Be nice to bees. Ban Monsanto!
“Hence, we may infer as highly probable that if the whole genus of humble-bees became extinct or very rare in England, the heartsease and red clover would become very rare, or wholly disappear.”
Charles Darwin, from his treatise “On the Origin of Species”
We are living through the sixth mass extinction. It is dramatic in our lifetime to see the extinction of so many life forms. Whether plant, or animal, all life on the earth is suffering the impositions of humanity’s values systems. Currently in the USA these values are represented by our right wing of government the Grand Old Party. Modern day fascists who embody precisely the “perfect marriage of corporation and state” we were warned of by world renowned fascist Benito Mussolini. Looking at the behaviors of the legislative branches we see how cozy our regulators have become with the companies that they are allegedly holding in check.
Monsanto is a perfect example of industry blurring the line between corporation and state.
During his time in the FDA Michael Taylor a former VP for Monsanto oversaw the Food Modernization Act, which has yet to be fully implemented, and will dramatically change the landscape for farmers in the USA. His actions as head of the FDA were quite friendly to his former employer. He approved Monsanto’s milk for public consumption.Now in hindsight we see that the milk products which are produced with this potentially dangerous growth hormone are likely to contain more antibiotics and more pus because of the illnesses caused by the growth hormone. The potential for danger posed by these hormone treatments is so concerning that the European Union has banned the use of these chemicals in their dairy supply.
**Our current leadership at the FDA also has a conflict of interest. He has become indebted to drug manufacturers.**
While accepting huge “donations” from big pharma, the current head of the FDA has made it his agenda to loosen restrictions on drug manufacturers. Meaning that we now shop from a marketplace which allows both dangerous milk to be consumed and dangerous drugs to treat the ailments caused by the potentially poisonous dairies.News agencies like Fox news have been found to ban reporting on the dangers of Monsanto’s milk. In this old news from 2011, Fox news reporters in Florida had done exhaustive research to write a story about the potential threats to the public presented by rgBH. In response, Monsanto used their influence to halt reporting. Monsanto sent a letter causing the station manager to be fired, then offering hush money to the reporters if they would agree not to speak about their findings with any other news organization.
This gives you an idea of how far these huge corporations will go to protect their profits. They definitely put profits ahead of the potential for health dangers posed by their products.
Now I ask you to consider the effects of the most recent Monsanto chemical being used inside the USA, Dicamba.
Dicamba allegedly destroyed nearly 3% of all soy crops in the USA in 2017. Despite the fact that this chemical has killed so many crops, and resulted in the death of a farmer in a conflict caused by the use of this chemical, it has been approved for use throughout the USA. The chemical is so dangerous that residues inside of the equipment used to apply Dicamba presents a danger to crops treated with the same equipment. In order to protect other crops, anyone using Dicamba is advised to use a neutralizer developed by Monsanto so that crops which are treated with the same equipment are not accidently exposed to Dicamba and destroyed.The company has suggested that the improper use of Dicamba is the cause of crop loss. The company suggests that it was because of “drift” of their herbicide that crops died. Monsanto doesn’t want to face liability for the loss of crops. So far the FDA seems to be protecting Monsanto. The fact that these chemicals are banned in other nations lets you know that they do potentially present a danger to the public.
**Across the country farmers are trying to figure out how to safely and profitably use Dicamba.**
They are being given options for herbicide-resistant seeds. Farmers are quite literally faced with the situation where choosing to plant organic crops isn’t even an option, they have to choose one or the other herbicide-resistant seed or lose their crops when herbicides are used by their neighbors.You may have noticed that I haven’t even mentioned Roundup until now. Roundup has been considered a chemical known to be potentially carcinogenic for some time now. This despite the efforts made by Monsanto to influence findings at the FDA, which states that glyphosate is not likely to cause cancer. Bear in mind that the administrator who was the head of the FDA during the the study stating Roundup is non-carcinogenic was a former vice president of Monsanto.
In much of the rest of the world Roundup is banned. People are not willing to face the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which is an ailment known to be associated with the consumption of Roundup-ready crops. Because of lawsuits in California, federal judges are considering whether it has been proven in literature and studies that glyphosate is unsafe for humans.
Further, these types of weed killers are being singled out for contributing to the antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The chemicals which are used to prevent weed growth appear to harden bacteria, which is leading to more dangerous bacteria in the environment. Among those most at risk from these antibiotic-resistant bacteria are farm workers and honey bees. Honey bees are exposed to these chemicals when Roundup-ready crops pollinate, releasing toxic pollen into the air. The bees are exposed to these chemicals, which in turn exposes the honey we eat to the same chemicals. The real threat to bees caused by these chemicals are the bacterias which sicken bees, these bacteria are the same ones which are strengthened by glysophates.
Humanity is facing a clear and present danger from these chemicals and the corporations which are effectively forcing them on to our store shelves through buying our legislators with lobbyists dollars.
We are suffering cancers which can be linked to these chemicals. We are seeing antibiotic-resistant bacteria growths not only in people, but also in animals and in the environment. The fact that a company like Monsanto is able to affect not only the regulations around these carcinogens, but also the news reporting on the ailments which are caused by their products is emblematic of the state of our country.We exist in a nation which prioritizes the profitability of dangerous chemicals ahead of public safety or environmental destruction. I wish this was a partisan issue, that the GOP alone was supporting the poisoning of people, food and ecosystem. Sadly the DNC is equally for sale where the regulations of deadly chemicals in the food supply are concerned. We cannot count on either party to honestly address the dangers presented by these chemicals. If we want to escape a death caused by chemical exposure or antibiotic-resistant bacteria we must take control of our food supply.
We cannot ask our regulators to be accountable for our food safety. We cannot ask industry to halt the production of these deadly poisons. The only path forward to safety from this place of danger is through direct action. We must actively boycott Monsanto products. Voting with our dollar has become the last bastion of democracy in the USA. And potentially the final safeguard for the bees, and humanity.
Thank you for reading this far!
If you enjoyed this post, find some of my other blog entries about social inequity here, and here. These posts are meant to help new people to find their way around the platform, here and here.
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