Galt's Gulch

Thousand March in 400 Cities Against Monsanto

Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago to Technology
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Irrational actions such as this could result in the unintentional deaths of thousands. Ludites, anyone?
SOURCE URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/marchers-in-over-400-cities-protest-monsanto/2013/05/25/938dd988-c59b-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html

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  • Posted by UncommonSense 12 years, 6 months ago
    Their World HQ is in STL. Massive campus. Did any of march in STL? If so, did you make a stop at Pappy's BBQ? If not, shame on you for missing out.
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    • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
      no, I would have come straight to your house. Yes, know exactly the location.. I know those roads like you do, uncommon. lol. funny thing. 270 was brand new when I lived in U city
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
    What are they basing this on?
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    • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
      two things. 1. those who are against genetically modified seeds.
      2. Blaming Monsanto for lobbying govts to make laws banning other seeds from being planted. Now this is more the crux. In a perfect world (yea, I know) a biggie like Monsanto should be able to lobby to their heart's content-but with free countries, it should have no impact. Currently, Europe has passed laws banning "heirloom" seeds-so if you plant your own seeds, you may be committing a criminal activity. As well, in the US, a recent law included a little line that exempted Monsanto from lawsuits related to contracts they have farmers regarding control over their seeds.
      Wrap-up: There is crony capitalism going on. However, if judges and legislators followed our Constitution and reason, they would not make laws banning heirloom seeds. They would not exempt one company from legal actions. Big picture: Most food is genetically modified. These technologies are extremely important especially in 3rd world countries. seeds resistant to pestilence and drought. If the reaction is to pass laws banning genetically modified seeds, this could result serious food shortages in 3rd world countries with limited infrastructures.
      In the 70s, thousands boycotted Nestle Foods for promoting baby formula in 3rd world nations. From cozy, well-fed US groups cried-no formula over mother's milk. However, in starving areas, babies were dying because mother's weren't eating enough to lactate sufficiently. Formula stores well for a long time. In the end, that boycott succeeded and Nestle stopped promoting formula in Africa. How many babies do you think died unnecessarily as a result?
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      • Posted by Rocky_Road 12 years, 6 months ago
        Your mention of Nestle brought the DDT ban to mind: millions of Africans have died from mosquito related diseases after the halt of DDT production. Rachel Carson's book 'Silent Spring' started the hysteria, and her findings have since been discounted.

        But too late to help so many, and there are no plans to bring DDT back....

        I can't really tell from your post which side of the Monsanto protest line you are standing on?
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        • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
          thank you rocky for bringing up Rachel carson, the genocide queen of the 20th century.
          why can't you tell? farmers do not understand property rights or contractual rights. why is it, they are so well versed on subsidies? Monsanto should not have been able to get in Europe a law passed that said you can't use certain seeds. but at the same time, in the US, they should not have faced absurd lawsuits based on bogus health claims. they worked the system. I don't agree, but what options?
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      • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
        I might be getting off on a tangent here but the baby formula thing is bugging me. Who feeds the babies when they're off formula? Why do these people keep having babies if they can't feed them? I've always been stumped by this. They're starving but they make babies. Cruel!
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        • Posted by JossAmbrose 12 years, 6 months ago
          Years ago I worked in a greenhouse growing peppers. At the end of the growing season, right before we cut all the plants down, we used to starve them of food for a few days. The result? Survival 'instinct'. The plants produced one last massive yield of fruit. I think the same is the case for humans. It's not logical as such but survival instinct does seem to kick in in times of severe hardship.
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          • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
            it is a proven fact, that in starving, poor nations, people tend to have more children. in prosperous, higher wealth nations, people tend to have less children. It is economically tied, but on the surface seems poor logic. In a poor nation, surviving children are an insurance policy. they can work a field, they can take care of you in old age. their survival rate is the same as yours or lower, so keep mom pregnant. As well, these people have lost hope that they will escape or move out of their situation. In wealthier nations, people tend to focus on gaining wealth to the detriment of starting families. I am not sure joss's correlation is correct, however it is interesting.
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            • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
              So it's all economically driven? I thought it had something to do with smarts. I never understood contemplating having kids if you (yourself!) can't feed them.... here, there, or anywhere.
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              • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
                some people believe that. in more wealthy countries , I would agree with you regarding poor decision making. but these broad, world wide over long periods of time issues, I do not agree. Too much correlation between countries/regions policies on economic freedom. Religious beliefs encouraging procreation have stronger footholds in countries with less economic freedom/standards of living as well. Look at Catholics, for example. Simply observing a nation's culture or how technologically advanced, standard of living, does not give you information on raw intelligence. I would say it's roughly the same anywhere. whether people use their intelligence.....well
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                • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
                  But...okay..here's how I understand this. Let's pick Ethiopia...they live in dust huts and have no food and dirty water etc etc. People have tried to teach them how to farm, how to not make babies and so on and it has made NO difference. Is THAT intelligence? I know you will correct me if I'm wrong...
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                  • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
                    it is if your government steals everything you make, harvest, rape and pillage. it is not about education it is about property rights. If 1 or 2 months after good deed doers come in and help to build schools, infrastructures-terrorists raid the village, or burn the village down, you will not maintain infrastructure. You live in constant fear that the more organized and productive you appear, the more you become a target. I can give you another example that is not so stark. In Mexico, few mexican homes ever look "finished." even if there is a nice shiny truck in the driveway. One reason, and I stuck to this awhile, is that there are not mortgages for houses. well, that explains alot of circumstances, but not all. finally, someone told me, it has to do with property taxes. Most mexicans do not pay income taxes. but there is a large tax affixed to FINISHED dwellings. If the property always appears half built, the authorities will not assess. It seemed to me that people just did not care. period. no, they were hanging under the radar.
                    think of the dark ages vs the Renaissance. you still had the same gene pool roughly.
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          • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
            ...interesting... I think that instinct (or worry) has been removed from people's minds.. And...are peppers considerated a fruit?
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            • Posted by JossAmbrose 12 years, 6 months ago
              The 'need' to think has been removed from people's lives. Worry I think has two causes. One is the constant threat of creeping oppression from powers too great to overthrow, the other is fear of inability to deal with life. Surely instinct (in human terms) would be recognition of the fact that action is necessary to avert the cause of worry. "Shit, we're all going to die. We need babies! Lots of babies! Everybody make babies right now!" Yes, peppers are a fruit.
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              • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
                Humpf....I must be all backwards in my way of thinking... having babies ADDS to worry.
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                • Posted by JossAmbrose 12 years, 6 months ago
                  I agree with you but as far as preventing extinction goes... It's necessity I guess, especially if the poverty stricken have simply given up on the idea of escaping from their circumstances. If they have no strategy, they are defeated, logic goes out of the window.
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  • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    thanks for your service to help keep us free. btw, good to know your nose didn't lose any skin!
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    • Posted by Rocky_Road 12 years, 6 months ago
      No need to "thank" me...all I personally lost was time. I actually enjoyed what I did, and that could have been from being 100% 'gung ho' about the mission. Speaking for my lost companions, I can promise you that they were also 100% aboard, and would have done no different. That is why they are so 'special'...total selflishness.

      And 'thanks' for your concern about my nose skin! I was never in any real danger, and 'ready for bear'. The real bummer was finding all of his self-incriminating posts...this forum is a challenge for that.

      I can't believe that you aren't asking 'who' the demigod is pining to own my real 'first place' appendage!

      You are a true 'hoot'...!
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      • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
        I did not need to ask. got the joke immediately. we're kinda quicksilver in here.
        I did not serve. But there are alot of Gulchers who have and do. My dad signed on as soon as he was 18 with the Air Force. He was stationed in Okinawa during the Korean War and made maps. He was seriously POed they did not want him to be a pilot. His boyhood heroes were the WWII pilots from his little hometown. Strong heroes. Imagine that. I often think of the youngest US generation and wonder. Who are your heroes? The media and the WH would have you believe members of the peace corps and government workers. I have no doubt they are teaching them that from the first day of kindergrten. LetsShrug has to deprogram them!
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        • Posted by Rocky_Road 12 years, 6 months ago
          He has no reason to demote himself for not getting into the 'flight' program...20/20 was the baseline, and that was the absolute benchmark. If I had to make this criteria today, I would be a 'fail'.

          The "heroes" of his era had 20/10. Aces like Chuck Yeager owed his success to seeing the enemy long before they saw him. Pappy Boyington was no different, except that his history began before the official war declaration.

          Vision was the baseline to flying combat. Nothing happened beyond that.

          My guess is that your dad was vision impaired....
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