Is Monsanto a Threat?

[ClosedCaption]

They control the seeds to the food and when someone controls the food they are uber powerful. Not only that but because Monsanto has given a lot of coin to Congress and the Senate, even becoming part of the government themselves now they are more than Uber powerful...Uberiest? IDK...But now since they've managed to get the Monsanto Protection act slipped into another bill...ANONOMOUSLY!?

Now they don't have to worry about the after effects of the GMO's. Mo' Money Mo' Money

Facts: Monsanto controls about 80-90% of the Soybean market, Monsanto controls about 70-80% of the sugar beet market

Monsanto sued an independent farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for patent infringement for growing GMO genetically modified Roundup resistant canola in 1998. Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

etc etc etc. If you have any additional, interesting or otherwise facts on the company please post.

What do you think about it?

 

[Mad Scientist]

I like soy and wheat that has been genetically altered to include insecticide. Leaky Gut syndrome is what all the cool kids have nowadays.

 

[Billy000]

They control the seeds to the food and when someone controls the food they are uber powerful. Not only that but because Monsanto has given a lot of coin to Congress and the Senate, even becoming part of the government themselves now they are more than Uber powerful...Uberiest? IDK...But now since they've managed to get the Monsanto Protection act slipped into another bill...ANONOMOUSLY!?

Now they don't have to worry about the after effects of the GMO's. Mo' Money Mo' Money

Facts: Monsanto controls about 80-90% of the Soybean market, Monsanto controls about 70-80% of the sugar beet market

Monsanto sued an independent farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for patent infringement for growing GMO genetically modified Roundup resistant canola in 1998. Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

etc etc etc. If you have any additional, interesting or otherwise facts on the company please post.

What do you think about it?

The reach of Monsanto is frankly terrifying. They are the very definition of corporate evil. If cons/repubs want to talk about the evils of government then they should look no further than Monsanto's control of the FDA. God help us all.

 

[Synthaholic]

Monsanto has always been a threat, and will continue to be a threat.

 

[Darkwind]

They control the seeds to the food and when someone controls the food they are uber powerful. Not only that but because Monsanto has given a lot of coin to Congress and the Senate, even becoming part of the government themselves now they are more than Uber powerful...Uberiest? IDK...But now since they've managed to get the Monsanto Protection act slipped into another bill...ANONOMOUSLY!?

Now they don't have to worry about the after effects of the GMO's. Mo' Money Mo' Money

Facts: Monsanto controls about 80-90% of the Soybean market, Monsanto controls about 70-80% of the sugar beet market

Monsanto sued an independent farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for patent infringement for growing GMO genetically modified Roundup resistant canola in 1998. Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

etc etc etc. If you have any additional, interesting or otherwise facts on the company please post.

What do you think about it?

It is strange, but you and I are on the same side with regard to Monsanto. Any American, and truthfully, any citizen of this planet, should be frightened of the power that has been given to this company. I am 100% a capitalist, but this has gone beyond the pale. The legislation needs to be repealed and Monsanto broken into separted entities so that no one organization or company can threaten us so directly.

When all of your eggs are in one basket, disaster is only a heartbeat away.

 

[Oldguy]

A threat to what? Our food supply? Our freedoms? Our government? Us personally?

 

[The2ndAmendment]

Don't worry, government will fix it, it was Bush's fault! And if you disagree, you're obviously a racist who doesn't want illegal immigrants working on Monsanto farms.

 

[ClosedCaption]

A threat to what? Our food supply? Our freedoms? Our government? Us personally?

All of the above.

Food supply - they control it
Freedoms - Don't let the wind blow and pollen from a Monsanto crop get into your yard because Monsanto will sue the life out of you
Government - They pay to play and they are in it...to win it sort of speak
Us personally - GMO food

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Monsanto is not a threat. A threat is something or someone that COULD cause harm.
Monsanto has already corrupted numerous government officials in all levels of government.
The very fact that many a farmer has been sued successfully by Monsanto, because a neighboring farm using their seed infiltrated their farm - something they could not possibly control - they were forced to destroy their entire crop.
Other farms have also been sued because again a neighboring farm used weed control that benefited his neighbor because wind carried the herbicide on his farm - again nothing he could have done to prevent it - but still the government awards the lawsuit in Monsanto's favor. If that is not a government plutocratic behavior - then what is??

 

[MikeK]

They control the seeds to the food and when someone controls the food they are uber powerful. Not only that but because Monsanto has given a lot of coin to Congress and the Senate, even becoming part of the government themselves now they are more than Uber powerful...Uberiest? IDK...But now since they've managed to get the Monsanto Protection act slipped into another bill...ANONOMOUSLY!?

Now they don't have to worry about the after effects of the GMO's. Mo' Money Mo' Money

Facts: Monsanto controls about 80-90% of the Soybean market, Monsanto controls about 70-80% of the sugar beet market

Monsanto sued an independent farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for patent infringement for growing GMO genetically modified Roundup resistant canola in 1998. Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

etc etc etc. If you have any additional, interesting or otherwise facts on the company please post.

What do you think about it?

I believe this Monsanto issue is the crowning element in the rise of the corporatocracy, which is a giant step toward fascism. The only way to counter what is happening to our nation and its government is a radical political revolution -- but a significant percentage of the American people are either too brainwashed, or too stupid, or both, to recognize the need and to participate.

 

[tinydancer]

Don't forget Bayer. Bayer although not as powerful as Monsanto should be on your watch list.
Huge deal with Bayer nicotine based pesticides wiping out bee colonies on a major scale.

 

[Darkwind]

Monsanto is not a threat. A threat is something or someone that COULD cause harm.
Monsanto has already corrupted numerous government officials in all levels of government.
The very fact that many a farmer has been sued successfully by Monsanto, because a neighboring farm using their seed infiltrated their farm - something they could not possibly control - they were forced to destroy their entire crop.
Other farms have also been sued because again a neighboring farm used weed control that benefited his neighbor because wind carried the herbicide on his farm - again nothing he could have done to prevent it - but still the government awards the lawsuit in Monsanto's favor. If that is not a government plutocratic behavior - then what is??

Yes, hopefully that will be overturned upon Appeal.

One cannot be held liable for copyright when the propriety technology in question is spread by natural selection.

If anything, Monstanto should have been sued for the propagation of their altered crop without the consent of the farmers in neighboring farms.

 

[Darkwind]

They control the seeds to the food and when someone controls the food they are uber powerful. Not only that but because Monsanto has given a lot of coin to Congress and the Senate, even becoming part of the government themselves now they are more than Uber powerful...Uberiest? IDK...But now since they've managed to get the Monsanto Protection act slipped into another bill...ANONOMOUSLY!?

Now they don't have to worry about the after effects of the GMO's. Mo' Money Mo' Money

Facts: Monsanto controls about 80-90% of the Soybean market, Monsanto controls about 70-80% of the sugar beet market

Monsanto sued an independent farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for patent infringement for growing GMO genetically modified Roundup resistant canola in 1998. Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

etc etc etc. If you have any additional, interesting or otherwise facts on the company please post.

What do you think about it?

I believe this Monsanto issue is the crowning element in the rise of the corporatocracy, which is a giant step toward fascism. The only way to counter-act what is happening to our nation and its government is a radical political revolution -- but a significant percentage of the American people are either too brainwashed, or too stupid, or both, to recognize the need and to participate.

Oops...the crazy just came out.

Tell Me, when do you think that government will yield is absolute power to this alleged corporatacracy?

 

[Oldguy]

A threat to what? Our food supply? Our freedoms? Our government? Us personally?

All of the above.

Food supply - they control it

No, they control certain selective seeds of common crops which they spent billions to develop and patented.

Freedoms - Don't let the wind blow and pollen from a Monsanto crop get into your yard because Monsanto will sue the life out of you

Please quote the case in question (or, cases) so I can make a reasonable judgment on the issue.

Government - They pay to play and they are in it...to win it sort of speak

And, what corporation doesn't? Monsanto is hardly the only corporation which lobbies Congress or an administration.

Question: Since even corporations have a vested interest in our government, why should they be prohibited from influencing that government in the same way that other entities, such as the DAV or VFW or NRA do?

Us personally - GMO food

I won't argue that, but I will point out that Monsanto is hardly the only company involved with GMO's.

 

[ClosedCaption]

A threat to what? Our food supply? Our freedoms? Our government? Us personally?

All of the above.

Food supply - they control it

No, they control certain selective seeds of common crops which they spent billions to develop and patented.




Please quote the case in question (or, cases) so I can make a reasonable judgment on the issue.

Government - They pay to play and they are in it...to win it sort of speak

And, what corporation doesn't? Monsanto is hardly the only corporation which lobbies Congress or an administration.

Question: Since even corporations have a vested interest in our government, why should they be prohibited from influencing that government in the same way that other entities, such as the DAV or VFW or NRA do?

Us personally - GMO food

I won't argue that, but I will point out that Monsanto is hardly the only company involved with GMO's.

No matter how you split it...it's not cool, not good and doesn't bode well for anyone but Monsanto and whoever pockets they stuff

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I believe this Monsanto issue is the crowning element in the rise of the corporatocracy, which is a giant step toward fascism. The only way to counter what is happening to our nation and its government is a radical political revolution -- but a significant percentage of the American people are either too brainwashed, or too stupid, or both, to recognize the need and to participate.

[Bolded type]
I disagree, the greatest power the America citizen wields is their actions as a consumer.
Unfortunately however, as consumers, Americans are the most selfish and hypocritical people on the planet - not giving a single thought to what they buy as long as it is cheap.
It is THIS action, not our voting, that enables corporatism and fascist plutocracy. Generally speaking Americans do not support local businesses, are incredibly gullible to mass marketing and never think about how their poor consumer choices effects anything other than their wallet. Without this, WalMart could not exist. Without this, companies could not get away with closing plants in America and reopening them offshore.
If people gave just a moments thought to what they buy, and made choices based on WHO made them and HOW they are made - we could reverse this trend in a year.

 

[Oldguy]

All of the above.

Food supply - they control it

No, they control certain selective seeds of common crops which they spent billions to develop and patented.




Please quote the case in question (or, cases) so I can make a reasonable judgment on the issue.





And, what corporation doesn't? Monsanto is hardly the only corporation which lobbies Congress or an administration.

Question: Since even corporations have a vested interest in our government, why should they be prohibited from influencing that government in the same way that other entities, such as the DAV or VFW or NRA do?

Us personally - GMO food

I won't argue that, but I will point out that Monsanto is hardly the only company involved with GMO's.

No matter how you split it...it's not cool, not good and doesn't bode well for anyone but Monsanto and whoever pockets they stuff

Monsanto is a publicly owned corporation whose only interest is profit, just like every other corporation. From their standpoint, what's "not cool" about that? Hell...from the standpoint of conservative, pro-free market capitalist's, what's "not cool" about it?

 

[ClosedCaption]

No one can protest them without the protestors being demonized. Thanks a lot the last 30 years of American history

 

[Missourian]

They control the seeds to the food and when someone controls the food they are uber powerful. Not only that but because Monsanto has given a lot of coin to Congress and the Senate, even becoming part of the government themselves now they are more than Uber powerful...Uberiest? IDK...But now since they've managed to get the Monsanto Protection act slipped into another bill...ANONOMOUSLY!?

Now they don't have to worry about the after effects of the GMO's. Mo' Money Mo' Money

Facts: Monsanto controls about 80-90% of the Soybean market, Monsanto controls about 70-80% of the sugar beet market

Monsanto sued an independent farmer, Percy Schmeiser, for patent infringement for growing GMO genetically modified Roundup resistant canola in 1998. Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

etc etc etc. If you have any additional, interesting or otherwise facts on the company please post.

What do you think about it?

The Schmeiser reality doesn't exactly jive with the Schmeiser internet tale:

Schmeiser had an explanation. As an experiment, he'd actually sprayed Roundup on about three acres of the field that was closest to a neighbor's Roundup Ready canola. Many plants survived the spraying, showing that they contained Monsanto's resistance gene — and when Schmeiser's hired hand harvested the field, months later, he kept seed from that part of the field and used it for planting the next year.


This convinced the judge that Schmeiser intentionally planted Roundup Ready canola. Schmeiser appealed. The Canadian Supreme Court that Schmeiser had violated Monsanto's patent, but had obtained no benefit by doing so, so he didn't owe Monsanto any money. (For more details on all this, you can read the judge's . contains other documents.)


Top Five Myths Of Genetically Modified Seeds, Busted : The Salt : NPR


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That said, what really frightens me about Monsanto is this:

Myth 1: Seeds from GMOs are sterile.

No, they'll germinate and grow just like any other plant. This idea presumably has its roots in a real genetic modification (dubbed the Terminator Gene by anti-biotech activists) that can make a plant produce sterile seeds. Monsanto owns the patent on this technique, but has promised not to use it.


(same link as above)


​

That is too much power...the ability to sterilize 70% of all these staple crops is staggering.


Forget for a minute the power that gives the company...imagine the ramifications of our enemies, like Iran for example, cyber-stealing that information.



The question is, how do you put that genie back in a bottle?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Monsanto is a publicly owned corporation whose only interest is profit, just like every other corporation. From their standpoint, what's "not cool" about that? Hell...from the standpoint of conservative, pro-free market capitalist's, what's "not cool" about it?

And here you have it...blind, stupid and clueless partisan bullshit always blaming and excusing. Never mind that the list of Monsanto in-the-pocket legislators are almost exactly even Democrat and Republican - we get this stupid sh*t from partisan tools.