Wash. state measure on labeling GMO foods defeated

[MorningSong]

Well... fuiiii!!



Nov. 6, 2013 8:45 PM EST

SEATTLE (AP) — Voters in Washington state have rejected a ballot
measure requiring mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

The campaign over Initiative 522 drew millions of dollars from out of state and was one of the costliest initiative fights in state history.

The measure was failing 46 percent to 54 percent after more ballots were counted Wednesday evening, with the "yes" side trailing by almost 100,000 votes.

Had voters approved I-522, Washington would've been the first state to put in place labeling requirements for genetically modified foods. The opposition raised $22 million to defeat the measure.

Money came from Monsanto Co., DuPont Pioneer and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which collected millions in donations from the nation's top food companies, including Nestle SA, General Mills Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. Many of those companies mounted a $46 million defense to defeat a similar food-labeling measure in California last year.

Supporters of I-522 have raised about $7.9 million, backed by Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, natural food companies and consumer groups.

Only about 6 percent of the approximately $30 million raised by both camps came from within Washington state, according to campaign finance reports.

Most GMO crops such as field corn and soybean are used for animal feed or as ingredients in processed foods including breakfast cereal, potato chips, baked goods and sodas.

Supporters say consumers have the right to know what's in the food they buy, while opponents say the measure would lead to higher food costs.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/wash-state-measure-labeling-gmo-foods-defeated

[sheme]

We must go unprocessed or organic or grow our own. vote with our money. start a campaign with Truther T shirts .

[spiritwind]

I live in Washington State and this is very disappointing. Hopefully one day soon money will not be able to keep buying these gestapo like tactics and be successful. Awareness is growing by leaps and bounds. They may have won this round but in the end the people will prevail because their voices will become like a ROAR that cannot be ignored. So much is finally coming out now that people are no longer going "GMO? What's that?".

[RunningDeer]

At least a few good things come out of this:

Even though only 6% of the money raised came from Washington state it was a close vote - 46% to 54%.
The ‘for profit, not health‘ names are out there for folks coming on to the information. They may choose to boycott: Monsanto Co., DuPont Pioneer, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Nestle SA, General Mills Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc.
More and more see how companies put out $46 million defense to defeat state by state, while the numbers grow in their struggle between one meal and day vs. roof over their family’s heads.

To follow: writing exercise due to frustration....

Or heck, the poor can’t afford to add Coke and Pepsi to the grocery list. So these heartless companies will have to raise their prices on those that still can afford it. And then more will say ‘no more’. Poor sales equals job cuts. More can’t purchase. And then old stock of Coke and Pepsi that’s sat too long, tastes like cans. Whomever is left to afford it, won’t purchase. Then Coke and Pepsi will give it away for free only because they don't want the cost of disposal. Which in turn, cuts into other companies’ profits. Then we’ll see...

Stopping now.

:wave:

[mountain_jim]

Are you folks in Washington state able to trust your elections? Because after becoming informed about the various voting machines and technologies in use in national elections since 2004 at least, I don't automatically assume election results are valid and untampered with anymore.

Do you have verifiable paper trails and recountability, and who gets to count the votes and is this process verifiable as well?

[conk]

Why on Earth, or any other planet, would you vote AGAINST knowing what was in your food?!?!?!?!?! Rigged voting?

[ulli]

Why on Earth, or any other planet, would you vote AGAINST knowing what was in your food?!?!?!?!?! Rigged voting?

In the interest of concealment...

My father had a saying:
"God knows everything, but he does not know what Butcher Hans puts in his liver sausage."

[RunningDeer]

Why on Earth, or any other planet, would you vote AGAINST knowing what was in your food?!?!?!?!?! Rigged voting?

Rigged voting. Yes. That and folks are anesthetized from GMO diets.


People Petition to Confiscate Guns From Tea Party Supporters and Repeal the Second Amendment
2diNojgJF9c

Published on Apr 8, 2013
People Petition to Confiscate Guns From Tea Party Supporters and Repeal the Second Amendment. Infowars Petitions Chump Public on Mandatory Helmets for Walking


Infowars Petitions Chump Public on Mandatory Helmets for Walking
W_LWYwLW_kU

Published on Oct 10, 2013
http://www.infowars.com/obama-trendie...

Should the government enforce the mandatory use of helmets while walking? 14 out of 20 people we asked at the University of Texas supported the draconian measure, emphasizing once again how the majority of the general public will accept almost any nanny state measure no matter how ludicrous.

[RunningDeer]

3 minute video. I left off the title because it was misleading. Watch the graphic that comes up of how many countries around the world created change for GMO labeling.


dfzIL_wsEXs

[onawah]

Absolutely! I think the last time this was voted on-in California--it was rigged, and I don't think anything was actually done about it after the fact, though there were suspicions...


Are you folks in Washington state able to trust your elections? Because after becoming informed about the various voting machines and technologies in use in national elections since 2004 at least, I don't automatically assume election results are valid and untampered with anymore.

Do you have verifiable paper trails and recountability, and who gets to count the votes and is this process verifiable as well?

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

An important fact to keep in mind is that I-522 contained vague language that would in fact have helped Monsanto and other giants to hide their tracks and blame GMO proliferation on small scale farmers.

For example, if a farmer's crop gets contaminated by Monsanto pollen (and pollen isn't an organism, but part of one), it would be the farmer who suffers the 1,000 dollar per day per label, and not Monsanto, who ruined his produce, see.

And Monsanto terminator lines (you know, plants that can't reproduce but still cross contaminate normal crops) would have been exempt under the wording in I-522, which defines an organism as something that can reproduce itself.

See, you have to know something about this stuff before telling people what to do about it -- I didn't like what I-522 was trying to do, and for Monsanto, 22 million dollars is a small price to pay in order to keep a secret secret... and to convince the populace to vote the wrong way.

[PurpleLama]

It was my first thought, as well.


Absolutely! I think the last time this was voted on--I forget which state--it was rigged, and I don't think anything was actually done about it after the fact, though there were suspicions...


Are you folks in Washington state able to trust your elections? Because after becoming informed about the various voting machines and technologies in use in national elections since 2004 at least, I don't automatically assume election results are valid and untampered with anymore.

Do you have verifiable paper trails and recountability, and who gets to count the votes and is this process verifiable as well?

[onawah]

The last time it was voted on, it was in California.
For two of the most progressive states in the country to vote for Monsanto seems very fishy.

[blufire]

I don’t trust any type of elections and haven’t for many years.

I do find many things on this topic curious and interesting though.

As Onawah mentioned (i think) California and Washington are two of our most progressive states when it comes to natural and organic type lifestyles. So of all states I would think these would show more of a fight. So in my current way of understanding gmo’s and where we are headed globally this vote only supports my thinking even more so.

For the leaders of California and Washington to ‘give up’ so quickly I believe more than just money is involved here. I believe they were shown categorically that gmo food and other related technology is going to be paramount to our survival.

Another thought . . . . and this is going to sound sarcastic . . . . but most who really care about what they are eating already know that unless a package is labeled ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ that it contains gmo’s. So what is all the hoopla about? Those who do not know what their food contains really (for the most part) don’t have a choice in what is in their food and don’t care.

I would even venture a guess that if the absolute truth where revealed here on Avalon that the majority of members and guests eat gmo food on a daily basis because it is cheaper and comes in nicely packaged processed forms that takes very little time and very easy to prepare.

It is very easy to be self righteous when you can hide your real life and what truly goes on out of view of the computer screen . . . just saying.

[onawah]

What I meant when I said it was "fishy" that the initiatives in California and Washington turned out the way they did was that I suspect Monsanto may have rigged the voting process, not that the progressives there didn't put up enough of a fight.
And though I cannot prove it, on my very limited budget from Social Security Disability, I manage to buy quite a lot of organic food, though it requires me to eat sparingly and to pay the higher prices that my local health food store charges, not to mention the Farmer's Market.
On my budget, it means that I have to forgo owning a car, but for me, it was a no-brainer of a choice.
And I will venture to guess that A lot of Avalonians do the same.
You can assume that I am hiding my real life and being self righteous, Blufire; that is your choice, but I imagine a lot of Avalonians would consider that to be quite a cynical perspective, and I would have to agree.