Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Check it Out: Galician Harvest Festival 10 things to know for Monday Festival spreads the buzz about bees Annual See's candy sales start Friday Education Crossing guard clowns, but takes job seriously Ashland's DECA team proves a quick study Helman hosts literacy event Ashland Kiwanis honors two AHS students SOU bucks trend, increases enrollment Environment Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees Business Greg Zyla: Growing up in the fabulous ’50s Silvio Calabi: Aston Martin’s new Vanquish is a super GT Festival spreads the buzz about bees With e-Bike business booming, Ashland vendor expands Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Politics and elections Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Kitzhaber wins fourth term Merkley wins re-election by wide margin Elected without opposition State News Nation - World Obituaries In Loving Memory of John (Jack) Dillon Death Notices Death Notices Death Notices Sports Latest Stories No. 8 Raiders to host first-round playoff game Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Ice skating rink opens today Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton No. 13 SOU falls to Concordia in CCC semis High school Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Georgia Williams commits to Columbia Gabe Lehrburger, Grizzlies clean house in MWL all-star voting Southern Oregon University No. 8 Raiders to host first-round playoff game Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton No. 13 SOU falls to Concordia in CCC semis No. 4 Raiders, No. 16 Mounties meet with much on the line Streaking Raiders brace for CCC tournament Opinion Latest Stories Mark Hopkins: Is our nation in decline? Granlund cartoon: Thanksgiving and Christmas overlap Kent Bush: Reporters never get to cry Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? Our View: Editorial Our View: Our view: Generating a good idea Our View: Looking beyond the snow Our View: Voters chose wisely in council elections Our View: Your vote does matter Letters Letters to the Editor, Nov. 15 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 10 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 3 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 28 Guest opinions Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? Herb Rothschild: TPP agreement draws opposition from all sides Guest Opinion: A meaningful step toward political bipartisanship Tell Wyden not to push trade pact Guest Opinion: Local paper is a treasure Revels Latest Stories Check it Out: Galician Harvest Festival Community blog: National Readathon Day is coming Rogue World Ensemble presents 'Gather 'Round' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos Best bets for things to do around Ashland, Nov. 13-20 Theater Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Bass Clarinet Takeover Book review: 'The Next Elvis,' by Barbara Barnes Sims Best bets for things to do around Ashland The Farr Side: On ‘1989,’ Taylor Swift lightens up Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘Theory of Everything’ is winsomely human Movie review: ‘Theory of Everything’: Let’s get physics-cal Tommy Lee Jones (finally) puts on a happy face 'Interstellar' is a complex journey to the stars Movie review: Sci-fi epic ‘Interstellar’ gets lost in space Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Greg Zyla: Growing up in the fabulous ’50s It Is What It Is: The power of goals Jeff Vrabel: Canned cheeseburgers make great gifts Home Help: Spruce up your home with quick DIY painting projects Silvio Calabi: Aston Martin’s new Vanquish is a super GT Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar ... Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? ... Our View: ... Ashland Calendar ... Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? ... Our View: ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Oregon poised to mandate GMO labeling By Jane Ayers DailyTidings.com By Jane Ayers Posted Oct. 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Jane Ayers Posted Oct. 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am » RELATED CONTENT • More than health at stake in GMO debate, speakers say » Social News Southern Oregon’s organic farmers and consumers won a major victory earlier this year when they stopped the introduction of GMO seeds in their pristine valleys. Even though Syngenta and Monsanto funded huge television campaigns to try to stop the grass-roots organizing, the majority of county voters chose to protect their seeds and healthy food sources. This week, the campaign for Ballot Measure 92 in Oregon is heating up in another show of force. The mandated labeling of GMOs to protect the public’s right to know was leading in early polling results by a very close margin, 49 percent to 44 percent. As expected, big agri-business companies are flooding Oregon with millions in marketing funding to try to defeat the citizens’ concerns. This week DuPont donated a whopping $7.5 million ($4.5 million in Oregon, $3 million in Colorado, which has a similar labeling measure). This last-minute contribution has now trumped the record for the largest political campaign contribution in Oregon. To try to defeat state measures in Oregon and Colorado, Monsanto has spent $8.8 million, adding to Pepsi ($3 million), Coke ($2 million), Kraft Foods (more than $1.5 million), General Mills ($1.5 million), and others such as Land o' Lakes Butter, Snickers, Kelloggs, Hormel Foods and Bumble Bee all contributing big amounts under $1 million. Retired EPA scientist Dr. Ray Seidler is playing a key role in educating the public about the dangers of GMOs. Seidler, a micro-biologist who started the first federal research program on biosafety issues of GMOs, states, “Back then we only wanted to regulate GMOs because we didn’t know anything about them. Now we see what damage they can cause.” Seidler emphasizes, “The pure vitamin-laden seeds grown here in Oregon are now exported internationally to the 66-plus countries that have banned GMOs in their countries. The seeds grown in the Southern Oregon valley are in demand worldwide. So Oregonians want to protect that, too.” Seidler also has been focused on the widespread failure of the Bt insecticidal trait in genetically engineered corn, especially in the rapidly emerging resistance in insects. This is manifesting currently as huge increases in coating seeds with insecticides and also injecting insecticides into the soil nationwide. Seidler recently teamed up with David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, to coauthor a white paper on the dangers of GMOs, titled "Pesticide Use on Genetically Engineered Crops." Bronner, who has a biology degree from Harvard, has been one of the biggest contributors in Oregon and Colorado in favor of GMO labeling. Over the past two weeks, Bronner has placed advertorials in major publications such as Scientific American, The New Yorker, Harpers, The Nation, Harvard, Progressive Magazine and Mother Jones. However, two leading scientific publications, Science and Nature magazines, refused to publish the ad, which focused on the dangers of GMOs. A Science magazine rep stated in an email to Dr. Bronner’s staff, “We’re concerned about … getting into a battle with the GMO industry.” In response, Bronner said, “The truth of the matter is the chemical industry has bought the seed industry and both political parties in this country, [and it] has pulled the wool over our media, political and scientific elites …” Meanwhile in Oregon, the citizen’s initiative, Measure 92, has grown stronger with its own influx of financial backing to counter the negative effects of the big agricultural corporate donations. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and the Center for Food Safety have donated $1 million each for GMO labeling. Grassroots donations have also been matched by Mercola.com, and other healthy food companies such as Nature’s Path, Bob’s Red Mill, Nutiva, Stonyfield Farms, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and Amy’s Organics have contributed as well. The Organic Consumers Association, Presence Marketing, Food Democracy Now and Consumers Union have also contributed substantially to the labeling initiative. To counter a move by the Hormel Foods Company (which donated $170,000 against labeling), Tom Hormel, heir of the Hormel Foods fortune, donated $500,000 in favor of the crucial GMO labeling, citing concerns about the high health risks from eating GMO foods. The GMO labeling vote in Oregon and Colorado on Nov. 4 will be instrumental in raising the standards for a healthy future in the U.S., for consumers, for farmers and for the soil itself. President Dwight D. Einsenhower once stated, “The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.” The soil, the seed and the harvest are all being affected by this GMO labeling vote. Jane Ayers, director of Jane Ayers Media, is an independent journalist based in Ashland. Email her at [email protected], or visit her website: www.wix.com/ladywriterjane/janeayersmedia. This article first appeared online at www.readersupportednews.org.   By Jane Ayers DailyTidings.com By Jane Ayers Posted Oct. 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501