Rand Paul Votes NO on GMO Labeling

[parocks]

http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com/politics/2012/06/21/sanders-gmo-amendment-goes-to-vote-fails/

Sanders’ GMO amendment goes to vote, fails

When he introduced the amendment to the Farm Bill earlier, Sanders noted that the Vermont House Agriculture Committee voted 9-1 for a labeling bill, but that it failed to advance in the Legislature out of fear it would be challenged in court. Congress could remove that fear, Sanders noted.

http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20120621162931533

Food Democracy Now! Urges Senators To Pass Bill Allowing States To Label Genetically Modified Foods

Today, the Senate will vote on amendment #2310 put forth by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that clarifies a state’s existing rights to require labeling of genetically engineered foods.

In the past year, more than a dozen states have introduced legislation to allow their citizens the right to know what’s in their food and how it’s produced, but massive corporate lobbying by Monsanto and the biotech industry has brought these bills to a halt in key states like Connecticut and Vermont.

 

[parocks]

Yeah somebody should make a law right?

http://www.examiner.com/article/cal...pen-gmo-labeling-most-states-not-so-fortunate

Senator Sanders' amendment did not ban GMO foods; it simply required that they be identified along with over 3,000 other ingredients manufacturers are currently required to declare, and be reported to the Food and Drug Administration.

 

[July]

GMO and/or HFCS causes a whole bunch of bad stuff. I'm not sure what, but a series of class action lawsuits would settle it. Start with Autism maybe. Monsanto most certainly is a bad guy here. It's not clear that a Ron Paul / Libertarian solution to the Monsanto problem would be the most immediately effective.

All of our major industries have been consolidated and monopolized in this way. The Monsanto problem really has the same root cause, whether it is the Media industry, the Health Care industry, or the Defense Contractors, etc.

I know the long term solution in attacking the root cause, but I don't know what the most immediate solution would be. I used to think I was for more regulation and labeling, until I learned how there are often loop holes built into these regulations. For instance the requirement for food manufacturers to list trans fats on the nutrition label. Manufacturers may legally advertise their products as "zero trans fat" or "trans fat free" as long as their product contains .5 grams of trans fat or less per serving. Well, naturally, manufactures simply tinker with serving sizes to adjust it down per serving, so they can list zero grams of trans fat. So in the end this solution didn't even work, and the result is actually worse, because now people have a false sense of security.

 

[Revolution9]

Me too. I'm pretty big on getting them to label GMO. To properly label everything actually.

I ain't touching any corn products until they do.

Rev9

 

[Carlybee]

I agree. I think if you worked for a company regulated by the federal government, that you shouldn't work there for at least 5 years. End the revolving door.

Monsanto is a big ugly monster with way too many tentacles. This issue with the GMO labeling reminds me of when the government didn't want to put country of origin on labels. I would like to know if my food is coming from a farm near the Fukushima nuclear disaster...same with GMO...I don't want to eat any Frankenfoods. This fight has been going on a while. The question is...why are they so opposed to it? They sure don't mind telling you what you can't eat. The answer is $$$$.

 

[Distinguished Gentleman]

I don't care for the intellectual property put on genetically modified foods. As far as the food itself, all scientific evidence suggests it Is safe. My main concern is that the current climate of fear surrounding them will cause people to avoid them, when in fact they arethe only thing that will help bring the poorest parts of the world away from starvation. Legally, I guess states could label them. Personally I don't want them. Labels are for things that harm humans.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

Pretty sad when a state is afraid of being sued by a corporation that can keep them in court until they are broke. Things are getting out of f**king hand.

 

[Carlybee]

I don't care for the intellectual property put on genetically modified foods. As far as the food itself, all scientific evidence suggests it Is safe. My main concern is that the current climate of fear surrounding them will cause people to avoid them, when in fact they arethe only thing that will help bring the poorest parts of the world away from starvation. Legally, I guess states could label them. Personally I don't want them. Labels are for things that harm humans.

Watch this and then see if you feel the same way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rml_k005tsU&feature=related

 

[RickyJ]

I ain't touching any corn products until they do.

Rev9

Even if they labelled it, there is nothing to stop them from just lying. I am all for labelling but I also realize they can never be trusted.

 

[thoughtomator]

Giving more power to a government agency isn't going to solve the problem. Suing GMO companies for fraud is the legal and proper solution. These people are constantly selling "corn" that is not actually corn, but is specifically genetically distinct enough from corn to qualify for a patent.

The one government-based solution that can be useful is to deny and void any and all patents over living organisms. Fail to do so and they WILL GMO human beings for labor as in Brave New World.

Who owns a GMO human being? And what genes will they cut out, the ones that allow for creative thinking, free will, natural reproduction ... ?

 

[thoughtomator]

I ain't touching any corn products until they do.

Rev9

You're going to have some trouble gassing up your car then, as much of the GMO corn crop gets made into biofuel and forced into the gasoline supply by government fiat.

Much of the rest goes into high fructose corn syrup, which appears in so many products it's difficult to avoid entirely.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

Giving more power to a government agency isn't going to solve the problem. Suing GMO companies for fraud is the legal and proper solution. These people are constantly selling "corn" that is not actually corn, but is specifically genetically distinct enough from corn to qualify for a patent.

The one government-based solution that can be useful is to deny and void any and all patents over living organisms. Fail to do so and they WILL GMO human beings for labor as in Brave New World.

Who owns a GMO human being? And what genes will they cut out, the ones that allow for creative thinking, free will, natural reproduction ... ?

Law suits get really fricking expensive. Monsanto has been sueing the hell out of farmers. States are afraid of being sued by them?

 

[Carlybee]

The problem is..its not like a Big Gulp where you can just choose not to drink it. No one should have jurisdiction over what you choose to eat or drink but Monsanto has been purposely contaminating the food supply with genetically engineered seed crops across the world. Former Monsanto executives are embedded in departments like the USDA and the gov't supports their agenda. Criminal at best on all counts.

 

[jbauer]

Hate to tell you all this but humans have been genicially modifiying crops since the days we left the hunter gather stage. Yes it has been taken to a new level latley but without GMO crops there aren't enough acers in the world to grow enough crops for the world.

So....either kill a bunch of people off by starvation or by GMO crops.

Also, do you understand that there is not a reliable way test for GMO properties in crops? You can't force lableing on something you can't test for. Thats why Rand voted against it.

 

[jbauer]

Well, you should probably dig a hole, jump in and call it a day (assuming the shovel hasn't been treated with a corn by-product, such as the polyurethane or rust reducing properties of the grease applied to the metal part of said shovel)

I ain't touching any corn products until they do.

Rev9

 

[jbauer]

Oh and if you want to open up a whole 'nother Pandora’s box on this: ANY crop that cross pollinates has the chance to cross pollinate with a "GMO" plant if planted within a given radius of each other even if the original plant is not GMO the crop would be.

There are some evils we've not come across with GMO's and there are certainly some major concerns. Keep in mind, I don't particularly care for scientists messing with the food supply. But this GMO thing has been completely and totally over blown by organic farming marketing conglomerate. Many of the organic treatments carry FAR more health concerns/carcinogens then their non-organic counterparts.

Again, I'm not some lobbyist for Monsanto but GMO's have taken on a life of their own similarly to some of the other media driven health scares out there like immunizations ect. There is risk to ever single decision one makes throughout their lives. To make a proper, intelligent and informed decision you have to weigh the risk of doing and not doing.)

 

[cajuncocoa]

 

[libertyjam]

Two pig farmers from Denmark tell about the deformities and illnesses of pigs fed on GM soy.
http://www.toxicsoy.org/toxicsoy/news/Artikelen/2012/4/28_Health_damage_to_pigs_fed_on_GM_soy.html

http://www.toxicsoy.org/toxicsoy/impact.html#3

Widespread environmental pollution; poisoning and contamination of agriculture; countless injuries, deformities, and deaths in humans -- these and many other horrific events are a result of cultivating genetically-modified (GM) crops, and GM soy in particular. A recent news documentary short that aired on German television exposes the massive destruction being caused by GM soy cultivation, and warns consumers that the food chain is more loaded with GM materials than they might think.

In Germany and throughout the European Union (EU), food products that contain GMOs must be properly labeled as such. As a result, there are few GM products on store shelves because, when made aware of their presence, consumers almost unanimously reject them. But what many people fail to realize, both in Europe and in the U.S., is that conventional livestock is often fed GM soy and corn, which ultimately ends up on store shelves in the form of conventional meat, milk, and eggs.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031382_GM_soy_GMOs.html#ixzz1yr199NeQ

No major insurance company has been willing to limit risks, or insure bio-engineered agricultural products. The reason given is the high level of unpredictable consequences. Over two hundred scientists have signed a statement outlining the dangers of GM foods and The Union of Concerned Scientists (a 1000 plus member organization with many Nobel Laureates) has expressed similar reservations. The prestigious medical journal, Lancet, issued a warning that GM foods should never have been allowed into the food chain.

Read more: http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=4650#ixzz1yr43OMss

GMO Foods Do Cause Human Deaths!

50 HARMFUL EFFECTS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) FOODS
http://www.raw-wisdom.com/50harmful.

Doctors Warn Patients To Avoid Genetically Modified Food
http://www.rense.com/general86/doct.htm

 

[Keith and stuff]

key is "permit States"

I thought we were all about permitting states to do this. States rights and all that. Leave it up to the states.

I don't support permitting states to murder people, eliminate rights or rape children. I do support permitting states to increase freedom, increase liberty and expand rights. I guess Ron Paul and I agree. Perhaps you and I disagree on this one issue.

Sure, Northern New England is the most democratic part of the US. The local voters in the towns have a great deal of control. NH is likely the freest state in the US. However, the voters in VT and ME tend to dislike liberty. Many towns in VT and ME aren't pro-liberty at all. Democracy and local contral only work well if the people involved are pro-liberty.

 

[Brett85]

I'm glad that Rand is still standing strong for limited government and getting under the skin of the big government liberals.