the suicide rate is twice as high for the general population and even higher for young females.

The issue of farmer suicides first gained media attention in 1995 as the southern state of Maharashtra began reporting a significant rise in farmers killing themselves.

But in 2008, the International Food Policy Research Institute, an alliance of 64 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations that aims to end hunger in the developing world, reached an entirely different conclusion.

“It is not only inaccurate, but simply wrong to blame the use of Bt cotton as the primary cause of farmer suicides in India,” said the report, stating that the introduction of Bt cotton in India had actually been effective in producing higher yields and decreasing pesticide usage by nearly 40%.

news.nationalpost.com...

originally posted by: ladyvalkyrie
a reply to: Elementalist

Can I get an amen?

LOL! I just spit my tea out.. did nit expect that!

@Randy -love you to brother

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: MALBOSIA

You know that there is no GM wheat production, right?



(Wikipedia)
I'm not too sure about that. I "Monsanto's MON 71800[edit]
The transgenic wheat that was furthest developed was Monsanto's MON 71800, which is glyphosate-resistant via a CP4/maize EPSPS gene.[27] Monsanto received approval from the FDA for its use in food, but withdrew its EPA application in 2004, so the product was never marketed. It also received approval for use as food in Colombia.[28]

Studies conducted by Monsanto showed that its nutritional components are equivalent to nontransgenic commercially available wheat,[29] and animal studies that have used MON 71800 for feed have confirmed this.[30] Environmental Risk assessments have been conducted by Monsanto,[31] and government regulatory agencies have approved its use in food;[32]

However, farmers were worried about the potential loss of markets in Europe and Asia due to public refusal of the end-product,[33][34] so Monsanto withdrew its EPA application for Roundup-Ready Wheat.[35]

In 2010 Monsanto's partner in India, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co, announced that it planned to seek approval to market GM wheat in India in the next three to five years.[36]

Escape of GM wheat seed[edit]
In 1999 scientists in Thailand claimed they discovered glyphosate-resistant wheat in a grain shipment from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, even though transgenic wheat had never been approved for sale and was only ever grown in test plots. No one could explain how the transgenic wheat got into the food supply.[37]

In May 2013 a strain of genetically-engineered glyphosate-resistant wheat was found on a farm in Oregon. Extensive testing confirmed the wheat as a variety – MON71800.[38] The wheat had been developed by Monsanto but never been approved or marketed after the company had tested it between 1998 and 2005. The unexplained presence of this type of wheat presents a problem to wheat growers when buyers demand GMO-free wheat.[39] Japan subsequently suspended import of soft white wheat from the United States.[40] A Kansas farmer sued Monsanto over the release, saying it had caused the price of wheat grown in the US to fall.[41] Monsanto suggested that the presence of this wheat was likely an act of sabotage.[42] On Jun 14, 2013, the USDA announced: "As of today, USDA has neither found nor been informed of anything that would indicate that this incident amounts to more than a single isolated incident in a single field on a single farm. All information collected so far shows no indication of the presence of GE wheat in commerce."[43] As of August 30, 2013, while the source of the GM wheat remained unknown, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan had all resumed placing orders, and the disruption of the export market was minimal.[44]"

Seeds spread. Not sure how it could show up and disappear. I don't have a happy trusting feeling for the USDA.

a reply to: reldra

Seeds spread. Not sure how it could show up and disappear. I don't have a happy trusting feeling for the USDA.

So, you think that GM wheat is in production?

You know that GM products are identifiable, right? That's how license violations are able to be proven.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: reldra

Seeds spread. Not sure how it could show up and disappear. I don't have a happy trusting feeling for the USDA.

So, you think that GM wheat is in production?

You know that GM products are identifiable, right? That's how license violations are able to be proven.

I don't know if they are or not. I am saying there is a possibility.

I just read through this entire debate thus far. Hopefully this will clear up some of the muddy water:

Regular farmers use pesticide and herbicide. Organic farmers use little to no pesticide/herbicide. GMO crop may or may not use pesticides/herbicides. Round up ready GMO crops are immune to weed killing herbicides. Some GMO crops are genetically engineered to KILL insects without the use of pesticides- as in the plants themselves killing pests.

* Don't know about you but I'm not too keen on feeding my 6 year old a plant that has been designed in a lab to kill grasshoppers and worms. Not to mention the fact that some insects have evolved to eat them anyway.

GMO crops in and of themselves won't contaminate soil, but pesticides and herbicides certainly will.

GMO and Organic crops are not mutually exclusive- in the mathematical sense, not the literal- as in what one does inherently has no impact on the other. GMO pollen being blown into Organic crops is a problem because then GMO plants are mixed in with supposedly Organic plants and you can't tell the difference unless (as before stated) DNA mapping is done.

Soil AND plants are natural resources...in addition to energy, water, air.

The whole March Against Monsanto is to raise awareness for the issue and to pressure Monsanto and politicians to (hopefully) behave more ethically. Some people are completely against GMOs and think they should be banned, but MOST people just want them to be labeled so that the consumer can decide for themselves. And since pro-GMOers claim that they are perfectly harmless....why the hesitation to label?

The fact is, breeding for selective traits has been around since the beginning of agriculture. But DNA was only 'discovered' in the 50s, isolated in the 70s and mapped in the 90s-ongoing into today (human genome is considered complete, but obviously we haven't gotten that far with all species). GMO crops were put on grocery store shelves in the 90s with little to no testing. If consuming GMOs causes damage to DNA, it would take at least one generation to manifest, we are just NOW positioned to start seeing long term adverse effects. For instance- maybe a full grown adult can handle a small amount of GMOs just fine...but what effect would it have on a developing fetus?

Maybe GMOs are completely harmless, maybe not. Just label them so me and my family can avoid them. My great great grandchildren can see how GMO consumers are effected, and if there are no ill effects THEN they can start consuming them with peace of mind.

a reply to: Phage

Identifiable by DNA mapping. How often does that happen? It is impossible to tell with the naked eye, or even chemical testing.

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

Identifiable by DNA mapping. How often does that happen?

Often enough. That's why Japan, South Korea and Taiwan resumed accepting wheat from the US.

originally posted by: ladyvalkyrie
a reply to: Grimpachi

Ummm....you are attempting to discredit Stoutbroux quoting I-SIS by asserting that Dr. Mae Wan Ho is a quack and I-SIS isn't a scientific journal.

But....you 'made your point' by citing a freakin' blog.

So, pot meet kettle.

Dr. Mae Wan Ho is a quack. Anyone who pushes homeopathy (water treatments) as medicine is a quack. ISIS isn't a journal she pushes stuff like water treatments aka homeopathy for serious illnesses such as cancer. That is a great way to encourage people to die from ignorance.

She endorses pseudoscience but hey if you believe a magic sugar pill can cure all then that type of doc may be right up your ally.