Jerry (Ben & Jerry’s) lives in a fake world
by Jon Rappoport
November 18, 2014
The first time I realized the money and the leadership of the anti-GMO movement was guiding millions of people into ballot-labeling initiatives, I pictured a million people in the street calmly marching in orderly columns against the Vietnam War.
They all held pretty pink signs that said: “You have a right to know that war might be dangerous.”
Of course, there was a forced national draft at the time, so there was no legal right to choose staying at home vs. going to Vietnam.
As regards Monsanto, we are definitely in a “draft” situation. The genes inserted in food crops drift across the land and wind up in all sorts of plants.
Roundup, the highly toxic Monsanto herbicide used to kill weeds on farms, also blows in the wind across America. And the world.
And of course, weeds that are resistant to Roundup are growing tall and choking farms and ruining farmers’ lives.
“Just label it” and “the right to know what’s in your food” are diversions from an uncomfortable truth. Monsanto and other biotech giants are affecting everybody with their crazy technology and their poison.
If these facts had been the springboard, ten years ago, for money, time, and effort—triggering an all-out no-holds-barred attack against Monsanto, instead of soft ballot initiatives—we’d be in a much better place now.
Consider the November 6th Democracy Now! interview with Jerry Greenfield (of Ben and Jerry’s). When asked, “And, Jerry Greenfield, is Ben & Jerry’s opposed to GMOs, per se?,” Jerry answered:
“No, Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t really take a position on that. We always say we’re not scientists. You know, there really haven’t been independent studies. But our issue is simply about transparency, having a consumer have the right to know.”
Really, Jerry? There haven’t been independent studies? You don’t take a position? You know nothing about gene drift and Roundup? How convenient. How pleasant and liberating it is not to be a scientist.
Why don’t you reach out to Jeffrey Smith, author of Genetic Roulette, and ask him to send you links to those independent studies?
Better yet, just drop the know-nothing bullshit front.
Ben and Jerry’s is moving into all non-GMO ingredients by the end of 2014. Do I understand this correctly? You’re doing that just because you want to give consumers an alternative to something you know nothing about?
I see. You’re a kind of theoretician of the free market, an abstract thinker. As a general rule, ahem, it’s better to have more choices. As far as you know, there’s nothing right or wrong about GMO food. But why not expand alternatives anyway?
And while you’re at it, you could also offer several other lines of ice cream sweetened with: NutraSweet, Splenda, Corn Syrup, Glycerine, and the original classic, saccharine.
Because choice per se is good.
Monsanto is just another player in the marketplace. Ditto for Dow and Syngenta. You’re okay, they’re okay, we’re all okay.
Monsanto has its style. Ben and Jerry’s has its style.
Some people like pink, some like powder blue.
It’s all good, or if not, we’ll figure it out by trial and error. Because we aren’t scientists.
And since you’re completely ignorant, Jerry, why not offer a line of Chunky Funky sprayed with Roundup?
Here’s a rule for you. When businessmen bankroll a political movement, they cater to the consumer at the lowest common denominator: “what the consumer will pick off the shelf and buy.”
That’s the thrust. The weak soft approach.
Not an all-out attack against the evil—in this case, Monsanto—with powerful in-your-face ads and lawsuits and outrage and revelations about how government is a key partner in crime.
No, attacking evil is out of the question. It’s non-New Age. Bad Karma. The Universe doesn’t like it. Anger is unhealthy.
Instead, put a smile on your face and tell the world, “We don’t know, we’re not scientists.”
Ride that tune into the sunset.
It certainly won’t win a political war, but it’ll get you new customers.
Customers who wear a badge that says, “I’m proud I have the right to choose.”
Toot that horn, shuck and jive. It’s fun, isn’t it?
What’s coming out of your ears, Jerry, ain’t ice cream.
Jon Rappoport
The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com.
I never ever ever ever EVER buy ANYthing from these two Liberal Islamist b*st*rds—EVER. Not only are they screaming flaming nuking Libs, but their stoopid icecream is full of junk—not so “pure,” as the Lib doxy would have the “too stupid to understand” American pubelic believe
so if the cows are fed on gmo corn and you milk them , is the milk considered gmo ?
if you feed your cows on grass that has been sprayed with roundup to kill the weeds but not the grass, is the milk from those cows still considered safe ?
im sorry we aren’t scientists we just make ice cream
have a nice day
Due to our immersion in Good Causes (read: distractions) it is hard to realize we’re the girl in the red coat in Schindler’s list except crowds displaced with armored tanks in the street. It took me a while to realize that pro-labeling is actually compliance. This has been proved by fact that some vendors such as private dairies who label then get regulation notice from FDA that they have to also provide a label which says independent studies show that GMOs are not harmful.
It’s like for cancer.
“Do you want to give money for researches so they can find a cure for cancer?”
How about: “Do you want to give money for researches to find out WHAT is causing all these cancers?”
Their motivations are: Never go to the root cause of any disease. Just find a band-aid or a pill or whatever, that can mask the symptoms for a while.
Going back to the GMO’s labelling:
In my own opinion, it is giving Monsanto the right to continue to modify foods. When in fact, we should demand that they stop right away the whole destruction of the World food supply.
That is because cancers are caused by a “fungus” (if that’s the right word) that is dormant until “triggered” for a wide variety of reasons.
If the Cancer Council fessed up, it would be out of business. Period!
“In my own opinion, it is giving Monsanto the right to continue to modify foods. When in fact, we should demand that they stop right away the whole destruction of the World food supply.”
Exactly right.
I was appalled when I heard that despite Hawaii’s ban on GMOs, the judge is blocking the measure and allowing for the planting of GMOs.
Isn’t that practically the OPPOSITE of “not doing harm”?
Screw Monsanto and their profits – this is the destruction of man’s ability to fend for themselves.
“If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.” – Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994
“I have seen first hand how Monsanto and the FDA have resorted to scientific deceit of the highest order to market genetically engineered milk.” – Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., professor emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago
I still think there’s value in multiple levels of campaigns — not a universal, single campaign or argument. Unilateral strategies are easy to fight. Multiple layers of strategies less so. Start having some campaigns giving out straight up information on toxins, genetic drift, crop failures, etc. and then, in areas where biotech is more entrenched, such as Northern Indiana as opposed to Northern California, just go for a simple labeling campaign. Trying to ban GMOs here before an educational campaign has spread gets you an immediate blackballing by even “organic” activists, because they see it as completely undermining the local economy.
But tailor the campaigns to the level of consciousness in each area, the interests in each area, and then you get cross drift from the campaigns. What?! We don’t just need to label these things! We need to ban them. Having lived in 40 plus locations all around the US, local, regional, state approaches will get you further than trying to have a unilateral national campaign, especially if the centerpiece of the campaign involves political marches. Multiple strategies … keep them guessing. Keep them needing to try different responses for all the guerrilla attacks on them from all angles. The local strategies gives more flexibility for responding to what matters in each locality passing laws. Eventually, themes will emerge and resonant localities can join into larger, more cohesive movements. Guerrilla warfare is hard to fight against. We are outmatched in funds, media, power, etc. … but with many, many campaign tactics — all non-violent and all tailored to each locale — their marketing and legal departments will need to work way overtime, just to keep up. Eventually they will crack, and if they crack in one place, then other places can pry open that crack more and more.
I really think they are hoping we’ll all have a single “solution” because then they can just pour all their money, power, threats and strategy into that one thing. If they need to fight many and can’t tell whether they’re coming or going, they will lose.
I have a poem (or prose) for you, Jon, that does and doesn’t tie in with this subject matter
http://ozziethinker.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/the-club/
It will wait for your next topic post, but I think I have an important (bombshell) add for you viruses theme! (If you don’t think of it in the meantime….)
Best
OT
My thought is that we should have been ‘balls to the wall’ against these guys the moment they sued the farmer for allowing their seeds to blow and grow in the field across the street from their field. . . . before that, in my world GMO could have been the name of a new car.
In a word, awesome!
And THAT was how I ended up concluding discussions with some folks too.
The common excuse was: “Oh that’s too political. I don’t have time for that. I don’t do politics.” – Well, you get “the drift”.
Too many idiots who are really working towards an early death; for our entire species!
Bring in the AGENDA-21. After all, we are supposedly “destroying Mother Earth because of our over-population.” – Isn’t that the real issue after all?
Ha! I am going to start using that with the “just label it” people.
“Well, then, you get ‘the drift.’”
How droll! >:~))====
I amm sitting here with a (nearly gone) pint of ben & jerry’s “chocolate therapy” which says, on the side, “We source non-GMO ingredients, Fairtrade cocoa, sugar & vanilla….etc…. Reading this article about Jerry makes me think: Hmmm.. I think I will start only buying the locally made ice cream (and we have some good locally made ice cream). Buy local only, help local businesses… I’ll Help Local Dairies and So Long Ben and Jerry’s… (I couldn’t resist the rhyme). thanks Jon R…
Their “hippie” ice cream is way too expensive; I have never bought it, ever.
Jon I totally agree. GMO’s need to stop being planted immediately and by the same token stop being created immediately, as while everyone is discussing labeling the GMO plants are in the process of taking over the entire natural plant world due to the wind and what bees and birds are left. Lastly today Neil Young the singer has asked for a boycott of Starbucks as they are throwing money with Monsanto against GMO labeling, very sad day indeed.