Stop Monsanto

I'm back! The last week was such an amazing week off. I totally needed a mental break from all of this stuff. But I'm ready to start writing again and I even cooked quite a bit (will tell you about that later)!

So I have something important to share that I hope you will all take a few minutes out of your day and contribute. A fellow raw food / healthy food advocate, Blythe Metz of Blythe Raw Live is working with producer Brad Wyman and actress Mariel Hemingway on producing a feature film #stopmonsanto. 

"We’re fed up with Monsanto and how they’re treating farmers and consumers, so we decided to make a movie about it. Our hope is for the movie to educate viewers and open their eyes to the problems Monsanto is creating and what the company stands for. While the movie will raise awareness about Monsanto, the story contains plenty of twists and lots of humor. Once the film is finished we plan on taking it to festivals, conferences and eventually streaming it online in order to inform as many people as possible about Monsanto."

If you don't know anything about Monsanto then listen up. The Monsanto Company is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the Roundup brand, and in other brands. Monsanto is also the second largest producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed; it provides the technology in 49% of the genetically engineered seeds used in the US market (I personally think that number is grossly underestimated).


Monsanto's development and marketing of genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone (used to make animals grow faster than nature would intend so they have a faster turnaround and therefore more meat- F-ed up if you ask me), as well as its aggressive litigation, political lobbying practices, seed commercialization practices and "strong-arming" of the seed industry have made the company controversial around the world. 


Many of Monsanto's seed products are specifically genetically modified to make them resistant to Monsanto produced agricultural chemicals, such as "Round Up" herbicide. In a study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences, researchers applied a different statistical analysis on raw data obtained from Monsanto and concluded that these GM corn (maize) varieties induced a state of hepatorenal toxicity (chemical driven liver damage!). They suggested that the presence of the new pesticides associated with the inserted genes were responsible, although the possibility that this could be due to a mutation during the transformation process was not excluded. (It doesn't matter if it is from a mutation or the chemical itself...it is known to cause liver damage!!!!)


WTF?


President Obama knows that agribusiness cannot be trusted with the regulatory powers of government. On the campaign trail in 2007, he promised: We'll tell ConAgra that it's not the Department of Agribusiness. It's the Department of Agriculture. We're going to put the people's interests ahead of the special interests. 


But, starting with his choice for USDA Secretary, the pro-biotech former governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, President Obama has let Monsanto, Dupont and the other pesticide and genetic engineering companies know they'll have plenty of friends and supporters within his administration. 

President Obama has taken his team of food and farming leaders directly from the biotech companies and their lobbying, research, and philanthropic arms:

Michael Taylor: former Monsanto Vice President, is now the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods.

Roger Beachy: former director of the Monsanto-funded Danforth Plant Science Center, is now the director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Islam Siddigui: Vice President of theMonsanto and Dupont-fundedpesticide-promoting lobbying group, CropLife, is now the Agriculture Negotiator for the US Trade Representative.

Rajiv Shah: former agricultural-development director for the pro-biotech Gates Foundation (a frequent Monsanto partner), served as Obama's USDA Under Secretary for Research Education and Economics and Chief Scientist and is now head of USAID.

Elena Kagan: who, as President Obama's Solicitor General, took Monsanto's side against organic farmers in the Roundup Ready alfalfa case, is now on the Supreme Court.

Ramona Romero: corporate counsel to DuPont, has been nominated by President Obama to serve as General Counsel for the USDA.

(source)

DOUBLE WTF?

I think this movie is a great idea and have offered my services in which ever way I can help. So, I thought I would shout out to all of you loyal readers and ask for your support as well. If eating real-food-that-isn't-loaded with-chemicals/pesticides-and-is-known-to-cause-liver-damage-and-is-controlled-by-giant-corporations-that-are-in-bed-with-big-government is something you are interested in please take a minute and visit their fundraising website, Stop Monsanto. Even if you could just give a dollar it would be much appreciated and you would be contributing to something that is going to make an impact in all of our lives. 


I wouldn't be asking for support if I didn't fully stand behind what Brad, Blythe, Mariel and their team are doing. I think the more aware we all are of what happens to our food the better off we will be in the long run. I am excited to help them out and just donated $10 to support their movie. Every dollar counts!


We would love to thank anyone who is generous enough to donate to this project so drop a comment below if you donate- even if it is $1- every little bit helps! Thanks in advance xoxo!