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Anti-GMO movement records several major victories
You might not be aware, because the mainstream news has been relatively quiet, however, Genetically Modified Food and the companies that produce them had a few major setbacks in their quest to control global food production.
In 2015, Monsanto initially pushed a law through the Guatemalan Congress, that would have granted exclusive control of all seeds to just a few multinational companies, threatening the rich tradition of Mayan farming and potentially destroying what remains of their indigenous culture.
The Guatemalan government:
“…repealed the legislation dubbed the ‘Monsanto Law’, which [gave] the biotech giant special expansion rights into ecologically-sensitive territory, after widespread public protest. The demonstrations included groups of indigenous Mayan people, joined by social movements, trade unions and farmers’ and womens’ organizations. (Natural Awakenings & UpsideDownWorld.org)”
Effective July 1st, 2016 Vermont will become the first state requiring any GMO ingredients to be labeled as such on all products sold or manufactured in the state. This will trigger similar laws in Maine and Connecticut as their respective bills required neighboring states to pass GMO labeling laws first.
Early in March 2016, General Mills announced “that it will start labeling products that contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a Vermont law shows food companies might be throwing in the towel, even as they hold out hope Congress will find a national solution. (Yahoo Finance)”
A bill known as the “DARK Act” (Denying Americans the Right to Know Act) was introduced by US Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), that would have prevented states from labeling food as GMO. Thankfully this bill was defeated 48-49, however, what is alarming is how many Senators agreed that companies should not be required to label GMO ingredients. Or as others have stated, almost half of the Senators thought that Americans do not have the right to know what is in their food, however, at least it was defeated. If GMO food is as safe as Monsanto and other companies say it is, then why lobby and pressure Congress to make sure that it never appears on the labels as GMO?
As the world continues to take action towards protecting natural, heirloom and organic seeds, we continue to move closer to ensuring that the food we consume is as close as possible to what Nature and God intended.
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Monsanto found guilty of poisoning French farmer
Your National Taoism Examiner has written several articles regarding the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms/Food and the companies that produce them, in particular Monsanto (see recommended articles below). There have been a few articles concerning the rising tide of change that is occurring in many countries as mass protests are causing countries to change laws and companies that produce food for the mass market to change their policies and ingredients.
One major item that has been missing from these announcements is a major legal defeat that would specifically list the dangers of GM food and/or the dangers of Monsanto and other companies that produce them.
That is until now. The following verdict was announced in which it specifically states that:
“A French court upheld on Thursday [10 September, 2015] a 2012 ruling in which Monsanto was found guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, who says he suffered neurological problems after inhaling the U.S. company’s Lasso weedkiller. The decision by an appeal court in Lyon, southeast France, confirmed the initial judgment, the first such case heard in court in France, that ruled Monsanto was “responsible” for the intoxication and ordered the company to “fully compensate” grain grower Paul Francois. (Reuters.com)”
This is great news for those wanting an eventual ban on GM food, including toxic pesticides, as it lays the legal framework for future action. Monsanto, is now legally guilty of poisoning a person with the dangerous poisons they created. Interesting, that the court decisions led to settlements and not prison sentences. Unfortunately, for Mr. Francois, he cannot be awarded further monetary damages from this decision as he had already accepted a settlement from the 2012 case.
“According to Francois, he became ill shortly after applying the product [in 2004]. As stated in the lawsuit, the symptoms included difficulty breathing, headaches, and memory loss. (Inquisitr)”
Lasso weedkiller is banned in Belgium, Britain, Canada and France. It was never officially banned in the United States, however, they did “phase out” the product for so called commercial reasons.
As is usual for Monsanto they are denying all charges and promising to seek another appeal, this time with France’s highest court. Hopefully, the French high court’s judgment will not be compromised or bullied by Monsanto’s corporate influence. It is unlikely that court decisions of this nature and magnitude will occur in the United States any time soon, as many politicians receive tremendous donations from Monsanto and their executives. As stated before, the current FDA senior adviser Michael Taylor was a Monsanto lobbyist. So Monsanto is literally in charge of the United States food safety laws and regulations.
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Over 400 cities march against Monsanto and GMO food
One would think that a major global protest occurring in over 400 cities, on the same day, would be breaking news. Yet, in the United States the global protest against Monsanto and GMO food was barely mentioned. Outside of the US, this was most definitely breaking news.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
According to RT News, “Activists accuse the agricultural corporation of selling toxic chemicals, which are bad for people’s health, water supplies, vital crop pollinators and environment in general. The giant is also criticized for its attitude towards food safety regulations and a staunch opposition to GMO labeling. Meanwhile, small farmers blame Monsanto for monopolizing the seed market.”
France alone had over 20 cities participate in the protest. In the United States, protests were held in “New York; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; San Franciso; Chicago; Indianapolis; Portland, Oregon; Oakland, California and dozens of others… protesters marched on the White House and Monsanto’s Washington, DC headquarters as part of the anti-GMO action. (RT.com)”
Monsanto now controls approximately 90% of the seed supply in the United States alone. As reported in prior articles, one of the most dangerous aspects of Monsanto is their use of proprietary trademark laws, which state that anything their seeds touch or grow in becomes a part of their trademark. So if you use Monsanto seeds, technically your land now becomes their land. If you doubt this, then search the internet for all of the cases where Monsanto has sued farmers claiming rights to the farmers land.
With the recent announcements from several restaurants and fast food chains, that they will no longer carry either GMO food or food with artificial ingredients, combined with the ever increasing amount of protests around the world, perhaps, the tide is slowly turning against a truly dangerous and sinister industry. Time will tell. Unfortunately, since most Americans are more interested in reality TV and getting their news from stations that are more Infotainment than true news (CNN, FOX, local news included), they are unaware of this battle and the progress being made.
In future elections, perhaps a major concern for people should be, what politicians have received funding from Monsanto or other GMO companies and interests and who “owns” the politician(s) you are thinking about casting your ballot for.
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Kingdom of Bhutan aiming to become 100 percent organic
The small landlocked nation, famed as the happiest country in the world, wedged between China (to the north) and India (to the south), with a population of over 700,000; is on the verge of becoming the first nation in the world to have its agriculture be 100% organic.
The government has set a goal to phase out all artificial chemicals from farming within 10 years.
“Jurmi Dorji, a member of the 103-strong Daga Shingdrey Pshogpa farmers’ association in southern Bhutan, says his fellow members are in favour of the policy. More than a decade ago, people realized that the chemicals were not good for farming,” […] “I cannot say everyone has stopped using chemicals but almost 90 percent have. (Yahoo News Singapore)”
This is great news not only for the people of Bhutan but also the world over as a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science demonstrated that after analyzing “74 studies on soils under organic…farming practices, has found that over time, the carbon content in the organic fields significantly increased. For farmers everywhere, that means organic agriculture results in a richer, more productive soil… (Natural Awakenings Magazine)”
Bhutan exports several agricultural commodities to various nations: rare mushrooms to Japan, vegetables to upscale hotels in Thailand, red rice to the United States and apples to several countries including India.
If Bhutan is able to achieve a 100% organic standard for all food they produce, then they will set a very high standard for the world to follow and will let the world know that their country is taking the quality of their food and the preservation of agricultural biodiversity very seriously, not to mention the ability to gain market advantages and price premiums for their exports.
The world should applaud Bhutan for this effort and encourage their own governments to pursue similar goals.
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Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
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