Vignesh Ramachandran reports Worldwide Protest in 436 Cities Targets Monsanto and GMOs:
| More than 2 million protesters in 436 cities across the world took to the streets Saturday, in a unified charge against agribusiness giant Monsanto and genetically modified foods. The AP reported that the "March Against Monsanto" protests took place in at least 52 countries and 436 cities.
The movement grew from a Facebook page — reportedly created months ago — that called for the May 25 demonstrations. The organizers advocate for boycotts against Monsanto-owned companies that use GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and pushed for GMO labeling, in addition to further studies of the health effects of GMOs.
Genetically modified organisms have been engineered with ideal traits. Monsanto, which ranked #206 in 2013's Fortune 500 list, is a large producer of genetically modified seeds.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supports voluntary labeling for foods produced via genetic engineering. This year, President Barack Obama signed a bill that included a "Farmer Assurance Provision," which reportedly could make it more difficult to stop the sale of questionable crops. That's why critics nicknamed it the "Monsanto Protection Act."
|
From
Arturo Gonzales:
| Besides protesting [Monsanto]’s practice of making genetically-modifying seeds, protesters vowed to make their voices heard against the U.S. Senate after it rejected an amendment introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would have allowed states to require labels on foods made with modified ingredients.
Sanders’ amendment failed on Thursday in a 71-27 vote, three days after one of his colleagues, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), released a statement promising to repeal the so-called “Monsanto Protection Act,” which allows farmers to buy and plant genetically-altered seeds while its regulatory approval is being challenged in court.
Dorothy Muehlmann, who organized the march in Los Angeles, California, told the Los Angeles Times that the protests were also designed to heighten consumer awareness about Monsanto’s business dealings.
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Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2008—Senator, VA Secretary Disrespect Troops on Memorial Day:
| On Memorial Day weekend, Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) and VA Secretary James Peake stood side-by-side in Fairbanks, Alaska to showcase their opposition to--and lack of respect for--today’s newest veterans.
Speaking at the Disabled American Veterans’ 19th Annual Department Convention, Senator Stevens told the majority of America’s most recent war veterans that they had not yet sacrificed enough to have earned a GI Bill that would cover the full cost of their educations.
Sen. Ted Stevens warned of a "mass exodus" from the military Saturday if the so-called 21st Century GI Bill goes into law without major changes.
::
"There are worries that people who are already in for two years will serve one more and leave, and there’s really no incentive to stay," Stevens said.
What Stevens is really saying is that today's troops are unpatriotic--that they're only in it for the money and the college. And while Stevens’ "mass exodus" theory has been thoroughly discredited by the Congressional Budget Office, the true irony of the situation lies in the fact that Stevens earned his own college degree after World War Two by using the same GI Bill he’s aiming to prevent today’s veterans from receiving. |
Tweet of the Day:
Terrific use of limited newsroom resources. @macloo: 4,000 journalists at Cannes? Okay, that's necessary.
— @jayrosen_nyu via web
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