Are workers as resistant as beets to Monsanto’s Roundup? Of course not!
Any of your parents talk about the classic Sci-Fi movies of the 50s and 60s? Those movies were filled with precautionary warnings of invasion, mutation, and diabolical circumstances that struck fear in the Baby Boomers as they watched outlandish plots, poor depictions of creatures in rubber suits, shiny gadgets, and doomsday predictions that always seemed to accompany the “exposure” factor to some deadly alien-driven chemical.
Well fast-forward to Earth 2010…not only are the exposure factors for earth dwellers all too real, but all Hell’s broken loose!
Modern history documents the manifestation of the Monsanto beast, which despite controversy, usually seeks to control any industry it’s invested in. The early 20th century agricultural picture in the United States clearly shows both complex and consistent patterns of the Machiavellian influence of Monsanto. The industry giant started with humble beginnings and swiftly grew to be an egregious negative contributor to America’s nutritional, environmental and political fabric and has steamrolled as it shaped a landscape filled with manipulation, debauchery, and self-indulgence.
Given the aforementioned, it’s no wonder that Monsanto’s strategy for addressing food safety is so misrepresentative of the truth. Under the guise of helping the industry workers, and purportedly the plant, they continue to saturate the planet with toxins resulting in the compromised integrity of food production by the U.S. food system. Monsanto thrives on rhetoric which states that an “increase in the application of chemicals” and additional “processing” will equal an increase in food safety. Their reign of terror on the environment includes the use of “pesticides that are injected into the land, mixed with water for irrigation, and sprayed into the air; all of these compounds are specifically utilized for their properties as biocides.”
Worker safety is far from a priority in a company that pollutes the air, water, and land while destroying the financial future of workers around the world. All one has to do is examine the number of attributable incidents of cancer, indeterminate skin conditions, children with learning disabilities and birth defects among workers in the fields, plants, and on the farms who face daily unwanted exposure to a plethora of toxins for a few dollars pay.
Large corporations, such as Monsanto, are entities addicted to mergers and acquisitions that continue to reap the benefits of significant market control and assist in the widespread creation of industry monopolies.
Monsanto also controls the direction of business development and the framework for agriculture in this country. For example, it engineers genetically altered seeds to create crops that interact with its product, ROUNDUP, in a manner that will generate revenue on BOTH sides of the equation. Pretty slick, huh? This sounds eerily reminiscent of the “Blob”, another classic movie plot about a toxic sludge with a relentless characteristic for the absorption of everything in its path.
Corporate greed zealots have been on the fast track to milking this country dry as they distribute huge dividends to stockholders as well as seven and eight figure executive salaries and bonuses as consistently endanger the very workforce that generated 2009 fourth quarter revenues of $1.8 Billion USD.
Listening recently to a colleague describe the painstaking journey that men and women withstand as they cross the border into the United States for even the most menial labor intensive day work, I couldn’t help but think about what awaited them: toxic chemical exposure, unbearable working conditions, and physically debilitating life-long injuries they would experience in the fields, farms and factories while in pursuit of an improved quality of life.
Throughout the world, Monsanto wreaks havoc on the environment and the healthcare system of entire communities. And this can be traced to Monsanto’s bloodsucking policies, environmental brain-freeze, and exploitative practices that result in decisions and conciliations that negatively impact workers, their families and their communities.
Monsanto, the global, corporate oppressor of millions, and the leader in environmental racism and biohazard fallout, will continue to be called out. The diligent dissemination of the facts, aggressive organizing, intelligent blogging, and commitment to the health and safety of workers is our call to action.