roofgarden conferral: Prop 37 - Forget The Concession Speech ? The Mommypotamus ...

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Prop 37 - Forget The Concession Speech ? The Mommypotamus ...

Last Night, A Presidential Candidate . . .

Took the podium, sucked it up, and congratulated the victor. Nothing of that sort will be happening here today. Prop 37 appears to have been defeated ? results are not final, but 94.8% of the vote is in. Because I?m boarding a plane soon, waiting for the results to publish this is next to impossible amidst connecting flights and airport madness. So without further ado, the post.

The great expectations for DDT have been realized. During 1916, exhaustive scientific tests have shown that, when properly used, DDT kills a host of destructive pests, and is a benefactor to all humanity . . . Today, everyone can enjoy added comfort, health and safety through the insect killing powers of Pennsalt DDT products?

TIME Magazine, 1940?s

Dear DDT Manufacturers,

You can stop benefacting us now. It?s been 40 years since your sweetheart product was banned, and yet thanks to a maddeningly long? 150 year half-life it?s still hanging around.

That sweet, apron-clad girl dancing on sunbeams isn?t fooling anyone anymore. We know you cause neurological problems such as Parkinsons, asthma, cancers of the liver, pancreas and breast, miscarriage, impaired child neurodevelopment, decreased sperm quality and possibly leukemia, lymphoma and testicular cancer (source1, source2). We no longer eat you with our breakfast cereal to prove how safe you are.

This month you spent $45 million trying to keep us in the dark about another one of your dirty little secrets, but we?re on to you. We know your track record. We know what independent safety studies say about your darling GMO?s, and we won?t stop until the world knows it too.

Agent Orange: ?Essentially it?s so safe you can drink it??(4) Mmmmn hmmmm.

Glyphosate ? the active ingredient in Roundup ? has a history of ?safe use for over 30 years in more than 130 countries.? Any evidence to the contrary is merely a ?variation.? Riight.

There is ?no rational reason? to warn the public of the health effects of PCB?s. And the increased IGF-1 levels in rGBH-treated milk are perfectly safe, too. Seriously?

GMO?s? ? approved as safe despite no human safety studies. You say they?re no different than normal produce and yet you patent them to the nth degree. WHAT?

We May Not Be The Mothers . . .

Of this child, or this one, or this precious little life, but we are mothers (and sisters, fathers and brothers). We refuse not to learn the lessons that they have paid so dearly to teach us.

What is ugliness? It is not their faces, it is the reckless profiteering that would like to hide them away in asylums and dark corners of countries we will never visit. We choose to see, to be moved, and to act for the sake of future generations.

Because We Know The Truth, And We Say NO.

We say GMO?s are not the answer to the world?s food supply crisis.

In fact, it might even make it worse.

We say that we want our children?s children to have the ability to conceive and carry their babies to term, unlike the poor rats in this study who were born to mothers fed GM soy. The babies were significantly smaller than normal rats, half died within the first three weeks of life most the ones that survived were unable to have babies. In the same study the testicles of male rats turned from pink to blue and started producing dysfunctional sperm.

We know that GM food have the capability to pollute the human genome.

We know that GMO?s cannot be controlled once they are released into the environment, and top scientists fear devastating repurcussions.

And we know that Monsanto supports the British in their right to know. AND I QUOTE

?We have complete confidence that our food crops are as safe and nutritious as the standard alternatives.

Recently you may have noticed a label appearing on some of the food in your supermarket. This is to inform you about the use of biotechnology in food.

Monsanto fully supports UK food manufacturers and retailers in their introduction of these labels. We believe you should be aware of all the facts before making a purchase.?

Source: Monsanto?s UK Website http://www.monsanto.co.uk/highlights/ads/ad4.html

Yet in the U.S. they donate $4 million dollars to suppress a labeling initiative that supposedly represents their goals. Lovely.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

I don?t know about you, but I agree with Jesse, who wrote on Food Renegade?s wall that ?as a Californian, I saw a LOT of people with so much heart and soul pouring their time into grassroots campaigning, raising money, getting people informed?. just the work alone to get this on the ballot was humongous and required so much work. Whatever the outcome I say good job to all of those Californians who worked so hard to get this out there and try?. let?s hope things turn around more than anything. But beyond that, don?t give up the fight for our food!?

I am so, SO GRATEFUL that the issue of GMO?s in our food supply has been brought into the national spotlight. Despite the fact that Prop 37 failed in California, the margin was close considering one side spend around $3M (I believe) and the other spent $45M. Let?s think about that for a moment. Despite being lied to to the tune of $1M a day, nearly half of those who turned out still want GMO?s labeled.

The deluge of money Monsanto et. all poured into making sure people don?t know what?s in their food points to how powerful awareness really is, so let?s keep talking about blue testicles and horrifying tumors until we make our collective voice heard. The fight is on.