The Ultimate War Crime: Breaking the Agricultural Cycle

[indigobusiness]

The Ultimate War Crime: Breaking the Agricultural Cycle
Edited by Iman Khaduri, http://abutamam.blogspot.com/ January 2005
www.globalresearch.ca 25 January 2005
The URL of this article is: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/KHA501A.html


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For the record: “U.S. declares Iraqis can not save their own seeds”
"As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save their seeds, which include seeds the Iraqis themselves have developed over hundreds of years. Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US corporations. That is because in recent years, transnational corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or developed by indigenous peoples. In a short time, Iraq will be living under the new American credo:
Pay Monsanto, or starve ."

"The American Administrator of the Iraqi CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) government, Paul Bremer, updated Iraq's intellectual property law to 'meet current internationally-recognized standards of protection'. The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by 97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, and is the standard farming practice for thousands of years across human civilizations, to be now illegal.. Instead, farmers will have to obtain a yearly license for genetically modified (GM) seeds from American corporations. These GM seeds have typically been modified from seeds developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the Iraqis, and shared freely like agricultural 'open source.'"

Iraq law Requires Seed Licenses November 13, 2004

"According to Order 81, paragraph 66 - , issued by L. Paul Bremer , the people in Iraq are now prohibited from saving seeds and may only plant seeds for their food from licensed, authorized U.S. distributors.

snip

As per an Iraqi proverb, the day will come, sooner rather than later, when the Iraqis will shred Bremer's Laws, soak them in water and offer the glass to Bremer to drink.

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/KHA501A.html

[Guns Aximbo]

1. talk about "The Evil Empire"

We live in it.

[indigobusiness]

4. This "terminator seed" scenario

pretty much clinches it. Not much room left for doubt.

[prodigal_green]

2. I'd love to see images of us enforcing that law on the tee vee

soldiers busting into silos and burning seed corn. Nice.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. More about the GMO foods and Monsanto...

Genetically Modified Foods 1/2 quality of natural

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x1837

So, they will be forced to grow SUBSTANDARD food, and pay for the privilege. Nice.
:mad:

[Cats Against Frist]

5. Now that is totally fucked up

It's not just the seeds. They're selling the whole country off, piece by piece.

Thing is, if the Iraqis, technically OWNED their own country before (I know this is not so simple, because of Hussein) how are they being given restitution for the U.S. stealing all their shit and selling it off to foreign interests?

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. These genetically modified crops, as I understand it,

include a modification that makes their seeds non-viable. Once the farmers are forced to purchase these seeds, their crops CANNOT produce seed for the next generation, forcing them to in turn purchase seed for the next crop.

Civiliztion was born on the concept of sustainable agriculture. This makes it unsustainable.

Isn't it a war crime to use starvation as a tool of war?

[KissMeKate]

7. this IS the ultimate war crime.

we get around the spirit of the geneva convention and follow the letter of it, and pat ourselves on the back as a moral nation.

[Emillereid]

8. This is beyond sick! I wonder when the rest of the world will finally

get together to take us down.

Remember Palast's story on the economic plan we needed to implement for Iraq before elections would be allowed. This atrocity is one tiny part of the package. They wanted to make Iraq a capitalist, free - market, privatized paradise with no government social programs -- a neo-con wet - dream! Not allowing a farmer the right to save seen is beyond the beyonds!

[Igel]

9. Is anybody forcing them to use GM seed stock?

If they've been saving seeds in the past, why not just continue the practice with their traditional crops?

[indigobusiness]

11. Yes...Read the links.

They are outraged.

[Igel]

13. I remember reading the original documents that were put out

a couple of months ago (this thread has had several incarnations).

If you don't follow the stipulations at the beginning very carefully, you get the usual reading. If you read it closely, you don't.

[indigobusiness]

14. Do you work for Monsanto?

Iraq's New Patent Law: A Declaration of War Against Farmers -
http://www.mindfully.org/Farm/2004/Iraq-Patent-Law-CPA15oct04.htm
World Food Day in Iraq: Iraqi Farmers Aren't Celebrating -
http://www.mindfully.org/Food/2004/Iraq-World-Food-Day15oct04.htm

[Karenina]

12. It's a HORRIFIC SCAM.

Go here:

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Monsanto-Roundup-Glyphosate.htm

[AG78]

10. But they had purple stained fingers

Wasn't that democracy?

[Dirk39]

15. Just one of these things that have to be arranged....

(among many others), before the "peasants" vote...
One of these things, people are not allowed to decide, 'cause it's, well, it's one of those prerequisites of freedom,liberty, preemptive war, human rights, a few bad apples in Abu Graib, god, good, free speech, family values etc. ppp.

Don't support terror and dare to contradict!

Everyone, who doesn't support the "economic restructuring" of Iraq is a terrorist and supports the axis of evil, o.k. it's 2005: supports the 'outposts of tyranny'.
If only I think about those evil fundamentalistic terrorist freedom-hating farmers, who are saving their seeds and other weapons of mass destruction. I wish, guns would be allowed in Germany.
Amen in Germany,
Dirk