I'm a firm believer that a small dose of friendly peer pressure goes a long way date: Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 5:06 PM from: Justinefreebird Espiritu <[email protected]> 95% of my email was the template Asia shared. I'll add Walter Ritte's in here as well and maybe some of his originality and eloquence will come through to me for the next one. Why Roz Baker? Grocery chain Whole Foods Market said Friday that it would require all foods sold in its stores that contain genetically modified ingredients to be labeled as such within five years. The company is the first retailer in the country to require the labeling, and its executives received a standing ovation when they made the announcement during the Natural Products Expo West, a trade conference, in Anaheim. A.C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, said the move came in response to consumer demand. Labels now used on Whole Foods products disclose when a product has been verified as free of genetically engineered ingredients by the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit certification organization. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Whole-Foods-to-require-GMO-labels-4340799.php#ixzz2N4K0O0zj Organic Consumers Association Responds to Whole Foods Plan to Label GMOs by 2018 Food Retailer's Plan to Label GMOs a Victory for Grassroots Food Activists and Consumers, but Five-Year Timetable not Comprehensive or Aggressive Enough March 11, 2013 CONTACT: Organic Consumers Association, Katherine Paul, 207.653.3090 FINLAND, Minn. - The million-strong Organic Consumers Association (OCA), North America's leading watchdog over organic and fair trade standards, said today that it is encouraged by Whole Foods Markets' plan, announced last week, to support consumers' right to know by requiring labeling of all foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its U.S. and Canadian stores by 2018. However, the OCA called on Whole Foods, the nation's largest national organic foods retailer, to move up its labeling deadline to July 2015, and to take the lead in the organic industry to end deceptive labeling practices by requiring all the stores' products that include the word "natural" in their labeling or packaging to be GMO-free. "We are pleased that Whole Foods has finally recognized consumers' right to know about GMOs," said Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the OCA. "This is a major victory for U.S. consumers who have for far too long been denied basic information which would enable them to make safe, healthy food choices. This also represents a major defeat for Monsanto and the rest of the biotech industry who have been deceiving consumers since they first conspired more than 20 years ago with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to falsely convince consumers that genetically modified foods are no different than foods that don't contain organisms created by manipulating DNA in laboratories or by injecting seeds with bacteria and pesticides." But the Whole Foods plan does not go far enough, Cummins said. "We ask that Whole Foods step up its timetable for GMO labeling, to coincide with the July 2015 deadline prescribed by I-522, the citizens' initiative for GMO labeling in Washington State. We also call on Whole Foods to stop selling products that contain GMOs under the misleading "natural" label, and to require any product in its store called "natural" be GMO-free." Washington's I-522 is expected to pass in November 2013, becoming the first statewide mandatory GMO labeling law. The law establishes July 2015 as the deadline for compliance. Whole Foods Markets already complies with the U.K.'s mandatory GMO labeling law in its seven stores in that country. Whole Foods came under fire last year when the company dragged its feet in supporting Proposition 37, California's Right to Know GMO Labeling citizens' initiative. In October, CEO John Mackey confirmed in a blog post that Whole Foods stores knowingly sell Monsanto's genetically modified corn, without labeling it. Last week, the OCA launched a new nationwide campaign: Organic Retail and Consumer Alliance (ORCA). The new alliance will aggressively promote organic food and products, and expose and eliminate the rampant "natural" labeling and marketing fraud that has slowed the growth of America's $30-billion dollar organic sector. "Routine mislabeling and marketing fraud has confused millions of U.S. consumers, and enabled the so-called "natural" foods and products sector to grow into a $60-billion- a-year powerhouse, garnering twice as many sales in 2012 as certified organic products," said Cummins. "It's time we stopped allowing food companies to market unhealthy food products, containing GMOs, pesticides, and synthetic and chemical compounds, as "natural," and we call on Whole Foods Market to take the first step." The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)4 allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action. HB174 is the last of about 8 labeling bills that is still alive. It is now going to the Senate, but Nishihara may not even give it a hearing to allow the community to discuss it and express their support or reservations. He questions the constitutionality of disallowing those that do not label their produce from selling in Hawaii This essentially sides with opponents of the bill. Bad democracy! Anti-GMO advocates win battle, likely will lose war A House committee clears a bill to require GMO food labels, but the Senate isn't very receptive By Sarah Zoellick / [email protected] Juanita Brown Kawamoto has been advocating for state regulation of genetically modified food for years, and she said supporters got their first big break last week when the House Finance Committee passed a bill that would require imported genetically modified produce to carry labels. "We've been waiting for years for the House to actually allow this to move forward," said Brown Kawamoto, vice chairwoman of the Food and Farm Sustainability Committee of the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. "This is something that's been long-awaited, and we got something really key to happen. To me it's momentous." A battle has waged at the state Capitol for years between corporations, some farmers and businesses that stand behind the Food and Drug Administration's determination that genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, do not need cautionary labeling, and environmental groups, organic farmers and community members who strongly believe biologically engineered food is harmful for people and the environment. "I think that the public is really demanding that we do more, and so I think it's our obligation to figure out what it is we can do," said Rep. Jessica Wooley (D, Kaneohe-Kahaluu-Haiku), chairwoman of the House Agriculture Committee. House Bill 174 as drafted prohibits imported produce containing or produced with genetically engineered material from being sold in the state without a "genetically engineered" label and requires importers of genetically modified produce to label shipping containers as well as each piece of produce. Eleven of the 17 House Finance Committee members expressed reservations regarding the bill, but no members voted no. "We have tried to work out some kind of new language, but at this point in time certain portions are beyond us trying to fix it," Rep. Sylvia Luke (D, Punchbowl-Pauoa-Nuuanu), chairwoman of the Finance Committee, said at a hearing last week. "There are concerns in the bill, but I think it is worthwhile for both the proponents and the opponents to continue the discussion." If approved by the full House this week, the bill would move to the Senate, where it will likely stall. Senate lawmakers killed seven GMO-related bills this session by not scheduling them for hearings, while the House also killed seven — except HB 174. Sen. Clarence Nishihara (D, Waipahu-Crestview-Pearl City), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he is not planning on hearing the labeling bill because he believes it would violate federal interstate commerce laws. "By saying any kind of product coming from outside of the state — requiring them to label it when there is no federal law that requires it — I think it would come in conflict with the commerce law because we're saying, ‘OK, you don't label it; you can't sell it here,'" Nishihara said. Rep. James Tokioka (D, Wailua-Hanamaulu-Lihue) said during the hearing that he questions the bill's constitutionality and feasibility of implementation, but "to not deal with it would be irresponsible on our part." He added, "What we've also been doing is meeting with the major grocery stores in the state, and we're looking at them to be the leaders in this." He noted that Whole Foods inspects and labels GMO and non-GMO products on its own. "At what point does government get involved?" he said. "I'm not sure yet, but I think if the market and the industry moves in that direction, then it's good for all of us." GMO opponents insist that genetically engineered food is harmful to consumers. Many supporters of the bill have questioned the motive of big-name companies, such as Monsanto, that oppose labeling their GMO products. Three students from University of Hawaii at Manoa's William S. Richardson School of Law supported the bill during the hearing. "I'm not a scientist," said Christiaan Mitchell, a second-year law student, after the hearing. "Neither am I in a position to evaluate the evidence. But that's not what this is about. This is about whether or not we, as citizens of the state of Hawaii, have a right to know whether or not our food is genetically modified. It bothers me that they want to keep this information from us. … If it's safe, show us that it's safe." On its website the FDA says "the agency is still not aware of any data or other information that would form a basis for concluding that the fact that a food or its ingredients was produced using bioengineering is a material fact that must be disclosed," and the American Medical Association announced during its annual meeting in June that it does not believe there is enough scientific evidence to warrant labeling genetically engineered food. Alicia Maluafiti, executive director of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, has strongly opposed the labeling bill because she said labeling GMOs should be handled at the federal level. "Our opposition on principle is that the states don't have the expertise or knowledge or resources to mandate the labeling of genetically engineered food," Maluafiti said. "From the FDA to the American Medical Association to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, you name it, all of these entities have said the food is safe, so the question remains, Why do you have to put a label on it if the food has already been deemed safe?" Rep. Mele Carroll (D, Lanai-Molokai), who sponsored the bill, said consumers have a right to know what they're eating. "We should always be concerned because this is our home, and we want to know what we're eating and what we're getting because, especially in Hawaii, we import most of our food," she said. Carroll emphasized that the bill simply arms consumers with more information. Maluafiti said the industry isn't trying to hide anything. "We're facing an incredible fiscal crisis right now, not just at the state and county level, but at the federal level, and really we don't need to be burdened with programs that don't make economic sense," she said. Despite the failure of California's Proposition 37 GMO-labeling ballot initiative in November, the labeling movement has momentum across the country. According to the Center for Food Safety (gefoodlabels.org), lawmakers in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington have also introduced bills this year related to genetically engineered food. The group states on its website that its main focus is encouraging the FDA to label genetically engineered food. Alicia Maluafiti lists organizations that aren't swayed by the research and evidence presented against GMOs, but what are their motivations and history that are completely unknown to us that determine their position on the issue? Isn't democracy about letting the people decide? And despite prop 37's failure and the uphill battle here in Hawaii for labeling and eviction of the seed industry, the efforts of people are not swayed.
President and Vice President (D) OBAMA, Barack / BIDEN, Joe 204,263 68.5 (R) ROMNEY, Mitt / RYAN, Paul 88,433 29.7% (L) JOHNSON, Gary / GRAY, James P. 2,250 0.8% (G) STEIN, Jill / HONKALA, Cheri 1,678 0.6% Blank Votes: 1,427 Over Votes: 167 0.1% State Representative, Dist 20 (D) SAY, Calvin K.Y. 5,704 54.7% (G) BONK, Keiko 3,142 30.1% (R) ALLEN, Julia E. 1,179 11.3% Blank Votes: 398 Over Votes: 4 0.0% Councilmember, Dist I PINE, Kymberly Marcos 15,604 59.5% BERG, Tom 8,965 34.2% Blank Votes: 1,635 Over Votes: 9 0.0% Councilmember, Dist V KOBAYASHI, Ann H. 24,606 70.6% HAYES, James T. 5,999 17.2% Blank Votes: 4,238 Over Votes: 8 0.0% "At Large" Trustee APOLIONA, Haunani 73,210 24.5% LEE, Cal 62,841 21.1% AKINA, Keli'i 26,724 9.0% RITTE, Walter 19,489 6.5% MAKEKAU, Kealii J. 9,002 3.0% LINCOLN, Lancelot Haili 7,026 2.4% Blank Votes: 99,658 Over Votes: 268 0.1% .... ended 2 days ago. The epic saga of Charles Kelton trying to vote continues. Will he be on the list tomorrow at Waikiki Elementary School?? All signs point to yes once this form is submitted, but this has been a rough process... Register to vote on Maui, check. Move to Oahu, check. Register for absentee ballot to be delivered to Oahu, pass. Change registered address day before election, check. Plan on voting early, check. Call before showing up to double check this can be done, check. have Justine look up and read "General Election Early Voting October 23- November 3, 2012 (Excluding Sundays)" at http://www.honoluluelections.org/locations and both decide to show up on November 5 anyway expecting to vote, check. To be continued... Early Voting October 23-November 3rd... Early Voting November 5th...
Isaac Ochoa 7:26 AM (2 hours ago)to me "you would have been proud. i put signs on my lawn."11/5/2012 There's nothing like using music to express what you feel and think!! After a field trip tour of Pioneer last week and having a really nice man give a presentation that completely omits their work with GMO's, It can be easy to be swayed and convinced we should kind of live and let live, it's a "personal choice" to choose GMO or not, but I do think the issues is so much more than that, I think GMO seed corporations buying out the regulatory system is real and scary, and it cancels out the industry argument that GMO's are the most regulated food in the market. Do GMO crops bring down chemical pesticides and fertilizers or decrease use like the industry says? I keep forgetting the significance of the fact that these are CHEMICAL COMPANIES making this food. Does the argument about greater effeciency and diversifying agriculture mean we should accept this as inevitable??
I think it is really shocking that 50 other countries label GMOs and/or ban growing them on their land. Mark, who gave us the presentation at Pioneer was very open to our questions and had a point when he said if their consumers demand organic they'll listen but right now he says the market is going closer to GMO than organic and i want to SAY that's outrageous, but I can see from the perspective of a (soul-less) business, if people keep buying it, why would they stop what they're doing, no matter how many people are protesting it? People have to express themselves!!!!!! It can feel pointless standing on the road and waving a stupid sign, we forget that you can't do that in so many places!!!!!!!! But, some people actually got arrested and admitted to civil disobedience so there must've been a little more going on, but I agree, a little illeagal action can go a long way when it can help expose the shady practices and realities of corporations flexing their power under the radar like these GMO seed companies do. By Occupy Monsanto in the Sacramento Bee OXNARD, Calif., Sept. 12, 2012 -- 9 Arrests made at GMO Seed Distribution Plant On Wednesday, September 12 activists calling themselves the Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU) shut down shipping and receiving access points at Monsanto's Oxnard seed distribution facility located at 2700 Camino Del Sol. By peacefully blockading the exit and access points the group effectively shut down the distribution of genetically engineered (GMO) seeds for a day. Monsanto is the largest producer of GMO seeds and is being called out for their genetic crimes by a network called Occupy Monsanto. Today's protest is the beginning of a series of over 65 different autonomous actions that officially start on September 17, a year since Occupy Wall Street movement began. Actions are planned throughout the world including the US, Germany, Canada, India, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Argentina, Australia, Spain, Russia, and Japan. More info as well as video available for media use of today action can be found at http://Occupy-Monsanto.com. After occupying all three shipping and receiving entrances to the Monsanto facility using flashy theatrics including a car with a giant "fish-corn" on top of it and a 6-foot high jail cell complete with someone dressed up like the CEO Hugh Grant of Monsanto inside. Eventually after 5.5 hours the fire department was called in and 9 anti-GMO activists were arrested and charged with trespassing. "The reason I am occupying Monsanto and willing to put myself at risk of arrest is because Monsanto has genetically engineered food crops to contain novel untested compounds that result in more weed killer sprayed on our food, without informing consumers. Unlike most industrialized countries including every country in Europe, Japan and even China, in America right now there are no labels on our food informing us whether we are eating GMOs or not. We have a right to opt out of this experiment: it's not up to chemical companies what I feed myself and my family. Monsanto has bought and sold both parties and has handpicked henchmen at FDA and USDA making sure we are kept in the dark. Monsanto is also currently fighting the California Prop 37 GMO labeling initiative that would give consumers the right to know if they are eating GMO foods," said GCU member Ariel Vegosen. The GCU arrived onsite wearing bio-hazmat suits and with giant banners saying the "99% V. Monsanto" and "Seminis and Monsanto bringing weed killer GMO food to your table." Next week there will be more protests all over the nation. "In the name of Wall Street profits, chemical corporations such as Monsanto genetically engineer crops to withstand high doses of their toxic weed killers that contaminate our food and water, and have not been proven safe. We deserve to know what we are eating and we should put the GMO crops back in the lab and off the kitchen table. The US chemical lobby has so far made sure Americans are kept in the dark and we are tired of inaction by Obama, " said GCU unit member Rica Madrid. "We are here today in civil disobedience because we believe strongly that we have no other option," said GCU unit member David Pillar. "Its time for healthy food now." |
...Democracy!"Democracy" is a concept I took for granted for a long time. It's what our political system is, it always has been, always will be, it's the best way, the only right way... it was one of those societal/world views I took as a given. When I learned more about the diverse options of political systems and U.S. committment to spreading/forcing democracy everywhere my first instinct was to take the counter position to that, to be Very Cool-ly anti-American. I still have a place in my heart that holds the dream and faith of a radical totalitarian dictator with all the right principles, motives, and strategies but until that imaginary person comes to fruition, I'm trying to really comprehend and appreciate democratic principles like free speech and expression and political participation. Now more than ever i'm paying attention to people rioting in the streets of their countries and putting their whole life on hold it seems to demand democracy. I started to think, "what do they know that I don't??" because I've been passivly living in societal conditions people are literally dying to secure for themselves. So I am trying to recognize activies I do that reflect democracy where I didn't realize before, and I'm trying to find avenues of participation I can take advantage of AND GET AMPED ON DEMOCRACY Archives
March 2013
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