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As a youngster I used to work PT while I was at Uni back in the 80's, taking care of a semi-rural parkland spread over 200 square miles. Every Spring, our workl

As a youngster I used to work PT while I was at Uni back in the 80's, taking care of a semi-rural parkland spread over 200 square miles. Every Spring, our workload would increase, slashing, clearing of weeds and blackberries. So Round-up was used. I told the boss no and refused to use it. The pesticide would be measured then added to the spray packs and the blokes would hand spray what ever needed to be knocked down. When they would slightly bend over, the air-relief valve would spit the spray out over their bare necks. After work was done they'd complain of dizziness. Whenever I read about Monsanto now, I also think about Michael White and his fight to sell seed, [0] after a neighbour accidentally contaminating it with ^round-up ready^ seed. [1],[2] So, F. Monsanto. Reference [0] "Why does Monsanto sue farmers who save seeds?" http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/why-does-monsanto-sue-farmers-who-save-seeds.aspx http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/why-does-monsanto-su... [1] Seeding Fear: https://youtube.com/watch?v=YZGueeao0tE https://youtube.com/watch?v=YZGueeao0tE [2] http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-neil-youngs-monsanto-themed-mini-documentary-seeding-fear-20150723 http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-neil-youngs-monsa...

cies 9y ago
I honestly do not understand that a company with such a track record is widely considered to be an legit business. They're a public enemy!
- joatmon-snoo 9y ago
  Maybe because most of their track record is just really bad PR and most people just fall for the big evil corporation line without ever fact checking claims?
  - agroot12 9y ago
    You mean we should fact check the unsealed emails? Let me quote one of the more explicit parts of the article: > Court records show that Monsanto was tipped off to the determination by a deputy division director at the E.P.A., Jess Rowland, months beforehand. That led the company to prepare a public relations assault on the finding well in advance of its publication. Monsanto executives, in their internal email traffic, also said Mr. Rowland had promised to beat back an effort by the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct its own review. > Dan Jenkins, a Monsanto executive, said in an email in 2015 that Mr. Rowland, referring to the other agency’s potential review, had told him, “If I can kill this, I should get a medal.” The review never took place. In another email, Mr. Jenkins noted to a colleague that Mr. Rowland was planning to retire and said he “could be useful as we move forward with ongoing glyphosate defense.” For me, this qualifies as 'big evil corporation' behavior. [edited: formatting]
    - Karunamon 9y ago
      That doesn't make them automatically guilty of every evil thing people tend to pin on them. By all means, let's hold them accountable for the evil they've provably done, but the oft-repeated "they sued a guy who had seeds wind up on his field" is throughly debunked.
      - ionised 9y ago
        > That doesn't make them automatically guilty of every evil thing people tend to pin on them. No, but it does give people the justification for intense suspicion and cynicism when it comes to the company in question.
  - ionised 9y ago
    It's hard to fact check when information is suppressed and research is carried out or paid for by the same corporations that are being investigated.
joatmon-snoo 9y ago
"accidentally contaminated" "He actually admitted to knowingly planting, producing, saving, cleaning and selling Roundup Ready soybeans illegally. All of this information is available in court documents." No part of that is accidental. All Monsanto's behavior amounts to is glaring flaws in our patent system. Every single time I see claims of "big corporate bully" it's always the little guy who's in the wrong, at least according to the law.

cies 9y ago

I honestly do not understand that a company with such a track record is widely considered to be an legit business. They're a public enemy!

joatmon-snoo 9y ago
Maybe because most of their track record is just really bad PR and most people just fall for the big evil corporation line without ever fact checking claims?
- agroot12 9y ago
  You mean we should fact check the unsealed emails? Let me quote one of the more explicit parts of the article: > Court records show that Monsanto was tipped off to the determination by a deputy division director at the E.P.A., Jess Rowland, months beforehand. That led the company to prepare a public relations assault on the finding well in advance of its publication. Monsanto executives, in their internal email traffic, also said Mr. Rowland had promised to beat back an effort by the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct its own review. > Dan Jenkins, a Monsanto executive, said in an email in 2015 that Mr. Rowland, referring to the other agency’s potential review, had told him, “If I can kill this, I should get a medal.” The review never took place. In another email, Mr. Jenkins noted to a colleague that Mr. Rowland was planning to retire and said he “could be useful as we move forward with ongoing glyphosate defense.” For me, this qualifies as 'big evil corporation' behavior. [edited: formatting]
  - Karunamon 9y ago
    That doesn't make them automatically guilty of every evil thing people tend to pin on them. By all means, let's hold them accountable for the evil they've provably done, but the oft-repeated "they sued a guy who had seeds wind up on his field" is throughly debunked.
    - ionised 9y ago
      > That doesn't make them automatically guilty of every evil thing people tend to pin on them. No, but it does give people the justification for intense suspicion and cynicism when it comes to the company in question.
- ionised 9y ago
  It's hard to fact check when information is suppressed and research is carried out or paid for by the same corporations that are being investigated.

joatmon-snoo 9y ago

"accidentally contaminated" "He actually admitted to knowingly planting, producing, saving, cleaning and selling Roundup Ready soybeans illegally. All of this information is available in court documents." No part of that is accidental. All Monsanto's behavior amounts to is glaring flaws in our patent system. Every single time I see claims of "big corporate bully" it's always the little guy who's in the wrong, at least according to the law.