Natural Solutions Foundation
The Voice of Global Health Freedom™
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org
Dr. Rima Reports: http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=4850
DrRima.net
June 30, 2010
BAN GMOs! Most plants are genetically modified to withstand (and thus encourage) high levels of dangerous agricultural chemicals like glyphosate, the active ingredient of Monsanto’s Roundup(c). The chemicals are toxic and the GMOs themselves are not tested for safety before FDA approves them, are forbidden to be labeled as GMO by the FDA and are associated with cancer, infertility, autoimmune diseases, fetal death and permanent changes to DNA in very cell of people who eat GMOs! More than 90% of the US food supply is either GMO or contains ingredients made from DNA. It’s time to end “FRANKEN-FOODS”! Click here, http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2049, to demand a total ban on GMOs and a scientific effort to find out how bad the genetic damage has been and how to correct it while there is still time.
FDA wants us to withdraw our Stop the Shot Citizens Petition. What a great reason to press forward! Click here to add your support to getting dangerous vaccines out of our healthcare system, our bodies and our children!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27791
Valley of the Moon™ Eco Demonstration Project, www.NaturalSolutionsFoundation.org If clean, unadulterated food is important to you, you’ll want to know about, support, and perhaps participate in the Valley of the Moon Eco Demonstration Project in the beautiful, bountiful, temperate Highlands of Panama!
VALLEY OF THE MOON(TM) ECO DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
VOLCAN, CHIRIQUI, PANAMA
Contact me, Dr. Rima, at releyes@gmail.com with “VOTM” as the subject line if you are interested in knowing more and participating in the VOTM project or becoming a VOTM Angel. You should also know that VotM can accept participation through legal offshore IRA/401 involvement. This makes a good deal of sense now that the US Government is within striking distance of your retirement funds to turn them into annuities “guaranteed” by the “strength” of the US Treasury!.
You can also contact Trustee and Counsel Ralph Fuectola, JD, at ralph,fucetola@usa.net or on Skype at “vitaminlawyer”.
GMO CASE DECIDED FOR CONSUMERS, ORGANIC FARMERS. MONSANTO SAYS NO, THEY WON. THE TRUTH IS THAT PUSH BACK WORKS, AND WORKS AND WORKS BECAUSE YOU, THE HEALTH FREEDOM NET ROOTS, WORK AND WORK AND WORK!
The US Supreme Court gave us a tremendous win by making it clear, as the article below shows, that consumers – that’s us – have the right to sue corporations and government agencies to stop poor regulations from going into effect.
That’s exactly what the Natural Solutions Foundation is doing in our Stop the Shot case against the FDA and in our Ear Candling case against the same corrupt, multinational-corporation-controlled FDA.
In the first case, we are now preparing to file for the third time. Each of the first two times that we filed this case which says that US law clearly and unambiguously says that vaccines must be tested and shown to be BOTH safe and effective before they can be released to the public. No flu vaccine has passed those two tests. For that matter, no vaccine has passed those tests.
But the FDA continues to support the use of more, and more toxic, vaccines for children and adults in the absence of a single shred of evidence that vaccines work or are safe.
Each time we filed the Stop the Shot case, the standing of the plaintiffs (us) was undermined when the agency which was meancing our defendants with job loss or worse backed off on the eve of the trial going forward. Both times the judge said, “Well, you’ve won!” and sent us out of the Court House to go celebrate. But that was not the win we were looking for. We don’t just want the corrupt Department of Health Commissioner in New York State and the Governor to back down, we want all influenza vaccine banned. The next time, it was the mandate for all children under 5 in New Jersey to be vaccinated before they could be enrolled in a state-licensed day care center.
That is not what we are looking for although we congratulate the parents of young New Jersey children on having that mandate lifted.
We want a full and total ban on vaccines which have not been tested to prove their safety OR their effectiveness, as required by US law. That means that ALL influenza vaccines (and all other vaccines, but our standing is for influenza vaccine complaints right now) are, in fact, illegal, untested drugs in the US! That includes the absurd and dangerous H1N1 vaccines.
Yesterday, the FDA called the Natural Solutions Foundation asking us to withdraw our Citizens Petition about the dangers and illegality of the H1N1 vaccines! Why? Well, perhaps because about 5 months ago, just after a health emergency had been declared, they told us they would respond to us within 6 months since they were too busy to respond to our emergency petition [sic!] and the 6 months is almost up. Now they have to deal with us and they would clearly rather not. It is a great time for your to sign that Citizens Petition here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27791.
So the FDA appears to be asking us NOT to go forward with our campaign to get dangerous vaccines off the market and out of our bodies. That seems to us the very best indication that we are definitely on the right track.
What does that have to do with GMOs? Everything. First, the principle of the Uber-Cartel. The companies which make genetically modified organisms (GMOs) do so to make sure that they tolerate and/or require very high levels of the highly profitable and enormously toxic herbicides and pesticides which destroy the balance of nature and create sick plants and super weeds and pests, requiring yet more of the toxic chemicals. In fact, when GMO crops are planted, the average use of toxic agrochemicals increases by 400% or more.
Of course, these toxin chemicals, such as the new generation of Monsanto’s Roundup(c), containing 70% Agent Orange [dioxin] get into your body, the environment and, tragically, the unprotected bodies of the unsuspecting farm workers whose cancers, infertility, fetal and infant death mimic those of the general population which eats these foods. Codex Alimentarious, the International Food Code, habitually sets permissible limits for foods so high that any limitation is meaningless.
When eaten, these toxic, genetically altered foods literally change the DNA of every cell of the eater – you – and any children that are in the womb or that come after you will also have permanently altered DNA. And so will the plants and animals whose DNA is contaminated by the contaminated DNA of these dangerous foods.
Cancer, permanent genetic alteration, decreased immune function, infertility, sterility, fetal and infant death, auto immune disease, gut, kidney and other organ damage are the rule in every study NOT sponsored by industry which looks at GMO ingestion. But the FDA and USDA do not, and, in fact, MAY not examine the safety or dangers of these patented organisms.
More than 90% of US food is now either genetically modified or contains ingredients derived from GMOs or both.
When you get sick, the very same companies that made money from the sale of the GMOs which required increasing amounts of toxic chemicals to grow AND manufactured and marketed the toxic chemicals are the companies that make the drugs that you are supposed to take when you get sick from their GMOs and toxic chemicals.
The model is circular. The effect is disastrous. That cycle of profit and death is what I call the “Uber-Cartel”.
We all understand that GMOs are untested and that they hide within our food supply since they MAY NOT be labeled, thanks to the every industry-friendly, corrupt and dangerous FDA. We all also understand that the manufacturer of 95% of the genetically modified seed and animal stock in the world, Monsanto, is as ruthless as any corporation in the world in contaminating farmers’ fields, controlling markets regardless of the tragic consequences of such control (e.g., starvation, farmers being driven off their land, increased cancer, infertility, deaths, starvation, crop failure, etc.).
Alfalfa is the 4th largest crop grown in the US after corn (almost entirely GMO in the US), soy (nearly all GMO) and wheat (emerging as a GMO crop now that Japan and other countries have dropped their ban on US wheat if GMO varieties were developed). Fed to cows, organic alfalfa is essential or organic dairy and beef production. It is also impossible to produce organic alfalfa if GMO alfalfa is grown anywhere in the area because of short and long distance contamination.
The USDA approved alfalfa for general planting and use with the usual lack of caution or sense. But this time, when they did so in the absence of the required Environmental Impact Statement, the Center for Food Safety sued. A lower court found that the approval of Roundup Ready(C) alfalfa seeds in the absence of the necessary studies was legal and Monsanto announced victory. But push back is a funny thing: dedicated people and groups are willing to fight the long fight, slog the long slog, to make sure that the right thing is done, that lawful outcomes are the result. The District Court ruled that the planing could not go forward and the case was appealed.
The Supreme Court ruled recently on the case and both Monsanto and the Center for Food Safety declared victory, Monsanto because the total ban on planing GMO alfalfa was reversed and the Center for Food Safety because the Supreme Court did not disagree that the USDA had mistakenly approved GMO alfalfa prematurely AND, even ore importantly, because the Supreme Court, for the first time, affirmed the concept that has also now ruled for the very first time ‘that “environmental harm” includes economic effects such as reduced agricultural yield or loss of market due to genetic contamination, as well as the concept of what biologists refer to as “gene flow” (in practice, the idea that genetically engineered material may get into conventional plants through cross-pollination). The Supreme Court now accepts that this phenomenon in and of itself is harmful and illegal under current environment protections.’
As Michael Hansen of Consumer’s Union says, “That’s a huge win for our side … That’s gigantic!” Future lawsuits can now confidently use the gene-flow argument against approval and use of genetically engineered crops.
So although Monsanto is focusing on the reversal of the total ban of GMO alfalfa, we, the People of the PushBack, see it differently. We see that litigation is essential to this health freedom process we are engaged in and that it can be a very powerful strategy.
That is why our Ear Candle suit, to prevent the FDA from declaring any and everything they do not like as an unapproved medical drug or device, whether it is or not, and demanding that it be removed from the market immediately, and our Stop the Shot case, to prevent illegal, untested, unnecessary, unsafe and uninsurable influenza vaccines from being deployed are so important.
To add your voice of support to the Ear Candle Case, click here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2521
To make it clear that you do not want dangerous, unnecessary influenza shots, which kill, maim and have no effect (according to major studies) but do make children sick and set them up for a life long battle with a weakened immune system, seizures and even death, please click here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27791
And to bring home the point very clearly that personal and local agriculture is not something you want to lose, please help to keep the horrifying S. 510 from passing the Senate, click here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27791
Oh, yes, one more thing: please give generously to make sure that we can continue to raise the health freedom voice high, sue wrongdoers, attend Codex, and otherwise make sure that the star of health freedom continues to rise: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27791.
Now that you have taken these actions, please take a moment to read the article below.
Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical DirectorNatural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org
Valley of the Moon™ Eco Demonstration Project
www.NaturalSolutionsFoundation.org
www.InternationalDecadeofNutrition.org
Valley of the Moon Coffee
www.ValleyoftheMoonCoffee.org
NSF Virtual Malls
www.Organics4U.org
www.NaturalSolutionsMarketPlace.org
The Dr. Rima Network: www.DrRima.net
Food Freedom eJournal
www.FoodFreedomeJournal.org
Supreme Court’s ruling on Monsanto’s GE alfalfa: Who won?by Tom Laskawy
June 21, 2010
The sustainable agriculture world is abuzz today with news of the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding an earlier lawsuit, brought by alfalfa farmers, that sought to stop any planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered Roundup Ready alfalfa seed. While the press coverage heralds the ruling as a decisive victory for Monsanto, a close reading shows that, in fact, it’s a fairly significant win for opponents of biotech crops.
Hay dudes, not so fastThe background: As the fourth most-planted U.S. crop behind corn, soybeans, and wheat, alfalfa is worth $9 billion a year — the dairy industry is the biggest consumer — with annual seed sales valued at $63 million, according to a USDA study. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa seed has been genetically engineered to be tolerant of glyphosate, the active ingredient of Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup.
Earlier this year, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco found that the USDA had illegally approved Roundup Ready alfalfa for planting — which the agency refers to as “deregulating” — by allowing Monsanto to sell and farmers to plant the seeds without the USDA completing a required full Environmental Impact Statement. (A preliminary one was under way.)
In response to a lawsuit filed by GMO-opposed alfalfa farmers along with the Center for Food Safety on behalf of consumers, the District Court halted all planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa until the USDA completes the EIS, which could take years. It also issued two injunctions: one that prevented the USDA from performing a so-called “partial deregulation” of Roundup Ready alfalfa, i.e. allowing restricted and otherwise limited planting, while it prepared the final environmental statement; the other stopping farmers from planting any Roundup Ready alfalfa starting with the 2010 crop year. (For a deeper look into the lead-up to the case, read Matt Jenkins’ excellent 2007 feature “Brave New Hay” from High Country News.)
Today, in a 7-1 opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court reversed both District Court injunctions, saying that the Court had overreached itself procedurally in halting the plantings. (Both Justices Steven Breyer and Clarence Thomas had conflicts of interest in the case — Breyer’s brother was the District Court judge on the case, while Thomas was corporate counsel for Monsanto earlier in his career, but only Breyer saw fit to recuse himself.)
Despite the news reports claiming victory for Monsanto, the Supreme Court did not overturn the central tenet of the case: that the USDA prematurely approved Roundup Ready alfalfa. The District Court, in effect, made it once again illegal to plant Roundup Ready alfalfa — and the Supreme Court endorsed that ruling. While the Justices did declare that the USDA, if it wants to, has the right to give the seed a preliminary approval (i.e. for limited, restricted planting), the Supreme Court decision does not by itself give Roundup Ready alfalfa the green light.
And it’s important to note that the USDA has not yet formally announced any intention to re-authorize the restricted plantings, which would come in the form of a rule for “partial deregulation” of Roundup Ready alfalfa. In fact, the agency and Monsanto had preciously submitted such a plan to the District Court in hopes that it would be incorporated into the final ruling, and instead, they received an injunction.
To some, that move appeared to be an attempt at an end run around the official rulemaking process. It’s not clear if the USDA will move forward with anything other than the “final” environmental review.
[Update:] The USDA office that oversees biotech crops, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), just released a brief statement via email in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling. In it, the agency leaves the door open to some sort of preliminary approval for the alfalfa seed, without indicating its intention one way or the other: “APHIS is carefully reviewing the Supreme Court ruling before making decisions about its next regulatory actions related to the deregulation of Roundup Ready alfalfa.” It also announced its intention to complete the full environmental impact statement “in time for the spring planting of alfalfa crops in 2011.” That start date presumes they get through the process without any more lawsuits or injunctions — not a safe bet, at all.
No mo’ gene flow?
More importantly, the Supreme Court has also now ruled for the very first time that “environmental harm” includes economic effects such as reduced agricultural yield or loss of market due to genetic contamination, as well as the concept of what biologists refer to as “gene flow” (in practice, the idea that genetically engineered material may get into conventional plants through cross-pollination). The Supreme Court now accepts that this phenomenon in and of itself is harmful and illegal under current environment protections.
“That’s a huge win for our side … That’s gigantic!” Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist of Consumers Union, told me. Future lawsuits can now confidently use the gene-flow argument against approval and use of genetically engineered crops.
Others share his glee. The Center for Food Safety called the ruling “a victory for the Center for Food Safety and the farmers and consumers it represents.”
For its part, Monsanto is spinning the ruling positively. In a statement posted on its website, the company said: “This is exceptionally good news received in time for the next planting season. Farmers have been waiting to hear this for quite some time. We have Roundup Ready alfalfa seed ready to deliver and await USDA guidance on its release. Our goal is to have everything in place for growers to plant in fall 2010.”
Well, from all appearances Monsanto has this flat wrong. Farmers can’t plant Roundup Ready alfalfa just yet. And even if the USDA tries for that preliminary approval, the Supreme Court made very clear that today’s ruling does not presume that any preliminary approval is (or isn’t) legal.
Indeed, the legal issues at the heart of the ruling aren’t over the rights of corporations or the science behind genetically engineered seed, but about the separation of powers between co-equal branches of government. The Supreme Court today stopped a District Court from telling a federal agency that it couldn’t make regulatory rules. For the judiciary to stop the government from doing its job requires meeting a very rigorous set of standards. After the Supreme Court decided to make this point the crux of its ruling, all the other issues fell by the wayside. Another way of looking at it is that the supposed “overreach” by the District Court was against the USDA, not Monsanto.
The Supreme Court has also made the point very clearly that outside groups have the ability to file lawsuits in order to stop any poorly conceived or improperly executed rule that a federal agency passes. And surprisingly enough, the Court — with its expansion of the definition of “environmental harm” to include things like gene flow — just gave consumer groups a whole new set of legal weapons to wield against the same companies currently crowing over the implications of today’s events.