coming soon Tribunal Monsanto Oct 2016

Tribunal Monsanto in The Hague –12th -16th of October 2016

For an increasing number of people from around the world, Monsanto today is the symbol of industrial agriculture. This chemical-intensive form of production pollutes the environment, accelerates biodiversity loss, and massively contributes to global warming.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Monsanto, a US-based company, has developed a number of highly toxic products, which have permanently damaged the environment and caused illness or death for thousands of people. These products include:

•  PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), one of the twelve Persistent Organic  Pollutants (POP) that affect human and animal fertility;
•  2,4,5 T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid), a dioxin-containing component of the defoliant, Agent Orange, which was used by the US Army during the Vietnam War and continues to cause birth defects and cancer;
•  Lasso, an herbicide that is now banned in Europe;
•  and RoundUp, the most widely used herbicide in the world, and the source of the greatest health and environmental scandal in modern history - this toxic herbicide is used in combination with genetically modified (GM) RoundUp Ready seeds in large-scale monocultures, primarily to produce soybeans, maize and rapeseed for animal feed and biofuels.

Monsanto promotes an agroindustrial model that contributes at least one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions; it is also largely responsible for the depletion of soil and water resources, species extinction and declining biodiversity, and the displacement of millions of small farmers worldwide. This is a model that threatens peoples’ food sovereignty by patenting seeds and privatizing life.

According to its critics, Monsanto is able to ignore the human and environmental damage caused by its products and maintain its devastating activities through a strategy of systemic concealment: by lobbying regulatory agencies and governments, by resorting to lying and corruption, by financing fraudulent scientific studies, by pressuring independent scientists, by manipulating the press and media, etc. The history of Monsanto would thereby constitute a text-book case of impunity, benefiting transnational corporations and their executives, whose activities contribute to climate and biosphere crises and threaten the safety of the planet.

The Monsanto Tribunal, which will be held in The Hague from 12 to 16 October 2016, aims to assess these allegations made against Monsanto, and to evaluate the damages caused by this transnational company. The Tribunal will rely on the “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” adopted at the UN in 2011. It will also assess potential criminal liability on the basis of the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2002, and it will consider whether a reform of international criminal law is warranted to include crimes against the environment, or ecocide, as a prosecutable criminal offense, so that natural persons could incurr criminal liability.
Recognizing ecocide as a crime is the only way to guarantee the right of humans to a healthy environment and the right of nature to be protected.

 

Aware of these planetary stakes, the initiators of the Monsanto Tribunal are appealing to civil society and to all citizens of the world to participate in financing this unique operation throughthe biggest international crowd-funding campaign ever carried out.

 

Defending the safety of the planet, and the conditions of life itself, concerns us all. Only collective action can stop this machine of destruction!

Thank You for stopping by-Share and Comment below. If additional information in needed or you have a question let me know. Together we can make a difference and create a future that will benefit everyone. Build a Green StLouis Green Building Tips and Resources via: Scotty- St Louis Renewable Energy Green Blog
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MSM Fails Again on $MON

It’s no different than Fox, NBC, CNN, or ABC refusing to cover the DARK ACT which would give Monsanto legal immunity and disallow states to demand GMO labeling.

You would think that coverage of something the whole world wants to see – the first step toward the successful downfall of Monsanto –would be a hot news item; a newsworthy tidbit that every paper, radio station, and blog would want to spread across their pages with double bold headlines. But wait. . . just six corporations own ALL of the media in America, so there isn’t much luck there.
That’s why you have to go to sites like Russia Insider or Al Jazeera to find real news outside of certain alternative news channels in the US, and even those are white-washed from Facebook pages, and given secondary ratings on Google pages.

Matthew Phillips, the attorney suing Monsanto in California for false advertising on Roundup bottles, has asked the LA Times, New York Times, Huffington Post, CNN, and Reuters, one of the world’s largest news agencies to report on the lawsuit (Case No: BC 578 942), and most enforced a total media blackout.
When I spoke with Phillips over the phone, he said that he has tried posting the suit in Wikipedia’s Monsanto litigation section, but it keeps ‘disappearing.’ He says that he has also noticed posts on Facebook about this lawsuit get removed.
Phillips points out that as long as Monsanto can keep this lawsuit off of most of America’s radar, then his client base would be relegated to just the citizens of California.

If other attorneys were to follow his template-style lawsuit, which he wrote in English, devoid of extraneous legal-speak to encourage others to also take action against Monsanto, then suddenly the plaintiff count could be closer to several million. That is if you were to tally up all the citizens in the US who have purchased a bottle of Roundup from their local DIY store (Lowe’s, Home Depot or Ace Hardware, for example) in the last four years, not suspecting it could demolish their gut health.

Another possibility, according to Phillips, is that Monsanto could try to bump the case up to federal court in order to try to side-step a likely adverse judgment. But in this case the class action suit would also be open to residents other than those of just California. This is surely an idea that Monsanto doesn’t want seeded in the American psyche.

Phillips is extremely confident he has the goods on Monsanto in this case, and barring a sold out judge:

“This is a slam-dunk lawsuit that exposes Monsanto for LYING about Roundup. Contrary to the label, Roundup does indeed target and kill enzymes found in humans — in our gut bacteria — and this explains America’s chronic indigestion!”

His enthusiasm is palpable, as many well-known scientists and professors emeritus have offered to be key witnesses in this suit when it goes to trial. The attorney says he refuses to ‘settle’ the case and hopes that 49 additional attorneys in 49 states use his case as an example. He joked:

“When we allege that Roundup’s targeted enzyme is found in humans, it’s like alleging that the Golden Gate Bridge is found in California.”

The facts of the case really are that obvious.

Phillips also states that ‘false advertising’ and ‘misleading’ are synonyms in California law, so the fact that Monsanto has stated that there are enzymes in its product that don’t target humans – well that’s beyond just misleading. This obvious misjudgment by Monsanto is a well-known secret among many anti-GM scientists. This enzyme is definitely found in humans.

Here is how ‘misleading’ Monsanto’s statement that, “Round Up targets an enzyme only found in plants and not in humans or animals,” truly is:

EPSP synthase, also known as (3-phosphoshikimate 1-carboxyvinyltransferase) is found in the microbiota that reside in our intestinal tracts, and therefore the enzyme is “found in humans and animals.” It is partly responsible for immunity activation and even helps our gut and our brains communicate with one another.
EPSP synthase is among other beneficial microbes that produce neurometabolites that are either neurotransmitters or modulators of neurotransmission.

“These could act directly on nerve terminals in the gut or via ‘transducer’ cells such as enterochromaffin cells present throughout the intestinal tract and are accessible to microbes and in contact with afferent and efferent nerve terminals. Some of these cells may also signal and therefore modulate immune cell activity.”

Furthermore, although this will not be addressed in Phillip’s lawsuit:

“There is increasing evidence that exposure to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, may be an underlying cause of autism spectrum disorders (see [19]).  Glyphosate, the active ingredient, acts through inhibition of the 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS synthase) enzyme in the shikimate pathway that catalyses the production of aromatic amino acids. This pathway does not exist in animals, but it does exist in bacteria, including those that live in the gut and are now known to be as much a part of our body as our own cells. A widely accepted dogma is that glyphosate is safe due to the lack of the EPSPS enzyme in our body. This however does not hold water now that the importance of our microbiota to our physiology is clear.”

Though Monsanto is only being sued for false advertising in this case, it is an important precedent to set in order to eventually take down one of the biotech giants that is poisoning the planet. It should send a clear message to Dow, Bayer, Cargill, and Syngenta as well.

Please show the corporate media that we will not be silenced, and pass this information along however you can. If you live in California, consider being a part of the suit yourself. If you are an attorney, Phillips is happy to discuss his suit with you in hopes that you will add your state to the growing list of those standing up to Big Ag.

You can read more about Phillips’ his case, here. The plaintiff also has a go fund me site for this lawsuit.

This article (Major Lawsuit Against Monsanto Completely Blacked out by Media) originally appeared on NaturalSociety.com 

Stock Tips: $MON

We Know Who You Are:71 Sen Reject GMO Labeling

Date: Thu, May 30, 2013 at 9:15 AM
Subject: We Know Who You Are: 71 Senators Reject GMO Labeling

Subscribe & Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Donate  ESSAY OF THE WEEK We Know Who You Are: 71 Senators Reject States' Rights to Label GMOs On the eve of a worldwide protest against Monsanto, 71 U.S. senators voted against an amendment to the Senate version of the 2013 Farm Bill that would have guaranteed states the right to enact mandatory GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling laws. Seventy-one Senators voted against you, the 90 percent of consumers who have said that you want labels on foods containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. Seventy-one Senators – including 43 Republican so-called defenders of states' rights - voted against your state's Constitutional Tenth Amendment right to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and local businesses. We know who those Senators are. And we plan to make certain that everyone who cares about food safety and food sovereignty knows who they are, too. Read the essay Tell your Senators what you think ACTION ALERT With Friends Like These . . . How Will States Label GMOs? TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Congress Member: Reject the King Amendment and any other rider or amendment to the Farm Bill that would take away states' rights to label GMOs! With 71 senators on record opposing state labeling laws, the potential for a rider or amendment to the Farm Bill that would wipe out states' rights to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs) looms even larger. On Wednesday, May 15, the House Ag Committee passed the King Amendment, a measure some say could take away states' rights to label GMOs. If the King Amendment survives to the final version of the Farm Bill 2013, and is passed by Congress, some say it could preempt states' rights to label GMOs. And if it doesn't, will another rider or amendment be introduced into the final bill that would threaten state labeling laws? Some in Congress would have us believe that state labeling laws are too messy – we must reject them in favor of a federal labeling law. But that's just stonewalling. We all know that a federal law is unlikely, given the revolving door between biotech and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). And any law signed off on by Congress and the FDA would be a flimsy, loophole-ridden measure written by biotech and Big Food. The OCA is calling on consumers to tell their Congress members to reject any rider or amendment that would preempt state's rights to label GMOs. We're also hosting a Twitter Rally to generate buzz and let Congress know that we expect them to uphold states' rights to label GMOs! Join us on Thursday, June 6 at 5 p.m. PST under the hashtag #LabelGMOs. Login to twitter and type #LabelGMOs into your twitter search browser. From there you can follow the rally conversation and join in by adding #LabelGMOs to the end of your tweet. ACTION ALERT Good Ole' Boys Block Repeal of Monsanto Protection Act TAKE ACTION: Write and Call Your Senators to Demand a Vote to Repeal the Monsanto Protection Act Surprise. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo), with a little help from his friend, Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss, pictured), last week blocked an amendment to the Senate version of the Farm Bill that would have repealed the Monsanto Protection Act. (Sen. Blunt helped write the Monsanto Protection Act, and then slipped it into the Continuing Resolution, an emergency spending bill passed by Congress in March.) Fortunately, the author of the amendment, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore) isn't giving up. Neither are we. What to do? You can start by calling Sens. Blunt (202-224-5721) and Cochran (202-224-5054). Tell them you want a full debate and vote on the Merkley amendment. Here's what Merkley said about the Monsanto Protection Act: It raises profound questions about the constitutional separation of powers and the ability of our courts to hold agencies accountable to the law and their responsibilities. I can tell you that this process and this policy has provoked outrage across the country. Please call Senators Cochran (202-224-5054) and Blunt (202-224-5721) today! Learn more TAKE ACTION: Write and Call Your Senators to Demand a Vote to Repeal the Monsanto Protection Act SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF Two Steps Back. Full Speed Ahead. It was one of those weeks. Last week, Senators voted overwhelmingly against an amendment to the Farm Bill that would have guaranteed states' rights to label GMOs. Two senators blocked an amendment to the Farm Bill that would have repealed the Monsanto Protection Act. Two steps back. But there was good news, too. More than two million people across the globe marched against Monsanto. And the New York Times reported that food companies big and small are struggling to replace genetically modified ingredients with conventional ones – that's good news, because it means that food companies are responding to consumers' demands for non-GMO foods. There will always be setbacks. Whether we're fighting for GMO labeling laws, or the preservation of organic standards. Whether we're fighting against fracking and factory farms, or for stricter regulations on pesticides. The victories, large and small, inspire us. The setbacks reignite our passions, sharpen our focus. And propel us forward. With your help, it's full speed ahead. Thank you! Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our legislative efforts in Washington, Vermont and other states) If you need your donation to be tax-deductible, you can donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education) NEW REPORT 'Broken' Food Safety System: One More Reason to Avoid Meat from Factory Farms Cockroaches on the floor where hogs are slaughtered. Fecal material on the carcasses of hogs allegedly already cleaned. Still-conscious hogs plunged into scalding water. You would think an agency whose tagline is "Protecting Public Health through Food Safety and Defense" wouldn't tolerate any of the above. But according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Inspector General, the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has allowed all of the above, and more. Repeatedly. In hundreds of slaughterhouses. Bruce Friedrich, Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives at Farm Sanctuary, said this in an article about the report: Every year according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), there are tens of millions of cases of food poisoning, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands of deaths. The agency charged with reducing these numbers is doing, according to its Office of the Inspector General, a pathetically bad job. Whether you're concerned about your health, or the wellbeing of the animals killed for your food – or both – this report underscores why eating meat that comes from factory farms is risky. And it's just another example of how the USDA places the interest of Big Ag over public health. Read Friedrich's article Read the study Take the pledge to boycott factory farms ACTION UPDATE March Against Monsanto Goes Mainstream The goal was numbers. The object was attention and education. By all measures, the March against Monsanto was a success. On Saturday, May 25, an estimated two million protesters from 436 cities, 58 countries and six continents hit the streets in protest of the world's most hated corporation. The message from seniors, Vietnam vets, mothers, grandmothers, farmers and consumer activists, from nearly every corner of the globe, was clear: Monsanto's control of the global food system threatens food safety, biodiversity and food sovereignty. The list of participating cities included: New York, Miami, Florida, Portland (on both coasts), Philadelphia, Detroit, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Des Moines, Tokyo, Japan, Barcelona, Spain, Cincinnati, Denver, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Brussels, Las Vegas, Vienna, Austria, Seattle, Cairo, Egypt, and hundreds of others, large and small, representing every region of the world. It was enough to make mainstream media stand up and take note. Stories ran in major newspapers. The Associated Press reported on the march. CNN ran a full seven-minute segment. What's next? On July 4th, Moms Across America (MAA) will march in Independence Day parades across the country in support of GMO labeling. And March against Monsanto 2.0 has already been scheduled for May 24, 2014. Congratulations to all the organizers and thanks to all of you who marched! Check out OCA's March against Monsanto video playlist Watch OCA's Zack Kaldveer at the San Francisco rally Read more here, here and here.   American Meat: Brought to You by Farmers "The film makes a powerfully persuasive case for the benefits of small, grass-based organic farms and local sourcing…. it presents its arguments forcefully but without strident didacticism." – Fred Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter Ever wonder what it's like to run a huge feedlot or a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)? Curious about the alternatives to factory farms, and whether alternative models can really feed the world's growing population? American Meat, a documentary produced primarily by farmers, explores these questions and more. The DVD won't be released to the public until later this year. But you can purchase a limited edition DVD now for $20. And when you do, the documentary's producers will donate $2 to the OCA. Details here LITTLE BYTES Essential Reading for the Week Havana Organic Coop Farm Sets a Model for Health and Sustainability Russia Warns Obama: Global War Over "Bee Apocalypse" Coming Soon The New Farm Bill Is an Economic Disaster How I Got Hooked on Weeds – and Why You Should, Too Get Apocalyptic: Why Radical is the New Normal Decline in Biodiversity of Farmed Plants, Animals Gathering Pace MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS 'Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth' is now available from Chelsea Green Publishing "In Cows Save the Planet, Judith Schwartz takes us on a fascinating, John McPhee-style journey into the world of soil rehabilitation. The eclectic group of farmers, ranchers, researchers, and environmentalists she visits have one thing in common: they all believe in the importance of organic matter in the soil for solving our most pressing environmental issues. Some of the innovative techniques they use to increase the vitality of their soil include no-tillage, using deep-rooted perennial grasses, cover crops, mulching, and, surprisingly, grazing large herds of animals according to a program called 'holistic management.' Imagine, a book about soil that's a real page turner!" — Larry Korn, editor of The One-Straw Revolution and Sowing Seeds in the Desert, by Masanobu Fukuoka Learn more!  follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | OCA on Pinterest  | Donate Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power! Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association 6771 South Silver Hill Drive - Finland, MN 55603 - Phone: 218-226-4164 - Fax: 218-353-7652

All I request is to be made aware of what is in the food I eat

GMO Seed Conversation-

The More I learn about GMO crops the less and less likely I will buy products produced using GMO Seeds. Scotty

"...lets look at one little Kernel of Corn that was Genetically Modified (GM) to kill any bug that tries to eat it or the Corn plant it grows into. When that little corn grew up it produced 3-4 Ears of Corn with 800 sons and daughters (per ear) that carry this GM bug killer. 

Thats 2,400-3,200 Kernels of corn that could make it to your Dinner plate. 

The Warning of: DO NOT CONSUME- TOXIC, HAZARDOUS,--Do Not Consume-- etc is on every bottle of bug killer. 

Just so you know you are eating the same bug killer that killed the bugs in the field.

In a conversation last weekend. I listened to a theory that suggested the seemingly high rates of Cancer here in StLouis they felt was accelerated by the foods we eat. (As of yet. I have not had enough time to research this theory.) 

---- > All I request is to be made aware of what is in the Foods I eat. Scotty < ----- 

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) [ Additional Info as Suggested by: Sean Lintow Sr ]  Soil bacterium used for biological pest control - produces a crystalline protein toxic to certain types of insects. Bt toxin is produced by Bacillus thuringiensis in an inactive form (protoxin), which is transformed to its active form (delta-endotoxin) in the guts of certain insects. The active toxin binds to receptors in the gut, killing the insect. Insect pests have long been fought with Bacillus thuringiensis products. Based on the premise that – as opposed to many chemical insecticides – they are harmless to humans, they are used in organic farming. By means of genetic engineering, the genes for the active agent (Bt toxin) can be transferred from Bt bacteria to plants. There they produce the toxic agent inside the plant cells. In this way, biotechnology has been used to confer insect resistance to a number of economically important crops. Bt maize and Bt cotton are widely grown in several countries. See also:  Bt protein; also Bt toxin  Corn Borer

ps:  

(1)3-4 Ears of Corn= 8oz. 1 Can of Corn

            = 7-8 Ears or 2 Plants.

(2)'lil background:I grew up on a ranch

and have assisted in growing, harvesting,

feeding, and selling- Acres of Corn...."  

via: facebook conversation

Additional Facebook Conversation: 10 Reasons why we don't need GMO Foods 

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotts Contracting- St Louis Home Improvement Projects and Energy Reducing Needs Get Your Green Building Tips and Resources at St Louis Renewable Energy Green Blog

From: EcoWatch Top News of the Day

Interesting news about the Unified front to continue the fight against Global Warming and Climate Change:  Coal, Fracking, XL Pipeline, Climate Change, President Obama, Clean Water, Monsanto Genetically modified Seeds, US Farmers,

Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Top News of the Day Protests Ignite Nationwide Targeting TransCanada's Keystone XL Tar Sands Blockade We stand together as representatives of a desperate generation who have been forced into this position by the reckless and immoral behavior of fossil fuel corporations such as Transcanada. Our political leaders have failed... Yamuna Waterkeeper Works with Citizen Scientists to Protect Local Waterways Yamuna Waterkeeper  Water, Water Everywhere, Not a Drop to Drink! How truly these lines depict the present scenario in India... Family Farmers Continue Fight in Landmark Lawsuit Against Monsanto Food Democracy Now! "We don't want their seed. We don't want their gene-spliced technology. We don't want their trespass onto our farms. We don't want their contamination of... Nearly 70 Groups Write Letter Imploring Obama to Rise Up and Be Strong Climate Leader Natural Resources Defense Council Climate leadership in this time of crisis means not only moving ahead with clean energy, but also tackling the dirty. As the letter points out...   Meet Chip Northrup—An Articulate and Energetic Opponent of Fracking Ellen Cantarow The only thing driving this is politics at this point. Much more so than any need to prospect for gas. Cuomo is being pushed into permitting shale gas wells when such... 80+ Groups Challenge Gov. Cuomo to Lead on Climate Change and Protect His State from Fracking EcoWatch "While we welcome your determination to lead on climate change, we are greatly concerned by indications that... EcoWatch in partnership with Waterkeeper Alliance services more than 1,000 grassroots environmental organizations and activists worldwide through its online news service EcoWatch.org.