| | SUBSCRIBE & Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Agent Orange and Roundup: Monsanto's Deadly Legacy #281, June 16, 2011  In this issue:
Quote of the Week The Great Disruption "If you cut down more trees than you grow, you run out of trees. If you put additional nitrogen into a water system, you change the type and quantity of life that water can support. If you thicken the Earth's carbon dioxide blanket, the Earth gets warmer. If you do all these and many more things at once, you change the way the whole system of planet Earth behaves, with social, economic and life-support impacts. This is not speculation, this is high school science. "In all this though, there is a surprising case for optimism. As a species, we are good in a crisis, and passing the limits will certainly be the biggest crisis our species has ever faced. Our backs will be up against the wall, and in that situation we have proven ourselves to be extraordinary. "As the full scale of the imminent crisis hits us, our response will be proportionally dramatic, mobilizing as we do in war. We will change at a scale and speed we can barely imagine today, completely transforming our economy, including our energy and transport industries, in just a few short decades. "Perhaps most surprisingly we will also learn there is more to life than shopping. We will break our addiction to growth, accept that more stuff is not making our lives better and focus instead on what does." - "The Great Disruption: How the Climate Crisis Will Transform the Global Economy," by Paul Gilding Alert OF THE WEEK  Monsanto's Deadly Legacy: Fifty Years of Birth Defects and Disabilities
August 10, 2011 marks 50 years since Agent Orange was first used by the US military in its war against Vietnam. Agent Orange was used for a decade, but its effects persist to this day, with three generations of exposed Vietnamese families and American veterans suffering from horrific birth defects and disabilities.
The 50th anniversary of Agent Orange will not be acknowledged with regrets or reparations by the US government or the American chemical companies, primarily Monsanto and Dow, who profited from its production and use. Monsanto and Dow contaminated the land of Vietnam, destroyed the forests, killed, maimed, and crippled millions of people, but never admitted responsibility or paid a cent in compensation to the victims and their families. Instead, Monsanto and Dow continue to profit from their poisons. In fact, they are currently seeking approval for genetically modified crops that can withstand massive doses of 2,4-D, one of the herbicides used in Agent Orange. Take action to stop Monsanto and Dow's new 2,4-D resistant corn & soy And now, scientific evidence is mounting that Monsanto's best-selling herbicide RoundUp also causes birth defects. A new generation of babies born near fields of "RoundUp Ready" (genetically modified) soy in Argentina are suffering birth defects as terrible as those found in the Agent Orange contaminated areas of Vietnam. A new report published this month alleges that regulators and the pesticide industry have long known about the RoundUp-birth-defect link - some for more than two decades - but kept the details hidden from the general public. According to the report, co-authored by a number of scientists and published by Earth Open Source, Monsanto's Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world, causes birth defects as well as "endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer" at amounts equivalent to pesticide residue found on produce. In honor of the victims of Monsanto's Agent Orange on the 50th anniversary of its first use, Len Aldis of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society is calling for "an international ban on all products of Monsanto and that would and must include GMO." Sign the petition for justice for the victims of Agent Orange PLEASE DONATE  Millions Against Monsanto Fundraising Appeal
Three hundred thousand have already signed up as participants and supporters in our Millions Against Monsanto Truth-in-Labeling Campaign. But we need money to print leaflets, to buy educational videos, to print up T-shirts and bumper stickers, and to pay our campaign staff. As you know, GMOs, Factory Farms, and deceptively labeled consumer products pose a mortal threat to public health, climate stability, and all living things. As we speak, organic crops are being contaminated with Monsanto's GMOs. We need your financial contributions to educate and mobilize consumers, to protect and maintain strict organic standards, and to pressure the entire food industry, including natural food stores and co-ops, to adopt Truth-in-Labeling practices. Please Donate MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO CAMPAIGN UPDATE  Become One of the Millions Against Monsanto!
Want to do something to stop Monsanto and fight genetic engineering? Join up! Grassroots organizers all over the world are working on events in their areas to build awareness on these issues for World Food Day, October 16th, 2011. Organize an event in your area! Visit Millions Against Monsanto to learn more, download campaign materials and join a local chapter. Videos of the Week Looking Back on Monsanto's Depravity 
For the people of Vietnam, as well as U.S. Vietnam War veterans, the war is not over. Three generations on, babies are still being born with serious birth defects and genetic abnormalities - the legacy of America's intensive use of chemical weapons. No one knows how many have been affected. These powerful films document the effects of Agent Orange. Battle's Poison Cloud "A Family Perseveres" - from Agent Orange: A Personal Requiem by Masako Sakata "It Takes a Village" - from Agent Orange: A Personal Requiem by Masako Sakata You can watch these and other videos on OCA's YouTube Channel!  Little Bytes
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READ MORE OCA Affiliate Program It's Easy to Help! The Organic Consumers Association Online Affiliate Program benefits everyone! By taking part, you help grow an interdependent network of the best organic producers, the most conscientious consumers, and all of us at the OCA who tirelessly defend organic standards. How does it work?
When you click on the special links to the websites we provide, our Affiliate Partners can then track your purchases and donate a percentage to the OCA. Check Organic Bytes every week for new, 100% organic, GMO-free products we can all get excited about! Book of the Week Help Us Build a Sustainable Future! Our friends at Chelsea Green offer the latest books on sustainability, democracy, new science, and pathways to peace. Thanks to our new Affiliate Program, your online purchase supports the OCA!  This weeks featured book is... Whole Foods Companion: A Guide for Adventurous Cooks, Curious Shoppers, and Lovers of Natural Foods
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