|
|
May 24, 2014
My son and I just got back from attending the March Against Monsanto 2014. This was my second year attending (for 2013 see: March Against Monsanto – In Review). Despite the fact that the turn-out for the march was smaller this year, the movement is definitely growing! Just four days ago both Jackson & Josephine Counties passed bans on growing GMO crops in these counties!
There is a Right To Know GMO labeling petition being circulated now for the November election. For those of you who would like to sign, please come to one of our upcoming events, as I will be bringing petitions and collecting signatures.
For those of you who still don’t understand why we oppose GMOs, take a look at Jeffery Smith’s talkat the Wise Traditions Conference.
 K'nex No-GMO Sign The Sign:
Before leaving home my 8-year-old son decided he had to make a custom sign for the event. He designed and constructed a K’nex handle and frame that held a foam core sign in the center. He was putting the finishing touches on it in the van as we drove into town. I told him it would be the only sign like it! I am very proud of his dedication and creativity. He got a lot of complements on his sign while we were marching, which helped make the event enjoyable for him.
The March:
 A few marched in the street It was another lovely Spring day, with nearly perfect weather for marching. As last year, we gathered at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza. There were a few speakers (which I could have done without), and then we finally got to marching at 1 PM. Last year we were told to stay on the sidewalk, and when we got to a corner keep going, we had permission to cross against the lights. This year were told to stay on the sidewalk and stop at the lights. Some energetic young activists chose to march in the street anyway.
Here are a few of the sign slogans I captured in photos:
People in cars honked as we marched. My son counted 37 honks before he gave up on counting (there were at least double that number).
We marched through down town, past 5th Street Public Market and up over Ferry Street Bridge. This year we stayed on the far side of the river, so we did not cross back the other way on the bridge and get to see the length of the line down both sides (see the awesome sight from last year). We paused on the bridge for a few minutes and waved our signs. Then we headed down the bike path into the park.
 Music, Speakers & Booths at Alton Baker Park Music & Speakers:
At the end of the march we gathered in Alton Baker Park. There was a stage with live music and a few booths set up. We got a picnic lunch out of the car and ate it on the grass (or at least most of it. A dog on a leash came by and swiped a whole nitrate-free beef hotdog off our tray!). Coconut Bliss was selling ice cream and giving all proceeds to the Right to Know GMO labeling cause. The music was had a lovely Latin beat and a few people danced. Most people visited and enjoyed the music and speakers and checked out the booths before heading home.
One of the speakers was a woman who told us the story of her daughter having brain cancer. They tested the urine of both herself and her daughter and found that they contained Roundup (Monsanto’s weedkiller), at a rate much higher than average Americans. Their rates were 15 for the mom and 18 for the daughter. She said that the average in America is 7, and in Europe it is 1! The good news is that the daughter is cancer-free 10 years later. They had the testing done through Moms Across America.
 "Fishy Soybean" Car A Few Tips for Planners in 2015:
My advice to event organizers for next year is to save the speakers for after the march. It feels good to lie in the grass after the march and listen to speakers. Before the event we were just antsy to get going, and I heard that at least one person had to leave before the march began. I say get moving before the energy starts to wane and you’ll have more energetic marchers!
My other suggestion is to pick ONE easy chant to use. There were people up and down the line who were supposed to be leading us in chants, but each one was different and out of sync with the next. The best one in my opinion was “Hey, hey, ho, ho, GMO, has got to go!” Simple, easy. Stick with it.
Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I am glad I went and glad my son joined me this year. I hope by the time he grows up we have joined the 64 other countries around the world who have already banned GMOs, and he can spend his energies working on other goals.
I just wanted to let you know about an important event this weekend.
The worldwide March Against Monsanto takes place this Saturday, May 24th.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Time: 12:00 PM
Wayne Morse Free Speech plaza (8th and Oak St)
There are over 350 marches planned to take place at the exact same time around the world, including in every major US city.
Last year I took part in the march here in Eugene.
The most wonderful sight was when we marched across the Ferry Street Bridge. We marched along the East side of the bridge, looped around underneath, and then when we marched back along the West side of the bridge. Our line of Marchers covered BOTH sides of the bridge! Cars honked in support. It was an awesome sight!
Here is my 27 second video of the line of marchers on Ferry Street Bridge.
For more photos and my impressions of last year’s event, read March Against Monsanto – In Review.
Below are details from the Eugene March Against Monsanto FaceBook page:
For Immediate Release (Continue until May 25th, 2014)
March Above and Beyond Monsanto for Food Freedom Eugene
Eugene, Oregon. 04/08/2014- Come join us in solidarity as we celebrate, educate, and promote a sustainable future.
On Saturday, May 24th, Lane County residents will participate in the Worldwide “March Against Monsanto” for World Food Day. Over 275 cities around the world are scheduled for events on the same day. In Eugene, we will hold a joyful celebration of sustainable agriculture, food freedom and
local food rights.
We will meet and rally at 12pm at Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza then march to Alton Baker Park for a family friendly afternoon of music coalition building, education, and a community picnic in the park starting at 2:30pm. Experts from a variety of fields are scheduled to speak including Ann Kneeland from Support Local Food Rights, Kristie Steele from Oregon Right to Know, former EPA scientist Dr. Ray Seidler, Grandma Aggie and many more. Musical guests include The Raging Grannies, Matura and band, Marv Elliis, Jasun Plaedo Wellman, and Gypsy Moon.
There will also be opportunity to sign the Oregon Right to Know petition to qualify the GMO labeling Initiative for the November 2014 ballot. Bring a picnic and enjoy a day of community in action.
For more information or to see how you can get involved, visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/499672286808231/
or contact Aaron Kubat at 541-606-7773
MARCH ROUTE:
8th and oak Free Speech Plaza
Rt on 7th
Left on Pearl (stay on west side of street)
Rt on 5th (stay on south side of street)
Left on High
Rt on forth (pass EWEB)
Proceed over the Ferry St.Bridge on Coburg Rd.
Head northeast on the Ruth Bascom Bike Path
Turn right toward Day Island Rd.
Look for the Stage!!!!
Can park vehicle or bicycle at EWEB building or at Alton Baker Park.
Here’s the Eugene March Against Monsanto on FaceBook:
Medical experts say that drugs like Kamagra, levitra canada price professional, Eriacta etc. viagra is widely recommended erection-helping medicine which trigger the male organ and provide renew energy to a patient for achieving satisfactory erection. Heavy mental buy tadalafil in canada http://abacojet.com/consulting-services/legal-consulting/ work, long hours at the workplace, and handling responsibilities beyond capacity cause excessive wear-and-tear in the body. Do not cheap cipla tadalafil abacojet.com skip any dosage and if you notice any side effects from the affected drugs. Don’t smoke: It is quite evident that smoking is the biggest threat of male-reproductive system, which forms many complications in men’s sexual life. abacojet.com viagra pill
And here’s a cool map showing where all the marches will be this weekend.
I would also like to encourage parents to bring their children. Not only is it a great opportunity to share your passion for standing up for an important cause, but it is a lot of fun! It is like being in a parade! The children don’t need to understand the full ramifications of GMOs to participate. My son is planning to come with me. Come march with us!
The world-wide March Against Monsanto took place on May 25th, 11AM (Pacific). I (Lisa) took part in this event. GMOs are not the main issue of the Weston A. Price Foundation (a return to traditional foods is our focus), but as Jeffery Smith says: “Healthy food starts with no GMO.” For those of you who don’t understand why we oppose GMOs, take a look at Jeffery Smith’s talk at the Wise Traditions Conference.
I saw a number of familiar faces, but not as many as I would have liked to see. So for those of you who missed it, here are some photos!
 We gathered in the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in downtown Eugene, across from Saturday Market. Parking was horrible. I wound my way up and then down the Parkade without finding a single space, and there were more people streaming in as I left. I wanted to tell them it was full. So I found some on-street parking a few blocks to the West, grabbed my bags (I wanted to do some shopping at the Farmers Market), and walked over.
 A full circluar Rainbow around the sun shown overhead! There was already a crowd gathered when I got there, so I slowly worked my way towards the front, to try to hear what was happening. There were several speakers (most of whom I couldn’t hear). Someone pointed up. Above us shown the sun surrounded by a full circlular rainbow! Beautitful!
I watched people, read protest signs, and took pictures. Here are a few of the slogans I captured in photos:
- Bee Truthful
- Stop Monsanto
- Food Freedom Now
- 30+ Countries have already banned GMOs. Why haven’t we FDA?
- The Food Revolution Has Begun
- OMG GMO WTF are we eating?
- Quit Playing God with Our FOOD!
- I Do Not Want Your GMO! I Do Not Like You Monsanto
- Right to kNOw GMO!!
- Give a Damn
- Get Monsanto Out!
- No Bees – No Food! Hungry?
- Monsanto ends honey, takes our money!
- Go Organic
- Farmers Against Monsanto
- Monsanto Out of US & other countries
- GMOs = Mutated food that no one should be subjected to, we have the right to stop seeds of corruption
- Bee Smart! No GMOs
- Go back to hell Monsanto, leave our planet alone
- Buzz off Monsanto!
 Many signs and costumes showed support of bees
- Corporate Greed Kill$
- Get Mon$nto out of our government
- Corporate Greed Kill$
- Monsatan – Infertility – Alzheimer’s – Famine – Autism
- FDA: Bought & Paid For – Shame on you!
- Monsanto’s Worst Enemy is an Informed Public
- You have the right to grow it? We have the right to KNOW IT! – No GMO
- Either Mankind will STOP MONSANTO or… Monsanto will STOP MANKIND
- No No GMOS! The MPA
 has GOT to GO!
- Lable It or Table It
- (Child’s scribbles) Think of the Children!
- The World Doesn’t Need Your GMO!
- Label GMOs
- Stop Monsanto Now
- GMO OMG WTF are we eating?
- If Corporations were REALLY People, Monsanto would be in Prison!!
- Demand Non-GMO – GMO’s have never been proven safe – reduced crop yeilds – killed bees/pollinators – require more & more herbicides/pesticides – that pollute our water – damage organic crops – cause tumors & ??? – Protect Your Food Supply & Your Body
- Power to the People
- GMO Poison – It’s NOT what’s for dinner
- Quit Playing GOD with our FOOD!
- No to SB 633
- Stop Monsanto Before They Mutate Us All!!
- Save the Bees – Stop Monsanto
- Hell No GMOs Stop Monsanto Now
- Ban GMOs
- We Want Organic
- Pesticide Resistance – GMOs Suck
 Our police escort stopped traffic while the Marchers crossed
- Shame on Obama for signing the Monsanto Protection Act!
- Love the Earth DON’T Poison It!
- Real Food Self-Replicates!
- Bee Smart – Stop Using Garden Sprays
- Monsanto = BioTerrorism
- No GMO on My Tray
 Police estimated about two thousand marchers! Then someone said something about the March, and I listened to try to hear what was being said. He told us to line up on the sidewalk. He aid that when we were marching to stay on the sidewalk, and when we got to a corner keep going, we had permission to cross against the lights. So we all worked our way to the sidewalk and began marching North. March organizers had volunteers stationed along the way leading chants and keeping the energy up. There were some volunteers on bikes who rode along side the marchers, back and forth, shouting out chants or leading songs. I found a group of energetic young women and moved up by them so that I could join in their chant. We tried a number of different ones along the way. The one I remember now was: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, GMO, has got to go!” Or the variation: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Mon-san-to, has got to go!” It was wonderful being in the middle of all these people who care enough about our food supply to come out and march on a beautiful Saturday spring day. The amazing thing about being in the march was not being able to see either ends of line! I would love to see a aerial view of how many blocks we stretched across!
 Where are we as a society when a bunch of organic carrots becomes a political statement? When we came to the first corner our police escort stopped traffic for us to cross. The street was beginning to look like a parking lot when they finally halted our line and let traffic take a turn. We marched past 5th Street Public Market, and people stopped to take photos of our line of marchers (I took photos back!). We went under the overpass and past the EWEB building. Then we headed across Ferry Street Bridge. There was a young woman behind me who lead the chant in our area, and held high a bunch of organic carrots as her sign!
 Our line covered both sides of Ferry Street Bridge!  I couldn't see the ends of the line! I estimated that I was somewhere in the front third of the line. The most wonderful sight was when we marched across the Ferry Street Bridge. We marched along the East side of the bridge, looped around underneath, and then when we marched back along the West side of the bridge. Our line of Marchers covered BOTH sides of the bridge! Cars honked in support. It was awesome! (view my 27 second video here)
Then we turned and headed for the Campbell Community Center (our final destination). We lost a few marchers at this point, as most of us were hot and tired by now. Many people headed back to their cars. The rest of us settled onto the grass under the shade of the trees. There was water provided by McKenzie Mist, and Coconut Bliss handed out ice cream bars (I think they were free, although I wasn’t given one). There was a tent and music set up. Musicians played, and power for the amplifiers was provided by three stationary bicycles!
 The full Rainbow over Ferry Street Bridge There were speakers who came along later after the musicians finished. One of the event organizers said that he spoke to one of our police escort who estimated that there were about two thousand marchers!
Someone from Kid Food Matters (formerly Eugene Coalition for Better School Food) spoke about the sorry state of 4J school lunches. She expressed the vision of seeing 4J adopt a program of making food from scratch in kitchens at the schools, and she told us of how The Village School has started an organic garden and school lunch program. They are leading the way among local schools!
 Marchers gathered to rest, dance and show off their signs. Ingrid Edstrom of Infrared Breast Health, spoke about the connection between herbicide and pesticide exposure and breast health. She said that in her practice, most breasts she scans have questionable results. The women with the worst breast scans usually eat conventional food or live on christmas-tree farms that use lots of chemicals. She advises an organic diet free of GMOs as part of the treatment.
 The Rainbow followed our entire march! The rainbow followed us through our entire march. It gives me chills now, remembering the rainbow. I took it as a very portentous sign. Here were around two thousand people gathering to show their suport of nature over factory food. Gaia, Nature, God, the Universe, whatever you call it, was pleased! I am sure of it.
The mainstream media ignored marches all across America. The Register Guard had essentially no coverage of the Eugene event. Monsanto is scared, they are trying desparate measures to protect themselves from the tidal wave of lawsuits that are coming. They know people don’t want GMOs. If they did they would proudly label them. They resort to bullying and passing backroom laws to protect themselves, not us!
We are reaching the “Tipping Point” when public rejection of GMOs will turn the tide. You don’t have to take to the streets to make a change. You can sign the petition to Repeal the “Monsanto Protection Act”, and even more importantly, you can be a food revolutionary in the privacy of your own kitchen! There is hope for the future and it resides in each individual making the choice to buy non-GMO food.
Links:
This comes to us from one of our local members:
When even China has the will to destroy Monsanto’s GMOs, you know there’s something wrong with officials in the US who sit idly by as millions consume Monsanto’s Roundup-drenched GMO foods on a daily basis. Thankfully, action is being taken at warp speed. We have the March Against Monsanto taking place in just 2 days, and we have more support than ever for exposing the corrupt GMO giant and GMO infestation at large.
Karen
|
Disclaimer The information on this website is provided for informational purposes only... read more |
Tags: 
