Dissenting Lawmakers Punished as
Corporate Takeover of United States Advances
July 07, 2015
Story at-a-glance
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On June 24 the US Senate passed the Fast Track bill
that gives the President carte blanche to negotiate
and finalize free trade deals, such as the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in complete secrecy
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If ratified, TPP will have ramifications for our
health, economy, and environmental protections,
including the loss of individual, state, and
national rights, as it sets up binding rules that
supersede US law
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Rep. Mark Meadows was stripped of his subcommittee
chairman position after voting against Fast Track;
three other Republicans were removed from the
Republican whip team for voting against the measure
By Dr. Mercola
Despite strong opposition, on June 24 the US Senate passed
the Fast Track bill1,2
(known as Trade Promotion Authority or TPA) that gives the
President carte blanche to negotiate and finalize free trade
deals in complete secrecy, which brings us one step closer to
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The TPP, which appears to be nothing short of a corporate
takeover of global powers, has the legal ability to thwart all
future attempts at protecting the public from genetically
engineered (GE) foods, and for this (and many other reasons)
mustbe stopped.
As explained by
Ben Beachy and
Ben Lilliston in recent interviews, the TPP, which involves
the United States and 11 other countries around the Pacific Rim,
is a vast expansion of terms already found in the notoriously
unpopular North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
If ratified, the TPP will have tremendous ramifications for
our health, economy, and environmental protections—not to
mention the loss of individual, state, and national rights, as
it sets up binding rules that supersede US law.
As noted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation3
(the primary concern of which is the TPP's impact on digital
regulations), we have but one narrow window of opportunity left.
The Fast Track legislation does force the White House to
release the final trade agreement text 60 days before Congress
votes on it, giving us a two-month long window to dissect it and
convince our lawmakers not to ratify it.
In the meantime, we need to continue hammering our
representatives, driving home the message that we will not
accept a yes vote on TPP. Nor will we accept a yes vote on the
Pompeo bill, which would also eliminate state rights to label
and regulate GMOs.
- Find your congressman by clicking this
link
- Write down what you will say. You can use facts in this
article and other
articles discussing the free trade deal, but tell them
to oppose the TPP when it comes up for vote
- Rehearse what you will say
- Remember to be respectful
So please, contact your member of Congress and tell them to
oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). While Fast Track
passed, we may still prevent the TPP from becoming reality if we
can convince Congress to vote against the ratification of it.
The time to apply pressure is right NOW. In addition to the
source above, you can also find contact information for your
state's Congressman and additional information on the TPP via
StopFastTrack.com, and ExposetheTPP.org.
Dissenting Lawmakers Punished
While it's quite clear that contentious legislation slides
through easier when enough palms have been greased, it's rare to
hear lawmakers speak out about it, and rarer still to hear them
talk about retaliation when they refuse to go along with
lobbying efforts.
Rep. Mark Meadows was stripped of his position as House
Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee chairman after
voting against the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill—one of two
bills that originally had to pass in order to advance Trade
Promotion Authority.
Days later, Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)
reinstated him, saying:4
"A number of people have asked me to reconsider that
decision. Having spoken with Mark Meadows several times
during the past week, I think we both better understand each
other.
It is in the best interest of the committee to move
forward together. Therefore, I have asked Mark to continue
in his role as sub-committee chairman."
According to the Washington Examiner:5
"The reversal is a victory for the dozens of
conservative lawmakers who regularly buck the GOP leadership
on key legislation because they believe it violates promises
they made to constituents.It also comes on the same day that
House GOP freshmen decided not to remove Rep. Ken Buck,
R-Colo., as their class president after he voted against
advancing the trade bill.
Many conservatives, including Meadows and Buck,
belong to the newly formed House Freedom Caucus, which met
this week to discuss ways they can defend themselves against
retaliation by the GOP leadership. GOP leadership turned to
punitive measures after the majority of the Republican
conference complained to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio,
that the rebel group was never punished for continually
defying the leadership on key votes."
In addition to Meadows, three other Republicans were removed
from the Republican whip team for voting against Fast Track.
None of them have been reinstated.
Corporate Takeover of United States Threatens on Two Fronts
It's quite clear that thwarting all efforts to label and/or
restrict GE foods is now among the prime objectives on both the
national and global level. Not only will the TPP dampen such
efforts, the
Pompeo "DARK" Act (HR 1599, "The Safe and Accurate Food
Labeling Act"6,7,8)
specifically preempts states' rights to create their own
GMO food labeling laws.
It should come as no surprise that the Grocery Manufacturer's
Association (GMA) has played an integral role in the creation of
this draconian bill, seeing how far it has gone already to keep
you in the dark about the contents of your food.
Not only was it caught in an illegal
money-laundering scheme during the Washington State GMO
labeling campaign in 2013, designed to hide the identities of
the donors to their anti-labeling campaign, it also
(unsuccessfully) sued Vermont for passing a GMO labeling bill.
The GMA is nothing if not a workhorse for Monsanto.
The latest expanded version of the Pompeo bill also preempts
any and all state and local regulation of GE crops, and further
weakens federal oversight.9
So, not only would it nullify existing regulation on genetically
modified organisms (GMOs), it also prohibits future laws from
even being considered.
What does all of this tell you? If GMOs were as safe as
proponents claim, why would the industry go to such lengths, at
such great expense, to deny consumers the right to know they're
eating them, and to strangle regulatory oversight?
Moreover, rather than simply labeling foods containing GMOs,
Pompeo's bill would require the creation of a USDA non-GMO
certification program similar to its National Organic
Program—essentially shifting all of the costs over to those who
want to declare that their foods are not GMO.
But why should foodmakers using historically "normal" and
genetically unadulterated ingredients be the one shouldering the
cost of certification and labeling instead of labeling GMOs?
This entire system is backasswards. If GMOs were labeled, as
they rightfully should be, there would be no need for GMO-free
labeling, which is really just a workaround to give consumers
what they want—the right to make an informed purchasing
decision.
GMO Safety Based on Flawed Arguments
The arguments for GMO safety are inherently flawed. The
primary ingredients derived from GE crops for human consumption
is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—the number one source of
calories for Americans—sugar from GE sugar beets, and highly
processed industrial vegetable oils from soy and cottonseed. All
of these ingredients have been clearly demonstrated by science
to be primary causes of disease in the US, producing obesity,
heart disease, cancer, and chronic poor health.
So even if these crops weren't genetically modified, they
would be a health disaster, but adding resistance to a toxic
poison like glyphosate turns these foods into a health
time-bomb. Researchers have convincingly shown that these crops
absorb more glyphosate than treated non-GE crops.10
Glyphosate was recently classified as a Class 2A "probable
human carcinogen" by the World Health Organization's (WHOs)
research arm on cancer, and the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) admits foods are not tested for glyphosate residues due
to the high expense of doing so.11
So, GE corn, soy, cottonseed, and sugar beets are known to
contain higher levels of a probable carcinogen, which the
government does not test for—that in and of itself is cause for
labeling GMOs. Yet no one has addressed these basic and
indisputable points on safety during any of the Pompeo bill
hearings. The fact that so many lawmakers are willing to
sacrifice public health for Monsanto's financial gain is
astounding.
Monsanto Invests in More Toxic Chemicals
Monsanto began as a war chemical company, and it shows no
signs of changing its ways. Not only is it trying to buy
Syngenta, the world's largest pesticide producer, it also plans
to invest at least $1 billion in a dicamba pesticide production
facility.12
Dicamba-13
and 2,4-D-resistant GE crops are in the pipeline since
glyphosate resistance has spread among weeds, and yet again
Monsanto proves it is in the business of selling toxins, not
food.
Monsanto's new
Roundup Ready Xtend cotton and soybeans are engineered to be
resistant to a combination of glyphosate and dicamba, while Dow
AgroSciences' new breed of Enlist Duo corn and soybeans are
resistant to a combination of glyphosate and 2,4-D.
Remember, glyphosate has now been classified a probable human
carcinogen. Recent research also shows that Monsanto's Roundup
formulation promotes
antibiotic resistance by priming pathogens to more readily
become resistant to antibiotics. The World Health Organization's
cancer research agency also recently placed 2,4-D on its list of
Class 2B "possible" carcinogens. As reported by Greenwire.14
"According to a press release from the International
Agency on the Research of Cancer, there is 'strong evidence'
that 2,4-D induces oxidative stress, a mechanism that can
cause damage to human cells, and moderate evidence that
2,4-D suppresses the immune system, based on animal
studies."
Basically, the vast majority of the corn and soy found in
American processed foods is grown with carcinogens, and
the chemical technology industry now running the food industry
is hell-bent on not disclosing these toxic facts—and our
politicians are letting them get away with it. Adding insult to
injury, Monsanto is now performing linguistic gymnastics in an
effort to hide the exact nature of these toxins by referring to
them as "seed and crop protectants" instead of herbicides and
pesticides.15
The chemical technology industry as a whole is also trying to
rename and rebrand itself to disguise its true nature. On June
17, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) renamed itself
the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.16
Basically, they want to remove the idea of "industry" from the
industry, as this word has acquired increasingly negative
connotations associated with world domination and lack of
concern for anyone but share holders.
Protect Your Right to Know
In a short but excellent and to the point op-ed published by
The Hill,17
Mark Mellman sums up the current situation by saying:
"Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) is moving a bill dubbed
the Denying Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act, which
would make it illegal for states to require labels
indicating whether foods contain genetically modified
organisms, quashing states' rights.
It also makes a mockery of another right: Do you believe you
have the right to decide for yourself whether to eat GMO
foods?...[D]enying consumers the right to know what's in
their food makes it effectively impossible for consumers to
exercise their right to decide.p
Members jumping on Pompeo's bandwagon are not only
flouting common sense, they are defying public opinion.
Eighty-eight percent of voters favor 'requiring
labels for foods that have been genetically modified or
contain genetically modified ingredients,' with more than 70
percent saying they are strongly in favor.
Just 6 percent of the electorate oppose requiring labels...
In standing against GMO labeling, Pompeo and the other
members supporting his bill are standing with less than 6
percent of the electorate...
So what's Pompeo's purpose?...[H]e says he worries
that labeling will increase food prices. Really? Printing
the words 'Contains GMOs' will raise the price of food?
Companies regularly change their labels and don't hike their
prices. Does the cost of a box of Wheaties go up every time
a new champion is pictured on the front of the box? The
federal government is already requiring changes to be
implemented soon in nutrition labels. Piggyback GMO labeling
on that and the incremental cost is literally zero."
Take Immediate Action: Tell Your Congressman to Vote NO on
Pompeo's Bill, HR1599
More than 60 other nations, including Russia and China,
already require GE foods to be labeled, and nearly 90 percent of
Americans want GMO labeling. Pompeo's bill simply MUST be
stopped, but to do so we need everyone to put pressure on
your federal representatives. Demand they vote NO on the Pompeo
bill. We need to do everything we possibly can to prevent it
from passing, so please, take action now! Tell your
representative to support consumer and state rights by rejecting
Rep. Pompeo's bill, H.R. 1599.
What Are GMOs?
GMOs are a product of genetic engineering, meaning their genetic
makeup has been altered to induce a variety of “unique” traits to
crops, such as making them drought-resistant or giving them “more
nutrients.” GMO proponents claim that genetic engineering is “safe
and beneficial,” and that it advances the agricultural industry.
They also say that GMOs help ensure the global food supply and
sustainability. But is there any truth to these claims? I believe
not. For years, I've stated the belief that GMOs pose one of the
greatest threats to life on the planet. Genetic engineering is NOT
the safe and beneficial technology that it is touted to be.
Help Support GMO Labeling
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)—Monsanto’s Evil
Twin—is pulling out all the stops to keep you in the dark about
what’s in your food. For nearly two decades, Monsanto and corporate
agribusiness have exercised near-dictatorial control over American
agriculture. For example, Monsanto has made many claims that
glyphosate in Roundup is harmless to animals and humans. However,
recently the World Health Organization (WHO) had their research team
test glyphosate and have labeled it a probable carcinogen.
Public opinion around the biotech industry's contamination of our
food supply and destruction of our environment has reached the
tipping point. We're fighting back. That's why I push for GMO
labeling. I donated a significant sum to the first ballot initiative
in California in 2012, which inspired others to donate to the
campaign as well. We technically "lost the vote, but we are winning
the war, as these labeling initiatives have raised a considerable
amount of public awareness.
The insanity has gone far enough, which is why I encourage you to
boycott every single product owned by members of the GMA, including
natural and organic brands. More than 80 percent of our support
comes from individual consumers like you, who understand that real
change comes from the grassroots.
Recently, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan) has reintroduced a bill (HR
1599) that would preempt states' rights to enact GMO labeling laws.
This bill would create a federal government program to oversee
guidelines for voluntary labeling of products that do not contain
GMOs. It would specifically prohibit Congress or individual states
from requiring mandatory labeling of GMO foods or ingredients. It
would also allow food manufacturers to use the word "natural" on
products that contain GMOs. TAKE ACTION NOW! Your local
representatives need to hear from you! Please contact them today by
CLICKING HERE.
Thankfully, we have organizations like the Organic Consumers
Association (OCA) to fight back against these junk food
manufacturers, pesticide producers, and corporate giants.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
Non-GMO Food Resources by Country
Together, Let's Help OCA Get The Funding They Deserve
Let’s Help OCA get the funding it deserves. I have found very few
organizations who are as effective and efficient as OCA. It’s a
public interest organization dedicated to promoting health justice
and sustainability. A central focus of the OCA is building a
healthy, equitable, and sustainable system of food production and
consumption.
Please make a donation to help OCA fight for GMO labeling.
© Copyright 1997-2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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