I went to the Yes on Prop 37 meeting at Mother’s Market in Santa Ana last Saturday to see Pamm Larry speak. She is the woman from Chico California who got the ball rolling to get GMO foods labeled. Larry is a perfect example of how one person can make a difference. Larry told the group that one day she finally got tired of complaining about what was happening to our food, so she learned more about GMO foods and how to apply for a California ballot initiative. Then she got together with a group of like-minded people and went to the state capital to do the necessary paperwork. The initiative called Prop 37 California Right to Know was born. Not bad for a grandmother of three and midwife with no political experience.
In case you have been living in a cave for the past couple of years, GMO stands for genetically modified foods. Some argue we have been genetically modifying foods for centuries and thats true but this is different. Injecting a virus into an apple is defintely not the same. How about some shrimp dna in your tomato? I love knowing that I have pesticide residue floating around my intestines from that corn chip. Not!
The meeting was created to get more people to volunteer for Phase Two; educating the public. Phase one was collecting enough signatures so the initiative could be placed on ballot. They needed 800,000 but got almost one million! Larry told the group, “we really only have 11 weeks to get the word out to the public. That’s when people start sending in their absentee ballots.” I know from my own personal experience, most people I talk to about GMOs have no idea what they are. We have a huge endeavor here and you know Monsanto and the biotech industry will do a media blast trying to scare Californians that their food cost will sky rocket if the industry is required to label. Biotech has the money and we need ‘boots on the ground’.
Larry said that this initiative is so important that other states are watching to see what happens in California. Remember what happened to the smoking initiative? 80% of people polled said they were for the cigarette tax but it failed by only a few hundred votes. We have to get this passed. We aren’t asking for a tax just a right to know what we are eating. Doesn’t everyone want to know what they are feeding their kids?
Larry doesn’t want to get into the science behind GMOs but instead wants to just push for labeling. Exactly what is the plan to educate others? They need people to go to their PTAs for endorsement, staff tables at farmer’s markets, visit small businesses, including restaurants and ask them to place a Yes on Prop 37 sign in their windows, speak at churches – You get the picture. Learn more about how you can get involved here: http://www.carighttoknow.org/ or you can also email me at ingebirds@yahoo.com and I can direct you to the person in charge of the many active groups we have in Orange County. I created an event page on Facebook where you can go online to openly endorse this: https://www.facebook.com/events/calendar#!/events/354560511278953/
Oh and tell anyone and everyone you meet to vote yes on prop 37! Yes! Its that important!
Pam is a great communicator and we are fortunate that she decided to begin this venture. Now we all need to help her and make sure the Prop. passes! Monsanto and big foods manufacturers will be pouring tremendous amounts of “citizen united” monies into the defeat of this Prop. We must educate the population and prevent this from happening…WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT IS IN OUR FOOD !
Good article Inge! Look forward to the battle with you!
I found this video that’s packed with valuable information about the future of our WORLD food if we don’t stop it now. Yes, its lengthy…but watch this instead of “Americas Got talent” or whatever mindless crap is on t.v. tonight.
http://youtu.be/XPFk4S1Q6vo
Thanks for your kind comments Carole. And you are so correct we are in for a HUGE battle the next few months and we have to educate! educate! educate!
If anyone knows of a a group that would like Pamm to come and speak, let me know and i’ll set it up.
*Can’t wait for the anti-labelers to set up their ads: “Who cares who Franenstein was or what Eastern Block country he came from? We don’t need no nasty pitchforks and burning torches…….to know what we are eating! If we told you…..we would have to kill you!”
This is going to win going away…….and when they finally have to come clean…..you may just see the biggest diet surge in American history!
From what I understand, the only argument I’ve heard from Monsanto yet is that labeling will hurt their business, and hence impede their great efforts to feed the poor in the rest of the world.
Pretty pathetic. THey obviously can’t deny that people won’t buy food that’s labeled as Frankenfood.
If I were their consultant I’d tell them to give up on fighting this initiative, and instead put all their money into a propaganda campaign (complete with bought-off scientists) telling us all how GOOD genetically-modified food is for us!! Superpowers! Telepathy! Immortality!!!
*Chairman Vern,
“GMO’s contain Viagra……and Vitamin C……great as a cough medicine….makes you less releant on blood thinners and makes bike riding the best experience of your life..” Something like that?
Vern, there already is a commercial playing up in Northern California already saying GMOs are good for you.
Well, good. If gmos are so good for you then they shouldnt be afraid of letting us know when they use then and they should cave on this labeling fight.
Senator Barbara Boxer, California Labor Federation, State Senator Mark Leno Agree: Vote Yes on Prop 37!
I am attending Democratic covention in Anheim today and will report if anything exciting happens. And Vern you are absolutely correct. if its so good for us Label it!
I’d like to know what pathetic paid-off corporatist politician would dare to come out AGAINST labeling.
Would be nice to chase around a Republican, or a Tom Daly-type Democrat, and try to get them to take a position on it.
Great, Inge — see you there!
Hard to trust democrats on this issue:
http://www.naturalnews.com/034847_Michael_Taylor_Monsanto_FDA.html
I agree Alex. Thats why the “money is speech” and “corporations are people” is so dangerous! They can and do spend billions to suppress what is really going on. In my opinion most of our so-called representatives are bought and paid for. I was at a recent convention where a delegate had the nerve to say that Californians should not be allowed to have referendums. That job should be left to legislators. I had to bite my tongue real hard! I wanted to tell him that we the people NO LONGER TRUST our legislators because they stopped listening to us and are paid employees of corporations.
Sure hope it passes. Monsanto is about as greedy as they get. Soon they will make “better” people and then when those people have kids they will have to pay a patent fee for every child they have. Truly disturbing what they are doing with the genetics of our food supply and patents. Sad how our politicians are paid off by Monsanto as well.