Monsanto Getting Creepier and Creepier

The Geneticly Modified "Seed Police" is getting creepier and creepier. I have been saying for some time that there is more to this than the money to be made, controlling the global food supply is a pretty potent concept. Check out the follwing snips...

www.newswithviews.com...
Homan saved seeds from one harvest year and planted them the next year, something Homan says is an ancient agricultural practice... with Monsanto demanding that he pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars for alleged technology piracy....

In the US, alone (not to mention in countries around the world, including the new interim government in Iraq)...

Over the past nine years, Monsanto has filed similar lawsuits 90 times in twenty five different states against 147 farmers and 39 agriculture firms.

You can be imprisioned for a violation of a civil contract?!?! Yes, if the seed police are involved...

Kem Ralph, a Tennessee farmer was sued by Monsanto and sentenced to eight months in prison for lying about a truckload of cotton seed he concealed for a friend. In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Ralph to pay Monsanto more than $1.7 million dollars. Anonymous tips pitting farmer against farmer, have been the mother lode for Monsanto in pursuing farmers using its seeds.

Don't try to stand in their way or express your concerns publicly, and no it's not about making better food either...

Company research is rigged, alarming evidence of health dangers is covered up, and intense political pressure applied.
"Scientists were offered bribes or threatened. Evidence was stolen. Data was omitted or distorted.
"Government employees who complained were harassed, stripped of responsibilities, or fired.
"Laboratory rats fed a GM crop developed stomach lesions and seven of the forty died within two weeks. The crop was approved without further tests.
"When a top scientist tried to alert the public about his alarming discoveries, he lost his job and was silenced with threats of a lawsuit.

[edit on 13-8-2005 by John bull 1]

Wouldint it be easier to buy seed elsewhere? I do realize that Montsano and ADM are the 800 lb gorillas of the ag world but there have to be options.

Fred you know how capitalism works, the 800 lb gorilla is the only ones that counts when it comes to policy. Throw in a couple global what if's, and this could be a serious threat to the human food supply.

There are plenty of seed companies out there. Monsanto just has a patent on roundup ready crops for the most part.

Roper

Roper, you have to understand the totalitarianism of large coporations, especially in regars to their clout in third world nations, where Monsanto is completely unchecked by either competition or opposition...Check this little tidbit out...

www.indymedia.org...
Monsanto, the world's biggest producer of GM crops was fined US$ 1.5 million for bribing at least 140 Indonesian government officials and their family members between 1997 and 2002. In 2002, while Monsanto was already running an internal investigation, a Monsanto employee in the US arranged a payment of US$ 50.000 in cash to repeal a decree of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment that demanded prior environmental impact studies of Bt cotton. The money was taken, but the decree staid in place.

After strong protests from farmers, as well as from the environmental minister, Monsanto got approval to grow Bollgard Bt cotton in the South Sulawesi province. 40 tonnes of GM seeds were flown into from South Africa under milatry protection. Only after 2 growing seasons with farmers protests, burning fields and harvest failures - and the failed attempt to buy itself out of the environmental stdies - Monsanto pulled out of Bt cotton in Indonesia.

The experiences match those of farmers in India where Bollgard is still grown, and Thailand which banned Bt cotton in 2000. Monsanto is now trying to introduce Bt cotton into West Africa.

The other seeds aren't going to be that helpful when the neighbors crops cross polinate without your knowledge, and this company has sued farmers to saving the seeds that didn't know were cross pollinated. Under those circumstances, you might as well just buy their seeds year after year, since you could never guarentee that yours aren't modified, and really don't have the option of saving them either.

I did a little bit of research and I found out that Monsanto has deleted all references about the BT Cotton from their catalogs, both on paper and on line. Right now, according to their catalogue and their website, there are only two brands available: Asgrow (both normal and Roundup Ready), which includes soybeans, corn, sorghum and alfalfa, and Dekalb, which includes sunflower, sorghum, corn and various types of forage seeds. Apparently this has nothing to do with the impending lawsuits, but because the company was stung by the fact that the BT Cotton is a failure, comparing very poorly with the varieties currently grown. Even the Indian government says so. Nevertheless, the product is selling extremely well: see here.
I don't know how this is achieved, since BT Cotton is both more expensive and less vigorous than current, cheaper varities: maybe someone here can look into it.

Monsanto has always been a mega-huge corporate scumbag of a company. They were partly responsible for hemp being outlawed. Hemp which can be used to make clothing and other textiles and paper, was helped to be made illegal by Monsanto and as soon as that was done, they released their new synthetic fiber known as what?...POLYESTER.....Monsanto helped squash the use of hemp so they could sell a cheesy fabric made of plastic fibers and they've made billions off it ever since.

Outlawing hemp had more to do with this than people smoking it...

Originally posted by twitchy
ou can be imprisioned for a violation of a civil contract?!?! Yes, if the seed police are involved...

sentenced to eight months in prison for lying

No, but you can be sent to prison if you lie in court, like this guy did. Monsanto didn't make him lie or break his contract.

where Monsanto is completely unchecked by either competition or opposition

And what do you propose, that the governments over there create state monopolies? Forbid Monsanto from selling its product? Break international copyright laws?

If Monsanto is such garbage, then why are people buying it? They obviously have alternate sources of seed, they weren't doing nothing before hand. They choose to use monsanto product, because its better, for whatever the reason.

dawnstar
this company has sued farmers to saving the seeds that didn't know were cross pollinated

Only in america tho. Also, I think that in that case, the farmer knew that the seeds had been cross pollinated and used them anyway. But I agree, thats an actual problem that needs to be resolved.

Monsanto has deleted all references about the BT Cotton from their catalogs, both on paper and on line.

Why the heck wouldn't they erase such a pulbic relations and economic disaster?

This is currently on another thread in regards to Aspartame. Why would a chemical weapons company want to control the world's food supply?

Originally posted by twitchy

Originally posted by Flange Gasket
Aspartame is manufactured by Monsanto's...

Monsanto Ah Ha! i knew I had heard that name before the seed police stuff. Here's the scoop on aspartame, the company that makes the stuff used to develop weapons grade chemical agents for Uncle Sam. Aspartame was one of their little projects that fell through, but the remarkable sweetness of the chemical was alluring to the greedy bastards, so they presented it to the FDA for approval as a sweetner. The FDA panel voted it down because of course it is deadly poison, but the then head of the FDA who has a sort of Veto power, overturned the decision, got it approved, and later resigned and took a corporate level job with the aspartame folks as a spokesperson. It's deadly.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by twitchy]

Ya know.....whats really creepy, is Ive never even heard of these guys till now...............and looking at how big they are...........

THATS creepy. Hpow does such a giant go unoticed?

Nygdan
It is crap, they are a bad example of corporate greed, people do keep buying their products - why? Because their products are misrepresented to people who aren't smart enough to be skeptical. They put on a good song and dance, and a lot of farmers the world over continue to be swayed by glossy brochures and high budget marketing videos. It's the same old story everywhere else.

Zabilgy
Good point, very good point. Monsanto has been a boil on American honor for a very long time. They started out with good intentions, and we corrupted by great wealth and a lust for power. I wish people would wake up to the reality regarding the hunger for power. It's a sickness, an addiction, and it needs to be recognized and treated. The rich and powerful around the world are addicts, and they need all our help to realize that.

Swann is involved in everything from Eastman Kodak to Dow as well as MONSANTO, Pharmacia Corporation, and GD Searle. I did a couple searches on google, and will throw some links around here...

I don't know if this link is Ironic or sickening, the companies which profit the most from the chemical weapons industry, form the Chemical Weapons Convention.
www.fas.org...

Monsanto's Agent Orange
www.organicconsumers.org...
www.cooperativeresearch.org...
www.cpa.org.au...

The following article makes a point to mention that Monsanto was not involved with the Army's chemical incenerator in Alabama, but an interesting read nonetheless.
www.usatoday.com...

Look at the top two photographs in this page.. Isn't this crap exactly why we are bombing and invading other countries. Freaking sad.
www.aliciapatterson.org...

Creepy little quote for you right wingers to debunk...

www.makethemaccountable.com...
Rumsfeld told Congress he has asked COW head George W. Bush to sign a special waiver allowing American forces to use biochemical weapons against Iraqi troops and civilians in the upcoming stampede into Iraq, UPI reported. What's more, the COW chemicals would be launched unilaterally, as part of the standard Rules of Engagement -- and not merely in retaliation for an attack with similar weapons by Hussein.

Monsanto is no stranger to Iraq either...

www.internationalist.org...
U.S. and Other Western Imperialists
Supplied Saddam Hussein’s Chemical Weapons

Dig around, lots of interesting things to read about our chemical companies...
www.google.com...

curezone.com...

"Who profits from the mad cow terror?"
100777.com...

Bribes...
www.axcessnews.com...

Edit:
Check this guy out...
Edgar Monsanto Queeny 1897-1968
www.google.com...




[edit on 6-2-2005 by twitchy]

Excellent work Twitchy, lots of links. There is of course a lot of stuff that remains under wraps, and that's the pot of gold and the kiss of death both to a conspiracy theorist. Some of the stuff these companies do makes hollywood horror films pale in comparison, and if you go around talking about the stuff people think you're crazy. 9/11 is a good example of a lie that achieved the status of the truth through sheer magnitude.

You got interested in Monsanto and followed the bread crumbs back through time, scary stuff huh? It's no wonder Mercenaries have become PC again, companies like this one are going to need a lot of hired guns to stop the peasants with their pitchforks and torches from storming the White Castle wherein the Puppet King makes his residence. If 80% of Americans had the correct information, 79% would have voted for a third party candidate.

Edited after reading your links: Good stuff, all of it. The Rumsfeld connection is amazing to me, because everybody should know about it by now, but most don't. The fact that we gave Iraq the lions share of its chemical and biological weapons is another fact most people choose to disbelieve. I really think the revolution in America will hinge on the ability of the average person to admit they know nothing.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by WyrdeOne]

Helmutt posted a good thread that I want to link onto this one...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Aren't the new wave of seeds supposed to be embedded with terminator technology? That is the seeds are only good for a certain amount of time before they expire. I find this very disturbing, the distribution of food is being threatened before our very eyes. It makes little sense to keep only limited varities of superstrains available.

Yup, and they can sue you if they catch you trying to save your seeds for the next crop instead of buying shiny new ones from them. Hence the Terminator technology. Given the History of this comapny in Particular (if you trace it back far enough you will find connections to I G Farben), I hardly doubt that this alarming trend in industrial agriculture is purely of profit concern. You think they are a powerful lobby now, wait until our food supplies are dependent on them completely.

voted twitchy for way above. yay, twitchy!

Funny. Just saw Monsanto as I cracked open a can of diet Dr. Pepper, the major cause of my ringing ears.

When I don't drink it for awhile I don't get the ringing but when I start it back up, hizz, ring, eeeeee. Ah the aspartame. Gotta love it.

Yet another reason why this technology should be open sourced.

Wired.com - Garage Biotech

This combined with a GPL type of license and we can wrest control just as is starting to happen in IT.