| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| prariehawk |
Posted - Dec 08 2014 : 7:42:32 PM
They're at it again--trying to deny our right to know if food is GMO. Link to bill:https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th.-congress/house-bill/4432.
Link to summary & action:http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action KEY=13694
The Koch brothers and Monsanto have teamed up to persuade congress to pass this bill. It would forbid states rights from making laws to identify GMO foods and allow the "natural" label to be applied to GMO foods.
Cindy
"Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free; And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the rocks reach the sea.Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun. and cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done"--Loreena McKennit
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| cajungal |
Posted - Dec 11 2014 : 3:28:14 PM
Dawn, I agree about not buying the GMO food. Some small companies have committed themselves to producing products that are natural, organic or GMO free. It's important to let companies know that we support them by purchasing their items. For some of the small food producers, it's our dollars that keep them going.
Our spending dollars are also a BIG voice to big name brand companies. Our dollars affect change.
Just look at all the 'organic' choices that are provided by mainstream companies. So many brand names offer organic or more natural alternatives to their regular products. They certainly didn't decide to do offer that out of the good will of their hearts. It was our powerful dollar that they were after. They were feeling the competition.
Milk is one example. Families like all of ours kept buying local or organic brand in the stores. Our dollars were supporting companies that were already offering organic. Kinda like the song that said, "I was country before country was cool". Now the big brands are offering organic and non-antibiotic milk. Sometimes at a reduced cost to the brands we normally purchase. I don't think these name brand companies had a change of heart or are really concerned with health and nutrition. They are all chasing our dollars.
This situation is both good and bad. Good...more choices, competitive pricing. Bad....more choices, competitive pricing. Who do we buy from? Do we buy the less expensive because it helps our budget? Do we stay loyal to the company that has always been natural/organic? If we purchase the big name brand, are we "selling out"? Or, does buying from the name brand actually help the cause and progress of natural foods because our dollars encourage them to continue offering them? If we buy from the name brand, will that put the smaller company out of business?
It really can be a tough decision.
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - Dec 11 2014 : 08:53:26 AM
Well said Catherine! I sent a letter to our representative about this bill. He isn't one of the ones who are co-sponsoring it. We have to keep yelling as loud as we can to be heard. The more people who quit buying the GMO tainted food, the better!
Dawn in IL |
| cajungal |
Posted - Dec 11 2014 : 05:38:47 AM
Cindy, thanks for the info and the reminder of what is going on in the shadows and under the radar of mainstream media/info.
It may seem like we can't fight this big giant. But, we can. We may not totally stop them but we can try to slow them down. A letter, phone call and/or email to our congressmen actually does get noticed. They know that for every contact they receive there are dozens more people that it represents. When they don't receive feedback then they can only assume that their constituents have no opinion on the matter.
Another way to help is to make sure you vote not only in national matters but especially in local matters. I agree with GG that many positions of influence are being held by either former employees of Monsanto or friends of them. They are creating change by infiltration and change from within. We can counteract this by doing the same thing. We have to keep a watchful eye on locally elected positions and begin to change from within.
Our state and national representatives and senators are typically not informed in these matters. They make decisions based on the briefings they get from staffers. They also make decisions based on the information they get bombarded by from tenacious reps of companies like Monsanto. We have to be equally tenacious in educating them about food, farming, and freedom of information about where our food comes from.
Politicians communicate in "talking points" and short but concise phrases. That's how we need to communicate with them. In our letters to them, we need to be short, concise, factual and provide them with the "talking points" and phrases we want them to parrot back.
Like my grandma said, "The squeaky wheel gets oiled". Let's be squeaky!
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Dec 10 2014 : 2:45:44 PM
Thanks GG. I will certainly check out that newsletter.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| doll58maker |
Posted - Dec 10 2014 : 07:04:53 AM
A great newsletter that is not spam is called Mind Body Green. It's worth subscribing to.
GG
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| doll58maker |
Posted - Dec 10 2014 : 07:02:10 AM
Cindy, I'm glad you posted this info. I get the March against Monsanto feed on my facebook page so I knew about this bill. The reason they vote against these laws in the states is because Montsanto plants their own people and spends millions of dollars to block anything the consumers try to pass. I do think the tide is turning as more and more of us become of aware of what is really going on.
I firmly believe the reason we have so much cancer, Parkinson's and other diseases can be directly attributable to the food we eat.
Keep up the good work, Cindy.
GG
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| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - Dec 09 2014 : 06:14:28 AM
I'm so shocked how CA, OR, and CO voted against the labeling bill! We have a right to know whether or not our food is contaminated with GMO's. I am fortunate to have several Whole Food grocery stores by me and they label the food that it is non-GMO. Every person has the right to know if their food has been altered or not. I'm fed up and furious with the people who don't seem to care and just buy into whatever the Koch Brothers and their cohorts tell them.
Spread the word, sign the petitions, get the word out that we demand to know whether our food has GMO's. If it is so safe as Monsanto/Dow/Koch boys claim it is, why do they fear labeling?
Dawn in IL |
| lovinRchickens |
Posted - Dec 09 2014 : 04:30:49 AM
Cindy
Our food supply is just getting scarier. Thank you for posting I have read a lot of it but will reread again this afternoon.
Farmgirl #5111
Farmgirl of the month October 2014
Blessings
~Kelly~ |
