DAVIS: MARCH AND PROTEST @ Monsanto in solidarity w/ G8 days of action

Monsanto's location near UC Davis and the USDA enable this biotech corporation easy access to academia and government, with plenty of financial promises to their state benefactors. This Mon Jul 17th on the last day of the G8 nations conference, anti-biotech activists demand an end to biotech GMO/GE monocrop monopolies and say NO GMO, NO SB 1056!!

Beginning at 9 am on Mon Jul 17th info available in front of the USDA building in Davis on SB 1056, the biotech sponsored bill that prevents local communities from their Constitutional right to vote on whether or not their town, city or county will allow Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) aka Genetically Engineered (GE) seed crops to be grown in their voting district. SB 1056 excludes local regulations and only allows for state control, thus leaving the decisions on GMO/GE crops in the hands of Arnold's biotech bully lobbyists in Sacramento..

United States Government: USDA Bldg
(530) 792-5500
(530) 792-5800
430 G St
Davis, CA 95616

Certified organic farmers are at great risk if SB 1056 passes and GMO/GE crop pollen drifts onto their crops and contaminates their pollen. Percy Schmeiser's canola crops in Canada were contaminated with Monsanto's patented "Round-up Ready" GMO/GE canola and he wound up in court for years being sued by Monsanto for "property theft" and "patent infringement" and then the local Davis Calgene (Monsanto subsidiery) representative has the nerve to show up at Jeffery Smith's talk and claim that percy "stole the patent because he wanted the GMO/GE crop himself."

Organic farmers have pride in their naturally evolved strains and don't want cross contamination from Monsanto's gene spliced bionightmares..

The indigenous Zapotec farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico didn't want their diverse land races of maize (corn) contaminated with Monsanto's "Bt" (Bacillus thuringensis" GMO/GE corn either. Ignacio Chapela discovered this contamination by Monsanto's Bt GMO/GE corn years ago and last year lost his tenured position at UC Berkeley because he discussed the ethical implications of Monsanto's habits of biocontamination via pollen drift and biopatenting of living beings..

UC Davis themselves are recipients of funding from their neighbor Monsanto, and the research potential is directed into biotech instead of crop symbiosis, companion planting, and other permaculture methods equally as scientific and effective for far less expense. Not to mention safer for the ecosystem, consumer and farmer..

Following the protest at the Davis USDA building on G Street, at 12 pm we will march down 5th street to show the ease Monsanto employees have in walking down 5th street if they want a quick favor from their friends at the USDA. This reverse march will wave signs and banners in front of Monsanto's Calgene subsidiary office at 1920 5th Street in Davis showing how Monsanto exploits farmers, workers, ecosystems and consumers with their biotech bully bills like SB 1056 and the global impacts of Monsanto's free trade globalization policies..

Monsanto's Calgene office at this address;

Calgene Inc
1920 5th St, Davis, CA
(530) 753-6313

Calgene is the inventor of the famous Flavr-Savr tomatoes that introduced genes from cold water deep sea fish (waaaay outside plant species natural hybridization ability) into the domestic tomatoe. After Calgene's science flopped they got taken over by biotech giant Monsanto. Though Monsanto's science is also flawed (Round-up Ready GMO/GE crops result in greater, not less applications of Round-up herbicides, ensuring farmers remain hooked onto the pesticide/herbicide treadmill), through genoerous US taxpayer subsidies and frivolous lawsuits (see Percy Schmeiser canola pollen drift) Monsanto somehow manage to stay afloat with their biotech patents..

At 5pm after the Monsanto/Calgene protest people remaining can enjoi the alternative to biotech GE/GMO food with a free foodshare at the organic community farm directly across the street from Monsanto/Calgene office. This example could include a quick tour of the diverse garden and show how symbiotic crops can support one another and also provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial predator insects. Bring drums, musical insturments and also any scavanged fruits/veggies from elsewhere to avoid pirating any of the community farm crops..

Monday July 17th people will show that we won't stand for biotech corporations using WTO/NAFTA and SB 1056 to take away local choice of farm crops and food sovereignty. We also are aware of Monsanto, ADM, Cargill and other biotech/ag giants attempts to monopolize potential biofuel crops like maize/corn, soy, hemp etc.. with their biopatenting process. This G8 summit as the wealthiest nations discuss the future of the world's energy, biotech corporations like Monsanto attempt to use their corporate clout to control both food and biofuel crops, preventing local decentralized economies form existing. We the people rise up and say NO GMO! NO SB 1056! NO WTO! NO MonsantO! control over our food and fuel crops in the US, Oaxaca and elsewhere..

We also say;

SI Organics! SI Bioregionalismo! SI Zapatismo! SI Biodiversity!




following is additional info from previous GE/GMO plums article/comment, problems with UC Davis accepting money from corporations;

UC Davis is coerced to spend all their research funding on biotech instead of crop diversity, permaculture and more sustainable (not to mention more affordable) methods of farming. Instead young minds at UC Davis are led down the path of genetic engineering with the funding coming from their neighbor Monsanto (Calgene). Other scientists like Mae-Wan Ho are prevented from being heard in the local library. Her book entitled "The Fluid Genome" illustrates the futility of depending on biotech for the continous evolution of genetic variations and plant and insect phylogeny & biochemistry that occurs in nature. Why not add this book to the UC Davis library so students can get a balanced perspective, or are UC Davis biotech funders scared of a little real science??

"In this two-part series, Dr Mae-Wan Ho describes why Genetic Modification is unsafe. Growing scientific evidence suggests that genes are not permanently fixed, but can change in response to their environment. As a result, GM scientists cannot guarantee that the function and structure of genes will remain unchanged once modified. This has profound safety implications for genetically modified products and renders quality control useless."

more on "the Fluid Genome" @;
http://www.bigpicture.tv/index.php?id=46&cat=&a=95

Recently Vandana Shive came to speak at UC Davis and cautioned students on depending on biotech to solve world hunger. She stated clearly that crop diversity and farmers working with nature (instead of controlling) would be the answer to world hunger. However, speakers who challenge biotech's science are a rare occurance at US Davis. Maybe because UC Davis has their hands deep into the biotech lobbyists cookie jar, from Monsanto to Genentech and Chiron (Solano county neighbors)..

Maybe we need some more direct action at UC Davis?

"..forest activists traveled to the UC campus in Davis where the Davis-based Dendrome project seeks to map the genetics of majorcommercial tree species, setting the stage for more aggressive research on tree genetic engineering. Three experienced climbers from the Pacific Northwest entered the Life Sciences building and suspended themselves by ropes from a two-story-high DNA sculpture in the lobby. They stayed for several hours while reporters snapped photos and several dozen supporters gathered outside, demanding an end to GE tree research—and all corporate-funded biotech research—at the University of California."

more on biotech protest direct action @;
http://zmagsite.zmag.org/Sept2003/tokar0903.html

not to mention the UC Davis primate research center, also in cahoots with biotech and big PHARMA;

"The University of California-Davis
All is not well in sunny California. In 2005, the USDA leveled a nearly $5,000 fine against UC-Davis for animal care violations that resulted in the deaths of seven cynomalgus monkeys. According to the USDA, UC-Davis did not properly maintain the thermostat or temperature cutoff switch in the monkeys’ room, thus allowing the room to reach a scorching 115°F for many hours at a time.

UC-Davis is home to the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), which houses approximately 5,000 primates. While many institutions are phasing out animal experiments, UC-Davis is expanding its primate facilities and is constructing a level-3 biocontainment lab for deadly viral infection studies on primates. UC-Davis also subjects more primates to painful and distressing experiments than any other U.S. university: More than 2,000 primates were used there in 2004. In addition to this unparalleled exploitation of primates, more than 500 dogs, 400 cats, 450 rabbits, and 250 horses were used in painful or distressing experiments at UC-Davis in 2004."

more on UC Davis primate research @;
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f-worstlabs_04.asp

Primate research may be a bit off the subject from GE trees, though the connecting thread is that UC Davis is the enabling body that provides various corporations with facilities to perform unethical experiments on primates and genetic tampering with biotech plants. The USDA is supposed to be the regulatory agency that provides the public with safety from dangerous and cruel research activities from taking place in the Univesity system, though the USDA has stopped functioning as a regulatory agency recently..

Is the USDA Monsanto's HOE??