Sue-proof Monsanto

The giant biotech firm, Monsanto, whose GM seeds are rapidly putting the world in its pocket, has proofed itself against litigation by people who claim that they have been harmed by its products. On the Tuesday of last week, President Obama signed the Monsanto Protection Act into law as part of the Spending Bill, and this removes the public right to sue for any damage the firm may cause.

People in the States are furious. A petition opposing the measure has already gathered 250,000 signatures, and activists have gathered outside the White House to protest. Reports suggest that many members of Congress were not even aware that Monsanto Protection had been slipped into the spending bill. The International Business Times, hardly a revolutionary organ, worried that the bill meant ‘corporations can get around consumer safety protections if they get Congress on their side.’ Their report continued, ‘Furthermore, it sets a precedent that suggests that court challenges are a privilege, not a right.’

Thom Hartmann,in a video report on the Thom Hartmann Program on March 29th, contended that it is a human right to know what is in our food, and should also be ‘a right to hold companies liable when they poison consumers.’ He urged viewers to call Congress and tell them to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act. But don’t hold your breath.