Sacramento area activists

“The Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology is happening on the 23rd of June at the Convention center. Anyone else up for a day of protest?

The Mobilization

The front

The reason”

“nope....”

“I won't count on you, then strat.

Seeing as how you're from Arkansas, anyway, I'd figured that the title of the thread would have kept you out.”

“

"Is genetic engineering safe for you and your family? ... No one can answer these questions."

So what's to protest? Are you a professional in protesting, Phaedrus? What's in this for you?”

“Hippie chicks.


Duh.”

“Why have Monsanto et al dropped piles of cash on both parties to make sure genetically modified foodstuffs aren't labeled as such?

Because lots of people simply wouldn't buy it.

It's unfortunate that Monsanto's bottom line overshadows what should be the public's right to know what they're feeding their children.

Theye was a pro-GM food lobbyist on C-SPAN's morning call-in show a while back. People kept asking him that same question --- he couldn't answer it.

When the flap about rBGH broke, didn't the companies who make and use it SUE a dairy who wanted to advertise their milk as "rBGH free'?”

“Who's paying the protestors to show up at this one?

Rent-A-Picket?

Protests-R-Us?”

“Phaedrus - Who is really behind this protest? In examination of your links I found only:

• Nonviolent Actions Affinity Group Spokes Council
  
• Sacramento Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture
  

When I tried to track down these two sources, I ended up chasing around in a circle. They appear to be professionally led protest organizations. My conclusion is that they are in the business of trying to find things to protest. I feel that they they should first try to find some negative impacts from GE products so that they have a basis for protesting.

At the top of the page for the second link it says:

"The United States is committed to strengthening global food security."

Further on I found:

"The Conference and Expo will focus on the critical role science and technology (S&T) can play in raising agricultural productivity in developing countries in an environmentally sustainable way."

These things sound recommendable to me. But go protest, if you like. I would give my support to the conference. My hope would be that they might be able to save many people from starving in the long run. Don't forget to take a lunch to the protest. I hope that in protesting that you are supporting a worthy cause rather than just an organization that developes protests for a variety of things.

Good luck to you.”

“end blockquote
end blockquote”

“let's protest slugs!

those dang things always crawl on my porch and leave slimy trails all over my fron door. sometimes they even crawl into the house and live under the toilet untill you step on one when you're reaching for a towell and it gooshes in between your toes and slug guts get all over your clean foot ! ! !


EVER TRY TO WIPE OFF SLUG GUTS?!?!??!


IT AIN'T EASY! TRUST ME ! ! ! !












HEY HEY HO HO, ALL SLUGS MUST GO ! ! ! ! !

HE HE HI HI , ALL SLUGS MUST DIE ! ! ! !”

“"SLUG GUTS" are generically clean.”

“clean in the germocological sense perhaps....but i'm tellin ya , they got some kinda nasty slimy gluey wicked nasty sticky funk inside um......”

“Why don't they want you to know what you feed your children, Strat?”

“uhhhmm.....well...you know i really don't know why they don't want me to know what i feed my kids but i do know that i know what i feed my kids, if you know what i mean......”

“Here's a possible answer. To quote Tilt: "Because lots of people simply wouldn't buy it."”

“Why don't they want you to know which foods have been genetically modified?

Gerber Baby Food Co. wanted to market a line of organic baby food, but they had to give up the plan because they couldn't guarantee the food wasn't GM...”

“Nowslimmer:

Don't they have that right?

Don't they have the right to know and Make Their Own Decisions?”

“oh......that....


well dood, you know i just like to eat stuff and so i'll just keep on doin that. we go to the 'healthfood' store alot and get no preservative stuff and all that jazz. i'm all over it. alot of prganic farmers sell stuff at the farmers market twice a week here on the square. see, there's alternatives out there. you could even grow your own stuff iffin it really bothers ya so much. i gotta compost pile the sive of a volkswagon. you wanna talk about some goood dirt!


have fun protestin though....whatevah trips yo triggah...










now....about those slugs.....”

“It figures.”

“oh does it now? i got REAL problems here mang! i betcha you don't go protest it either you big weeniehead!”

“Nowslimmer,

These links should answer a number of your questions.

What is there to protest?


What about world hunger?

Gordon: The money is being made on the other side of this debate.

Strat: It matters only if you value your health and your right to choose how to live.

Tilt: Thanks.”

“Here's the right one:


Nowslimmer,

These links should answer a number of your questions.

Who are Sacramento Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture? (Sacmobilization.org is their website).

What is there to protest?


What about world hunger?

Gordon: The money is being made on the other side of this debate.

Strat: It matters only if you value your health and your right to choose how to live.

Tilt: Thanks.”

“what are you thanking HIM for!!!!???

i do care phaeddy. thats why i go to the heathfood store.......”

“Oh, I thought you were belittling the movement with the slug comparisons. Sorry if I misunderstood.”

“Tilt - Is it in the Constitution? Maybe we need another Amendment.

Is there a law that is being broken?

Isn't making money by any legal means is the American Way?

I just feel that this person does not know what he is protesting or for whom he is protesting.

Is it wrong to try to feed the poor?

From the first link:

"This is why millions of small farmers around the world have called for protests at the Sacramento ministerial to denounce the corporate take over of the global food supply."

I need a little proof before I buy that statement.

Additionally:

"JOIN US in the streets of Sacramento, California for a five-day festival of diverse resistance ..."

A festival! Sounds like it's PARTY TIME!

Additional they are promoting protest training. This is recruitment for professional protesters. I don't have any kind words for it.

Right now I protest the hour. I'm headed for my sleeping bag.”

“well, i may have been belittling....because if you don't compost and grow your own food , and quit buying the product you are protesting ,then your part of the problem...IMHO”

“nowslimmer's THE man!”

“Nowslimmer, take you own advice and seek a little proof before you make your conclusions.

I can give you ample evidence of the growing debate on GM and why the US is pushing it. I know DAMN good and well why I'm protesting, and you assumption that I'm being led into something I know nothing about is not only false, but insulting.

You believe what you want, but if the three links I posted were all the education you have bothered to give yourself on the matter, please feel free to speculate wildly, but remember that it is only speculation on your part.”

“No, I can't make it to Sacramento. Hell, I don't make it to the North Georgia mountains nearly enough. That's no excuse to be a bump on a log, though, is it?

Sorry, but I just don't understand people argueing in favor of being ignorant. It's totally unfathomable to me. We all know these corporations have our best interests at heart... like... Philip Morris?

Were there people in the 50s saying "We don't want to know what's in those cigarettes"?”

“right. so go to the health food store and pay more instead, like i choose to do.


phaeddy, it should be insulting to you. that group uses your emotions to furthur their best interest....just like evil coperations do, right tilt?


tilt, you are self employed. do you conduct your business in your best interest? i'd be willing to bet that you do....”

“Oh, and try reading my second post as well. feeding the poor is not monsanto's goal, nor is it the US governement's.

GM foods as the science stands right now are a huge unknown with the possibility of catastrophic consequence, and the rush is because there's money to be made.

As for "protest training": this is equal time for the other side of the argument that ISN'T backed by a corporate advertizing budget and PR campaign. It's not about teaching people to be sheep and protest whatever they tell you to protest. Where's the profit in that?

Yes, they're organizing a good time for people who show up here, and they're even organizing places to stay for people who can't afford a hotel. This is to be expected.

I have nothing good to say about your "detective" work.”

“strat, you know that if they'd won thei last lawsuit, they could label GM foods as organic?

Does that bother you?”

“OH MAAA GAAAAH! I'M GOING TO PRICELINE RIGHT NOW TO BOOK MY FLIGHT TO SACREMENTO! ! !














they got free beer , right?”

“tilt, you are self employed. do you conduct your business in your best interest? i'd be willing to bet that you do...."

stratdewd



I don't pay politicians to cover up for me, LOL

I don't do anything that requires any covering up in the first place.”

“As for the farmers protesting GM crops, is the Washington Post a good enough source for you?”

“strat, you show up, you can stay at my place and drink all the free beer you can stand.”

“but we really don't KNOW that, now do we? i mean afterall, you're really just a bunch of 1's and 0's to us. for all we know you ARE a polotician......

i notice you really didn't answer my question.......qurious...”

“oh phaedrush! how do i get across the state line? they'll shoot me when they see that i'm from arkansas.....”

“Let's let Monsanto decide what to do about it! And Enron can run our power and we'll have Arthur Anderson do the books. The free market will take care of it!”

“Personally I find the stiff resistance to clear labeling worrisome. In my mind that indictes that they feel the need to hide the facts regarding their products.

I also find it disturbing that a company would sue to stop another company from accurately describing its own product. (in ref to the rBGH issue) That alone strikes me as Un-American and anti-business especially if you describe being pro-business as being pro-competition.”

“Strat, you're welcome here, as is any other refugee from a third-world state.”

“i'll just dig an oil well in my back yard, grow my own garden, and do my own books....tyvm”

“HPM nailed it. They've gone out of their way to make sure we don't know what they're doing.


Boy, Nowslimmer sure got my goat. Whew!”

“i think labeling is a must.”

“We agree. I'm not against the use of biotech by any means. I think it show great promise in a number of medicinal and nutritional areas. That being said, I am completely against the idea that we can treat GM foods the exact same way as their non-GM equivalent.”

“I also believe that the US is trying to get africa to accept GM foods as aid, in order for biotech comapanies to have a low-profile source of human testing.

Someone explain that away.”

“To directly answer your question, Strat, I DO act in my own self-interest BUT NOT to the extent that any act of mine is detrimental to anyone else.

If I do a good job, everyone's happy. As long as I don't put money ahead of ethics, there's no reason to lie or cover anything up or cheat anyone.

(or pay off any politicians)”

“That's the heart of this issue, disclosure. From what I know of the debate that's been the biggest gripe from everyone opposed to GM foods is that they want the ability to opt out and choose a product that fits with their wants and needs.

If people don't want it, they won't buy it, if they won't buy it it fails in the marketplace and those who DO offer the products the comsumers want will succeed because that is what the people will buy. Isn't that the epitome of capitalism?

The pro-GM lobby is trying to stifle competition through forced nondisclosure on all sides. That's Un-American in my book.”

“I agree with your assesment on the testing angle.”

“Right-o.”