Mexican Judge protects the people from Monsanto's GMO corn.

By Devon G. Peña

Seattle, WA

October 11, 2013

An October 10 press release (click here) with Mexico City byline announces the banning of genetically-engineered corn in Mexico. According to the group that issued the press release, La Coperacha, a federal judge has ordered Mexico’s SAGARPA (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca, y Alimentación), which is Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, and SEMARNAT (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales), which is equivalent of the EPA, to immediately “suspend all activities involving the planting of transgenic corn in the country and end the granting of permission for experimental and pilot commercial plantings”.

The unprecedented ban was granted by the Twelfth Federal District Court for Civil Matters of Mexico City. Judge Jaime Eduardo Verdugo J. wrote the opinion and cited “the risk of imminent harm to the environment” as the basis for the decision. The judge’s ruling also ruled that multinationals like Monsanto and Pioneer are banned from the release of transgenic maize in the Mexican countryside” as long as collective action lawsuits initiated by citizens, farmers, scientists, and civil society organizations are working their way through the judicial system....

...The class action lawsuit is supported by scientific evidence from studies that have – since 2001 – documented the contamination of Mexico’s native corn varieties by transgenes from GMO corn, principally the varieties introduced by Monsanto’s Roundup ready lines and the herbicide-resistant varieties marketed by Pioneer and Bayer CropScience. The collection of the growing body of scientific research on the introgression of transgenes into Mexico’s native corn genome has been a principal goal and activity of the national campaign, Sin Maíz, No Hay Paíz [Without Corn, There Is No Country].

There is an agricultural revolution ongoing in Argentina. The people are upset about more the GMOs, they are worried about the pesticides, too.

Written by Marcela Valente
Wednesday, 31 July 2013 16:24
(IPS) - The debate over the reform (click here)  of Argentina’s seed law has pitted transnational corporations that make transgenic seeds against social and rural organisations and academics opposed to the expansion of monoculture in defence of biodiversity and food security.  Over a year ago, the agriculture ministry said it would present a bill to overhaul a 1973 law on seeds that was modified several times to accommodate the expansion of monoculture and genetically modified seeds since the 1990s. GM soy is now Argentina’s chief export. But the ministry has not yet introduced a bill, although it has two drafts. Argentina’s seeds association, which represents biotech companies, supports the ministry’s efforts to draw up a new law.... ...GM crops threaten native seeds He also said that in the northern province of Salta, the use of GM soy is spreading in small rural communities, threatening the survival of native seeds. “We need a law that promotes respect for the production methods of communities that preserve, improve, breed and trade seeds,” he said. The movement opposed to GM seeds suggests that Argentina could follow the model of the seed laws of Brazil or Bolivia, where GM crops are allowed but native seeds are protected and their use is promoted. Carballo said that with support from government or from international NGOs, in Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru there are “seed guardians” who select and protect seeds in seed banks that are open to the public.... By Gilyn Gibbs on Native Abundance From time immemorial, (click here) indigenous communities in the Western Hemisphere have depended on corn not only as a source of nutrition, but as the center of their cultural traditions and spirituality. This past September, the Yaqui Peoples of Sonora Mexico hosted the inaugural “Indigenous Peoples International Conference on Corn” in the Zapoteca Nation of Oaxaca Mexico. The conference, attended by 48 Indigenous Nations across from North, Central and South America, was created to encourage unity among indigenous communities, restore traditional economies, and ensure the survival of all native varieties of corn....

Now that the people are learning the extent the North Dakota Governor's administration hid from the public...

...I fully expect every environmental organization in the country to demand an investigation to the spills, the negligence and the government involvement in concealing the truth from the people.

Perhaps that, along with the fines these petroleum companies will receive for the spills in North Dakota begins to explain why the Governor never thought it important enough to tell the people of his state. Got it?

...Under the Clean Water Act, BP and its partners could be fined as much as $1,100 for each barrel of oil released into the Gulf if Barbier finds they were negligent in their actions while drilling the well and in limiting the effects of the accident. Barbier also could find that the responsible parties acted with "gross negligence" or "willful misconduct," which could result in maximum fines of $4,300 per barrel of oil....

Additionally, the Clean Water Act is about to be introduced into the investigations by the environmental groups that will insist on any appeals to high courts necessary to hold the petroleum industry responsible.

This is map of North Dakota ground water. Get the picture? 

Not only that, but, the Bakken is the premier oil reserve above reproach. The North Dakota kiss the ground Harold Hamm walks on for giving a so called economy.

...The Company (click here) has a long and successful history of developing its industry-leading leasehold and production in the nation's premier oil play, the Bakken of North Dakota.... 

"The Company" is Continental Resources. One might remotely remember that name as the one owned and operated by Howard Hamm, Romney's so called Energy Secretary in waiting. I am sure everyone remembers Howard, his wife decided to divorce him in 2012.

His second wife Sue Ann, (click here) a lawyer and economist, filed for divorce in 2012. When complete, Hamm, who apparently did not sign a pre-nup, could be worth a lot less. In the meantime, his fortune is up $2.7 billion in the past year, thanks to his more than 70% stake in Oklahoma oil giant Continental Resources....

So, why didn't the Governor tell the public? A million reasons and they mostly greenbacks.

The water resources according to USGS are:

North Dakota have N100ALLUVL -  Alluvial aquifers

North Dakota was also considered one of the four states of S500NGRTPL - Northern Great Plains aquifer system (click here)

The Northern Great Plains aquifer is no longer a legal status because the petroleum industry dissolved the idea that contamination of the aquifer in one of the four states would effect all four states. Well, guess what? Just because the aquifer is now divided into States Rights that doesn't change the geology and geography and the USGS was correct in indicating the aquifer was one body called "Northern Great Plains Aquifer." 

North Dakota has N500PLOZOC -  Paleozoic aquifers

North Dakota has N100GLCIAL - Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

North Dakota has N300UPCTCS - Upper Cretaceous aquifers

The aquifers need to be examined for water quality and then lawsuits filed against the State of North Dakota and Continental Resources as well as any drilling companies and CONCRETE companies involved by all the states effected and possibly towns and cities in Canada. In other words, here we go again in an investigation to what caused the MULTIPLE repeating oil spills in North Dakota that could easily have compromised four USA states and Canada. 

Ah, Canada. Why would a friend of Howard Hamm ever report oil spills before the Keystone XL Pipeline was approved, right Gov? 

National Aquifer Code Reference List (click here), in case I forgot any. 

Ground Water Atlas Achive (click here) 

The surrounding states and cities of Canada will need the history of the regional water supplies because I am sure the codification of the country's aquifers have been tampered with during the Bush White House.

Each archive costs $7.00 and can be ordered here (click here).  

Principal Aquifers of the 48 Conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (click here) - this webpage holds significant information for any lawyer, citizen organization and concerned citizens involved in water quality and the Clean Water Act.

This map is the primary aquifers in the  USA. They are huge and communicate across land masses and states in the USA.

Get the picture? The petroleum industry doesn't care about the aquifers. They would cause problems with their wealth quotient. And don't tell me the petroleum industry has a conscience and worries about water quality, it is called fracking. Guilty!

The private sector needs to help build economies abroad and not at the expense of the American Middle Class.

Any trade agreement that will allow low wage workers to produce import goods of the USA is a human rights violation. 

The USA needs to concentrate on increasing manufacturing in the USA and higher wages. The idea that the erosion of the American Middle Class can be part of any trade agreement is outrageous. 

Why do Americans have to accept Third World suffering to the tune of American job losses. Our economy cannot sustain itself if there is further loss of good paying jobs. The trade agreements, both past and anticipated, do not improve the quality of life of people in other nations, quite the contrary. People throw themselves out of buildings to their death to produce cheap tele-communications equipment. There is no conscience within the decision to promote more suffering of the Third World to provide cheap labor to Wall Street.

I can't believe President Obama would actually promote any trade agreement that would allow human suffering to benefit exorbitant profits of Wall Street. Certainly, he is mistaken to believe the Trans-Pacific Partnership is nothing more than the same erosion of the world's population at the mercy of poor wages and impoverished quality of life. Ambassador Powers must concern about these trade arrangements in realizing the hardship they cause all peoples and not just that of the American people. 

By David Francis
September 13, 2012

The Census Bureau (click here) announced Wednesday that median household income in the United States had fallen to $50,054, the lowest since 1996 and down 1.5 percent from 2010....

There is no Middle Class in many nations involved in the TPP. That should be a wake up call to the legislature. The USA should not be trading with other nations that do not uphold the growth of a Middle Class. I don't see further trade agreements unless the other countries are upholding Middle Class values within their populations including good wages and a high standard of living.

Survey in China Shows a Wide Gap in Income (click here)

By EDWARD WONG 
Published: July 19, 2013 

...Average annual income for a (Chinese) family in 2012 was 13,000 renminbi, or about $2,100. When broken down by geography, the survey results showed that the average amount in Shanghai, a huge coastal city, was just over 29,000 renminbi, or $4,700, while the average in Gansu Province, far from the coast in northwest China, was 11,400 renminbi, or just under $2,000. Average family income in urban areas was about $2,600, while it was $1,600 in rural areas....

This is outrageous and certainly uncharacteristic of this President and his administration. Selling out to the profits of Wall Street does nothing for the people of any country. There is example after example of failed trade agreements that never delivered on upholding vibrant economies of all countries involved. The ONLY reason these trade agreements exist is to allow companies to conduct business without abiding by labor laws or environmental laws. Dear God, the people of China have the worst Air Quality of any nation moving into the world economy. That is unacceptable. How can the USA hand Wall Street this level of immoral opportunity? Wall Street is killing people while they lavish in luxury.

No more. In order to continue to re-grow the American Middle Class means the countries we trade with have a viable Middle Class to purchase our goods as well. No more Two Wealth Class nations as partners in trade. No more Poor vs Wealthy while allowing continuation of the same. The USA needs to have trade partners that are actually viable partners.

And at no point in time can any trade agreement assail the sovereignty of the USA while undermining the authority of American Courts and agencies such as the NLRB. The American people are not guinea pigs, that seems to be a creeping reality into this country due to sincerely poor trade partners. No more. Absolutely not.

There is no trade agreement that will prove for any sincere exchange in trade. The Chinese people earn 4% of that of the American Middle Class and suffer in poverty in greater numbers than any American can imagine. How are the Chinese going to purchase American goods? They can't. But, yet morally the American people are suppose to accept the living conditions of the Third World in exchange for cheap products. The products aren't that cheap when they reach the USA. The greatest cost to any product imported to the USA is not the labor that produced it, but, the fuel costs of the ships that bring it to Panamax Ports with Chinese manufactured cranes. This is ridiculous. These trade agreements propagate poverty and suffering.
 
June 7, 2013

The Honorable Sander M. Levin
Ranking Member
Ways and Means Committee
1106 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Cc: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Dear Ranking Member Levin:
We look forward to working with you to establish United States trade policies that promote the creation of American jobs and support our national economic interests while safeguarding Congress’s prerogatives to determine what domestic policies best promote the public interest....

...Unfortunately, (click here) today TPP FTA talks continue in extreme secrecy. The administration has yet to release draft texts after more than three years of negotiations, and the few TPP FT A texts that have leaked reveal serious problems. Thus, we are especially concerned about any action that would transfer Congress’s exclusive constitutional trade authority to the president.

Congress needs to work together to get American trade policy back on track – not give away its authority to do so. Reducing our authority to ensure our trade agreements serve the public interest will undermine our efforts to create American jobs and to reform a misguided trade policy that has devastated our manufacturing base through the offshoring of American production and American jobs....

...Indeed, given the vast scope of today’s ” trade” agreements, we do not believe that a broad delegation of Congress’s constitutional trade authority is generally appropriate. Negotiations on the TPP FT A delve deeply into many non-trade matters under the authority of Congress and state legislatures. If completed, the TPP FTA would lock in policies on these non-trade matters that could not be altered without consent of all other signatory countries. Thus, ensuring Congress has a robust role in the formative aspects of trade agreements is vital.

We are all deeply committed to creating jobs in our communities and across the country. To do so effectively, we believe it is critical that Congress maintains its authority to ensure American trade agreements are a good deal for the American people.

Sincerely,
Mark Pocan
Member of Congress...

Let there be no doubt about the year 2000

If Vice President Gore took his rightful place in the Presidency in the year 2001, the American dialogue today would be, "Koch, who?" and "Frack what?"

No Keystone XL Pipeline

Former Vice President Al Gore is speaking at the Center for American Progress (click here)

I think he is nearly finished.

He stated 2 billion people will be using electricity from photovoltaic cells across the world. He stated it will cost less than the current energies from other forms of fuel. Why worry about nuclear energy if solar is coming into it's maturity. 

These are current emissions, but, the 'historic emissions' belongs primarily to the USA. 

Frequently, Republicans like to dismiss the damage to the troposphere already realized caused by the USA and simply focus on what exists today. The responsibility of the USA to the current Climate Crisis far exceeds that of any other country. The USA continues to discharge far too large amounts of Greenhouse Gases, especially since the Cheney Energy Policy (click here).

The USA energy policy has been based in pure, unadulterated corruption and cronyism. Not what is best for the nation, but, what was good for Cheney.

By Dana Milbank and Justin Blum

Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, November 16, 2005 

...In a joint hearing (click here) last week of the Senate Energy and Commerce committees, the chief executives of Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips said their firms did not participate in the 2001 task force. The president of Shell Oil said his company did not participate "to my knowledge," and the chief of BP America Inc. said he did not know.

Chevron was not named in the White House document, but the Government Accountability Office has found that Chevron was one of several companies that "gave detailed energy policy recommendations" to the task force. In addition, Cheney had a separate meeting with John Browne, BP's chief executive, according to a person familiar with the task force's work; that meeting is not noted in the document.... 

Former Vice President Al Gore addressed the atrocity of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

By Elias Isquith
Speaking before an audience (click here) at the Center for American Progress’ 10 year anniversary event in Washington, D.C., former Vice President Al Gore laid down the gauntlet, describing the Keystone XL pipeline as an “atrocity” that “should be vetoed.” “This should be vetoed. It is an atrocity. It is a threat to our future,” Gore said, according to Politico....

The British Isles are in for a soaking.

2013-10-25 

A powerful weather system (click here) developing over the Atlantic could see Britain battered with some of the worst weather conditions since the Great Storm of 1987, forecasters are predicting. The storm is expected to develop south west of Britain tomorrow and reach the south coast of England on Sunday night and into Monday, bringing exceptionally strong winds, forecasters predict. With winds of 80-90mph and up to 30mm of rain forecast the RAC has warned motorists against all but essential travel in torrential rain and floods. The public has also been warned to expect the possibility of power cuts....

The Satellite Image is from the Met Office which is the UK's weather service.

Met Service Satellite
October 25, 2013
1700 utc Infrared Satellite (click here for 24 hour loop - thank you)

Leon Brown, Chief Meteorologist  

Published: Oct 25, 2013, 1:33 PM EDT

...Ahead of the storm (click here) will be a large band of moderate to heavy rain so Sunday night will become very wet across southern and central Britain with as much as 30 to 60mm over SW England and Wales, the highest totals most likely in Wales. The persistent rain will then swing up across northern England during Monday morning.... 

This visual satellite shows the potential of a double landfall, one after the other.

Tom Matzzie is a hero. Thank you so much.

I never liked Hayden. He has always been a propaganda political hack. He ranks right up there as one of the worst Neocons in the country.

Now, my beliefs about him has been validated. I appreciate it.

Hayden can put away his smile, it won't work anymore. The Bush White House never was and still is not trustworthy. Just that simple.


Matzzie, whose Twitter feed (click here) describes him as the founder of Ethical Electric Company, regaled followers with a string of tweets describing Hayden's comments to reporters. Hayden was also director of the CIA for three years.

"Former NSA spy boss Michael Hayden on Acela behind me blabbing 'on background as a former senior admin official,' sounds defensive," tweeted Matzzie. "Michael Hayden on Acela giving reporters disparaging quotes about admin. 'Remember, just refer as former senior admin.'" 

And a few minutes later: "Hayden was bragging about rendition and black sites a minute ago." 

Under the CIA's controversial rendition program after the September 11 attacks, terrorism suspects would be captured and held at undisclosed locations or "black sites" outside the United States....

You wonder why Murdoch's media machine is so successful with it's propaganda. Well, here is one of the prime examples. The Bush White House is more then willing to lie and manipulate the public to turn their future ambitions into reality. 

Black sites and rendition should never be an agenda item, but, Murdoch will strive to prove how wonderfully safe the USA is due to kidnapping innocent Canadians to remote locations and interrogate under the worst conditions the world has to offer. They are disgusting.

The media needs to hurry and rehab Hayden's image. Hurry, hurry before the truth is realized by the country. 

A brain trust is suppose to be something the people can actually trust with laws and ethics respected and upheld by the professions. A brain trust isn't suppose to turn on the very people it's suppose to serve. It is a matter of sovereignty. The Public Trust. These trusts are NOT found in banks, they are found in the belief the truth and integrity is actually important. 

Mr. Matzzie has more integrity and trustworthiness than Hayden could ever hope to realize. 

The American people aren't the only ones tired of the nastiness of the Murdoch media circus.

 By Andy Fixmer - Oct 19, 2013 12:00 AM ET
...With the vote, (click here) investors are keeping up the pressure to split the roles of chairman and chief executive officer, both held by Murdoch. The tally suggests Fox will continue to face calls for reform. Murdoch son Lachlan wouldn’t have been re-elected to the board without his father’s votes. Last year, unaffiliated investors voted 2-1 to split the jobs at News Corp., which was separated into two separate publishing and entertainment businesses in June... 

...“The level of family control -- Mr. Murdoch owns 40 percent of voting shares -- and the dual-class share structure which denies voting rights to Class A shareholders, were engineered to keep power in the hands of Mr. Murdoch,” said Julie Tanner of Christian Brothers Investment Services. “While it is virtually impossible for a shareholder resolution to ‘pass,’ a high vote result should send a clear signal to the board that change is needed.”...

Interesting. The taking of the Captain and Engineer should be viewed for it's profound message to the USA rather than simply about money.

The two most valuable people on the ship. But, that is not the worst of it. Nigeria is fully fed up with the petroleum industry. Then there is the discovery in an Indian port of a floating munitions dealer. So, this is fairly interesting. There are answers here, but, I would suggest rather than invoking military force to allow the complaints of the people to continue and even escalate the State Department should also seek to understand the problems of the people of Nigeria more profoundly. 

This isn't to imply this is the government acting against the USA, quite the contrary, it is the people. There is a definite disconnect between the people of Nigeria and there government. That is the profound problem in Africa, including north Africa. The ability or willingness of the governments to improve the people's lives is simply not there. These pirating problems have a reason. It isn't as though the people are happy and satisfied with their lives.

Median Age of Nigerians: 

Median age: total: 17.9 years (click here)  
Male: 17.5 years  
Female: 18.4 years (2012 est.)

This is failure of government and international policy. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment for Nigeria has been undermined by greed of the few. If the people had a thriving alternative to a petroleum culture dominating their country, they would be satisfied with their lives, their culture and be receiving income that far exceeds what is theirs today.

Indonesia is a very interesting country. It has incorporated both the petroleum industry as a member of OPEC and The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment into their nation's priorities and as a result the people are well served with beauty of their land in abundance.  

Pirates off Nigeria kidnap 2 from U.S. oil supply ship (click here) 

Captain and engineer taken from ship in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea 

The Associated Press Posted: Oct 24, 2013 10:33 AM ET 
Last Updated: Oct 24, 2013 7:30 PM ET 

...The captain and an engineer were taken from the offshore supply vessel during an attack Wednesday in international waters off West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, said a U.S. defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the information....

...The vessel and 11 other members of the crew were released, and the two hostages are believed to have been taken to shore in Nigeria, the official said....

Chancellor Merkel seems to have her issues with US Presidents. At least she isn't throwing shoes yet.

The NSA spying on allies is outrageous. I suppose the USA intelligence community envies the information German has in regard to international criminals such as Atta, but, the agency needs to stop one upping Interpol.

EU summit confronts US surveillance scandal after claims that Merkel mobile was tapped and French calls were intercepted (click here)

Thursday 24 October 2013 13.43 EDT
Ian Taylor in Brussels

...The Germans made plain that they were unhappy with the White House response to the tapping allegations following a 20-minute phone call between Merkel and Barack Obama on Wednesday.
"Spying on friends is not on at all," Merkel said going into the summit in her first public comment on the row.
In Berlin, the German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, summoned the new US ambassador, John Emerson, to demand answers. The foreign ministry said German views would be presented "in no uncertain terms".
After seeing the ambassador, Westerwelle said: "We need the truth now".
Merkel's chief of staff, Ronald Pofalla, who is responsible for overseeing the German intelligence services, signalled that Berlin had delivered an ultimatum to Washington....

This is a serious violation of any relationship allies have with the USA. I don't imagine anyone in Europe is interested in hearing excuses. The State Department has their work cut out for them to make this right. 

My question is not so much about the USA spying on allies, but, what was a private contractor doing with this information? Mr. Snowden wasn't working for the government when he was exposed to this level of information from a private contractor. A Wall Street contractor. There should never have been this level of access by any private company about other governments, yet alone the USA. 

Senator Durbin is one of the most honorable Senators in Congress. He doesn't lie.

4:21 PM, October 24 2013
...So, O.K., gossip update: (click here) as you for sure recall, yesterday White House press secretary Jay Carney said that Senator Dick Durbin was totally lying when the Illinois Democrat wrote on Facebook that an unnamed Republican House member told President Obama that he, the anonymous G.O.P.-er, “cannot even stand to look at you.” What? What do you mean, “What?” Jay was like, “Hello? Dick’s Facebook is a sham-and-a-half. The only bigger lie on than thing that this cray-cray story about Obama getting dissed is Durbin’s own profile pic. It’s like, ‘I don’t remember his jowls getting furloughed, so where are they?’”...

I don't mind Carney attempting to dilute the reality of such blatant hatred, but, he should not do it at the cost of an honorable Senator. Senator Durbin is long respected in the Senate, so the White House Press Secretary needs to change his policy of deceiving the public.

This only goes to prove the mess with the House Republicans is more than politics. Whoever made the statement needs to resign their leadership position. The relationship with the White House is more than ruined and I don't appreciate President Obama having to sustain such statements. He is a good and decent man, one of the best Presidents this country has seen and above reproach in his approach in leadership. He relies on the people a great deal to move issues forward. That is not only leadership, it is profound recognition of our democracy. IT IS RESPECT of the people of this nation. Everyone wishes we could say the same about Republican leadership. 

I demand recognition of this insult and ridicule of President Obama and a public apology. Not an hour should pass before the apology occurs.