The Monsanto 71 - Sellout senators shame themselves by siding with Monsanto on GMO labeling bill

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: Monsanto 71, farm bill, Senators

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(NaturalNews) The U.S. Senate recently had an opportunity to vote on a farm bill amendment that would have supported the rights of states to mandate GMO labeling laws. The amendment, S.AMDT.965, was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders with the aim "...to permit States to require that any food, beverage, or other edible product offered for sale have a label on indicating that the food, beverage, or other edible product contains a genetically engineered ingredient."

Editor's note: Sen. Rand Paul has responded to his vote on this issue, and his response is well-reasoned. It is fully discussed in a separate article here on Natural News. Please read that article for a more in-depth analysis of GMO labeling and the proper role of limited government. The upshot is that many who are in favor of GMO labeling and the rights of consumers nevertheless voted against the amendment for other valid reasons.

In all, seventy-one U.S. Senators, both democrats and republicans, voted against that amendment, selling out the American people to the interests of Monsanto. Many said they did so because they didn't want food labeling to be fragmented state by state. Food labeling is an issue the FDA should tackle, they explained. Yet the FDA is just another corporate sellout, we all know.

Waiting around for the FDA to mandate GMO labeling is as foolish as waiting around for the Democratic party to endorse the Bill of Rights and follow the Constitution. Or waiting around for Republicans to endorse gay marriage of illegal immigrants on food stamps. It ain't gonna happen, folks. The FDA has long sold out to corporate interests, and it is involved in making sure the American people have no real clue what they're eating.

71 senators betray the people and sell out to Monsanto

The only way to get GMOs labeled is to get it done state by state, and these 71 U.S. Senators have now thrown down the gauntlet, stating they believe states have no right to mandate GMO labeling at the local level!

Keep that in mind the next time Rand Paul or Ted Cruz talks about "liberty and justice" Where was their justice on the issue of GMO labeling? How does keeping people in the dark on what they're eating create a more free society?

For God's sake, what does it take to get somebody in Washington D.C. to consistently and unswervingly vote on the side of liberty and freedom every single time? (Bring back Ron Paul!)

The "Monsanto 71"

Today, Natural News publishes the list of these 71 U.S. senators, and we will re-publish this list several times leading up to the 2014 elections. Our goal is to make sure these senators change their position on GMO labeling or lose their seats if they don't change.

Yes, it is true that many of these senators have done commendable work on other issues. Sen. Grassley, for example, has a solid track record of investigating the FDA and blowing the whistle on other federal fiascos.

But there is no excuse for betraying the American people on this issue. There is no excuse for selling out to Monsanto and the GMO industry. Don't the American people deserve to know what they are eating? Don't moms of autistic children deserve to have accurate food labels so they can avoid bt toxin when shopping for their kids?

And my message to the Monsanto 71 is that you'd better rethink your positions very carefully (especially Cruz, Paul and Grassley). Your vote puts you on the wrong side of history... and the wrong side of public opinion. We expect better of you. We expect you to be champions for the People, not puppets for Monsanto.

Sure, for senators like McCain and McCaskill, we expect them to be sellouts. Their souls are already slated to rot in Hell for their conscious commitment to evil. But for those who offer real hope for liberty -- like Cruz and Ryan -- we expect you to do better!

If you continue to disappoint us on this issue, we will fight like mad to remove you from office at the next voting opportunity. And for me personally, as the editor of Natural News, there are only two issues that really determine our endorsements for the next election: GMO labeling and Second Amendment. We the People want our food labeled and our rifles protected. We want the freedom that comes from government getting out of our private lives but the accountability that comes from government forcing large corporations to at least tell the truth about what's in the food they're selling us.

Yes, government has a role in a free society: Protect liberties from tyranny and protect consumers from corporate deceptions. Regardless of party affiliation, Senators who endorse GMO labeling while protecting the Bill of Rights will receive support from Natural News. Those who do not will be publicly shamed for selling out.

Here's the list of the Monsanto 71:

Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Baldwin (D-WI)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Brown (D-OH)
Burr (R-NC)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Coons (D-DE)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cowan (D-MA)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kaine (D-VA)
Kirk (R-IL)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lee (R-UT)
Levin (D-MI)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Moran (R-KS)
Nelson (D-FL)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Udall (D-CO)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Wicker (R-MS)



How to contact your senators:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_inform...

Sources for this article:
http://www.realfarmacy.com/list-of-senators-...

http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11524-the-m...

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/gmo-labeling-...