Five terrrifying things about the Monsanto Protection Act

Read the original article HERE.

There's a lot being said about it, but here are five
terrifying facts about the Farmer Assurance Provision
 -- Section 735 of the spending bill -- to get you acquainted
 with the reasons behind the ongoing uproar:

1) The "Monsanto Protection Act" effectively bars
federal courts from being able to halt the sale or
planting of controversial genetically modified (aka GMO)
 or genetically engineered (GE) seeds, no matter what
health issues may arise concerning GMOs in the future.
The advent of genetically modified seeds -- which has
been driven by the massive Monsanto Company --
and their exploding use in farms across America
came on fast and has proved a huge boon for Monsanto's
profits.

But many anti-GMO folks argue there have not been
 enough studies into the potential health risks of this
new class of crop. Well, now it appears that even if those
 studies are completed and they end up revealing severe
 adverse health effects related to the consumption of
genetically modified foods, the courts will have no ability
to stop the spread of the seeds and the crops they bear.

2.) The provision's language was apparently written
in collusion with Monsanto. Lawmakers and companies
working together to craft legislation is by no means a
rare occurrence in this day and age. But the fact that
Sen. Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri,
actually worked with Monsanto on a provision that in
effect allows them to keep selling seeds, which can then
go on to be planted, even if it is found to be harmful to
consumers, is stunning. It's just another example of
orporations bending Congress to their will, and it's one
that could have dire risks for public health in America.

3.) Many members of Congress were apparently unaware
that the "Monsanto Protection Act" even existed within the
bill they were voting on. HR 933 was a spending bill aimed
 at averting a government shutdown and ensuring that the
federal government would continue to be able to pay its bills.
But the Center for Food Safety maintains that many
Democrats in Congress were not even aware that the provision
was in the legislation:

“In this hidden backroom deal, Sen. [Barbara] Mikulski turned
 her back on consumer, environmental and farmer protection
in favor of corporate welfare for biotech companies such as
Monsanto,” Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of
the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement. “This abuse
of power is not the kind of leadership the public has come to
expect from Sen. Mikulski or the Democrat Majority in the Senate.”

4.) The President did nothing to stop it, either. On Tuesday,
Obama signed HR 933 while the rest of the nation was fixated
 on gay marriage, as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral
argument concerning California's Proposition 8. But just
because most of the nation and the media were paying attention
to gay marriage doesn't mean that others were not doing
their best to express their opposition to the "Monsanto Protection Act."
 In fact, more than 250,000 voters signed a petition opposing
the provision. And Food Democracy Nowprotesters even
 took their fight straight to Obama, protesting in front of
the White House against Section 735 of the bill. He signed
 it anyway.

5.) It sets a terrible precedent. Though it will only remain
in effect for six months until the government finds another
way to fund its operations, the message it sends is that
corporations can get around consumer safety protections
if they get Congress on their side. Furthermore, it sets a
precedent that suggests that court challenges are a privilege,
not a right.

“I think any time you tweak with the ability of the public to
seek redress from the courts, you create a huge risk,” Seattle
 attorney Bill Marler -- who has represented victims of
foodborne illness in successful lawsuits against corporations --
told the New York Daily News.