Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Our Food System and GM Seed Studies
Susan Brannon
June 10, 2011
"We now know that when you insert a gene - when you randomly throw this thing in there, they don't know ahead of time where it's going to land," says Clark. The researchers don't know how many copies will be inserted, or what other genes it will affect, or will affect it. We now know that the position of a gene is critical to how it functions, and side effects of this are unpredictable and could be drastic”, Clark, a doctor in BioTechnology, reports this lesson is in one of the first courses in BioTech.
GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply. (p. 233-236, chart of disproved assumptions, in Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 2007)
• The genetic engineering process creates massive collateral damage, causing mutations in hundreds or thousands of locations throughout the plant's DNA. (J. R. Latham, et al., “The Mutational Consequences of Plant Transformation,” The Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2006, Article ID 25376) Natural genes can be deleted or permanently turned on or off, and hundreds may change their behavior. (Srivastava, et al, “Pharmacogenomics of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the cystic fibrosis drug CPX using genome microarray analysis,” Mol Med. 5, no. 11(Nov 1999):753–67.) Even the inserted gene can be damaged or rearranged,( Latham et al, “The Mutational Consequences of Plant Transformation, Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2006:1-7, article ID 25376 Hindawi; EcoNexus Inst. Of Science in Society and may create proteins that can trigger allergies or promote disease.
In 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) stated that, "Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with genetically modified (GM) food," including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM has asked physicians to advise all patients to avoid GM foods.
There are eight GM food crops. The five major varieties—soy, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar beets—have bacterial genes inserted, which allow the plants to survive an otherwise deadly dose of weed killer. Farmers use considerably more herbicides on these GM crops and so the food has higher herbicide residues. About 68% of GM crops are herbicide tolerant.
The second GM trait is a built-in pesticide, found in GM corn and cotton. A gene from the soil bacterium called Bt (for Bacillus thuringiensis) is inserted into the plant’s DNA, where it secretes the insect-killing Bt-toxin in every cell. About 19% of GM crops produce their own pesticide. Another 13% produce a pesticide and are herbicide tolerant.
Today, the same biotech companies who have been found guilty of hiding toxic effects of their chemical products are in charge of determining whether their GM foods are safe. Industry-funded GMO safety studies are too superficial to find most of the potential dangers, and their voluntary consultations with the FDA are widely criticized as a meaningless façade. (Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 2007)
Eyewitness reports: Animals avoid GMOs
1. When given a choice, several animals avoided eating GM food.
2. In farmer-run tests, cows and pigs repeatedly passed up GM corn.
3. Animals that avoided GM food include cows, pigs, geese, squirrels, elk, deer, raccoons, mice and rats.
Roundup Ready Soy
There have not been human studies on GM foods. The only published experiment with human feeding is using GM soy which revealed that the genetic material inserted transfers into bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. (Netherwood et al, “Assessing the survival of transgenic plant DNA in the human gastrointestinal tract,” Nature Biotechnology 22 (2004): 2.) This means that long after we stop eating GM foods, we may still have the GM proteins continually inside of us. If the antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could develop into a resistance to antibiotics. If the gene that creates Bt-toxin as in GM corn, were to transfer, it might turn our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories. There have been several animal studies show that DNA in food can travel into organs throughout the body, even into the fetus. I listed only two of them for this article. (Ricarda A. Steinbrecher and Jonathan R. Latham, “Horizontal gene transfer from GM crops to unrelated organisms,” GM Science Review Meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh on “GM Gene Flow: Scale and Consequences for Agriculture and the Environment,” January 27, 2003; Traavik and Heinemann, Genetic Engineering and Omitted Health Research; citing Schubbert, et al, “Ingested foreign (phage M13) DNA survives transiently in the gastrointestinal tract and enters the bloodstream of mice,” Mol Gen Genet. 242, no. 5 (1994): 495–504) (Phipps, et al, “Detection of transgenic and endogenous plant DNA in rumen fluid, duodenal digesta, milk, blood, and feces of lactating dairy cows,” J Dairy Sci. 86, no. 12(2003): 4070–8.)
• Feeding trials of 12 female rats ate Roundup Ready soy showed liver problems that are commonly associated with higher liver function. The livers worked harder to detoxify the effects of the GM soy, compared to the rats who were fed non-GM soy. The symptoms disappeared after replacing the GM-soy diet with non GM soy. (I.V. Ermakova, “Diet with the Soya Modified by Gene EPSPS CP4 Leads to Anxiety and Aggression in Rats,” 14th European Congress of Psychiatry. Nice, France, March 4-8, 2006; “Genetically modified soy affects posterity: Results of Russian scientists’ studies,” REGNUM, October 12, 2005) (M. Malatesta, C. Tiberi, B. Baldelli, S. Battistelli, E. Manuali, M. Biggiogera, “Reversibility of Hepatocyte Nuclear Modifications in Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean,” Eur J Histochem, 49 (2005): 237-242.)
• Mice were fed Roundup Ready soy, experienced reduced activity of their testicular cells, the results could have serious implication on human fertility. (L. Vecchio et al, “Ultrastructural Analysis of Testes from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean,” European Journal of Histochemistry 48, no. 4 (Oct–Dec 2004):449–454.)
• 25 of 45 rat offspring died after their mothers were fed GM soy prior to and during pregnancy, compared to three deaths out of 33 for non-GM soy fed rats. (see I.V. Ermakova study above,) The organs of the GM-fed-soy rats offspring were smaller than the organs of the non-GM-fed soy rats. (Study) By the third generation the offspring were unable to have babies.
• The function of mouse embryos functioned differently when the parents ate GM Soy. (Oliveri et al., “Temporary Depression of Transcription in Mouse Pre-implantion Embryos from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean,” 48th Symposium of the Society for Histochemistry, Lake Maggiore (Italy), September 7–10, 2006)
• A study done in the UK showed that over 4000 people had a 50% increased in allergic response to soy after GM soy was introduced into the food system. (Mark Townsend, “Why soya is a hidden destroyer,” Daily Express, March 12, 1999.) and (Hye-Yung Yum, Soo-Young Lee, Kyung-Eun Lee, Myung-Hyun Sohn, Kyu-Earn Kim, “Genetically Modified and Wild Soybeans: An immunologic comparison,” Allergy and Asthma Proceedings 26, no. 3 (May–June 2005): 210-216(7).
FlavrSavr Tomato rats developed bleeding stomachs and many died during the experiement.
GM corn
• Rats eating GM corn over 15 weeks, had signs of exposure to toxicity in several organs, with more in the livers and kidneys.
• Farmers in Europe and Asia say that cows, water buffaloes, chickens, and horses died from eating Bt corn varieties. (Mae-Wan Ho, “GM Ban Long Overdue, Dozens Ill & Five Deaths in the Philippines,” ISIS Press Release, June 2, 2006; and Mae-Wan Ho and Sam Burcher, “Cows Ate GM Maize & Died,” ISIS Press Release, January 13, 2004)
Farmers report pigs and cows became sterile from GM corn
1. More than 20 farmers in North America report that pigs fed GM corn varieties had low conception rates, false pregnancies or gave birth to bags of water.
2. Both male and female pigs became sterile.
3. Some farmers also report sterility among cows.
• Mice had powerful immune responses and damaged intestines. (Vazquez et al, “Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis induces systemic and mucosal antibody responses in mice,” 1897–1912)
Twice the number of chickens died when fed Liberty Link corn
1. The death rate for chickens fed Chardon LL GM corn for 42 days was 7%, compared to 3.5% for controls.
2. GM-fed chickens also had more erratic body weight and food intake, and less weight gain overall.
3. The study was designed so that only huge differences would be statistically significant.
4. The results were therefore dismissed without follow-up.
• Filipinos in at least five villages fell sick when a nearby Bt corn variety was pollinating. (Mae-Wan Ho, “GM Ban Long Overdue, Dozens Ill & Five Deaths in the Philippines,” ISIS Press Release, June 2, 2006; “Study Result Not Final, Proof Bt Corn Harmful to Farmers,” BusinessWorld, 02 Mar 2004; and “Genetically Modified Crops and Illness Linked,” Manila Bulletin, 04 Mar 2004.)
BT Cotton
Dr. Kaura, genetic engineering researcher says, “Milk of farm animals, eating BT Cotton, is deadly for animals'' offspring as well as humans of all age groups, as it has been found to cause increased death rate in infants, general debility, allergy, unexplained health problems, fever, decline in immunity, weakness, etc.” (see also; “Bt cotton causing allergic reaction in MP; cattle dead,” Bhopal, Nov. 23, 2005)
• The farmers have high allergic reactions to Bt. Cotton as they did to the Br. Spray. (News India)
• Thousands of sheep, buffalo, and goats in India died after grazing on Bt cotton plants after harvest. Others suffered poor health and reproductive problems. (GM Watch)
• About two dozen US farmers report that Bt corn varieties caused widespread sterility in pigs or cows. (Personal communication with Jerry Rosman and other farmers, 2006; also reported widely in the farm press.)
GM Potatoes
• The stomach lining of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer. Rats also had damaged organs and immune system. (Arpad Pusztai, “Can science give us the tools for recognizing possible health risks of GM food,” Nutrition and Health, 2002, Vol 16 Pp 73-84; Stanley W. B. Ewen and Arpad Pusztai, “Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine,”)
GM Foods
A GM food supplement killed about 100 people and caused 5,000-10,000 to fall sick
1. One brand of the supplement L-tryptophan created a deadly US epidemic in the 1980s
2. The company genetically engineered bacteria to produce the supplement more economically.
3. Their product contained many contaminants, five or six of which were suspected as the cause of the disease.
4. Discovering the epidemic required multiple coincidences, suggesting that adverse reactions to GM foods may be hard to identify. (Jeffrey M. Smith, Seeds of Deception, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 2003, chapter 4, Deadly Epidemic Seeds of Decption and William E. Crist, Toxic L-tryptophan: Shedding Light on a Mysterious Epidemic). There are not long term studies, so if the effects on humans are long term we will not be aware of the problem for a few decades. The Bio Tech industry is gambling on the health of many nations for their proft.
GM foods might create antibiotic-resistant diseases
1. Antibiotic resistant marker (ARM) genes have been inserted into most GM foods on the market.
2. If ARM genes were to transfer to pathogenic bacteria inside the gut or mouth, they might create super diseases, untreatable with one or more types of antibiotics.
3. GM crops may therefore accelerate the rise of antibiotic-resistant illnesses, which
are already responsible for death and disease.
Disease-resistant crops may promote human viruses and other diseases
1. Viral genes inserted into disease-resistant crops produce "viral" proteins.
2. Consuming these may suppress the body’s defense against viral infections, particularly in the gut.
3. The proteins may also be toxic and lead to disease.
4. Viral transgenes also produce RNA, which might influence gene expression in humans in unpredicted ways. (IRT)
These studies on animals, give us something to think about when eating GM foods. Our problem is that the foods that contain GM products are not required to be labeled so we as citizens cannot make a choice.
Please contact your congressmen, senators, and governor to encourge the labeling of GM foods. As citizens we need to fight against corporations for profit, who do not act responsible towards societies healthy existence. It is only through our voice, through letters and phone calls, publishing articles such as this to generate awareness to global citizens.
We must not stop acting on our rights as citizens and loose our voice, and stand up for our freedoms. We should use the Middle East Spring Uprisings, as our examples to say that "enough is enough" and in America start to demand that our voices to be heard and action to be taken.
Related Articles:
Related articles:
June 10, 2011
"We now know that when you insert a gene - when you randomly throw this thing in there, they don't know ahead of time where it's going to land," says Clark. The researchers don't know how many copies will be inserted, or what other genes it will affect, or will affect it. We now know that the position of a gene is critical to how it functions, and side effects of this are unpredictable and could be drastic”, Clark, a doctor in BioTechnology, reports this lesson is in one of the first courses in BioTech.
GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply. (p. 233-236, chart of disproved assumptions, in Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 2007)
• The genetic engineering process creates massive collateral damage, causing mutations in hundreds or thousands of locations throughout the plant's DNA. (J. R. Latham, et al., “The Mutational Consequences of Plant Transformation,” The Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2006, Article ID 25376) Natural genes can be deleted or permanently turned on or off, and hundreds may change their behavior. (Srivastava, et al, “Pharmacogenomics of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the cystic fibrosis drug CPX using genome microarray analysis,” Mol Med. 5, no. 11(Nov 1999):753–67.) Even the inserted gene can be damaged or rearranged,( Latham et al, “The Mutational Consequences of Plant Transformation, Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2006:1-7, article ID 25376 Hindawi; EcoNexus Inst. Of Science in Society and may create proteins that can trigger allergies or promote disease.
In 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) stated that, "Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with genetically modified (GM) food," including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM has asked physicians to advise all patients to avoid GM foods.
There are eight GM food crops. The five major varieties—soy, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar beets—have bacterial genes inserted, which allow the plants to survive an otherwise deadly dose of weed killer. Farmers use considerably more herbicides on these GM crops and so the food has higher herbicide residues. About 68% of GM crops are herbicide tolerant.
The second GM trait is a built-in pesticide, found in GM corn and cotton. A gene from the soil bacterium called Bt (for Bacillus thuringiensis) is inserted into the plant’s DNA, where it secretes the insect-killing Bt-toxin in every cell. About 19% of GM crops produce their own pesticide. Another 13% produce a pesticide and are herbicide tolerant.
Today, the same biotech companies who have been found guilty of hiding toxic effects of their chemical products are in charge of determining whether their GM foods are safe. Industry-funded GMO safety studies are too superficial to find most of the potential dangers, and their voluntary consultations with the FDA are widely criticized as a meaningless façade. (Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 2007)
Eyewitness reports: Animals avoid GMOs
1. When given a choice, several animals avoided eating GM food.
2. In farmer-run tests, cows and pigs repeatedly passed up GM corn.
3. Animals that avoided GM food include cows, pigs, geese, squirrels, elk, deer, raccoons, mice and rats.
Roundup Ready Soy
There have not been human studies on GM foods. The only published experiment with human feeding is using GM soy which revealed that the genetic material inserted transfers into bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. (Netherwood et al, “Assessing the survival of transgenic plant DNA in the human gastrointestinal tract,” Nature Biotechnology 22 (2004): 2.) This means that long after we stop eating GM foods, we may still have the GM proteins continually inside of us. If the antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could develop into a resistance to antibiotics. If the gene that creates Bt-toxin as in GM corn, were to transfer, it might turn our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories. There have been several animal studies show that DNA in food can travel into organs throughout the body, even into the fetus. I listed only two of them for this article. (Ricarda A. Steinbrecher and Jonathan R. Latham, “Horizontal gene transfer from GM crops to unrelated organisms,” GM Science Review Meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh on “GM Gene Flow: Scale and Consequences for Agriculture and the Environment,” January 27, 2003; Traavik and Heinemann, Genetic Engineering and Omitted Health Research; citing Schubbert, et al, “Ingested foreign (phage M13) DNA survives transiently in the gastrointestinal tract and enters the bloodstream of mice,” Mol Gen Genet. 242, no. 5 (1994): 495–504) (Phipps, et al, “Detection of transgenic and endogenous plant DNA in rumen fluid, duodenal digesta, milk, blood, and feces of lactating dairy cows,” J Dairy Sci. 86, no. 12(2003): 4070–8.)
• Feeding trials of 12 female rats ate Roundup Ready soy showed liver problems that are commonly associated with higher liver function. The livers worked harder to detoxify the effects of the GM soy, compared to the rats who were fed non-GM soy. The symptoms disappeared after replacing the GM-soy diet with non GM soy. (I.V. Ermakova, “Diet with the Soya Modified by Gene EPSPS CP4 Leads to Anxiety and Aggression in Rats,” 14th European Congress of Psychiatry. Nice, France, March 4-8, 2006; “Genetically modified soy affects posterity: Results of Russian scientists’ studies,” REGNUM, October 12, 2005) (M. Malatesta, C. Tiberi, B. Baldelli, S. Battistelli, E. Manuali, M. Biggiogera, “Reversibility of Hepatocyte Nuclear Modifications in Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean,” Eur J Histochem, 49 (2005): 237-242.)
• Mice were fed Roundup Ready soy, experienced reduced activity of their testicular cells, the results could have serious implication on human fertility. (L. Vecchio et al, “Ultrastructural Analysis of Testes from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean,” European Journal of Histochemistry 48, no. 4 (Oct–Dec 2004):449–454.)
• 25 of 45 rat offspring died after their mothers were fed GM soy prior to and during pregnancy, compared to three deaths out of 33 for non-GM soy fed rats. (see I.V. Ermakova study above,) The organs of the GM-fed-soy rats offspring were smaller than the organs of the non-GM-fed soy rats. (Study) By the third generation the offspring were unable to have babies.
• The function of mouse embryos functioned differently when the parents ate GM Soy. (Oliveri et al., “Temporary Depression of Transcription in Mouse Pre-implantion Embryos from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean,” 48th Symposium of the Society for Histochemistry, Lake Maggiore (Italy), September 7–10, 2006)
• A study done in the UK showed that over 4000 people had a 50% increased in allergic response to soy after GM soy was introduced into the food system. (Mark Townsend, “Why soya is a hidden destroyer,” Daily Express, March 12, 1999.) and (Hye-Yung Yum, Soo-Young Lee, Kyung-Eun Lee, Myung-Hyun Sohn, Kyu-Earn Kim, “Genetically Modified and Wild Soybeans: An immunologic comparison,” Allergy and Asthma Proceedings 26, no. 3 (May–June 2005): 210-216(7).
FlavrSavr Tomato rats developed bleeding stomachs and many died during the experiement.
GM corn
• Rats eating GM corn over 15 weeks, had signs of exposure to toxicity in several organs, with more in the livers and kidneys.
• Farmers in Europe and Asia say that cows, water buffaloes, chickens, and horses died from eating Bt corn varieties. (Mae-Wan Ho, “GM Ban Long Overdue, Dozens Ill & Five Deaths in the Philippines,” ISIS Press Release, June 2, 2006; and Mae-Wan Ho and Sam Burcher, “Cows Ate GM Maize & Died,” ISIS Press Release, January 13, 2004)
Farmers report pigs and cows became sterile from GM corn
1. More than 20 farmers in North America report that pigs fed GM corn varieties had low conception rates, false pregnancies or gave birth to bags of water.
2. Both male and female pigs became sterile.
3. Some farmers also report sterility among cows.
• Mice had powerful immune responses and damaged intestines. (Vazquez et al, “Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis induces systemic and mucosal antibody responses in mice,” 1897–1912)
Twice the number of chickens died when fed Liberty Link corn
1. The death rate for chickens fed Chardon LL GM corn for 42 days was 7%, compared to 3.5% for controls.
2. GM-fed chickens also had more erratic body weight and food intake, and less weight gain overall.
3. The study was designed so that only huge differences would be statistically significant.
4. The results were therefore dismissed without follow-up.
• Filipinos in at least five villages fell sick when a nearby Bt corn variety was pollinating. (Mae-Wan Ho, “GM Ban Long Overdue, Dozens Ill & Five Deaths in the Philippines,” ISIS Press Release, June 2, 2006; “Study Result Not Final, Proof Bt Corn Harmful to Farmers,” BusinessWorld, 02 Mar 2004; and “Genetically Modified Crops and Illness Linked,” Manila Bulletin, 04 Mar 2004.)
BT Cotton
Dr. Kaura, genetic engineering researcher says, “Milk of farm animals, eating BT Cotton, is deadly for animals'' offspring as well as humans of all age groups, as it has been found to cause increased death rate in infants, general debility, allergy, unexplained health problems, fever, decline in immunity, weakness, etc.” (see also; “Bt cotton causing allergic reaction in MP; cattle dead,” Bhopal, Nov. 23, 2005)
• The farmers have high allergic reactions to Bt. Cotton as they did to the Br. Spray. (News India)
• Thousands of sheep, buffalo, and goats in India died after grazing on Bt cotton plants after harvest. Others suffered poor health and reproductive problems. (GM Watch)
• About two dozen US farmers report that Bt corn varieties caused widespread sterility in pigs or cows. (Personal communication with Jerry Rosman and other farmers, 2006; also reported widely in the farm press.)
GM Potatoes
• The stomach lining of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer. Rats also had damaged organs and immune system. (Arpad Pusztai, “Can science give us the tools for recognizing possible health risks of GM food,” Nutrition and Health, 2002, Vol 16 Pp 73-84; Stanley W. B. Ewen and Arpad Pusztai, “Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine,”)
GM Foods
A GM food supplement killed about 100 people and caused 5,000-10,000 to fall sick
1. One brand of the supplement L-tryptophan created a deadly US epidemic in the 1980s
2. The company genetically engineered bacteria to produce the supplement more economically.
3. Their product contained many contaminants, five or six of which were suspected as the cause of the disease.
4. Discovering the epidemic required multiple coincidences, suggesting that adverse reactions to GM foods may be hard to identify. (Jeffrey M. Smith, Seeds of Deception, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 2003, chapter 4, Deadly Epidemic Seeds of Decption and William E. Crist, Toxic L-tryptophan: Shedding Light on a Mysterious Epidemic). There are not long term studies, so if the effects on humans are long term we will not be aware of the problem for a few decades. The Bio Tech industry is gambling on the health of many nations for their proft.
GM foods might create antibiotic-resistant diseases
1. Antibiotic resistant marker (ARM) genes have been inserted into most GM foods on the market.
2. If ARM genes were to transfer to pathogenic bacteria inside the gut or mouth, they might create super diseases, untreatable with one or more types of antibiotics.
3. GM crops may therefore accelerate the rise of antibiotic-resistant illnesses, which
are already responsible for death and disease.
Disease-resistant crops may promote human viruses and other diseases
1. Viral genes inserted into disease-resistant crops produce "viral" proteins.
2. Consuming these may suppress the body’s defense against viral infections, particularly in the gut.
3. The proteins may also be toxic and lead to disease.
4. Viral transgenes also produce RNA, which might influence gene expression in humans in unpredicted ways. (IRT)
These studies on animals, give us something to think about when eating GM foods. Our problem is that the foods that contain GM products are not required to be labeled so we as citizens cannot make a choice.
Please contact your congressmen, senators, and governor to encourge the labeling of GM foods. As citizens we need to fight against corporations for profit, who do not act responsible towards societies healthy existence. It is only through our voice, through letters and phone calls, publishing articles such as this to generate awareness to global citizens.
We must not stop acting on our rights as citizens and loose our voice, and stand up for our freedoms. We should use the Middle East Spring Uprisings, as our examples to say that "enough is enough" and in America start to demand that our voices to be heard and action to be taken.
Related Articles:
Related articles:
Labeling of GMO Food Products sign the petition
Thursday, June 09, 2011
The Story about GM Seeds
Susan Brannon-Robens
9, June 2011
Genetically Modified (GM) seeds have been introduced into the world from the early 1990’s. The seeds are mainly soybean, corn, canola, and cotton. The seed was developed to increase food production, lower production costs and lower the amount of pests that destroy the crops. The process is the insertion, deletion or transfer of genes. They add a genetic material into an organism. GMO’s are used in biological and medical research, the production of pharmaceutical drugs, gene therapy and agriculture.Monsanto is the company located in Missouri, that develops and patients the GM seeds. In 2007, Monsanto’s seeds were planted on 246 million acres (1,000,000kn2) throughout the world. Monsanto developed “triple-stack corn” that contains Roundup Ready 2 weed control technology with YieldGard Corn Borer and YieldGard Rootworm insect control and tops the market in the U.S. The forecast is by 2014 they will plant 56 million acres in the US. (Check BioTech) I must insert here the concept of growing our food injected with pesticides, that are eaten by cows, pigs, pets and humans does not make any sense. We all know that what we eat absorbs into our bodies. Many of the products on the grocery store shelves contain some type of corn by-product. This is not like the corn of yesterday, but genetically modified with the insertion of Roundup a weed killer accepted by the USDA?
The crops are called “Biotech Crops” that reflects the latest technology, in agriculture in order to “save our hungry world”. Yet the facts, are that there is enough food for the world, including the developing countries. The problem is that we don’t get the food over to developing countries. However, that is another issue for a different article.
It is said that out of 14 million farmers who grew biotech crops in 2009, 90% of them were poor farmers from developing countries. In China, 7 million farmers grew cotton (Bt. Cotton), 5.6 million grew cotton in the Philippines. The commercial value of biotech crops grown in 2008 was 130 billion US dollars. (ISAAA)
As of 2009/2010 data there are a number of seeds that are in our food system:
Soybens: USA 93% World 77%
Corn USA 86% World 26%
Cotton USA 93% World 49%
Alfalfa produced from 2005-2007 banned until January 2011, currently legal
Hawaiian
Papaya USA 80%
Tomotes Taken off the market commercial failure
Rapeseed USA 93% World 21%
Sugar cane no data
Sugar beet USA 95% World 9%
Zucchini USA 13%
Monsanto found it easy for the farmers in America to use and purchase the GM seeds, but later discovered the European market is concerned about mixing crops grown from GM seeds next to conventional and organic crops. Japan and the entire European Union, have outright banned GMOs and products associated with them. In the end, Monsanto settled for developing countries as another marketing target.
For example, Monsanto controls more than 60% of commercial seeds in India including “hybrids” that combine different crop varieties. However there has been a reported increase in suicides of over 200,000 Indian farmers since the introduction of the GM seeds. Physicist, Vandana Shiva blames the suicides in part on farmer indebtedness to be forced to buy the seeds each planting year at rising costs. The seeds cannot be used to plant a new crop from the last years crop. The seeds arrived in India in 2002 and the price of the seeds has jumped from Rs. 7 a bag that covers one acre to Rs. 750. There are no regulatory systems in India, and “Monsanto sells its GMO seeds on fraudulent claims of yields of 1,500 kilograms a year when farmers actually harvest 300 kg a year on average.” The developing countries are told, you can grow more for less, control the pests, make money from your farms, and help your society to diminish poverty. Some of the seeds are drought protected, injected with oils for nutrition to increase health. My question, is this Monsanto a corporation statement really true?
In America, the Obama administration decided in January 2011 to radically approve unrestricted production of biotech Monsanto “Roundup Ready” alfalfa and sugar beets creating our food system dependent in a handful of corporations, with only profit to guide them. In spite of the World Health Organization’s concerns over the spread of GM crops and the indirect effect on food safety and security, the GM seed use continues to expand. The concept of creating and selling patented GM seeds is based on corporate control with the need to be purchased each season eliminating the right for farmers and consumers to choose what they will eat and grow.
At this time, at least 2,391 farmers in 19 states have been sued for “seed piracy”. Monsanto has an annual budget of 10 million dollars that is solely devoted to investigating and prosecuting farmers. When a farmer buys the Monsanto seeds, they sign an agreement that they will not save the seeds and replant them. More than 275,000 farmers buy the seeds under this agreement. What I do not understand is why America is so willing to “trust” corporate control to the most important of concerns, our food system.
In addition there are health and ethical concerns, the quality and impact of farming, the use of pesticides, and threat to native and natural species are other major issues. Since their commercialization in 1992, GMO’s have had a startling correlation with the explosion in food borne illnesses, obesity, diabetes, and other food-related illnesses.
GMO’s allow for the breeding of super weeds that can both resist their pesticides and decimate the land. GMOs, in essence, stem from an infant science that has been thrust upon the world in the last two decades. How can cross cropping not exist? Bees fly around and carry its pollen from one plant and crop to another, the wind blows carrying with it Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. If you eat meat or dairy, you consume alfalfa and corn, the leading source for hay and food for cattle. GMO products are not allowed in the USDA-certified foods and soon it will be all but impossible to find organic milk and meat. The bill has already passed and the decision was made in spite of organic farming groups, activists, and watch groups who number into the tens of thousands.
Bt. Cotton has also shown some diverse effects through the years, Bt. Cotton first controlled the pests and reduced the amount of insecticides need by 90%, but the Bt. Cotton has created new pests, and to control the new pests, farmers are using 13 times more pesticides than they were using before the introduction of Bt. Cotton. (Huffington Post April 2009)
Organic farming groups, food outlets and activists responded to the deregulation of GM alfalfa:
"The USDA's decision to allow unlimited, nationwide commercial planting of Monsanto's GE Roundup Ready alfalfa without any restrictions flies in the face of the interests of conventional and organic farmers, preservation of the environment, and consumer choice. USDA has become a rogue agency in its regulation of biotech crops and its decision to appease the few companies who seek to benefit from this technology comes despite increasing evidence that GE alfalfa will threaten the rights of American farmers and consumers, as well as damage the environment."
Commenting on the ruling, in a Joint Statement U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative Peter DeFazio said:
"This long approval process began as a search for a workable compromise, but it has ended as a surrender to business as usual for the biotech industry. USDA officials had an opportunity to address the concerns of all farmers, whether they choose to farm genetically altered crops, conventional crops, or organic crops, and to find a way for them to coexist. Instead, what we now have is a setback for the nation's organic and conventional agriculture sectors. Instead of settling this issue, USDA's decision regrettably guarantees further rounds in the courts."
When our leaders approve the expansion of the use of seeds that endanger biodiversity and the farmers’ choice, we should have an outcry as a nation. This regulated control over our food system; our lifeblood and food supply is not a little thing and is not a democracy.
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Sunday, May 29, 2011
Propaganda: Egypt Opens the Gazan Borders
Susan Brannon-Robens
May 29, 2011 -When first read the article “Egypt Gazan Borders Opens Permanently “Egypt Gazan Borders Opens Permanently” on the Huffington Post, I was ready to go outside and dance in the streets and then I wondered why others were not going outside and dancing? This was good news!
The borders opened between Rafah and Egypt allowing an unlimited number of Palestinians to cross the borders. There is an image of a cute young girl looking out a bus window. The short article says that it was written from Rafah, Gaza the reporter was in the field?
The Huffington reports, “Mohammad Zoarob, a 66-year-old suffering from chronic kidney disease. He said he had been waiting for a medical permit from the Palestinian health ministry for five years so he could go to Egypt for treatment. When Palestinian officials coincidentally approved the permit on Saturday, he kissed his family goodbye, rushed to the border and was quickly whisked across. "They put me in an ambulance and in five minutes I reached the Egyptian side of the crossing," he said.” Wow what great news, it is about time that the Gazans can breathe different air and have access to more food and medicines, not to mention obtain better water.
Because the article was only a few paragraphs, I decided to read more on the story using other media outlets. Searching on Google, I quickly read through mainstream headlines and first sentences. What struck me was that FOX, ABC, BBC, Reuters, Washington Post, and the Guardian all had a similar view on the story. Borders are open to 1.5 million Palestinians and hundreds cross the borders. The stories were wonderful and joyous, with a few warnings on the Israeli concern for smuggling deadly weapons into Gaza for attacks against Israel.
Time Magazine’s headline had a different viewpoint, “All Quiet in Rafah: Egypt’s Gaza Border Opens Not with a Bang but a Whisper.” This headline reflected something quite different than the other news agencies. They seem to have reported a bit more of the reality: “Palestinian women and children, as well as men under the age of 18 or over the age of 40, are now permitted to enter Egypt for up to one month without a visa. Men between the ages of 18 and 40 may be granted permits to enter for reasons such as enrollment in Egyptian universities or a need for medical treatment. They go on to say, “And yet, opening day marked one of the slowest business days that Rafah Crossing had seen in years. Egyptian officials reported that roughly 400 people crossed into Egypt at Rafah on Saturday, and 153 into Gaza. To top it all off, the article continued to report that not a whole lot has changed, the reality is that to Gaza border never really opened it was already open, “Three days ago it was the same.” In the end, the Gazan border opening news story is just propaganda.
How does one decipher the different angles from this story?
The best way, is to go as close to the source as possible. I viewed three Palestinian news sites, and Al Jazeera. The Palestinian sites were: Maa’n ; PNN; IMEMC ; WAFA ; and The Palestine Chronicle Al-Jazeera and IMEMC did not cover the event, not even a peep. Maa’n reported from the perspective of the benefits for the businessman, and how it will help to “facilitate renewed efforts for the reconstruction of infrastructure and homes” along with some repeats from the US main news story, background and Israel’s concern.
PNN basically repeated what was said in the wires, but stressed that weapons will not be allowed through the border and added, “…the opening of Rafah crossing will not end the surfing of the residents but will help to ease its effect on them” Hamad added.” WAFA gave a short paragraph, stressing the hours that the border will be open.
However, The Palestine Chronicle went into depth regarding reactions from the locals and added that “things remain difficult at the border.” “Egyptian border officials collect passports for examination, and return a few hours later to read aloud the names of those allowed in, a large crowd gathers around them. Tensions soon escalate to yelling, and occasional tears.”
The Chronicle analyzed that, people at the border are a bit on edge and the Palestinians feel that the change is genuine, but are concerned that Egypt might be forced to go back to its old way. In the end, only 340-400 Palestinians crossed the border, this number is a few more than was allowed to enter previously.
The result is that the same restrictions still apply to the Gazans as it did before; nothing has really changed only the US and UK news made it into such a big event.
Then why are the US and UK mainstream media resources publishing this story, creating this propaganda and for who? Is it to release the pressure from the recent deaths and attacks at the flotilla from Israel on May 31st, 2010 before the next one comes over in June? Could it be that this Front Page news release had something to do with the ousting of Mubarak from Egypt, and the 53% opinion that supports to break the country’s peace treaty with Israel? The Telegraph points to Egypt's new ties to Iran and the Hamas while stressing the Israel concern and stability in the Middle East.
I wonder if the story is a precursory to portray Egypt as terrorist supporters while in the future will be the new addition to the America’s enemies list. The reality is that Israel has been highly concerned over the new developments in the surrounding countries such as Syria, Egypt, and Jordan in reference to their own security.
My hunch is that if one tiny shot or weapon fires into the Israeli side, Israel will put the pressure on Egypt to reduce the amount of Gazans that can go through and again tighten the hold of the Gazan population. When doing this, Israel will not look bad in the public’s eyes, because the Gazans had their chance and blew it, thus justifying keeping the prison closed.
In the future we shall find out.
May 29, 2011 -When first read the article “Egypt Gazan Borders Opens Permanently “Egypt Gazan Borders Opens Permanently” on the Huffington Post, I was ready to go outside and dance in the streets and then I wondered why others were not going outside and dancing? This was good news!
The borders opened between Rafah and Egypt allowing an unlimited number of Palestinians to cross the borders. There is an image of a cute young girl looking out a bus window. The short article says that it was written from Rafah, Gaza the reporter was in the field?
The Huffington reports, “Mohammad Zoarob, a 66-year-old suffering from chronic kidney disease. He said he had been waiting for a medical permit from the Palestinian health ministry for five years so he could go to Egypt for treatment. When Palestinian officials coincidentally approved the permit on Saturday, he kissed his family goodbye, rushed to the border and was quickly whisked across. "They put me in an ambulance and in five minutes I reached the Egyptian side of the crossing," he said.” Wow what great news, it is about time that the Gazans can breathe different air and have access to more food and medicines, not to mention obtain better water.
Because the article was only a few paragraphs, I decided to read more on the story using other media outlets. Searching on Google, I quickly read through mainstream headlines and first sentences. What struck me was that FOX, ABC, BBC, Reuters, Washington Post, and the Guardian all had a similar view on the story. Borders are open to 1.5 million Palestinians and hundreds cross the borders. The stories were wonderful and joyous, with a few warnings on the Israeli concern for smuggling deadly weapons into Gaza for attacks against Israel.
Time Magazine’s headline had a different viewpoint, “All Quiet in Rafah: Egypt’s Gaza Border Opens Not with a Bang but a Whisper.” This headline reflected something quite different than the other news agencies. They seem to have reported a bit more of the reality: “Palestinian women and children, as well as men under the age of 18 or over the age of 40, are now permitted to enter Egypt for up to one month without a visa. Men between the ages of 18 and 40 may be granted permits to enter for reasons such as enrollment in Egyptian universities or a need for medical treatment. They go on to say, “And yet, opening day marked one of the slowest business days that Rafah Crossing had seen in years. Egyptian officials reported that roughly 400 people crossed into Egypt at Rafah on Saturday, and 153 into Gaza. To top it all off, the article continued to report that not a whole lot has changed, the reality is that to Gaza border never really opened it was already open, “Three days ago it was the same.” In the end, the Gazan border opening news story is just propaganda.
How does one decipher the different angles from this story?
The best way, is to go as close to the source as possible. I viewed three Palestinian news sites, and Al Jazeera. The Palestinian sites were: Maa’n ; PNN; IMEMC ; WAFA ; and The Palestine Chronicle Al-Jazeera and IMEMC did not cover the event, not even a peep. Maa’n reported from the perspective of the benefits for the businessman, and how it will help to “facilitate renewed efforts for the reconstruction of infrastructure and homes” along with some repeats from the US main news story, background and Israel’s concern.
PNN basically repeated what was said in the wires, but stressed that weapons will not be allowed through the border and added, “…the opening of Rafah crossing will not end the surfing of the residents but will help to ease its effect on them” Hamad added.” WAFA gave a short paragraph, stressing the hours that the border will be open.
However, The Palestine Chronicle went into depth regarding reactions from the locals and added that “things remain difficult at the border.” “Egyptian border officials collect passports for examination, and return a few hours later to read aloud the names of those allowed in, a large crowd gathers around them. Tensions soon escalate to yelling, and occasional tears.”
The Chronicle analyzed that, people at the border are a bit on edge and the Palestinians feel that the change is genuine, but are concerned that Egypt might be forced to go back to its old way. In the end, only 340-400 Palestinians crossed the border, this number is a few more than was allowed to enter previously.
The result is that the same restrictions still apply to the Gazans as it did before; nothing has really changed only the US and UK news made it into such a big event.
Then why are the US and UK mainstream media resources publishing this story, creating this propaganda and for who? Is it to release the pressure from the recent deaths and attacks at the flotilla from Israel on May 31st, 2010 before the next one comes over in June? Could it be that this Front Page news release had something to do with the ousting of Mubarak from Egypt, and the 53% opinion that supports to break the country’s peace treaty with Israel? The Telegraph points to Egypt's new ties to Iran and the Hamas while stressing the Israel concern and stability in the Middle East.
I wonder if the story is a precursory to portray Egypt as terrorist supporters while in the future will be the new addition to the America’s enemies list. The reality is that Israel has been highly concerned over the new developments in the surrounding countries such as Syria, Egypt, and Jordan in reference to their own security.
My hunch is that if one tiny shot or weapon fires into the Israeli side, Israel will put the pressure on Egypt to reduce the amount of Gazans that can go through and again tighten the hold of the Gazan population. When doing this, Israel will not look bad in the public’s eyes, because the Gazans had their chance and blew it, thus justifying keeping the prison closed.
In the future we shall find out.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Libya: List of Journalist, Killed, Missing, or released
Censorship Background:
23 May, 2011 Italy-The Libyan Authority for External Communications, a government body responsible for regulating the work of international media, said that Libya is not responsible for the safety of foreign journalists who enter the country without following procedures that include government permission and supervision. "[Libya] does not bear any legal or ethical responsibility for any harm that might befall media. Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khalid Kaim, said journalists who enter the country "illegally" would be treated as "outlaws" and "al-Qaeda collaborators." (CPJ)
CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) has documented more than 80 attacks on the press since the uprising. Up to 25th of April, CPJ reports that there have been 49 detentions ,11 assaults, “two attacks on news facilities, the jamming of Al-Jazeera and Al-Hurra transmissions, at least four instances of obstruction, the expulsion of two international journalists, and the interruption of Internet service. At least six local journalists are missing amid speculation they are in the custody of security forces. One international journalist and two media support workers are also unaccounted for.”
Some journalists who are entering the country are “imbedded” journalist following the stories and action from the perspective of the collocation military. Censorship by Gaddafi explains why there are many amateur videos used by media resources in the attempt to follow the conflict inside. Most of the videos are taken in the field from the perspective of the protesters.
In the end, it was difficult for me to find one complete list of the journalist covering the Libyan Revolution that are missing or killed. As a result, I compiled a timeline of those missing, killed or freed until March 20th. Keep in mind that because of the lack of communication coming from Libya at this moment, there may be many more missing that is difficult for us to find out about. If you have any names that you want to add, please let me know so I can update it.
Early March: Three Al-Jazeera journalists who were arrested in early March – Mauritian reporter Ahmed Vall Ould el-Dine, Norwegian photographer Ammar Al-Hamdane and British photographer Kamel Ataloua – are meanwhile still being held by pro-Gaddafi forces in the west of the country. A fourth Al-Jazeera journalist who was arrested at the same time, Tunisian Lotfi Messaoudi, was released on 31 March
(RSF).
12 March: Ali Hassan al-Jaber, journalist of Al Jazeera reports that he was returning to the eastern part of Benghazi after filling a report when “unknown fighters opened fire on a car he and his colleagues were traveling in.” Two people were killed. (Al Jazeera)
March 15: The Times said it received reports that it could not confirm suggesting that the journalists were taken by Libyan government forces in the city of Ajdabiya.
The journalists are: Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the paper's Beirut bureau chief; Stephen Farrell; and two of the paper's top photographers, Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario. (Huffington Post)
16 March: Reporters Without Borders condemned the detention of Lofti Ghars, a journalist with Canadian and Tunisian dual citizenship who works for Al-Alam TV. He was arrested by pro-Gaddafi forces on 16 March as he arrived in Libya from Tunisia.
16 March: Four New York Times reporters are detained, and the authorities say that they will release them shortly. (CPJ)
18 March: Agence France-Presse previously said it had received no word from two of its reporters – Dave Clark, 38, and Roberto Schmidt, 45 – since the evening of 18 March, when they were near the eastern city of Tobruk. Getty Images photographer Joe Raedle was traveling with them. (CPJ)
19 March: Mohamed Al-Nabous, the founder and manager of a Libyan online broadcaster was killed by gunfire. (CPJ)
20 March: Al-Jazeera said that the Lybian authorities have been holding four of its journalists in Tripoli, they are: Ahmed Vall Ould Addin and Lotfi al-Messaoudi, and cameramen Kamel Atalua and Ammar al-Hamdan. (CPJ)
20 March: Stéphane Lehr, an experienced French freelance photographer working for Polaris Images, who went missing shortly after arriving in Benghazi with a French TV crew. (NewsWatch)
21 March: NY Times journalists released Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the paper's Beirut bureau chief; Stephen Farrell; and two of the paper's top photographers, Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario crossing the Tunisian border. (USA Today)
28 March: Rana Akbani, a reporter for the arts and culture section of the Libyan daily Al-Shams, local journalists told CPJ. Akbani, a Syrian national, was detained on charges of "conspiring with the enemy during war." Reporters Without Borders reports, “presenter Hala Misrati accuses her of lacking objectivity, lying in her coverage of street demonstrations in Benghazi and of collaborating with foreign countries. In a televised interview on Al-Libya TV, a presenter accused her of spying.
5 April: American photographer James Foley, was detained near Brega on April 5, was permitted to call his family on Saturday for the first time since his capture, Global Post reported. He told his mother that he was being treated well and was uninjured (CPJ)
5 April: Spanish photographer Manuel Varela, who was detained with Foley
5 April: Anton Hammerl South African national, missing then discovered that he was killed. He was in a remote desert location, was shot and could not receive medical treatment.
5 April: Clare Gillia and James Foley was with Anton Hammerl, they were detained then released on May 19th, 2011 (Media Spy)
14 April: Libyan authorities released Rana Akbani
15 April: Libya, authorities released Al-Jazeera cameraman Ammar al-Hamdan on Thursday, the Qatar-based news station said. Al-Hamdan was detained in mid-March.
20 April: Tim Hetherington, British-American photojournalist, The Guardian reported, “Hetherington and Hondros were among eight to 10 journalists reporting from Tripoli Street in Misrata. When shooting broke out, they took shelter against a wall, which was hit by fire and was killed. (Guardian)
20 April: Chris Hondros, an American photojournalist who was working for Getty Images was killed along with Tim Hetherton covering the demonstrations in Misrata. (Chris Hondros) The last Photos weblink
22 April: Anton Hammerl, a freelance South African photographer who was detained in early April, has appeared in government custody in Libya and is apparently in good health. (Times Live)
22 April: Manu Brabo, a Spanish journalist has been detained in Libya for illegally taking photographs without permission.
22 April: Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelancer for The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlantic, and USA Today, who was detained near Brega on April 5, was allowed to call home on Thursday for the first time since her capture. She told her parents she is well and being held in a women's civilian jail in Tripoli.
24 April: Manu Brabo, a Spanish journalist, called home and said that he is okay. (Times Live)
18 May: Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelancer for The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlantic, and USA Today was released today with for other journalist; James Foley of the GlobalPost, Manu Brabo, a Spanish journalist and Dorothy Pravaz was missing in Syria and deported to Iran, because she holds an Irianian passport that was expired, she was not heard from Since April 22. (Boston Globe)
20 May: It was discovered that Anton Hammerl who was thought to be missing, has been killed. (See 5 April) (The Guardian)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Censorship of Media in Libya Lack of Information
Susan Brannon
13 May 2011, Italy - The Internet was a main source in organizing the dates, times and places for the demonstrations in almost all of the Middle East uprisings. As a result, Libya has blocked all social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They have also banned international journalists to enter into their countries to cover the revolutions and on 7th of April Gaddafi decided to deport 26 foreign journalists who had previously been invited to Tripoli. Gaddafi blames the international media, activists, and journalists for the uprising and holds them responsible if the uprising continues to increase.
13 May 2011, Italy - The Internet was a main source in organizing the dates, times and places for the demonstrations in almost all of the Middle East uprisings. As a result, Libya has blocked all social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They have also banned international journalists to enter into their countries to cover the revolutions and on 7th of April Gaddafi decided to deport 26 foreign journalists who had previously been invited to Tripoli. Gaddafi blames the international media, activists, and journalists for the uprising and holds them responsible if the uprising continues to increase.
The Libyan revolution was first organized and planned using the Internet for 15th of February with around 200-500 demonstrators showing up in various towns. As a response, Gaddafi cut off the Internet and tried to impose a blackout on information from Libya. Libya jammed Al-Jazeera’s coverage and website, that disrupted it coverage it’s signal in the Middle and North Africa, according to a report on Reuters Africa and the 23rd of February. On March 8th, they jammed signals from the local news program Al-Arabiya and a majority of Saudi owned MBC network. He has arrested Libyans who had previously given phone interviews to the media and made it a crime to speak to foreign journalist. (The New York Times, February 21) In addition, the phone lines were shut down and cell phone service was shut down in the attempt to block all means of communication between the people.
Gaddafi wanted to control what was published to both his people and the international world, and therefore, targeted, and attacked international journalists by the military and gave mercenaries full reign of control. On March 9th, a BBC news crew was beaten and lined up against a wall by the soldiers, and then shot next to a journalist’s ear while laughing. (Telegraph March 9th) (See Video)
As the violence increased against the protesters so did the violence against journalists. A local journalist was shot in the head and killed after exposing false reports related to the cease-fire declaration. (Guardian March 19) He was known as the “face of citizen journalism” and set up an independent Internet station in Benghazi.
The local citizens attempt to report from the inside, through videos, and using Twitter. They can do this by leaving a voicemail on an international phone numbers and the service will tweet the message. However, the tweets have caused some confusion, leaders would post on tweet as well as the protestors. A flood of messages and users rushed to re-post the references to it, yet there have been numerous unconfirmed reports.
For example, this week Italy’s news (La Repubblica) has been flooded with reports of a bomb exploding on the bunker of Gadaffi. Yet, when I attempt to re-confirm this news, I have no proof through the mainstream American and international media, that the bombing has actually occurred. (May 12, 2011) Yet, the reports continue today in the Italian news, posing the question if Gaddafi is missing, showing images of a video that was played after the bombing, yet the video date has not been confirmed, and has not been aired. The Italian newspaper Corriere reports on 13th of May, “NATO has no proof that Gaddafi is still alive.” Quoting Brigadier General Claudio Gabellini, in response to questions from journalists at a press conference in Naples. They report eight nights of raids over three hours that targeted Tripoli and Gaddafii’s bunkers. At least four children were injured. There are also reports from an eye witness, of two explosions against the state television and official news agency Jana. Foreign journalist’s were present in the building.
However, the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said in a message to Gaddafi, “The game is over: there is no future for him or his regime” If all this were true, it would be big news. (May 13th, 2011) My question is: Why are we not seeing this in the American news? Are we being censored as well or did this even really take place. If not, then why is the Italian news flooded with this event?
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