Re: Why did Tom Vilsack ignore this warning? -TAKE ACTION

[Guest guest]

To protect our food supply from Genetically Modified seed. We do NOT need

it.

_Watch: Dr. Huber warns Secretary Vilsack of a major new threat to

agriculture._

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/369?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=1)

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/364?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=2)

_Halt the planting of Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa & sugar beets!_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=3)

Tell President Obama to instruct the USDA to immediately ban Monsanto's

GMO alfalfa and sugar beets from being planted until independent peer revie

wed safety testing can be conducted.

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=4)

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=5)

_Tell President Obama & Secretary Vilsack to halt the planting of Monsanto's

GMO alfalfa and sugar beets._

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=6)

Dear eater,

We are deeply concerned, and know that many of you are, too. Last week we

released a video interview with Dr. Don Huber, a senior plant pathologist

who wrote to Secretary Vilsack on January 17th of his grave concerns about

the discovery of a new organism and a potential link between the number one

selling agricultural product, the weed killer Roundup and an alarming rise

in crop diseases and infertility problems in animal livestock consuming

Monsanto’s genetically engineered Roundup Ready corn and soybeans.

Already more than 25,000 people have signed the letter calling on President

Obama and Secretary Vilsack to halt the sale and planting of Monsanto’s

Roundup Ready alfalfa and sugar beets until more independent science can be

conducted to evaluate this recently discovered threat to our farmers and our

food supply. Unfortunately, the Obama administration is continuing to

ignore the implications these new findings have in relation to our food supply.

Dr. Huber's Warning to Vilsack

Dr. Huber warned Secretary Vilsack that approving more Roundup Ready GMO

crops could be disastrous and have serious economic and health consequences.

As a retired scientist, he was willing to step forward on behalf of the

team of scientists who are working behind the scenes to identify an organism

that has been linked to rising crop failures and massive stillbirths in

livestock. And not only do GMO corn and soybean form the foundation of

livestock feed in the U.S., but they also can be found in more than 75% of the

processed food that Americans are eating!

_Tell President Obama and Secretary Vilsack it’s time to put farmers and

public health over corporate profits_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=7) .

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=9_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=8)

Last week at the " Future of Food " conference in Washington DC, filmmaker

Deborah Koons asked Secretary Vilsack about his decision to approve

GMO alfalfa and the need for labeling of foods containing GMOs in the U.S. In

his answer, Secretary Vilsack, called to have a conversation about this

important issue, one that takes into account “sound science†and respects

the opinions of all sides. And while we couldn’t agree more with that

sentiment, it’s time that the Obama administration stop listening to only one

side.

Now is the time for us to start that conversation with our friends and

spread it to a wider audience. As many of you know, there is a growing body of

evidence pointing to the real and potential harm caused by the rapid

approval of agricultural biotech products without adequate safety and

toxicological testing.

Help us get to our new goal of more than 50,000 citizens calling for a halt

to the sale and planting of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready until proper testing

can be completed to ensure their safety – and help spread the word about

Dr. Huber’s warning to Secretary Vilsack.

Already the extended 20-minute interview has been viewed more than 7,000

times by people concerned about this issue in more than 50 countries. It’s

important that we get Dr. Huber’s vital warning out to a broader public

audience.

If you’ve already signed the letter, please forward this message to 3

friends that you know who care about protecting the integrity of our food

supply.

_Sign the letter_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=10) :

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=12_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/370?akid=313.146282.v1EoAY & t=8 & akid=316.1

93276.c5hpjP & t=11)

When we reach 50,000 co-signers, we’ll fly out to DC ourselves and deliver

the letter. We’ll show Secretary Vilsack photos of affected plants and

livestock, and ask him directly how he can justify letting planting go ahead

while these serious questions are unanswered.

We have reached our goal of $2,000 to fly a farmer to DC with us - Thank

you! Our new goal is to raise $2,000 to fly a scientist out as well to

explain these stark concerns to Secretary Vilsack. Can you help us get there?

We

will send you a free Food Democracy Now! t-shirt to those individuals

donating $50 or more as a Thank you.

_Pitch in $25 here _

(http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/372?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=13) to help fly an

affected farmer out to Washington DC:

_http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/372?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=15_

(http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/372?akid=313.146282.v1EoAY & t=11 & akid=316.193276.c5h\

pjP & t=14)

Thank you for participating in food democracy-

Dave, and the Food Democracy Now! Team

Sources:

1. " Senior Plant Pathologist Warns Secretary Vilsack of Discovery of New

Organism, Threat to U.S. Agriculture " , Food Democracy Now! February 27, 2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/365?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=17_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/365?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=16)

2. " Scientist Warns of Safety of Monsanto's Roundup " , Reuters, February 24,

2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/368?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=19_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/368?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=18)

3. " Mystery Science: More Details on the Strange Organism That Could

Destroy Monsanto " , BNET, May 5, 2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/378?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=21_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/378?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=20)

4. " USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack Answers Questions at the Future of Food

Conference " The Washington Post, May 10, 2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/379?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=23_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/379?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=22)

5. " Why is Damning New Evidence About Monsanto's Most Widely Used Herbicide

Being Brushed Aside " , Alternet, April 27, 2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/380?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=25_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/380?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=24)

6. " U.S. Approves Genetically Modified Alfalfa " , New York Times, January

27, 2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/366?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=27_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/366?akid=316.193276.c5hpjP & t=26)