Agent Orange Victims Aren't Enough for Monsanto; Now GM Food

Pressure On Monsanto needs to keep increasing, to avoid more deadly consequences from the folks who brought the world Agent Orange; this time is it genetically modified food.

Young victim of Agent Orange dioxins in Vietnam. Why has Monsanto continued to remain engaged in dangerous practices? Courtesy: english.vietnamnet.vn

(LONDON) - It is to be hoped that the ruling of the court will be in favour of common sense; in short the safety of our food, so essential to every man, woman and child on this planet. It is nothing short of a crime that one company, namely Monsanto, has control of 95% of the seeds being planted for food.

Scientists in many countries are divided on the issue of whether GM is good for us. Yet with all the arguments for or against, how is the parent wanting to feed their family to make an assessment of what product on the shelf is safe to buy?

The answer for me is avoid any food, seed, or a product made with an ingredient from Monsanto. I, like many of you readers, would have read of the thousands of Indian Farmers that have committed suicide due to being forced to purchase Monsanto seeds. Whereas before farmers saved the seeds from their crops to plant for the following year, this is now not allowed, indeed it is against the law, Monsanto’s Law, enforced by Monsanto’s pack of lawyers.

Such practices cannot be allowed to continue; while there has been some success in the courts against Monsanto, the overwhelming rulings have been in favour of the company spelling disaster for the farmer and his family, leading many to bankruptcy, hence the rash of suicides in India.

How has Monsanto become so powerful? Anyone who has followed the history of the company will know of the ‘Revolving Door policy’. Countless numbers of Monsanto ‘employees’ have gone on to to be government ‘employees’. And countless government ‘employees’ have, on leaving government, been taken on by Monsanto. It is tragic that within the present Obama administration, this policy has continued.

One year ago the US Supreme Court denied the appeal by lawyers for over 4 million Vietnamese seriously affected by Agent Orange. They also denied the appeal by US Veterans suffering from Agent Orange. The victors of that disgraceful ruling were the 37 chemical companies that manufactured Agent Orange, no prizes for guessing that the leading company of the 37 was Monsanto.

But even more scandalous was that Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Stevens declined to take part in the case, a case that involved over 4 million plaintiffs. No reason was given for them declining, nor was any reason given why another Justice namely Clarence Thomas, did not decline to take part. For two years he worked as a corporate lawyer in the pesticide and agriculture division of Monsanto.

Whatever the ruling by the court, the campaign for safe food has to continue as does the campaign seeking justice for the victims of Agent Orange... to win, Monsanto has to be stopped….