Oh, Monsanto (parody)

Well, you started with dioxin, agent orange, PCB’s
Now you’re fixing to contaminate us all genetically.
You fiddle with our DNA, you feed us pesticide,
And the seeds of your deception are now scattered far and wide

OH, MONSANTO, NOW DON’T YOU LIE TO ME
We will get the law to label GMOs  eventually

Behind a friendly masquerade, you’re hiding wicked deeds,
With GMO’s you’re playing God, but planting evil seeds.
When we feed your corn to animals, it really makes them sick.
And causing infertility in men is quite a trick.
CHORUS

The hungry put their faith in you but crops have failed to yield.
You’ve turned the whole world’s food supply into a battlefield.
You claimed to have a miracle to meet our growing needs,
But all you’ve got to show is monster insects and super weeds.
CHORUS

You might control the FDA, just because you can,
But poisoning the people is a lousy business plan.
One day soon your children will discover what you do
And on that day they’re going to be so ashamed of you.
CHORUS

Lyrics © Doug Hendren 2012 original parody of “Oh, Susannah”, by Stephen Foster  

WHAT’S THIS SONG ABOUT?    Monsanto’s core traditional business is highly toxic industrial poisons, including Agent Orange (defoliant used in Vietnam), Dioxin, DDT and PCB’s, and the most widely used herbicide in the world, Roundup.  These compounds have serious and long-lasting toxic effects.  Although Monsanto claims that Roundup is biodegraded within 3 weeks, independent research has found persistent activity up to 20 years under certain conditions.  Monsanto controls the vast majority of the GMO market worldwide. This includes corn, soybeans, cottonseed and sugar beets.  In the US, for example, about 85% of the maize crop is genetically modified.  Monsanto’s corn contains a pesticide called the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin. The pesticide is not “on” the plant; it is actually a part of the DNA of the plant itself, so that what we eat contains the genetic information for making a pesticide. When we are digesting such food, could the information be transmitted to our own gut bacteria, in effect teaching them to produce pesticide?  Unfortunately, the answer is “yes”: It has already been demonstrated in humans [Smith (2007), p.130].  In the rush to fast-track these products to market, the most elementary research regarding biological safety and public health have been omitted or ignored. Monsanto has systematically deceived the public regarding GMO safety.  See references below by Smith and by Engdahl chronicling a hidden agenda behind GMO research, and a treacherous government-industry collusion which puts at risk the public health and the global food supply.  Evidence connecting glyphosphate (“Roundup”) with birth defects has been ignored or repressed by Monsanto and by regulators. It has also been linked to infertility in men.  “Super-insects” and “super-weeds” are now resistant to Monsanto’s poisons.  This is an entirely predictable result of the indiscriminate use of powerful toxins to try to control nature, and shows a profound ignorance and disregard for the fundamental laws of biology.   GMO crops have failed to produce higher yields than conventional methods, according to the 2009 report “Failure to Yield” by the Union of Concerned Scientists.  Farmer suicides in India linked to failure of GM cotton crops.  Monsanto has strategically controlled the FDA, most recently with the appointment of a Monsanto executive, Michael Taylor, to be our new “Food Safety Czar”.  No doubt Mr. Taylor’s primary job will be to continue to prevent Americans from knowing what is in our food, by blocking labeling laws.  Monsanto sues small  farmers:  Agricultural Giant Battles Small Farmers.  See Engdahl (2007) , Seeds of Destruction  for the history of development of GMO’s as a means to strategically control the world’s food supply.  The FDA has refused to allow the labeling of GMO foods in the United States, despite repeated efforts to pass labeling laws.  Virtually all other industrial nations have GMO labeling laws.  Members of the US public are not allowed to know what is in their food.  The FDA is acting here primarily in Monsanto’s interests, and has utterly abandoned its mandate to protect the public.  REFERENCES: Smith, Jeffrey M. (2003), Seeds of Deception, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 52556 Smith, Jeffrey M, (2007), Genetic Roulette,  Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA 52556 Engdahl, F. William, (2007) Seeds of Destruction, Center for Research on Globalization, Montreal, Canada.