[This article first appeared in Whole Life Times, March, 1997]
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In October, the Wall Street Journal reported that farmers were harvesting corn, soybeans, and
potatoes from seeds genetically engineered by Monsanto to tolerate larger than ever doses of
Roundup, Monsanto's toxic herbicide. Says the journal, "Since farmers will be able to spray
Roundup more liberally than ever, some on Wall Street say Monsanto's agricultural products
division could post annual profit gains of 25% for the next four years. Roundup will lead the
surge....Bountiful results from its seed and Roundup products could mean nothing less than a
complete makeover of Monsanto...into an agribusiness leader."
What's wrong with this picture of economic prosperity? The ending on the word herbicide. Meaning "killer," or "act of killing," -cide is not an ending you want to see in the name of something used on your food. Herbicides are toxic. What is bad for a weed is bad for a human, and unlike Monsanto's seeds, humans are not genetically engineered to tolerate the herbicides. The Wall Street Journal article was hardly news to observers of the Great Boycott of eight multinational producers of pesticides and other toxic products. They read about the seeds in Revolt Against the Empire: The Great Boycott, by Jon Rappoport, and heard about them in Rappoport's lectures. Whole Life Times readers read about the engineered food crops in "Just Say No to Toxics: the Great Boycott." According to Revolt Against the Empire, all eight corporations targeted by the Great Boycott are genetically engineering food crops to withstand higher levels of pesticide and herbicide. And why not? After all, these eight corporations are the world's leading manufacturers of pesticides and herbicides. The targets of the boycott are
The products of these companies and their effects are the topic of a thirty page document. The following are examples of the facts you can find in Revolt Against the Empire. Adverse effects of Monsanto's herbicide Butachlor include weight changes in internal organs and reduced brain size together with lesions. Although Butachlor has never been permanently approved by the EPA, it is marketed abroad as Machete and Lambast. Multinational Monitor reports that Butachlor can be found in the U.S. food supply. Used in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Venezuela, it could have been applied to as much as 97 percent of our rice imports. Susan Cooper of the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides told the Multinational Monitor that at least one out of every two phone calls her office receives about pesticide complaints concerns Dursban, by Dow. In the Multinational Monitor of October 1991, Jack Doyle writes, "Du Pont is the single largest corporate polluter in the United States. In 1989, the latest year for which data are available form the U.S. EPA, Du Pont and its subsidiaries reported discharging more than 348 million pounds of pollutants to land, air and water." A further concern of Boycott supporters is that each year, globalization of business and trade concentrates more money and power into the hands of a few multinational corporations. This power impacts politics at all levels; contaminants in food, air, land, and water; and the quality of food and other goods available. The Great Boycott will discourage use of toxic substances and weaken the grip of multinational corporations on international politics.
A partial list of boycotted products: Dow: Ziploc bags, Fantastik, Handi-Wrap, Saran Wrap, Spray 'n Wash, Dow Bathroom Cleaner, Glass Plus Multisurface Cleaner, Smart Scrub, Ultra Yes Laundry Detergent, Vivid Bleach, Style and Permasoft hair products, Nicorette, Norhistamine, Cepacol, Gly-oxide, Gaviscon, Cepastat, Citrucel, Delbrox, Os-Cal, Styrofoam plastic products, Starane, Spike, Verdict, Trefflan, and Dursban Du Pont:Du Pont brand paints, cement, and lacquers; Lucite paints; Benlate, Benomyl, and Carbendazim; Conoco, Jet and Seca petroleum products; Teflon; High Impact, Magnathin, Magnum, Prime Plus, and Stren fishing lines. Monsanto: NutraSweet, Equal; Simplesse; Simple Pleasures Frozen Dairy Desserts, Salad Dressing, and Mayonnaise; Roundup, Dimension; the Flavr Savr tomato, products containing BGH. Bayer: All Bayer aspirins and medications, Alkaseltzer, One-A-Day Vitamins, Flintstone Chewable Vitamins, SOS Scouring Pads, Bugs Bunny Vitamins, and Cutter insect repellent. Ciba-Geigy: Funk Seeds Products, SoftColor and Vision Care contact lenses, Nupercaine Ointment, Privine Nasal Spray, Doan's Pills, Fiberall Laxative, Sunkist Vitamins, Accutrim, and Ten-K. An international movement, The Great Boycott is observed across the country and in a number of other countries. Although it is endorsed by many organizations, the Boycott is not run as an organization with a leader, but is carried out by small groups and individuals world-wide. The next two meetings of local Boycott supporters will take place at the Hardware Humanitarian House at 1427 12th St., Santa Monica, 395-6337, the first Sundays of March and April, March 2. and April 6. from 6:00--8:00 P.M. The program will feature a video about the DuPont family. For flyers or information about The Great Boycott and specific products, or to find out about events and meetings, call 310/281-1927; write The Great Boycott, PO Box 55335, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413; or connect at http://home.earthlink.net/~alto/boycott.html, where you can download a number of Boycott documents. For in depth information about the boycott and the companies, obtain a copy of REVOLT AGAINST THE EMPIRE: WELCOME TO THE GREAT BOYCOTT, with full reproduction and distribution rights. You can download it from the website, send a $5.00 check to Paul Borraccia at the Boycott PO box, or photocopy a friend's. |