Obama, This Be Thy Legacy

We The People need to make America great again, because right now, it isn't.

Soon to be former President Barack Hussein Obama signed into law S.764, also known as DARK Act 2.0, which nullifies not only the recent labeling law established in Vermont, but also around a hundred state laws. Shoppers (I won't use the term "consumers", as if we're all nothing more than cattle, chewing whatever bloody cud that's thrown at us) will now require the use of a smartphone and a bar code scanner app to determine whether or not the item we are deciding to purchase contains GMOs.

If Blackberry were smart, they would repurpose their card readers to scan and display this information. Those who use phones as only phones could benefit from a scanner not much bigger than a business card.

And to think...I once had the opportunity to work with them...but I digress.

It should go without saying that I am profoundly disappointed with the current administration, and I am hoping that Republican candidate Donald John Trump win in such a landslide that any and all efforts to run a VoteScam upon the American people comes to naught.

I'm not giving away anything by saying this: there is going to be a huge groundswell against HRC. Not only has she demonstrated that the rule of law is broken; she has also indicated that she feels that she is above you and I.

That's a huge load of bollocks.

Understand, however; this isn't about hurt feelings - this is about allowing criminals to escape punishment, and therefore aiding and abetting them in their ill-gotten gains. I have my ideas of what happened to her childhood "friend" Vincent Foster, but this isn't the proper venue to discuss such ideas...and many other sites have done a far better job than I might - but I can clearly state that when Clinton had sent individuals into his office before the announcement of his death was made public, and she suffered no repercussions whatsoever, that was a huge mistake that we are now just beginning to realize.

"Just because you ignore politics, that doesn't mean that politics will ignore YOU."

With that said, let's talk about the infamous 28 pages released yesterday.

What justified the wait?

We all knew about the "identities" of 15 of the 19 hijackers, right? What exactly were we to learn from these redacted pages?

In fact, why redact any of it? Isn't the truth of what happened on September 11th, 2001, the business of We The People?

Well, why not reference the Chilcot Report, another document we had to wait far too long to see. Former PM Tony Blair toadied around "taking responsibility" in his role of destroying thriving Middle East nations for the cause of globalism.

Don't want to believe me? Not my problem - it's all in the report.

Okay - back to the scourge at hand. Steven Druker writes about the actual process of how genes are inserted into organisms, and as to how the process is dangerous. I've discussed this, as well:

Obfuscating the unnatural nature of the GM process and ignoring its unsettling features

The bias is evident from the outset, and the authors don’t even provide an honest answer to the initial question: “What is genetic modification (GM) of crops and how is it done?”Their response is substantially misleading because they omit the most unnatural and unsettling features while downplaying the unnaturalness of those they do mention.

In one of the biggest obfuscations, they avoid mentioning that biotechnicians have been inserting foreign DNA into plant genomes in a haphazard manner – and that the insertions not only disrupt the region of DNA into which they wedge but cause disruptions throughout the DNA strand, a phenomenon some scientists call ‘genome scrambling‘. [i]

The authors are equally evasive regarding how the foreign genes are induced to actually function, and they fail to disclose a crucial fact: that inserting a new gene does not in itself endow the plant with the desired new trait. That’s because it’s essential to get the information encoded within the gene expressed into a protein, and in almost every case, that won’t happen without artificial alteration of the inserted genetic material.

Here’s why.

The default condition of most genes is to be inactive and blocked from expressing – which conserves the organism’s energy and prevents proteins from being produced when and where they’re not needed. [ii]

A gene transitions from its closed-down default mode to its active mode through the operation of a regulatory element called a ‘promoter’, a segment of DNA adjoined to the gene that serves as its on/off switch. This switch is finely attuned to specific biochemical signals so that the gene expresses in harmony with the organism’s needs.

Consequently, when a gene is taken from one species and transferred to an unrelated one, the promoter will rarely (if ever) receive signals to which it’s sensitive, and the gene will remain inactive. Hence, before making such transfers, biotechnicians must remove the native promoter and replace it with one that will reliably function in the foreign milieu.

Moreover, to deliver the desired results, the promoter must in most cases not only induce the gene to express, but to boost its expression (and consequent protein production) to an extraordinary level.

For virtually every GM crop on the market, the potent promoter that’s been used to achieve such unusual results comes from a plant virus. Not only does it impel the inserted genes to produce proteins at an abnormally elevated level, it drives the production continuously, regardless of the organism’s needs and completely outside the intricate regulatory system through which its other genes are controlled. This can create serious problems by inducing metabolic imbalances or upsetting complex biochemical feedback loops.

Therefore, given the crucial role played by viral promoters, and the degree to which their employment is unnatural, it’s reasonable to expect that any purportedly balanced account of the GM process would mention them – and to deplore the Society’s utter failure to do so.

 A paraphrasing of my ideas regarding the same (posted to Jon Rappoport's blog):

“NOBODY KNOWS…..

“EXACTLY” HOW MANY OF THESE “HIGHLY TOXIC RESTRICTED EXPERIMENTAL CHEMICALS”…. ARE BEING USED/TESTED IN-CONJUNCTION WITH EACH OTHER HERE ON MAUI & MOLOKAI..”

Monsanto knows…and they’ve known for over 35 years.

What I won’t assume Monsanato knows are the invisible changes that take place when genes are shot into an organism.

The best example I can cite is from Dr. Oz’s show from last week in regards to the Arctic Apple. The apple has been modified to turn off the gene that turns an apple brown once exposed to air.

They were wrong about the pesticides not affecting our gut flora – what else are they utterly wrong about?

 From the Arctic Apple site - How'd We Make A Non-Browning Apple?

When my friends find out about my work with Arctic® apples, invariably one of the first questions they ask is: How’d we do that? That is, how’d we “make” a nonbrowning apple? Here’s what I tell them:

First, a quick biochemistry lesson.  When the cell of a typical apple is ruptured – for example, by biting, slicing or bruising – polyphenol oxidase (PPO) found in one part of the cell mixes with polyphenolics found in another part of the cell. (PPO is a plant enzyme. Polyphenolics are one of the many types of chemical substrates that serve various purposes, including supplying its aroma and flavor.) When PPO and polyphenolics mix, brown-toned melanin is left behind.

Arctic® apples produce practically no PPO so that enzymatic browning reaction never occurs.  This means Arctic® apples’ polyphenols aren’t burned up when the apple is bitten, sliced, or otherwise bruised. No chemical reaction, no yucky brown apple left behind.

So how’d we “make” a nonbrowning apple? The small number of genes  (four, to be exact) that control PPO production were identified several years back, when the apple’s genome was mapped. To create a nonbrowning Arctic® version of an existing apple variety, our science team uses gene silencing to turn down the expression of PPO, which virtually eliminates PPO production, so the fruit doesn’t brown. This genetic transformation is aided by modern science tools. (We’ll explain what we mean by “modern science tools” in a later post.)

This transformation takes place in a laboratory in a petri dish, with a small sample of apple tissue. We confirm the genetic transformation was successfully completed before growing the tissue out into a tiny plantlet and eventually moving it to an orchard. (We’ll explain how we confirm the transformation in a later post, too.)

Personally, I was amazed to find out how “simple” this transformation process is. (I put the word in quotes out of deference to the head of our science team, Dr. John Armstrong, who knows best how much hard work and brain power went into making this process look simple to me.)

The end result of all this science is just an apple tree, now with very low PPO production to prevent enzymatic browning in its fruit. Our Arctic® apple trees grow and behave in the orchard, blossom and bear fruit just like their conventional counterparts. We’ve got almost 10 years of test orchard experience to document that. Arctic® apples are also compositionally and nutritionally similar to conventional apples, further indicating that lower levels of PPO aren’t consequential to the tree or the fruit. It’s only when one of our apples is bitten, sliced or cut that the Arctic® apple difference becomes clear.

What role does PPO play in the plant, you might ask? In some plants, PPO plays a defensive role – for example, tomatoes produce high levels of PPO when attacked by pests or pathogens. In contrast, apples produce very low levels of PPO, and only in very young fruit.  Its presence is probably left over from apples of ages ago, playing no role in today’s apples.

I always close my talk with friends with this intriguing sidebar to the story: When eaten by humans, polyphenolics may have health-promoting benefits. For example, phenolics are believed to act as antioxidants, fighting the well-documented damaging effects that oxidation can have on the heart, other organs and throughout the body. Not enough is known yet about phenolics for the health community to suggest a recommended intake amount, as for other vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamin C (the best-known antioxidant), fiber and so on – but they are certainly worth watching!

Sounds great, right? Well, let's just think about this for a second.

What processes within your body are utterly isolated from all others?

For example - if you take a single step forward, does it affect the rest of your body at all?

Of course it does.

All biologic functions are intertwined.

Turning off the browning feature of the apple will cause an unforeseen reaction in the balance of the fruit, regardless of their fluffy press releases.

Let me end today with this - I believe that people aren't suffering from gluten intolerance; we are suffering from glyphosate intolerance.

Monsanto's First Lady?

Happy Father's Day, dear readers!

First of all...why is Michelle Obama in cahoots with Monsanto in attempting to craft childrens' school  menus?

GMO Hypocrisy and Double Standards against the working Class Americans

The average consumers are becoming more and more aware of the health risks associated with foods that are contaminated with pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, growth hormones or genetically modified.

Surprisingly, many government officials and corporate elites who promote genetically modified foods publicly, eat only organic privately.

During the 2008 presidential campaign Obama mentioned that the public had the right to know if their foods are genetically modified. Now four years later, GMOs are banned in 27 different countries but the biotech industry and FDA don’t even acknowledge that there is any difference in genetically modified foods compared to traditional foods. It’s pretty amazing how Michelle Obama, the first lady, launches a campaign to fight childhood obesity and digs up the White House front lawn to plant an organic vegetable garden and on the other hand her husband shakes hands with biotech industry and appoints, Mike Taylor, the former VP and attorney of Monsanto, as FDA deputy commissioner.

Michelle Obama insisted, during Obama's presidential campaign in 2008, that their family has been on organic diet for the past few years. Yet President Obama has made no efforts to lead America towards healthier food production with temporary halt to GMO foods while conducting a comprehensive research study of its long term side effects. In fact, he has not even made any attempts to simply label GMO to protect babies, pregnant women and those with chronic diseases. Activists, minorities, women and the young who voted for Obama hoped that his policies will be different than George W Bush. During Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, his supporters got the signals that Obama will make a real difference and start reform by putting the demands of the average American ahead of few corporate elites.

So far Obama’s policies seem far away from the promises he made in 2008 presidential election. Soon after he took office he appointed Roger Beachy, the former director at Monsanto as head of USDA, Tom Vilsack, creator of Governors' Biotechnology Partnership as the commissioner of USDA and Mike Taylor, the former Monsanto’s attorney and VP as the deputy commissioner of FDA. On the other hand, Obama's opponent Mitt Romney hasn’t revealed any details about his agricultural policies like his economic and healthcare policies. But since actions speak stronger than words, let’s take a look at Mitt Romney’s romantic ties to Monsanto.

Recently Wayne Barrett, as reported on The Nation explained how Mitt Romney helped Monsanto to dominate the world’s chemical and GMO seeds.

How Mitt Romney Helped Monsanto Take Over the World

Mitt Romney, Monsanto Man

Ironically, according to Peter Alexander, Mitt Romney, a man who helped Monsanto to dominate the world’s GMO seeds and chemicals, secretly eats organic. Ann Romney, his wife is also on organic diet and sometimes eats grass fed meat.

Mitt's favorite sandwich and more food dish from Romney Air

It is quiet amazing how both presidential candidates have promoted genetically modified foods but have been privately avoiding GMOs by eating only organic and grass fed meats. Interesting enough the former presidents including both Clinton and Bush were also on organic diet according to the former White House executive chef Walter Scheib.

The Presidential Palate

The biotech and chemical companies including Monsanto are aggressively pursuing their anti-GMO labeling policies by bribing lobbyists and politicians. You would think that the staff and scientists who work for these companies don’t have a problem eating GMOs and contaminated foods with pesticides. However recently Monsanto’s canteen removed all the food items that were genetically modified because the staff in Monsanto demanded foods that weren’t sprayed with pesticides or been genetically modified. Monsanto agreed to remove all GMO items and Tony Coombes, Monsanto’s spokesman ensured Monsanto’s staff that all the GMOs were removed and publicly reassured their employees by saying, “yes, this is the case, and it is because we believe in choice."

GM food banned in Monsanto canteen

But the word “CHOICE” is quite laughable coming from Monsanto among the big “6 pesticide firms” who have been campaigning and spending 19 million dollars so far to kill Proposition No.37. What is ironic is that Monsanto believes in the choice of their staff for non-GMO or contaminated foods with pesticides but on the other hand ignores and disrespects the choice of the whole nation for non-GMO and organic foods that aren’t contaminated with pesticides. This is hypocrisy and double standards against the freedom of choice in America and against the interest of the American people.

The Clinton, Bush, Obama, Romney families, and GMO scientists at Monsanto, all eat organic foods only. But American consumers who must be protected and represented by their government are gradually poisoned every day with foods that contain high levels of pesticides or are genetically modified. The whole purpose of having a government in the first place is to solve the problems that we as individuals can’t solve alone. But unfortunately GMO foods and foods that are contaminated with pesticides and growth hormones are regulated and presented as safe by the government. This corrupt political system and the Washington corporate lobbying are now causing serious consequences in the health and well being of the hard working American people and resulting in cancer and chronic diseases as well as record levels of allergies among children.

- See more at: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/gmo-hypocrisy-double-standards/#sthash.TYVwPXxV.dpuf

Lastly, an email from OCA:

View This Email On the Web

Eyes of the Future The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time. – Terry Tempest Williams Dear Vincent, On Thursday of this past week, Monsanto’s minions in the U.S. Senate claimed they were "just inches away" from snagging the 60 votes they need to snuff out Vermont’s mandatory labeling law. They have five more business days—until Friday, June 24—to get a bill to President Obama in time to keep Vermont's law from going into effect July 1. That means we have five days to stop them. This week, we kicked off our summer online fundraising campaign. Please help us raise $200,000 by midnight June 30, so we can protect Vermont's law and  take the GMO labeling battle to the next level.  You can donate online, or by U.S. mail or by phone, details here. Win or lose the GMO labeling battle, we have our work cut out for us. Because win or lose, labels or no labels, Monsanto’s Roundup will still be poisoning us. And factory farms will still be polluting our drinking water, killing the oceans, and contributing to a public health crisis with their reckless use of antibiotics. So far, you’ve helped us keep Congress from snuffing out Vermont’s law. We couldn’t have come this far without you. Thank you. Still, we haven't crossed the finish line yet. Sens. Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow will burn the midnight oil if they have to next week to hand Monsanto a victory. Just so you know, we’ll be burning the midnight oil right along with them. Mobilizing teams of labeling advocates. Writing letters. Making phone calls. Knocking on Senate office doors. But we’re also looking to the future. And what we see out there is a food and farming system, labels or no labels, that is dominated by greedy, ruthless corporations whose singular focus on shareholder profits blinds them to the devastating consequences of their bad behavior. For example: About 250 million pounds of Monsanto’s glyphosate are sprayed on food crops, lawns and parks in this country, every year. Glyphosate—classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Glyphosate—present in 93 percent of people who sent urine samples for testing . . . and in 100 percent of European Parliament members who were tested. Glyphosate—250 million pounds of it—linked to everything from allergies to birth defects to kidney failure to cancer. "It is going to be incomprehensible to future generations how our generation could have let glyphosate poison the earth's ecosystems, cause multiple species die-offs, and destroy global human health for over four decades, while standing by and doing nothing to stop the devastation.” - Stephanie Seneff, senior research scientist at MIT. You have become the greatest threat to Monsanto and Big Food. Win or lose the GMO labeling battle, we need you to help double the size of this movement, so we can take on the factory farms, the junk food giants and the Biotech Bullies.. We need you to help create a future where our food will be real food. Nutrient-dense food. Toxin-free food. Food grown using methods that heal, not harm, the earth. Food that doesn't need to be labeled because it's just . . . food. Please help us raise $200,000 by midnight June 30, so we can protect Vermont's labeling law and take the GMO labeling battle to the next level.  You can donate online, or by U.S. mail or by phone, details here. The “Eyes of the Future” are looking back at us. In solidarity, Ronnie Cummins International Director P.S. We can't wait for corporations or politicians to do the right thing. The food movement was built from the ground up. It's success depends on grassroots support. We rely on individual donors like yourself for nearly 80 percent of our budget. Every donation counts. Please know that every donation, no matter how small, is critical to this fight. Donate online here.

Desperation

Things are starting to get interesting.


Let's start with Monsanto. Not so long ago, the residents of Maui made their will apparent and voted against GMOs in their food supply. They didn't vote for labeling GMOs; they voted against their very presence. Monsanto performed an end-run around the wishes of the people of Maui.


From Jon Rappoport's latest piece:


“Case 1:14-cv-00582-SOM-BMK Document 55 Filed 04/15/15: ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS ‘MIRROR-IMAGE’ CLAIMS ON RIPENESS GROUNDS AND CONTINUING HEARING ON MERITS OF THAT MOTION; ORDER ADOPTING AMENDED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION AND DENYING MOTION TO REMAND [the Atay Action to state court].”

V. CONCLUSION.
[snip]
The court adopts the Amended F&R and denies the Motion to Remand the Atay Action to state court, ECF No. 15.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED: Honolulu, Hawaii, April 15, 2015.
/s/ Susan Oki Mollway
Susan Oki Mollway
Chief United States District

Here's a link to Jon's Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/jonrappoport/status/590871654714052611/photo/1


GMOs were purported to be the answer to world hunger. I guess we shouldn't count the over 300,000 Indian farmers who committed suicide because they were cajoled into switching to GMO crops that UTTERLY FAILED.


Many countries have actually burned GMO crops in order to stop the spread of their genes. I and many others have written about this.


The 'equivalence' claims are an obfuscation of facts. Think about the constant back-and-forth between the lobbyists and the legal department in regards to this end. How long did it take before one of these idiots came up with 'equivalence".


What they don't want you to ponder is that, using the same train of thought, a plastic piece of fruit is 'equivalent' to a real piece of fruit.


I would go so far as to say that the GMO has more 'equivalence' to the plastic replica than to real crops.


I've gone too far, right? Let me remind you that it is a fact that GMO crops do not have the same levels of nutrition contained in conventional/organic crops.


Period.


Monsanto and other biotechs claim that the nay-sayers are 'anti-science'; that's a huge load of bupkis. Shooting incompatible genes into an organism and thinking that invisible changes aren't taking place is ANTI-SCIENCE.


Some items of note from GMWatch:

• Public testing set to increase pressure for ban on glyphosate
• Neil Young's Monsanto album set for release June 16
• Monsanto sued in Los Angeles County for false advertising
• How the media fell for a GMO front group attack on Dr Oz
• Glyphosate is a “probably carcinogenic” pesticide. Why do cities still use it?

If Neil Young can get back to his former glory, I'll be going to a concert for the first time in many years.


We had so much promise in 2008, only for the exact opposite to happen. You can thank the revolving door between our government and lobbyists for that.


McDonald's market share is dropping like the cast of Hollywood Hillbillies going over Niagara Falls in barrels - hot and heavy.


This is funny - I've not heard of this: "their food is known as McColonics"


Jon also does a great piece on the idiocy of forcing vaccinations upon everyone. I won't repost his piece, but I'll bolster the argument with a simple analogy:


You live without locking your doors.


Your neighbor locks their doors.


Your neighbor insists that by you not locking your doors, he will get robbed.


Make sense to you?


Have a good day, dear readers.

How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public (Re-Post from Chelsea Green)

Altered Genes, Twisted Truth

How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public

by Steven Druker

"Altered Genes, Twisted Truth will stand as a landmark. It should be required reading in every university biology course."—Joseph Cummins, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Genetics, Western University, London, Ontario

This book uncovers the biggest scientific fraud of our age. It tells the fascinating and frequently astounding story of how the massive enterprise to restructure the genetic core of the world’s food supply came into being, how it advanced by consistently violating the protocols of science, and how for more than three decades, hundreds of eminent biologists and esteemed institutions have systematically contorted the truth in order to conceal the unique risks of its products—and get them onto our dinner plates.

Altered Genes, Twisted Truth gives a graphic account of how this elaborate fraud was crafted and how it not only deceived the general public, but Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and a host of other astute and influential individuals as well. The book also exposes how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was induced to become a key accomplice—and how it has broken the law and repeatedly lied in order to usher genetically engineered foods onto the market without the safety testing that’s required by federal statute. As a result, for fifteen years America’s families have been regularly ingesting a group of novel products that the FDA’s own scientific staff had previously determined to be unduly hazardous to human health.
By the time this gripping story comes to a close, it will be clear that the degradation of science it documents has not only been unsavory but unprecedented—and that in no other instance have so many scientists so seriously subverted the standards they were trained to uphold, misled so many people, and imposed such magnitude of risk on both human health and the health of the environment.

About the Author

Steven Druker

Steven M. Druker is a public interest attorney who, as executive director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity, initiated a lawsuit that forced the FDA to divulge its files on genetically engineered foods. This revealed that politically appointed administrators had covered up the warnings of their own scientists about the unusual risks of these foods and then allowed them to be marketed illegally. In organizing the suit, he assembled an unprecedented coalition of eminent scientists and religious leaders to stand with his organization as co-plaintiffs -- the first time scientists had sued a federal administrative agency on the grounds that one ... View Steven's full profile page >

I've come to much of the same conclusions, and this can be verified by perusing my re-postings of my Room Eight pages. I had an idea that most, if not all of the approvals of GMOs were due to chicanery, but Steven Druker proves it all beyond a shadow of a doubt. From this point forward, everyone who cares about the health of the family and friends should contact their representatives and advise them that should a measure come up to eradicate GMOs from our food supply, and they do not support said measure, that they will lose your vote.


We need to be the vanguard in this cause. Too many people are paid to subvert your choice.