ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Stalemate? Or Checkmate?
With each new published study, independently conducted and peer-reviewed, alerting us that glyphosate is more toxic than we thought, poses a more serious health threat than was previously believed, the reaction is the same.
Monsanto denies the facts, attacks the scientists and directs the media and the public to its own industry-funded studies as “proof” that glyphosate (and Roundup) are perfectly safe.
After decades of this back-and-forth, and decades of government regulatory agencies siding with Monsanto, instead of independent scientists and the public, we’re still at a stalemate.
That could change, according to the author of this week’s essay—if could be proven in a court of law that Monsanto has known for decades that glyphosate is one of the most toxic substances ever launched on the public.
It could happen.
SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF
Dollars to Doughnuts
Before we ask you to help us meet our third-quarter fundraising goal, we’d just like to say: Thank you.
Without your support, we would never have been able to reach so many Senators, hire seasoned lobbyists, devote endless hours to media outreach.
Thanks to you, we believe, we’re making headway. Two months after Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) bragged about his big DARK Act win in the House, we’ve yet to see a single U.S. Senator confirm plans to introduce a Senate version of H.R. 1599.
Your Senators are listening. Please keep writing and calling and posting on their Facebook pages.
But a Senate bill isn’t the only avenue Monsanto could pursue to strip states of the right to pass GMO labeling laws. There are others, some obvious, some not-so-obvious, and some downright nefarious.
We’re not sure where the next attack will come from, though we’re closely monitoring the possibilities.
But we’re betting, dollars to doughnuts, the attack is coming. And we need your help to be ready to counter it. Can you help us reach our fundraising goal by midnight, September 30?
Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)
Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)
MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO
Bringin' It to D.C.
Want to help send Congress a message about GMO labeling and the DARK Act? Come to D.C.!
OCA International Director Ronnie Cummins will speak at a Stop the DARK Act rally at the Capitol on Saturday, October 17. The 1 p.m. rally will mark the main event in March Against Monsanto’s two days of actions for food justice.
Plans are still taking shape for Saturday’s food justice events, which will include live music, teach-ins, an organic potluck picnic and a march. Kick off at 10 a.m. on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Updates will be provided here.
If you can get to D.C. on Friday, OCA, Moms Across America and Truth-in-Labeling could use your help lobbying the Senate. Contact alexis@organicconsumers.org to join the lobbying team.
Can’t make it to D.C. that weekend? Please call your Senator, phone calls work! Text DARK Act to 97779 or dial 888-897-0174 to be connected to one of your Senators’ offices. Then, follow up your call by sending an email with the Take Action link below.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senators: Defend States’ Rights to Label GMOs!
DARK Act flyers, talking points, legal analysis, Senate meetings & more!
RSVP for October 16-17 March Against Monsanto Events in D.C.
ACTION ALERT
Almost There!
Ever since the House passed H.R. 1599, a bill to keep labels off GMO foods for good, we’ve been waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Will the Senate introduce an identical, or similar DARK—Deny Americans the Right to Know—Act?
Will Monsanto try to sneak the bill through without a stand-alone bill in the Senate?
Is there some other nefarious plan being hatched behind the scenes, to strip states and consumers of the right to know if their food has been genetically engineered, and grown with massive doses of toxic chemicals?
We don’t know the answers to these questions yet. But we know this: Monsanto is absolutely desperate to bury the GMO labeling movement, no matter what it takes. So desperate, the Biotech Bully and its Big Food allies spent $51 million to pass H.R. 1599 through the House—more than $185k per vote.
And, that doesn’t even count campaign contributions.
Together with MoveOn.org, we’ve been collecting signatures on a petition asking President Obama to veto any bill that comes across his desk that would kill state GMO labeling laws, and take away the FDA’s authority to require labels on GMO foods.
We now have just over 98,000 signatures on our petition. Can you help us get to 100,000, so we can plan a delivery?
TAKE ACTION: Tell President Obama to Veto the DARK Act!
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Hallelujah!
Pope Francis is making history today, September 24, 2015, by becoming the first Pope to address the U.S. Congress.
We assume—and we hope—he will use the opportunity to talk about climate change.
And many of us, including The Carbon Underground, OCA, and Regeneration International, hope Pope Francis will talk about dirt.
That’s right. Dirt. Soil. The stuff we walk on. The stuff we take for granted (at our own peril). The stuff we can’t live without.
The Carbon Underground created this short video, which airs today for the first time, in honor of the Pope’s visit to the U.S. The video explains the power of soil to bring us back from the brink of a climate disaster, if only we will let it.
Regeneration International today published an Open Letter to the Pope, signed by more than 70 faith-based, environmental, natural health, indigenous, justice, peace and climate groups, asking Pope Francis to “connect the dots” between world hunger, climate change and organic, regenerative agriculture.
Hallelujah. We’re finally talking about this.
Read the Open Letter to the Pope
NEW STUDY
Food Is Community
An Iowa University study just confirmed what you’ve probably known all along. It’s not just the food, stupid. It’s about being part of something bigger than yourself.
According to the study:
[P]eople are shopping farmers markets and joining food coops at record numbers because they enjoy knowing who grows their food. These so-called ‘locavores’ are also driven to eat locally grown produce and meat because their commitment to do so makes them feel a part of something greater than themselves—a community that shares their passion for a healthy lifestyle and a sustainable environment.
As one reporter put it:
Community farm and food initiatives have emerged as a necessary, noble, and common-sense civic opportunities in our 21st Century with all its technical gyrations, climate shifts, contaminated environments, and social dislocations. Plain and simple, they are intelligent and necessary responses to reality.
Amen.
BUILDING THE MOVEMENT
Get Moving!
We know how busy you are. And how you aren’t keen on sitting in front of your laptop for hours on end.
So we’ve made it easier for you take action and mobilize while you’re on the go!
Want to join OCA’s new mobile action network? Text JoinOCA to 97779.
When you join our mobile network, we’ll let you know about the latest news and most urgent actions. We’ll also give you the opportunity to sign some of our petitions via text, instead of email, if that’s your preference. We promise to text you only when it matters most.
Join the OCA mobile action network by texting JoinOCA to 97779
Sign our petition asking these 12 Senators to promise not to cosponsor H.R. 1599, a bill to preempt state and federal GMO labeling laws, by texting the word “twelve” to 97779.
LITTLE BYTES
Essential Reading for the Week
Food Safety: Pesticide Residue in Food
The Healing Power of Regenerative Organic Agriculture
Rocky Road for Monsanto’s Roundup
Herbicide Scrutiny Mounts as Resistant Weeds Spread in U.S.
The Beauty of Ugly Food: You Won't Believe How Much Edible Food We're Wasting
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