Forwarded from: Organic Consumers Association <ronniecumm...@organicconsumers.org>
Tweet <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=CSGauFJbdSr90m%2BBV4X9YcY5xDpzOxkL> | Pinterest <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FJQLBWZF1YY2hWBakxlL2sY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=QzF57X4vIHagm7s61vlVkMY5xDpzOxkL> Subscribe & Read Past Issues <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9XdLOChIXRc7y4inFba6HxykW%2FEJL09i> | OCA Homepage <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DJs16to%2FegTCT34r%2BafmqcY5xDpzOxkL> | Donate <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Zq9O%2FREbYZNIcWYYf7ZkPcY5xDpzOxkL> | View on Web <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=o5tLi%2BbSvaSgoOu0ilihV8Y5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=o%2Fc%2BpS2hvtnJ2iSa6PBh28Y5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wy1INJipgSHzjsMTeUgxPsY5xDpzOxkL> <mailto:?subject=Order%20in%20the%20Court&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1014981>TOP NEWS OF THE WEEK Order in the Court <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yR%2BwP5Dm%2F0Of37uur0aWOsY5xDpzOxkL> One of the world’s most criminally corrupt corporations will finally get its day in court. And it won’t be pretty. OCA, along with IFOAM International Organics, Navdanya, Regeneration International (RI), Millions Against Monsanto and dozens of global food, farming, environmental justice groups announced today that they will put Monsanto MON (NYSE) on trial for crimes against nature and humanity, and ecocide. The announcement was made at a press conference held in conjunction with the COP21 United Nations Conference on Climate Change, November 30 – December 11, in Paris. “The time is long overdue for a global citizens’ tribunal to put Monsanto on trial for crimes against humanity and the environment. We are in Paris this month to address the most serious threat that humans have ever faced in our 100-200,000 year evolution—global warming and climate disruption. Why is there so much carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere and not enough carbon organic matter in the soil? Corporate agribusiness, industrial forestry, the garbage and sewage industry and agricultural biotechnology have literally killed the climate-stabilizing, carbon-sink capacity of the Earth's living soil.” - Ronnie Cummins, international director of the OCA (US) and Via Organica (Mexico), and member of the RI Steering Committee. The trial will take place in The Hague, Netherlands, next year on World Food Day, October 16, 2016. OCA, Millions against Monsanto and other groups will organize a global protest against Monsanto on that day. If you want to organize or join a protest in your city, state or country sign up here. <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0QQ2u%2BxTJXIr67qiNxMFrsY5xDpzOxkL> This is a chance for the citizens of the world to hold Monsanto accountable for poisoning our soils, our food, our children and our future. It's time. Read the press release <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RFAnOMsNWjNiiN9%2BnA77tMY5xDpzOxkL> Sign up to organize a World Food Day protest <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=axUypyNRZCTWKzpXYKH6ghykW%2FEJL09i> Full list of Monsanto Tribunal Foundation founding organizations (so far) <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=EjeMbJIjgqJh7SCG5dGjnsY5xDpzOxkL> Full list of Monsanto Tribunal Foundation organizing members <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=og6mczk7kWUITEgKrNaHe8Y5xDpzOxkL> Learn more <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yrEm2sul3DOQgmAIX6bGl8Y5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qF6JLcfa1mFZWnlO50ciuxykW%2FEJL09i> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=F6C%2Bfd5%2B1A52LMTxn7DDSRykW%2FEJL09i> <mailto:?subject=Message%20from%20Paris&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1014986>ESSAY OF THE WEEK Message from Paris <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=aMUxEPHHc7qUsrrw4%2BJLkMY5xDpzOxkL> “Humanity stands at the edge of an abyss. We have destroyed the planet, its biodiversity, our water and the climate, and through this destruction, we have destroyed the ecological context for our survival as a species. Ecological destruction and resource grab are generating conflicts, which are being accelerated into full-blown wars and violence. A context of fear and hate is overtaking the human imagination. We need to sow the seeds of peace—peace with the earth and each other, and in so doing, create hope for our future—as one humanity and as part of one Earth community.” - Vandana Shiva, Terra Viva, Pact for the Earth <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3IMgztjbiQnWQdfx9YPA%2F8Y5xDpzOxkL>, November 26, 2015 Twenty-three years after the first United Nations Earth/Climate Summit in 1992, in the wake of a savage terrorist attack on November 13 that traumatized Europe, a multinational contingent of activists and stakeholders are gathered here for the COP 21 Climate Summit. Ten thousand of us took to the streets of Paris on November 28, peacefully defying the government ban on street demonstrations. I, along with a delegation of North American and Latin American Regeneration activists, joined the protest, holding hands with our French and European comrades in a human chain stretching for miles. Our section of the animated chain, punctuated with colorful homemade signs, T-shirts and banners, was designated “Solutions.” Lined up at the corner of Boulevard Voltaire and Allée du Philosophe, our boisterous group’s most popular chant, repeated over and over again in Spanish, English and French, drawing smiles and thumbs-up reactions from Parisians on the streets, was “El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido” (“The people united will never be defeated).” Standing at the crossroads of a climate Apocalypse, a growing consensus appears to be emerging: We must not only phase out Big Oil, King Coal and industrial food and farming, and stop polluting the already supersaturated atmosphere and the oceans with additional greenhouse gases, but we must also strip out or draw down approximately 200 billion tons of excess CO2 already blanketing the atmosphere. And we must do this utilizing proven, “shovel-ready” regenerative organic farming and land use practices. <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Lz%2BhNeHcAQbmRb5e3CICfsY5xDpzOxkL> Read Ronnie’s essay <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MpsgD9wS%2BDryuFDwc0O38cY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yFHwDuFcCD5E8rkC%2BGYn3MY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ULjM8hq3c08btojp3MNxzMY5xDpzOxkL> <mailto:?subject=Looming%20Deadline&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1014991>ACTION ALERT Looming Deadline <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=v8h8EiPBtbE2BK5hSzNNEcY5xDpzOxkL> Monsanto’s friends in <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=as6Ap%2FFuHSBlG8XmNBzYMMY5xDpzOxkL>Congress <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qdPUKjHd%2BjULsBSgRJ1ao8Y5xDpzOxkL>will try to slip a version of the DARK Act (H.R. 1599), the bill that would Deny Americans the Right to Know about GMOs, into the end-of-year appropriations bill. The appropriations bill, essentially a budget bill, must pass by midnight December 11. Or the federal government will shut down. Stopping this sneak attack <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=06rMVtPwLl7xX4TDGBCXacY5xDpzOxkL> on GMO labeling is even more urgent now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZsGnTXQXISkDUdFMplUqZhykW%2FEJL09i> GMO salmon. Contrary to FDA claims, the AquAdvantage® salmon <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XWq36%2BsJR0nk3m3eZFAJqMY5xDpzOxkL> is not the same as farmed salmon that has not been genetically engineered. Developed in a laboratory by inserting the genes of a Chinook salmon and eelpout (an eel-like fish) into an Atlantic salmon, “frankenfish” is less nutritious than normal salmon, more likely to trigger an allergy, and could increase cancer risks by raising levels of IGF-1, a hormone linked to prostate, breast and colon cancers in humans. Right now, the only states where GMO salmon will have to be labeled are Alaska <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=W4UWfJcNS1tPMgaoDJFvv8Y5xDpzOxkL> and Vermont <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ilEDHmibSo1P1bm%2BuEcFZ8Y5xDpzOxkL>. But those laws could be wiped out by a last-minute “sneak attack” rider to the appropriations bill preempting states from enacting laws on any foods containing GMOs, including frankenfish. TAKE ACTION: Call and write your Senators and Member of Congress today! Tell them to reject Monsanto’s GMO labeling sneak attack rider to the appropriations bill. <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NSWkl1MkdLlR7tf8q3NeYMY5xDpzOxkL> Read our letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5K%2FQbqq7FhH9tfjJYAUV5cY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6naPHWE2JV0ppoQJ2689DsY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=IWVLnxvurF59KZmr7pqTvMY5xDpzOxkL> <mailto:?subject=Eight%20Days&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1014996>SUPPORT OCA & OCF Eight Days <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BzGnSGtjyOp%2BxQ4wvTNu6cY5xDpzOxkL> As the midnight December 11 deadline for Congress to pass a budget bill approaches, Monsanto and Big Food are still scrambling to put a permanent legal end to GMO labeling laws, including the one in Vermont that’s set to take effect July 1, 2016. At this point, there’s no chance a Senate version of the DARK Act, passed by the House in July, will be introduced, much less be subjected to proper hearings or a vote. Monsanto’s only hope now is to attach a rider to the appropriations bill, forcing Congress to either side with Monsanto, or face a government shutdown. We know what Monsanto and Big Food are aiming for—a worthless voluntary scheme involving QR barcodes and smartphones. Just this week, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) announced, with great fanfare, that 30 companies and counting have signed up for the GMA’s shiny new SmartLabel technology. The GMA hopes consumers will swoon over a “labeling” system that requires them to use a smart phone that leads to a flashy corporate website in order to find out what’s in their food. Will this Big Announcement from Big Food sway Congress to allow Monsanto to stomp out state labeling laws? Not if consumers object, loudly and often, every day for the next eight days. As Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) told Congress yesterday: "The bottom line is this is bad policy. Consumers are smart. They pay attention to what they eat, and if you give them the ability to choose ... they will make the right decision. And it's their decision to make." We have eight days to stop Monsanto’s rider and save Vermont’s GMO labeling law. We can do this. With your help. Donate to the Organic Consumers Association <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=QulRCzmE2i1%2FD2MZxaAbG8Y5xDpzOxkL> (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education) Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GlLMWwNhq4Au5f%2BXRmC0rsY5xDpzOxkL>(non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts) <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jn%2BM2NUgH71tZDvL5i6bmsY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZQQ1drwhQitTxEE7UBVU8cY5xDpzOxkL> <mailto:?subject=Frankenfish%20Fraud%20Fest&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1015001>GMO LABELING CAMPAIGN Frankenfish Fraud Fest <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=q4ba7pKHI%2B%2BaITWei3TmEsY5xDpzOxkL> On November 2, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first genetically modified food animal—an Atlantic salmon that grows twice as fast as natural salmon, thanks to the insertion of genes from Chinook salmon and eelpout (an eel-like fish). This approval is so wrong, on so many levels, that it’s hard to know where to start. For one, the FDA regulates GMO salmon as a drug, not a food—"because the recombinant DNA (rDNA) construct introduced into the animal meets the definition of a drug." If that’s the case, you would think this new “drug” should be labeled. But it won’t be, because out of the other side of the FDA’s mouth, the agency has declared GMO salmon to be nutritionally equivalent to conventional farm-raised Atlantic salmon. As this article <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=91oJbfYtkQwk5XpuTdcfR8Y5xDpzOxkL> on Mercola.com <http://mercola.com/> says: In the eyes of the FDA, it's a perfectly normal fish, but it's also a drug, but since it's a fish that is comparable to other fish, it doesn't need to be labeled, even though all drugs typically need to be labeled... But of course the new frankenfish is not nutritionally equivalent to farmed salmon. Worse yet, the FDA approved GMO salmon on the basis of flawed studies, none of which included long-term safety testing to prove genetically engineered salmon is safe for human consumption. It’s a veritable Frankenfish Fraud Fest. And with an estimated <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pjv98u21prAZQAAfD9VtlRykW%2FEJL09i> 35 other species of genetically altered food animals in the pipeline, it will only get worse. Unless consumers boycott GMO salmon, and every retailer or restaurant that sells it. All you wanted to know about Frankenfish <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pQltaQtv%2F%2BC2Ev2VrBu3FsY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=UndRbfOC2AOmwn0a4jfQ6MY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4D9vPSor%2FOWcEc%2FH1eAe6hykW%2FEJL09i> <mailto:?subject=Good%20News%20from%20Paris&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1015006>VIDEO OF THE WEEK Good News from Paris <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FfmNdGIAARfwkYdiE5f8h8Y5xDpzOxkL> If you’re following the climate talks in Paris this week, you probably haven’t heard much about France’s “4 parts for 1000 Initiative.” That’s because the Big Wigs (Bill Gates et al) and the Big Politicians, in their allegiance to the Big Corporations, are fixated on too-small reductions in carbon emissions and on how to profit from fancy new renewable energy technologies. In our opinion, France’s “4 parts for 1000 Initiative” is the most exciting news to come out of Paris. Which is why OCA has signed on to the Initiative <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gtMnUq74neu7ZIEAxBFo2sY5xDpzOxkL>, along with other countries and international NGOs from around the world. France’s “4 parts for 1000 Initiative” connects the dots between soil, food and climate. Here’s the theory behind the Initiative. The world’s soils contain two to three times more carbon than the atmosphere. By increasing the amount of carbon stored in the soil by just 4 parts for 1000 in the top 30 or 40cm of the soil, we bring the increase in atmospheric CO2 to a dead stop. How do we put more carbon in the soil? We stop turning forests into palm oil and GMO soy plantations. And we start increasing organic regenerative farming practices that build soil organic matter and increase the soil’s capacity to draw down excess carbon from the atmosphere. (This is not to be confused with Monsanto’s new “carbon-neutral” <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=7h2gyzBL8rpD7CPuDGYTKcY5xDpzOxkL> agriculture which might reduce CO2 emissions, but will never, ever rebuild organic matter and draw down carbon from the atmosphere). Watch the video <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qDkauWZCJOxe7rdw6KPWn8Y5xDpzOxkL> More on France’s 4 per 1000 Initiative <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=PqiAP7uXMynGgtQhHd0ERMY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5uvMeIRHd48VzqAksCR67cY5xDpzOxkL> <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=oKsu0VBv38IW%2B1qPZpAFGsY5xDpzOxkL> <mailto:?subject=Essential%20Reading%20for%20the%20Week&body=https://www.organicconsumers.org/node/1015016>LITTLE BYTES Essential Reading for the Week <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ftUeP5n3u7JIylmui%2FN1zMY5xDpzOxkL> Global Agricultural Transition Under Way to Boost Resilience to Climate Change and Reduce Emissions <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=n41oYUYytJU6YC0%2F7uDU4sY5xDpzOxkL> Benefits of Strength Training: Strong Body Linked to Strong Mind <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ln45woa1obzXqd15IF4NQ8Y5xDpzOxkL> Agent Orange Crops: EPA Turnaround on Toxic Herbicide 'Huge Victory for Future of Food' <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fOUZ1a6NXbLPLsvMQpIqFxykW%2FEJL09i> 3 Sometimes Forgotten Reasons Organic Whole Foods Are Better for the Environment <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0n7kWVMMVrY7t1l14WFWo8Y5xDpzOxkL> Groups Deliver a Turkey of a Dinner to Minnesota Senator <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VKVE6t45zTbMfqIlJN19ucY5xDpzOxkL> Foreshadowing TPP Troubles — Trade Ruling Nixes Dolphin-Safe Tuna Label <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=o5tLi%2BbSvaS4R52XB0p2EsY5xDpzOxkL> The Shocking Difference between Organic & Non-GMO Labels - It's Huge! <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1l6FMN2Oh7xibq53aa%2FyucY5xDpzOxkL> follow on Twitter <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=P%2FdwJQ%2B87zZYP%2FmSRMNIpBykW%2FEJL09i> | friend on Facebook <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TJ%2FVdQAXX35JevMf7qgTs8Y5xDpzOxkL> | OCA on Pinterest <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=v%2BlSGwpUdHPQpjs4iezvnMY5xDpzOxkL> Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power! Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=D7Gg3YwYcW9WWI7aHbCcTcY5xDpzOxkL> 6771 South Silver Hill Drive - Finland, MN 55603 - Phone: 218-226-4164 - Fax: 218-353-7652
