Monsanto's dream bill, HR 875

[leftchick]

by Linn Cohen-Cole

www.opednews.com


To begin reversing GM contamination will require ending the power biotech companies such as Monsanto exert over our government and through that, over our food.

HR 875, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto.

The bill is monstrous on level after level - the power it would give to Monsanto, the criminalization of seed banking, the prison terms and confiscatory fines for farmers, the 24 hours GPS tracking of their animals, the easements on their property to allow for warrantless government entry, the stripping away of their property rights, the imposition by the filthy, greedy industrial side of anti-farming international "industrial" standards to independent farms - the only part of our food system that still works, the planned elimination of farmers through all these means.

The corporations want the land, they want more intensive industrialization, they want the end of normal animals so they can substitute patented genetically engineered ones they own, they want the end of normal seeds and thus of seed banking by farmers or individuals. They want control over all seeds, animals, water, and land.

Our farmers are good stewards. That is who is threatened by Rosa DeLauro's bill (and because of that, we all are). At a time in this country when wise stewardship and the production of anything real - especially good food - is what is most needed, it is our best stewards whom Rosa DeLauro threatens, under the cruelly false name of "food safety."

And now Monsanto wants its own employee, Michael Taylor - the man who forced genetically engineered rBGH on us (unlabeled so us, unaware) when the Clintons placed him over "food safety" in the 90s - back in government, this time to act with massive police power as a "food safety tsar" from inside the White House. HR 875 would give him immense power over what is done on every single farm in the country and massive police state power to wield over farmers and punishments to break them at will.

The following quotes show Monsanto and its biotech ilk are not "stewards" at all. Their inhuman focus on profit has led to inhuman, insane, sickening products that require intense corruption of democracy and science institutes and media, to foist them on country after country which don't want them.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. We've been discussing this in an heirloom gardening forum -

and wondering about the disastrous potential impact on those who sell at Farmers markets - even extrapolating to home gardening, seed saving, etc. This is NOT change we can believe in!

[Supersedeas]

3. I'll check it out too

[MadHound]

2. This is really sad, but not surprising

I figured that this bill would continue to be hammered due to the fact that Obama appointed Monsanto's boy Vilsack as the head of the Ag dept.

They are essentially trying to force everybody to eat their poison, force every small farmer out of business, and turn all our food into frankenfood, all without proper testing and research in the horrible effects of all this. There are already studies out documenting how species like monarch butterflies are being killed by GM corn, how certain allergens are effecting people due to transgenic food.

Me, I'm going to to grow my own food, and if need be, break the law and save my own seeds. I foresee lots of people doing this, and in a sad statement of our times, there will be a black market in wholesome, healthy food.

[leftchick]

4. I believe it is behind the honeybee devastation as well

I also am planning on my own garden for food. I would also love to have some chickens for eggs, I could never eat them.

[MadHound]

7. Chickens (actually birds in general) are great to have around the place

Not only do you get eggs from them, but if you let them free range they will help control the bug problem. I feed birds to keep them around, and my place has many fewer bugs around. Between the birds and bats, I remain pretty much mosquito free.

[leftchick]

8. I live in the city limits

but heard about Urban Chickens a while back. I am going to seriously pursue this.

http://urbanchickens.org/

[BadgerKid]

5. It doesn't sound dissimilar

from the music industry or software companies that want you to rent their software.

[dynasaw]

6. So much for Michelle's Eat Healthy Program

[G_j]

9. K&R

[Tom From Idaho]

10. I've launched a fight on this same Bill

I run the organization www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.com I joined DU a couple months ago because people over here were unsure of what or who we are. You will notice that many people in our organization are conservative, Libertarian and most are independent. Because of our independent minds, we agree with you on many topics. However, you probably won't find any Obama supporters, and very few if any Democrats. Very few liberals have contacted me with interest to join, probably because of the fact that most of us are against Obama and more importantly against socialism. You won't, however find anyone who carries water for the Republican party. Bush Gave a lot of freedom away to Global interests. We are all very independent minded Ideologically. All of us are against the massive take over of our rights of major corporations such as monsanto, as well as the taking of our rights and privacy by "Big Brother". We are against most forms of Socialism, Including; National Socialism, (Nazism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialism and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism which our nation is rapidly becoming), Communism, Fascism, Globalism, and Totalitarianism. We are in favor of small business, farms, and very importantly Organic farms and Food Co-ops. HR 875 is an attack on our most sacred freedom. Our right to EAT!! You will see my attack at this link: http://americanpreppersnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/03/hr-875.html I'm not over here to stir any problems or cause a fight, but to see what we all can do to work together to defeat this bill.

Thank you,
Tom
[e-mail]

[goforit]

18. Welcome to the DU. Monsanto has pushed our buttons way too far. We can not

afford to bicker over petty politics anymore when the future of our children
are at stake.

By the way I believe forms of gov't (Communism/Socialism/Democracies) swing on a pendulum and it is corruption
that always changes the direction of this swing.

[Tom From Idaho]

19. Thanks for the welcome goforit

I'm willing to work with anyone on DU to fight this bill

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. This was debunked in a thread yesterday.

You should read that one.

It's funny.

[Greyhound]

12. Link? With a kick to boot. n/t

:kick:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5237218

[Tom From Idaho]

14. Debunk the debunk

Do Not carry water for your Democratic Leaders. Demand they stop this!!

Food Production Facility Definition from Section 3
(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY.—The term
7 ‘‘food production facility’’ means any farm, ranch,
8 orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined
9 animal-feeding operation.

That's broad enough to include hobby farms and even gardens as well as all livestock

Read section 206 Food production facilities. pay special attention to to this part:
6 (4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate;

You want to give away that kind of privacy? Where's the ACLU in this?

Here is some of the section 206 since this bill is intentionally written to be long and boring so people miss the important parts:

SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.
16 (a) AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out the duties of the
17 Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Adminis18
trator shall have the authority, with respect to food pro19
duction facilities, to—
20 (1) visit and inspect food production facilities in
21 the United States and in foreign countries to deter22
mine if they are operating in compliance with the re23
quirements of the food safety law;
VerDate Nov 24 2008 03:56 Feb 08, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H875.IH H875 smartinez on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
45
•HR 875 IH
1 (2) review food safety records as required to be
2 kept by the Administrator under section 210 and for
3 other food safety purposes;
4 (3) set good practice standards to protect the
5 public and animal health and promote food safety;
6 (4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of ani7
mals, plants, products, or the environment, as ap8
propriate; and
9 (5) collect and maintain information relevant to
10 public health and farm practices.

[G_j]

16. well that is certainly a matter of opinion!

:rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. I suppose that's technically true.

But it's such a thorough debunking that it doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.

[goforit]

15. The Enviromental groups need to collect and Block this bill!! We all do!! EDUCATE THE MASSES

[blues90]

20. These Monsanto freaks and their ilk must be genetically

Modified themselves.

When I first heard of Monsanto it was an HBO documentory and what they do is horrifying.

I looked up their sight and products that include seeds that are in-fertile so farmers are forced to buy seeds rather than to use their own stored seeds and the GMO crops drift over into natural crops and destroy the natural crops ability to remain in their natural state.

What they do to animals is also horrifying , no one knows what the long term result will be when playing with animals genes.

Their products have built in insecticides as well .

I don't get how a few freakish people are allowed to infect the food supply and are not stopped in their tracks and their products are already causing damage to other crops, have been for years.

Nature is a fine balance and it was not meant to be altered to fit mans freakish design. We have already poisoned the air and sea and land and water to the point of possibly no return with chemicals and waste and depleted uranium , carbon emmissions and all other sorts of man produced waste and now we really need to tamper with genetics and fuck that up too , I suppose they want to create a race that can endure the waste we have already spread all over the planet and that will be future man but not human man. They even want designer babies so they can pick the look and hair color.

Man has really gone over the deep end.

What the hell is the wife of some freak doing in a position to have power at all?

I just want off of this ball already.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Heh

"I looked up their sight and products that include seeds that are in-fertile so farmers are forced to buy seeds rather than to use their own stored seeds and the GMO crops drift over into natural crops and destroy the natural crops ability to remain in their natural state."

You saw that on their site, did you?

:rofl:

"What they do to animals is also horrifying , no one knows what the long term result will be when playing with animals genes. "

Then I sure hope Monsanto doesn't starting playing around with animals genes.

[blues90]

22. No I saw that in an HBO documentory

I looked up their site to see their products and descriptions.

Here is a link to the doc if you're really interested.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/koons041505.cf...

[Kat45]

23. Monsanto is scum.

I first learned about them in an Environmental Biology class around 30 years ago. Yup, they were scum then and they've only gotten worse as the years have gone on.

When I hear the name Monsanto I get terrifying feelings of our world coming to a horrific end in a worldwide famine ultimately caused by the practices of Monsanto, forced on us, often without our knowledge and always without our consent.