Daisy Luther
The Organic Prepper
3/27/2013
Of course, it’s hard to honestly expect President Barack Obama to do the right thing, but many people held out hope that he would veto the most dangerous food act ever to pass the US Congress. After all, one of his campaign promises the first time around was to enforce the labeling of GMOs. His wife has that famous organic garden on the White House lawn. We can trust the Obamas, right?
Wrong.
Yesterday, that slender hope, the hope that Obama might finally do something for the good of the people instead of the good of the special interest groups that donate heavily to his campaigns, was dashed. Obama, once again, showed that he is for sale to the highest bidder – and this time that bidder is Monsanto. Despite a petition that garnered over 250,000 signatures in just a few days, he signed the Monsanto Protection Act into law, completely ignoring the wishes of the people. In fact, a press release has not even been issued by the White House to give the impression that the highly successful petition was considered…
The article continues at The Organic Prepper
Related: Obama Can’t Fix Congress’ Monsanto Giveaway with an Executive Order
…“Passing the Monsanto Protection Act is the last straw for millions of Americans who are tired of being betrayed by their elected officials,” said Dave Murphy, founder and executive director of Food Democracy Now! “We’re calling on President Obama to stand up for family farmers and the Constitution and veto the Monsanto Protection Act.”
The problem is that the President does not have line item veto power; it’s all or nothing. This is called a poison pill. As part of the short term spending bill, President Obama had to sign the resolution in order to prevent the federal government from shutting down today, March 27, when the current funding was set to expire. He doesn’t get to cherry pick what parts he signs into law. He either lets the goverment shut down or he signs the poison pill…
Also, Big Agriculture flexes its muscle
…The orders to Vilsack on genetically modified seeds are more subtle but potentially far reaching.
In no uncertain terms, the amendment tells the secretary how he must respond the next time a court order challenges one of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds for which the St. Louis-based giant is a pioneer in commercializing.
The real life impact is unclear as the underlying spending bill expires Sept. 30. But Monsanto gets a foot in the door toward mandating some type of stewardship program under which farmers can continue to plant its seeds as the court fight continues.
The language is unusually strong: the secretary “shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law… immediately grant” temporary permits to continue using the seed at the request of a farmer or producer wanting such a stewardship program.
Monsanto’s lobbying papers say the goal is to allow “continued cultivation in the interim period” subject to protections that “fairly balance any environmental concerns with the needs of the farmers.” In this regard, proponents argue that the proposal is consistent with what some courts have done themselves in the past, and Monsanto successfully expanded support among farm groups looking for greater certainty as well.
Nonetheless the sweeping mandate exposes the company to the charge of “court-stripping.”…
Update: ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ slips silently through US Congress
The US House of Representatives quietly passed a last-minute addition to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill for 2013 last week – including a provision protecting genetically modified seeds from litigation in the face of health risks.
The rider, which is officially known as the Farmer Assurance Provision, has been derided by opponents of biotech lobbying as the “Monsanto Protection Act,” as it would strip federal courts of the authority to immediately halt the planting and sale of genetically modified (GMO) seed crop regardless of any consumer health concerns.
The provision, also decried as a “biotech rider,” should have gone through the Agricultural or Judiciary Committees for review. Instead, no hearings were held, and the piece was evidently unknown to most Democrats (who hold the majority in the Senate) prior to its approval as part of HR 993, the short-term funding bill that was approved to avoid a federal government shutdown.
Senator John Tester (D-MT) proved to be the lone dissenter to the so-called Monsanto Protection Act, though his proposed amendment to strip the rider from the bill was never put to a vote…
Read the whole thing!
