"Open Letter to Hillary Clinton" Uncovers the Politics of GMOs

[ClassWarrior]

Dear Hillary,

By polling logic, I should be your supporter - Democrat, older woman, white, liberal. I was even in a dorm with you in college. I have pulled for you for years. But something this past summer fundamentally changed my responsibility to my children and grandchildren. In the time I have left in my life to protect them and others, I need to speak out.

I saw a News Hour piece on Maharastra, India, about farmers committing suicide. Monsanto, a US agricultural giant, hired Bollywood actors for ads telling illiterate farmers they could get rich (by their standards) from big yields with Monsanto's Bt (genetically engineered) cotton seeds. The expensive seeds needed expensive fertilizer and pesticides (Monsanto, again) and irrigation. There is no irrigation there. Crops failed. Farmers had larger debt than they'd ever experienced...

What does this have to do with you?

You have connections to Monsanto through the Rose Law Firm where you worked and through Bill who hired Monsanto people for central food-related roles. Your Orwellian-named "Rural Americans for Hillary" was planned with Troutman Sanders, Monsanto's lobbyists. Genetic engineering and industrialized food and animal production all come together at the Rose Law Firm, which represents the world's largest GE corporation (Monsanto), GE's most controversial project (DP&L's - now Monsanto's - terminator genes), the world's largest meat producer (Tyson), the world's largest retailer and a dominant food retailer (Walmart)....

More at: http://www.localforage.com/local_forage/2008/02/an-open-letter.html

NGU.

[ursi]

1. these people have no shame which means they have no conscience ...

This is so appalling.

[MH1]

2. Ed Rendell endorsed Monsanto too.

(Ed Rendell, PA governor, endorsed Hillary in the prez race)

Monsanto wanted a stop to the practice of dairy products being labeled "no artificial growth hormones" (even though it was true) because people actually were paying more to buy milk that wasn't potentially poisoned with their product.

The Rendell administration recently gave Monsanto what it wanted - a regulatory change (not even legislation that we can blame on our "representatives") by the Ag department to disallow labeling about artificial growth hormones.

Monsanto is very pleased.

[UALRBSofL]

5. UGHH Do you know Monsanto, which we have here

where I live have no ties with Hillary. She hasn't worked at the Rose Law Firm for years. And because she signed with the Rose Law firm as a junior partner and worked with them for about 10 years or maybe less I suppose you could tie her to this article but it's really pushing it.

[MH1]

6. So you are saying this statement is untrue?

From the link in the op:

Your Orwellian-named "Rural Americans for Hillary" was planned with Troutman Sanders, Monsanto's lobbyists.

Surely "Rural Americans for Hillary" is a current organization supporting her prez campaign?

[ClassWarrior]

10. No answer... Hmmm...

NGU.

[MH1]

15. Funny how that works.

:dem:

[MH1]

7. I just read the link, and it reads like there was a coordinated campaign to help Monsanto on rBGH.

What did Bill do?

1. Bill's put Monsanto people in at the FDA, as US Agricultural Trade Representatives, on International Biotechnology Consultive Forums, and more ... (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/072600-03.htm or http://www.monitor.net/monitor/9904b/monsantofda.html or http://www.mindfully.org/GE/Revolving-Door.htm.

2. Bill's FDA gave Monsanto permission to market rBGH (a GE bovine growth hormone), the first genetically engineered product let loose on us (or did tomatoes with fish DNA get there first?).

3. Despite reports of bovine illness and death, Bill's FDA did not recall it or put warnings on it. Even "a very angry, very vocal nationwide consumer base" had no impact. "

4. Bill's FDA wouldn't even label rBGH as "present" in milk.

5. When dairy farmers tried to label their own milk rBGH-free so the public could choose, Bill's USDA threatened all dairies that their products could be confiscated from stores. Michael Taylor, USFDA Deputy Commissioner, was formerly Monsanto's counsel.

6. How were consumers to protect their family, given Bill's FDA enforced public blindness, except to buy only organic? But Bill's FDA tried to close off that last escape, proposing to include in "organic" standards, "the dirty three" a : genetic engineering of plants and animals, use of irradiation in food processing and use of municipal sewage sludge as a fertilizer. The FDA backed down. Had this gone through, Monsanto could have finally labeled rBGH milk ... as "organic." And animal waste from factory farms, a pollution nightmare for Tyson and others, could have been sold as fertilizer.

I wonder what advice and counsel Hillary was giving Bill during these decisions?

[Armstead]

3. SSShhhhhhh....We don't want to tarnish the campaign with real issues

Heaven forbid that we should wonder how the candidates who are in bed with the people behind this type of thing can actually deliver on the promises they publicly espouse.

[TexasObserver]

4. She's a slave to big business, a slave to monied interests

She doesn't care about the little people, just their votes.

[MH1]

8. Looks like no one wants to discuss issues?

Or no one cares about GMOs and how Monsanto is abusing intellectual property law to impoverish farmers in India?

[ClassWarrior]

9. Apparently not. Maybe I should have put "cult" in the title.

:rofl:

NGU.

[Cha]

11. Thanks for this, Class..I should

have known hilary was for freakin' mansanto. I work in the natural food business and gmo is like poison to me..the same with hilary.

It's a big fucking agri-corporate..screw the Organic farmer business.

I'm so glad you brought this to our attention!

[ClassWarrior]

12. Just passing along info, zidz.

:hi:

How cool. Working in natural food. Thanks!

NGU.

[Cha]

13. You're passing the info along, yeah, but..

this is huge in my enclave. There were so many conversations about hilary in our co-op on Saturday and what she and bil are up to..it was very enlightening..and now I know she's part of the whole mansanto grip on the Planet..it's another reason why she should not be in the whitehouse again.

:hi:

[ClassWarrior]

14. I can believe it's huge in your area.

And it's not just Monsanto. It's a whole pile of these corporate giants.

NGU.