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Poster:	dead-head_Monte	Date:	Feb 20, 2012 10:23am
Forum:	occupywallstreet	Subject:	"Occupy the Food System" — OWS food for thought!

• Willie Nelson’s "Occupy the Food System" — OWS food for thought
The News: On February 17, 2012, Zachary Shahan said at Planetsave.com that Monsanto may be a little jealous, as it has fallen from environmentalist enemy #1 to environmentalist enemy #2 as a result of the ongoing Keystone XL pipeline controversy. However, in all seriousness, Monsanto does some f***ed up s*** and is heavily opposed by greenies around the world. It was reported this week that Willie Nelson and about 300,000 other activists have now sued Monsanto “to protect the harassment and threatening manner agribusiness giant Monsanto has exhibited, with threatening to go after any small farms that contain any trace of what they claim to be their property, genetically modified seeds.” The lawsuit was filed in Federal Court in Manhattan on January 31, 2012. Willie Nelson, meanwhile, has a new campaign with a similar focus called “Occupy the Food System.” It includes organizations such as Food Democracy Now and Farm Aid and seems to be gaining in popularity fast. “Willie states that the corporate takeover of small farms by large corporations has ‘led to the loss of millions of family farmers, destruction of our soil, pollution of our water and health epidemics of epic obesity and diabetes,’” Justice Through Music reports. Of course it has! Willie Nelson has also teamed up with Chipotle by playing Coldplay’s “The Scientist” in an ad opposed to factory farming. This ad aired in the middle of the Grammy’s. Here’s the YouTube video. It was uploaded by Chipotle on Aug 25, 2011. Today it has 5½ million views. Why All This is Important: Well, small farmers shouldn’t be run out of business just so that a megacorporation can make more profit; people shouldn’t be poisoned; and factory farms that put animals in inhumane living conditions their whole life should not exist. Opportunities for Action: Pay attention to what you eat! Join the effort to ban RoundUp by signing this petition. Get involved on the Occupy the Food System facebook page. It would make Willie Nelson smile

Regarding Jerry Garcia and Deborah Koons Garcia: I respect the fact that Deb made a great film documentary, "The Future of Food," with some of her Jerry money. I salute her in this endeavor.

Filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia tells the disturbing story of the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) being put into our food supply by big agribusiness. Deb's documentary quickly became an underground classic at film festivals and universities, and among environmentalists, food activists and concerned citizens. Thank you Deborah Koons for carrying the torch for Jerry Garcia, who was an ardent supporter of Greenpeace. Activists and concerned citizens are opposed to Monsanto’s “Roundup” herbicides, which are harmful to soil, water, farms, and people. Monsanto has successfully industrialized corn, cotton, canola, soy, and now, sugar beets and alfalfa production. Monsanto achieved this through its business model of selling patented GMO seeds to increase the use of its pesticides. Industrial agriculture's heavy reliance on pesticides and fertilizers is responsible for the release of many dangerous toxins into our environment. Monsanto makes the pesticide "RoundUp". They created "RoundUp Ready" crops and rely heavily on marketing to promote them. RoundUp Ready crops are genetically engineered to withstand endless amounts of RoundUp. The success of Monsanto's business model has made RoundUp the most-used pesticide in the history of the world. GMO-based farming practices that rely on toxic chemicals and genetically engineered crops are undermining public health. Monsanto grows GMOs on an industrial scale. It is very energy-intensive. With Monsanto's (and others) ever-increasing GMO acreage, where are all those GMO crops going? They're being fed to animals. GMO crops for animal feed is the biggest driver of forest and wetland destruction. All told, the production and processing of Monsanto's GMO crops, from deforestation to fossil-fuel-based pesticides and fertilizers, polluting factory farms, and fuel-intensive food processing and distribution, is estimated to produce up to 51% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As dangerous as RoundUp is turning out to be, the only thing worse would be 2,4-D replacing RoundUp's as the most popular pesticide in the world. The use of 2,4-D releases dioxin. Dioxin is what has made Agent Orange, which contained 2,4-D, a source of horrific birth defects in Vietnam to this day. Genetically engineered 2,4-D-tolerant crops would be a disaster of untold proportions. Monsanto and Big Agri-Business Are Killing People and the Planet by Alexis Baden-Mayer & Ronnie Cummins Organic Consumers Association, February 1, 2012 • My question for OWS people, the 99 Percent, and the One Percent: • What the hell are all of you eating, and why?