Truck Parking Directory: The Killing Fields of Monsanto

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Monsanto Killing Fields

As a follow up from the previous post, Senate Bill Seeks to Outlaw Home Gardening, I decided to look more into the agricultural biotechnology corporation, Monsanto. What I found was a direct correlation between the growing health concerns of not only Americans, but across the globe.

Health issues making headline news.

It is no secret that health concerns for Americans have been making headline news for quite some time. So much in fact, that even First Lady, Michelle Obama, recently launched a campaign directed at the rise in obesity among U.S. children. Obesity is also a well-known fact among American adults. Other health issues on the rise in the United States include certain types of cancer, asthma, allergies and most recently, diabetes. A recent study shows that cases of diabetes are at their highest levels since the government began compiling this data in 1997. Ironically, the FDA approved GMO foods for human consumption in 1995 and the first commercial cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMO), began in 1996.

Monsanto becomes world leader in GMO foods.

Monsanto is currently in control of nearly 95% of soybean and 80% of corn production in the United States. Their patent allows them to insert their modified genes into the separate strains of these plants, giving them nearly sole power over these crop productions, forcing farmers to use their seeds or risk losing their livelihood. It is now estimated that Monsanto has control over as much as 90% of seed genetics. Monsanto claims that the modified plants yield more crops and food production for farmers, but USDA and independent studies show an average reduction in yield and no improved bottom line for farmers. Furthermore, as always, the media fails to report the other side of the story.

World scientists warnings of GMO foods are ignored.

World class scientists and biochemists warned of the dangers of genetically modified foods early on, but their warnings were ignored. Not only by the first Bush administration, but by the Obama administration as well. More shocking, is that even the FDA refused to listen to the scientific leaders who warned that introducing GMO foods into the public domain would result in an increase of diseases like diabetes, obesity and cancers. Several renowned biochemists warned of early-onset puberty being a major concern due to the consumption of GMO foods. As early as August 2010, a new study published in the Journal Pediatrics showed that children as young as seven years old, were now showing signs of puberty.

Dr. Stanley Korenman, an endocrinologist at the University of California, Los Angeles has stated: “Environmental exposure to estrogens in plastics, chemicals and foods has been going up and estrogens do stimulate breast development.” These warnings were ignored and still, the main stream media fails to report scientific proof that GMO foods are directly linked to the rising cases of health issues. To further ignore these facts, President Obama, in July 2009, appointed Michael Taylor as America’s food safety czar.

Michael Taylor had been an attorney for Monsanto before becoming policy chief of the FDA. Soon after, he became Monsanto’s vice president and chief lobbyist. Taylor is also responsible for overseeing the policy regarding Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH/rbST) that was injected into cows to increase milk production in the early 1990's.

Monsanto moves in on America’s milk supply.

As a kid growing up in Oklahoma, I had a friend who’s family owned a dairy farm and I spent several years working there during the summers. They are some of my best memories, working with the cows, hauling hay and doing general farm work around the dairy. Years later, I ran into the owner of the farm who no longer was in the business. He began telling me about some kind of growth hormone that was being considered by the FDA to be injected in the cows. He did not want any part of it . . . turned out that he was very wise.

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone has been used in dairy cows for years now. Regardless of studies performed by scientists and biochemists alike, the hormone is still used today in the United States. The European Union and Canada banned its use in 1999. These studies show that cows treated with rBGH often develop serious health problems such as:

a 50% increase in the risk of lamenessover 25% increase in the frequency of udder infectionsand serious animal reproductive problems such as infertility, cystic ovaries, fetal loss and birth defects.

In order to combat these health issues, dairy farmers will use more antibiotics to combat the infections. The residues from these antibiotics will find their way into the intestines and blood stream of consumers.. Recent research has shown conclusively that the levels of a hormone called “insulin-like growth factor-1” (IFG-1) are elevated in dairy products produced from cows treated with rBGH.

Canadian and European regulators have found that the FDA completely failed to consider this study. Furthermore, numerous studies now demonstrate that IGF-1 is an important factor in the growth of cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. The Center for Food Safety, to this day, is still fighting to have the FDA remove this practice from the American dairy production, originally introduced by Monsanto.

Monsanto GMO foods linked to Americans health issues.

At present, 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes. Now, according to the Centers of Disease Control, 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by the year 2050. The media points to the fact that Americans are getting older and to the rise in obesity as the major concerns for this epidemic. If you dig deeper, you will find that scientific fact is still being ignored due to the fear of retaliation by the ever powerful, Monsanto Corporation.

In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, researchers found that Monsanto’s GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats. Monsanto is the world leader for insecticide and pesticide production, with their most famous product being the weed killer, RoundUp. Three varieties of Monsanto corn contain these insecticide and pesticide formulas: Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup® herbicide-absorbing NK 603 and have been approved for consumption by United States, Europe and several other national food safety authorities.

The study showed that rats, when fed Monsanto corn developed problems in kidney and liver function. Monsanto denied the results by conducting their own 90 day experiment, but the researchers quickly pointed out that 90 days was not long enough to determine an accurate scientific determination and they still stand on their findings.

As the public is receiving notice about the rising rate of diabetes in America, few are providing the scientific findings that Monsanto GMO foods have been directly linked to diabetes. Obesity and diabetes are on the rise at the same rate as the heavy use of corn and corn derivitives. The Centre for Research in Biosafety in New Zealand, is urging the food standards agency to reconsider its draft recommendation to approve the Monsanto GM corn. New Zealand scientists are claiming that the genetically modified seeds, controlled by Monsanto, seem to show a direct link to diabetes. Other studies have shown a link between diabetes and the GMO corn by other countries as well, including Mexico.

Haiti farmers burn Monsanto corn seeds.

We all know the devastating effect that the earthquake had on the Caribbean country of Haiti. In a country born of unimaginable poverty, one would imagine that the Haitian people would welcome the 475 tons of corn seeds donated by Monsanto. However, the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) instead, committed to burning all 60,000 sacks of corn seeds. In fact, on June 4th, 2010, the people held a march protesting the sheer presence of Monsanto in their country. The seeds, many of which are treated with highly toxic pesticides, have caused the Haitian people to express their outcry over the importing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to their people.

The United States Government would never allow such human atrocities to take place.

Henry Kissinger once said, “If you control the food supply, you control the people.” I am always amazed at how fast people will comment that the U.S. Government would never allow such human atrocities to take place, especially against their own people and homeland. History teaches us otherwise:

There are many other cases, but you get my point. With money comes greed and with greed comes power. Would the United States allow insecticides and pesticides to be introduced to some of our most valuable food supplies? They already have. In July 2010, a report by eight international experts determined that the flimsy and superficial evaluations of GMOs by both regulators and GM companies “systematically overlook the side effects” and significantly underestimate “the initial signs of diseases like cancer and diseases of the hormonal, immune, nervous and reproductive systems, among others.”

In January 2010 , Dr. P. M. Bhargava, one of the world’s top biologists, stated that after reviewing 600 scientific journals, he concluded that the “GM foods in the US are largely responsible for the increase in many serious diseases.”

I recently contacted a friend of mine who is a 4th generation farmer in the state of Oklahoma. Under conditions of anonymity, he agreed to be interviewed concerning the GMO seeds and the Monsanto Corporation. I will be posting this interview at a later date. Oh, by the way . . . in case you did not know . . . Monsanto was one of the three companies that gave us Agent Orange. The other two were Dow Chemicals and Diamond Shamrock.