Sign the Petition: Tell Obama to VETO the DARK Act!

While we normally don’t participate in petitions, we feel petitioning Obama to veto the DARK is a worthy effort. Please sign & share!

UPDATE

Even after over 100,000 people signed the petition,
OBAMA STILL SIGNED THE DARK ACT INTO LAW 😡

DARK Act Money Drop!

Today activists from Occupy Monsanto and the Organic Consumers Association did an epic money drop in the Senate gallery to highlight the fact that so many Senators have been funded by the biotechnology industry. Unfortunately, the Senate voted to continue debate on the DARK Act. These activists will be in court on August 4.

Roll Call: Protesters Shower Dollar Bills on Senate
Common Dreams: Activists Throw Money on Senators Voting on GMO Labeling Bill (Video)
The Hill: Group drops $2,000 on Senate floor to protest GMO bill
Mother Jones: Congress Just Passed a Bill to Nix GMO Labeling
RT: Money tossed on Senate floor as Vermont’s Sanders and Leahy protest federal GMO bill
Washington Examiner: Protesters litter Senate floor with cash during GMO vote

NO DARK ACT!

This week the Senate is scheduled to vote on the DARK Act!

Call them NOW! And tell them to vote NO on the DARK Act!

#FOODJUSTICE March & Rally – Oct.16 & 17, 2015

Thousands Gather In Washington, D.C. To Rally Against ‘Dark Act’

WASHINGTON, DC — On October 16 and 17, 2015, the Food Justice Coalition will take to the streets of Washington, D.C. to raise awareness and lobby for the labeling of GMO foods.

The two-day event, in which hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are expected to turn out, aims to lobby Senators for the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act as well as occupy Monsanto, the EPA, the GMA, and the TPP!

On Saturday, October 17th, the Food Justice Rally will begin at noon sharp on the West Lawn of the Capitol building. Scheduled to speak about the dangers of GMOs and the need for GMO labeling include Dr. Edward Group, Steven Druker, Anthony Gucciardi, Ronnie Cummins, Adam Eidinger, Kelly L. Derricks, and Liz Reitzig with other special guests. There will be a large unity march through the streets of D.C. following the rally.

As the most powerful biotech corporation today, Monsanto has drawn criticism for its control of the global food chain and advancement of genetically modified organisms.

GMO crops and ingredients have been consumed in the US for over twenty years and most of the corn, soybeans, and canola produced in the US are genetically engineered. Polls conducted by the New York Times, Washington Post, and Consumer Reports show over 90% of Americans support national GMO labeling – an initiative that has been repeatedly defeated at the state level as a result of heavy spending by Monsanto-backed lobbying groups.

According to the Center for Food Safety, dozens of US states have considered GMO labeling initiatives and a few have passed laws mandating GMO transparency. Vermont’s governor signed the nation’s first GMO-labeling requirement into law in 2014, to take effect in 2016, but a coalition of biotech firms filed a lawsuit in opposition. Other states have passed limited labeling laws with strings attached.

“In 2013, the first March Against Monsanto garnered more than 2 million protesters in over 400 cities across the world. Since then, the March Against Monsanto has become the most powerful grassroots initiative we have in the fight to reclaim our food supply from the GMO seed juggernaut known as the Monsanto Company,” said Anthony Gucciardi, March Against Monsanto speaker.

For more information about the March Against Monsanto Food Justice March, visit
https://www.march-against-monsanto.com/d-c-october-info/

Flyer by GMO Free DC

March Against Monsanto, May 23, 2015

Occupy Monsanto supports the March Against Monsanto!

Below is the News Advisory for the Washington, DC March Against Monsanto.
Click here to the read the Global March Against Monsanto News Advisory.

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 23, 2015, for the third year in a row, hundreds of thousands of concerned individuals will gather across 38 countries and 428 cities to join in peaceful protest against the Monsanto Company as a part of the March Against Monsanto grassroots campaign. This movement seeks to raise awareness to the dangers surrounding Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds and cancer-linked herbicide Roundup.

The campaign comes as the demand for GMO labeling and non-GMO food alternatives continues its exponential climb, with states like Vermont enacting mandatory GM labeling legislation that will require food corporations to let consumers know if their products contain GM ingredients.

In polls conducted by the New York Times, Washington Post, Consumer Reports, and many others, over 90% of respondents were in support of national GMO labeling – an initiative that has been defeated time and time again at the state level thanks to heavy spending by Monsanto-backed lobbying groups.

Highlighting the concern over Monsanto’s products is the latest report from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which listed the primary chemical in Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide Roundup, glyphosate, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This finding has drawn many researchers and health experts to stand behind the goals of March Against Monsanto.

WHO: Concerned consumers, students, and gardeners, members of DC March Against Monsanto, GMO Free DC, Occupy Monsanto, and the Organic Consumers Association.
WHAT: The Washington, DC March Against Monsanto
WHERE: Lafayette Park, north of the White House to Monsanto’s Washington, DC offices.
WHEN: Saturday, May 23. Marchers will gather at noon and march at 1pm

The complete list of this weekend’s Marches Against Monsanto taking place around the world can be viewed at https://www.march-against-monsanto.com/events/

“We are marching because we’re tired of being ignored by the White House, FDA, and the USDA,“ says Gene Etic, an organizer with Occupy Monsanto. The White House has failed to respond to multiple GMO labeling petitions and has gone so far as appointing former Monsanto employees to positions of power in the FDA. Officially, the FDA does not believe there is any material difference between patented GMO plants and their non-GMO counterparts, but marchers believe that patented plants deserve a label in order to fully inform consumers of the novel technology.

“We already label foods that are irradiated, a process that everyone agrees is safe, so if GMO ingredients are also safe, why not label them as well?” asks Natalie Freeds, an organizer with DC March Against Monsanto. “I want this basic information so I can choose which foods to feed my children.” In fact, over 64 countries around the world either ban GE foods or require them to be properly labeled, including Russia, China, and the European Union.

Marchers will also be taking a stand against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade agreement that will prevent GMO labeling in America and force Monsanto’s patented products on to countries that wish to be GMO-free.

There are two GMO labeling federal bills currently in Congress called the “Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act,” which would require the mandatory labeling of GMOs sold in America. The House version, H.R. 913, is sponsored by Rep. Defazio (D-OR), and the Senate version, S.511, is sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Aside from marching against Monsanto and the TPP, organizers are marching against Rep. Pompeo’s H.R. 1599, colloquially known as the D.A.R.K. Act (Denying Americans’ Right to Know). This legislation promoted by Monsanto and other industrial agricultural proponents would pre-empt state labeling laws and would undo the GMO labeling laws that have been passed in Connecticut, Maine and Vermont.

Americans Demand GMO Labeling

In 2011 and 2012 over a million Americans signed the “Just Label It” FDA petition for GMO labeling, but the FDA has responded with silence. “The Food and Drug Administration is not listening to the overwhelming majority of Americans who want meaningful food labels,” says Jessica Payne, founder of Loudoun Against GMOs. “We have signed numerous petitions but we’ve received no response. We only want the same food labels citizens of over 64 countries enjoy.”

The deafening silence on GMO labeling reaches to President Obama’s White House as well. Activists have chosen to gather outside the White House because in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 President Obama’s White House failed to respond to three “We The People” online petitions on the White House website that have reached the required signature threshold for a response.

On September 23, 2011, on the second day after the “We The People” online petition website was launched, the first GMO labeling petition was created. This petition is the oldest unanswered petition on the “We The People” website. It has received over 66,000 signatures and has not received a response, while a petition on raw milk, which was also created on the very same day, was responded to after only 6,000 signatures. In April of 2012 another GMO labeling petition was created and 37 months & over 115,000 signatures later, there is still no response from the White House. Best replica watches is fitted with swiss eta movement. Most recently, in October, 2014, another petition concerning the EPA’s approval of GE crops resistant to the highly toxic chemical 2,4-D reached the required threshold of over 100,000 signatures but has gone unanswered. In the meantime, the White House has answered three petitions on cannabis legalization and responded to insignificant petitions on issues like building the Death Star and the White House beer recipe. “What is the point of petitioning our government when our petitions fall upon deaf ears?” asks Gene Etic. “We are taking to the streets because our concerns can’t be ignored any longer.”

The listing below was updated on May 22, 2015 with only Marches that have Facebook Event links. Please click here for the most up-to-date listing!

The listing above was updated on May 22, 2015 with only Marches that have Facebook Event links. Please click here for the most up-to-date listing!

SEE YOU IN THE STREETS!

Occupy Monsanto’s 2015 Annual Shareholder Meeting

The following Call to Action is from the Organic Consumers Association:

On Jan. 30, a representative of Moms Across America, as a proxy shareholder for Harrington Investments, will attend the Monsanto shareholders’ annual meeting. She will present personal testimonials and scientific evidence linking glyphosate, the key active ingredient in Roundup, to a wide range of human health issues.

Outside of the meeting, OCA and others will hold a rally, with presentations from two physicians, about the health hazards linked to Monsanto’s Roundup and GMO foods.

Join OCA, Moms Across America, SumOfUs, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, GMO Free Midwest, Occupy Monsanto, and more, at the Monsanto Shareholders’ Annual Meeting in St. Louis!

Shortly after 12 p.m. we’ll hear from Zen Honeycutt, founder and director of Moms Across America, and Lisa Lindsley, senior shareholder advocacy director of SumOfUs, before they head into the meeting. And SumOfUs will present Monsanto with its “Most Evil Corporation in the World” award.

Physicians Jeff Ritterman, M.D. and Norm Shealy, M.D. will speak about the health hazards linked to Monsanto’s Roundup and GMO foods.

After the speakers, we’ll construct a memorial to the victims of Monsanto’s Roundup in front of the Monsanto sign. The luxury replica rolex flagship daydate line, which remains the company’s top-selling collection comes. This will be a somber event, everyone attending should wear black. You can also bring a memento (photo, flowers, stuffed animal, candle, etc.) for the memorial.

After the rally, GMO Free Midwest will host a potluck at 6 p.m. at the Community, Arts & Movement Project (CAMP), 3022 Cherokee St., St.Louis, MO 63118. Bring a dish to pass and connect with local leaders and activists.

+ Click here to RSVP with OCA
+ Click here to RSVP on Facebook