Fatal Collusion?
Ronnie Cummins- Organic Consumers Assoc.
sion?
“I have cancer, and I don’t want these serious issues in HED [EPA’s Health Effects Division] to go unaddressed before I go to my grave. I have done my duty.”
It’s been four years since Marion Copley, a 30-year EPA toxicologist, wrote those words to her then-colleague, Jess Rowland, accusing him of conniving with Monsanto to bury the agency’s own hard scientific evidence that it is “essentially certain” that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller, causes cancer.
Copley has since died. But her letter suggesting that EPA officials colluded with Monsanto to hide the truth about Monsanto’s flagship weedkiller has been given new life.
Thanks to the persistence of hundreds of plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging that they (or their deceased family members) were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup, newly discovered internal emails and other documents paint an increasingly troubling and sinister picture of corruption.
In the coming weeks and months, reporters and lawyers will continue to sift through and analyze the mountain of new documents that include emails between Monsanto and EPA officials.
What we’ve seen so far may be just the tip of the iceberg. But after all the evidence has been analyzed and exposed, will the evidence of collusion be fatal to Monsanto? Or will we allow the collusion to continue to cause fatal illness?
|
|
|||
No ExcusesCongress and the media have their hands full these days dealing with one crisis or scandal after another. Some real. Some fabricated. We get that lawmakers in D.C. may think they’re too busy to deal with another allegation of corporate corruption. But when credible evidence surfaces of overt collusion between a corporation (Monsanto) and a government agency (EPA), and that collusion may be responsible for making people gravely ill—or worse—Congress has a responsibility to step in and investigate. Because the longer they don’t, the longer we’re exposed to a killer chemical. When we launched our quarterly online fundraising campaign, incriminating internal letters and email exchanges between Monsanto and EPA officials hadn’t yet hit the headlines. When they did, we immediately called on Congress to investigate. Predictably, no Congress member has yet stepped forward to formally demand the investigation we seek. Just as predictably, you can count on us to keep the pressure on, until our demand is met. We’re still about $85k short of our Spring fundraising goal. Your donation today will help us pull out all the stops—to stop Monsanto’s Roundup from poisoning innocent victims. Thank you! Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education) Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts) Support OCA's Regeneration International Project (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic, regenerative agriculture and climate change) |
|
||
Unconscionable.While farmers and children exposed to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide were dying from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a high-level EPA official was colluding with Monsanto behind the scenes to bury the truth. And he actually bragged about it. According to the New York Times and other news outlets, newly unsealed court documents reveal that former EPA official Jess Rowland let Monsanto ghostwriters write the toxicology reports that would form the basis for a government investigation into whether or not Roundup causes cancer. “If I can kill this I should get a medal,” Rowland reportedly told a Monsanto executive, who relayed the comment in an email. More than 700 Roundup cancer claims have now been filed in state and federal courts on behalf of people, including farmers and children, who have non-Hodgkins lymphoma (or who have already died from the disease) because they were exposed to Roundup. It's unconscionable that EPA officials would hide the fact that Roundup, sold widely in retail stores and labeled as “safe,” causes cancer. Consumers deserve the truth. That’s why we're calling on Congress to launch an official investigation into the possibility that EPA officials colluded with Monsanto. Tweet your Congress members #InvestigateMonsanto and EPA collusion to bury the truth about #Monsanto #Roundup Calls matter! Call your Representatives and Senators to demand an investigation |
|
||
|
Deadline: March 30Who’The National Organic Program (NOP) requires a three-year waiting period for farmers transitioning their land to organic. The intent behind that rule is to make sure the soil is free of prohibited substances.
That makes sense. But unfortunately, the rule comes with an unintended consequence. Rather than wait three years, some producers choose instead to convert native ecosystems to farmland—because those lands are instantly ready for organic production. It’s true that organic agriculture is an ecological management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity. But until the land is certified, there’s no mechanism for protecting sensitive ecosystems.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is asking the public to comment on how what recommendations the NOSB should make to the NOP for addressing this critical issue.
OCA, Wild Farm Alliance and other organizations are encouraging the NOSB to recommend that the NOP add a rule for bringing new land into organic production that would protect native ecosystems in a way that defines them clearly, and dissuades organic producers from converting them. You can help, by signing this action alert, and submitting a comment to the NOSB.
Talking points and how to submit a comment to the NOSB
TAKE ACTION BY MARCH 30: Tell the NOSB to Protect Native Ecosystems!
|
|
||
|
‘It’s Robbery’“The diversity of our seed stocks is as endangered as a panda or a polar bear right now. We are hugely vulnerable.” You may not spend a lot of time thinking about seeds. But without seeds, you’d have no food, no clothes. In the last century, 94 percent of the world’s vegetable seed varieties have disappeared. “SEED: The Untold Story” documents the miracle of seeds and our 12,000-year-old food legacy—including the history of how corporations like Monsanto have stolen and corrupted the very source of life. It’s a beautiful film. And an important story. You can get a 10-percent discount on a streaming copy of “SEED: The Untold Story,” or on the purchase of the DVD. Just type in this coupon code—OCASEED—when you order. Order “SEED: The Untold Story” and use the coupon code ‘OCASEED’ to get 10 percent off |
|
||
#Revolution4TruthOn Friday, March 31, #Revolution4Truth will take on the corporate media for its failure to protect consumers’ right to know and freedom to choose, by refusing to report the truth about environmental toxins, unsafe food and vaccine risks. Listen live via Facebook here. Better yet, if you can make it to Washington, D.C., attend in person. Register at http://revolution4truth.org/ or RSVP on Facebook. The #Revolution4Truth event was organized to protest: • The corporatized mainstream media’s biased coverage and demonization of anyone who advocates for safer vaccines or defends the legal right to make informed, voluntary vaccine choices. • The exploitation of the people by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries that have poisoned our environment and compromised our health for profit. • The liability shield that Congress has given to drug companies to protect them from accountability in a court of law when government mandated vaccines injure or kill us or our children. Speakers include OCA political director Alexis Baden-Mayer and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an outspoken advocate for investigating links between vaccines and illnesses, and holding drug companies accountable. #Revolution4Truth event schedule |
|
||
|
Essential Reading for the WeekEat This, Not That for Longer Life
Beyond Wetiko Agriculture: Saving Ourselves from the Soil Up
These Cities Are Pulling Billions from the Banks That Support the Dakota Access Pipeline
Why I'm Quitting Tillamook Cheese
To Avoid Ecological Calamity, We Must Adopt More Human-Scale Technologies
As Demand for Organics Grows, 'Transitional' Enters the Market
Superfoods That Give You the Most Bang for Your Buck |